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- Fred Lynn was born on 3 February 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Fantasy Island (1977), Monday Night Baseball (1976) and Signs of the Time (2008). He has been married to Natalie Cole since 7 October 1986. He was previously married to Diane Minkle.
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David Ortiz was born on 18 November 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is a producer and actor, known for Patriots Day (2016), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990) and American Masters (1985). He has been married to Tiffany Brick since 16 November 2002. They have three children.- Producer
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Tom Brady was born on August 3, 1977 in San Mateo, California, to Galynn Patricia (Johnson) and Thomas Edward Brady, who owns a financial planning business. His father is of Irish descent and his mother is of Norwegian-Swedish and Polish ancestry. He attended Junipero Serra High School, the same high school which produced Barry Bonds of the SF Giants. He attended the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1999. He was a backup to Brian Griese when the Wolverines went 12-0 and won the national championship in 1997. Brady shared the starting quarterback job with Drew Henson in 1998 and 1999, but managed to compile a 20-5 record over those two years, including a 2-0 record in bowl games. The New England Patriots made him a sixth round draft choice in 2000, the 199th player selected overall in the draft. He spent 2000 as a fourth string quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz and Michael Bishop. In 2001, Brady was elevated to second string quarterback behind Bledsoe as training camp broke. The fortunes for both Brady and the Patriots changed forever on September 23, 2001, as Bledsoe was hit hard by New York Jet linebacker "Mo Lewis", suffering a near life-threatening injury. Brady replaced Bledsoe in the contest, and has started every Patriot game at quarterback since. Bledsoe was never able to regain his starting job, as Brady led the Patriots on an 11-3 run to close the 2001 regular season, then led the Patriots through the playoffs and an improbable 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams, a 14-point favorite, in Super Bowl XXXVI. After an ordinary 2002 season, Brady skippered the Patriots to one of the greatest seasons in NFL history in 2003. The Patriots began the season 2-2, then won every remaining regular season and playoff game, capped off by a 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Brady followed that up with a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance in 2004, as the Patriots once again went 14-2 in the regular season and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX. Brady is 9-0 all-time in the playoffs in his career following Super Bowl XXXIX. In the first two Super Bowls he has played in, Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP, becoming one of only four players in NFL history to win this award more than once. Brady is 48-14 as a starting Patriot quarterback going into the 2005 season. His poise as well as his penchant for playing with incredible cool and precision in big games is drawing comparisons with the great Joe Montana, former SF 49ers quarterback.
Brady is married to model Gisele Bündchen, and the couple has two children. His brother-in-law is baseball player Kevin Youkilis, who is married to Tom's sister, Julie.- Producer
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Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989), nicknamed "Gronk", is an American football tight end who played majority of his professional career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is a three-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII), a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a four-time First Team All-Pro selection, and was selected in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.- Actor
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Considered by many to be the greatest hockey player of all time, Bobby Orr revolutionized professional hockey. In his years with the Boston Bruins, he epitomized grace and elegance in the way he played and such was his talent that it remains difficult, if not impossible, to quantify his impact on the sport. But for all of the superlatives heard in all of the retrospectives, and for all of the awe still generated by the recorded images so expertly captured by WSBK-TV in Boston, perhaps Orr's greatest legacy was in the inspiration he provided to those thousands of youngsters across New England who filled ice rinks and outdoor skating ponds in the years of the Big, Bad Bruins.- Actor
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Phil Esposito is a Canadian broadcaster, and former professional ice hockey executive, coach and player. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers Hockey Team. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time, and is the older brother of fellow Hall-of-Famer Tony Esposito, a goaltender.
After retiring as a player, Esposito served as head coach and general manager of the New York Rangers Hockey Team before co-founding the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the principal studio analyst for the NHL on Fox 1995-1998. He served as Tampa Bay's radio commentator.
In 2017, Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.- The term Dynasty might have never applied to Basketball had it not been for Bill Russell. In the History of professional sports there has never been an athlete who has more accolades or championships, in other words Bill Russell was not only a champion, but he was perhaps the definition of a champion. Russell did not create the first basketball dynasty, but to date, through Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Bill Russell has one more championship than any other basketball player.
Bill Russell was born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934, to Katie and Charlie Louis Russell. . At the age of 9 he moved to Oakland. While in Oakland he was very poor but became a skillful basketball player. At 18 he went to college, at San Francisco, where he won two NCAA Championships in 1955 and 1956. In 1956 Bill Russell entered the NBA draft. He was drafted second overall, by the St. Louis Hawks, but was traded to the Boston Celtics for Ed Macauley, in a deal spearheaded by Red Auerbach, the coach of the Boston Celtics. Macauley was part of a solid offensive unit with Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, but the team had a missing piece to the puzzle.
As America would soon find out Bill Russell would be that missing piece. Although Bill Russell played less than 50 games, due to the fact he has won a gold medal for basketball in the Olympics, in his first NBA season he definitely made his presence felt. Russell brought an aspect to basketball that had rarely been explored before: defense. Bill Russell knew that basketball was not so much scoring, but keeping your opponent from scoring as well. Bill Russell viewed basketball as a science, and played the game with an analytical view as well as with an emotional intensity.
Russell played the game psychologically as well, defending his various opponents so well that many times he made those he defended feel like they could not score a basket. This intensity not only paid off in the Olympics, and in college, but it would have an immediate impact in the NBA. Bill Russell would lead the Boston Celtics to 9 straight NBA titles, many times over vaunted rivals the Philadelphia Warriors, and later the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell would lead these teams over some other among the greatest of all time, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Hal Greer, and his most famous rival Wilt Chamberlain.
While Russell was rewriting Boston sports history he faced immense racism from the most devout Celtics fan. His home was accosted on a few occasions, and he heard he would not get MVP because he was black from a reporter. Still yet Russell was without a doubt one of the finest players of his day. In the long line of dominance the Boston Celtics would exercise over the NBA the most legendary years were in his final years. In 1966 Wilt Chamberlain was traded from the Golden State warriors to his new hometown Philadelphia 76ers. For the first time in the Bill Russell- Wilt Chamberlain rivalry Chamberlain could not say he did not have the team to beat the Celtics, although many contend that the Celtics were evenly match if not inferior in talent to their many rivals. The Philadelphia 76ers did beat the Boston Celtics in 1967, but in 1966 and 1968 the Celtics, not quite to the level of the Sixers.
But in 1968 it was truly Russell that beat the Sixers, as he was not the heart and soul on the court, but was now it's head coach, which he became in 1967 after legend Red Auerbach retired. He would not let his defeat in 1967 keep him down. He would return and defeat the Sixers in 1968, in a hotly contested Conference Final series, and easily defeat the Lakers in the Finals. At the end of the season Wilt Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, taking Chamberlain to the other arch-rival of the Boston Celtics. In 1969 most of the fabled Celtics had long been gone or had recently retired. Only Russell remained of the fabled Boston Celtics, except for the emerging superstar John Havlichek, and aging star Sam Jones. Russell now had the daunting task of taking a bottom seed to defeat some of the best teams of all time, including a newly revamped Philadelphia after the Chamberlain trade, who they beat, and the New York Knickerbockers, led by Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, and Walt Frazier, who they beat in 6, and set the match for the Los Angeles Lakers, which now had Chamberlain.
Chamberlain, as well as Jerry West and Elgin Baylor always fell short to the Celtics. This year, alongside Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston, and a very deep bench, which included future Laker's Coach Pat Riley the Lakers looked to beat the Celtics for the first time in the Finals. After taking the first two at home the Lakers returned to the Boston Garden to lose the next two. The Celtics then lost to Los Angeles in the Forum in Game 5, and the Celtics returned to the Boston Garden in game 6 and won that contest. Game Seven in the Finals was one of the most legendary ever played in the history of American sports. First Laker's owner Jack Kent Cooke had filled the rafters with purple and yellow balloons balloons and intended to drop them after the Lakers won. When word of this got back to Bill Russell, he told his teammates something to the affect of "We're going to have to do something about that." Also at the end of the game Wilt Chamberlain was taken out of the game by unpopular coach Butch van Breda Kolff. An explanation van Breda Kolff gave to Chamberlain was "we're doing fine without you." Without Chamberlain and an injured Jerry West, it was not enough to defeat the Celtics, who won by only two points.
Russell later said Chamberlain was week, and should have demanded to go back into the game. The two who were previous friends were now very distant. Russell knew that he had won, but he wanted to win over Chamberlain, and did not. No matter the game went to seven games when it should have been much shorter. The Celtics who were supposedly way past their prime were led by Bill Russell to their eleventh championship, they were only the third team to repeat a championship, the first were the Minneapolis Lakers, and the second were the Boston Celtics. Russell was truly nothing short of a champion.
Since his historic victory Russell has been active in broadcasting for NBA games, and occasionally coaching, including the Seattle Supersonics in the 1970s and the Sacramento Kings in the 1980s. He was not ready for the coaching job, and did an all around bad job, sadly enough. He is a best-selling author and thirty years after he won he remained a recognizable face and a legend. Until Michael Jordan he was almost unanimously acclaimed as the greatest player of all time, and some still think he is. But without Bill Russell there is no doubt the Boston Celtics would not be the rock-solid professional sports team they have become in their legendary run of championships. - Jo Jo White was born on 16 November 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for The Game Plan (2007), Inside Moves (1980) and Mexico City 1968: Games of the XIX Olympiad (1968). He was married to Deborah Dixon and Estelle Bowser. He died on 16 January 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Larry Bird graduated from Springs Valley High School in French Lick, Indiana in 1974. He attended Indiana University briefly, then transferred to Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He then embarked on an outstanding basketball career, establishing himself as one of the best shooting forwards in the history of the game. The Boston Celtics made him their first round selection in 1978 (the sixth pick overall), but Bird had another year of eligibility left and decided to play one more year at ISU. He led the Sycamores to the 1979 NCAA Title Game versus Michigan State that year, and his battle in that game with MSU's Magic Johnson touched off the best basketball rivalry of the 1980s. Bird joined the Celtics in the fall of 1979 and played with them his entire career. He led the Celtics to five NBA Finals appearances, winning championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Bird won three straight league MVPs (1984-86), two NBA Finals MVPs (1984, 86), NBA Rookie of the Year (1980), and was selected as a first team NBA all star nine times. Back injuries forced him to retire in 1992, and his number 33 was promptly retired by the Celtics.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. in 1998.- Danny Ainge was one of the best basketball players in the history of Brigham Young University (BYU). He won the Wooden Award as the college player of the year in 1981, but seemed intent on pursuing baseball as a career. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays minor league organization, but after batting only .220 over several seasons, he joined the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He was involved in the NBA Finals 4 times ('84, '86, '92, '93) and played with Boston, Sacramento, Portland, and Phoenix, winning two championships in the process, and averaging 11 points per game over a career, with a career high of 17.9ppg in 1989-90. He later became a coach for Portland and Phoenix, and is now the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics (2003).
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Julian Edelman was born on 22 May 1986 in Redwood City, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for 80 for Brady (2023), Ballers (2015) and Almost Friday TV (2022).- Bill Belichick was born on 16 April 1952 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor, known for Rescue Me (2004), NFL Monday Night Football (1970) and Fate of a Sport (2022). He was previously married to Deborah Clarke.
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Curt Schilling was born on 14 November 1966 in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Million Dollar Arm (2014), Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (2012) and Arli$$ (1996). He has been married to Shonda Schilling since 7 November 1992. They have four children.- Patrice Bergeron was born on 24 July 1985 in Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor, known for NHL 15 (2014), NHL on ESPN (1980) and Behind the B (2013).
- Lou Gehrig is remembered as baseball's "Iron Horse" and used to own the major league record for the 2,130 consecutive games that he played for the New York Yankees between 1925 and 1939, where he had a .340 career batting average, making him one of the greatest hitters of all time. Henry Louis Gehrig was born in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, New York City on June 19, 1903. His parents, Heinrich and Christina Gehrig, were German immigrants. Of their four children, Lou was the only one who survived to adulthood. Growing up as a mama's boy, Lou lived with his parents until he married at the age of 30. Lou attended New York public schools, including the High School of Commerce, where he excelled in baseball, football and swimming. In his senior year, Lou's school won New York's public school baseball championship. They played Chicago's best high school team at Wrigley Field in 1920. The game was a portrait of what was to come: with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th inning, Lou crushed a 3-2 pitch over the right field to win the game. To fulfill his parents' dream, Lou enrolled at New York's Columbia University in 1922. Because he had briefly played for a professional baseball club the preceding summer, Lou was barred from athletic competitions at Columbia for a year. After sitting out the year, Lou started on the college's baseball and football squads, earning him the nickname "Columbia Lou." When his father lost his job and his mother fell ill, Lou decided to leave college for a professional baseball career. In June 1923, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league contract. He was assigned to the team's Hartford, Connecticut, farm club where he played for two seasons. Lou was then inserted into the Yankee lineup on June 1, 1925 substituting for their regular first baseman, Wally Pipp. For the next 14 years, Lou did not miss a single game. Even though Lou made an immediate impression in the majors, leading the American League with 20 triples in his second season, it was in 1927 that this six-foot, 210-pound left-hander blossomed as a slugger. He challenged teammate Babe Ruth for the league's home run title. By the end of the season, Lou had hit 47 home runs to Babe Ruth's 60, earning second place. That year, Lou hit .373 and set a major league record by racking up 175 RBIs. Not surprisingly, Lou was voted the league's Most Valuable Player. He also helped the Yankees to win the 1927 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. True to his form, Lou had almost decided to sit out the entire series to stay by his ill mother's side. For the next 13 consecutive seasons, Lou knocked more than 100 home runs, and slugged 46 home runs with 184 RBIs in 1931. On June 3, 1932, Lou hit four home runs in one game against the Philadelphia Athletics, setting another major league record. In 1933, Lou married Eleanor Twitchell, who helped him withstand the rigors of professional baseball. On the eve of his 2,000th consecutive game in 1938, Eleanor suggested that Lou was getting compulsive about the streak and advised him to end his career at 1,999 games. Despite his wife's good intentions, Lou would not be deterred and appeared there and at 130 more games. During 1939 spring training Lou began to experience weakness and problems with coordination. On May 2, 1939, Lou's consecutive game streak finally ended when he removed himself from the team. Suspecting something more than his training was making him feel worn out, Lou entered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for health tests and on June 19, 1939, his 36th birthday, Lou was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare incurable muscular disorder which causes the muscular motor functions to degenerate, resulting in atrophying muscles, which in turn can lead to paralysis and ultimately death. New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named Lou the city's parole commissioner upon his retirement from baseball in 1939, a job he held until his declining health confided him to his bed in early 1941. Lou Gehrig finally passed away from ALS on June 2, 1941 at the age of 37. His universal renown was so great that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis later became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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Most of Babe Ruth's records have been broken. In 1961, not only did Roger Maris break The Babe's 34-year-old record for most home runs in a season with 61* (2001), but Maris' teammate on the '61 Yankees, pitcher Whitey Ford broke the Babe's 43-year-old record for most scoreless innings pitched in a World Series when the Yankees dispatched the Reds that year in the postseason. (When asked how it felt to have beat the Babe's "other" record, Whitey responded, "It was a bad year for the Babe".)
Though Barry Bonds now holds the record for most home runs in a season (73), most home runs in a career (762), highest slugging percentage, most intentional walks, etc., The Babe still must be considered the greatest player who ever graced the game. In addition to his record 12 home run titles, his 13 slugging titles, his six R.B.I. titles, and his solo batting title (.378 in 1924; The Babe placed in the top five hitters in terms of batting average eight times, including a career high of .393 in 1923, when Harry Heilmann hit .403), The Babe won 18, 23 and 24 games as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1915, 1916 and 1917, and won the American League E.R.A. title in '16. He set his first home run title in 1918, another year the Sox won the World Series, as a part-time position player and part-time pitcher, notching up 11 homers and nine wins. George Herman Ruth likely will remain the sole player in major league baseball history to win batting, home run, R.B.I., slugging *and* E.R.A. titles, plus eat a dozen hot dogs and drink the better part of a keg of bootleg "needle" beer before suiting up for a game.
From 1914 to 1919, The Babe played for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he appeared on three World's Championship teams. Sold to the New York Yankees by Red Sox owner and theatrical impresario Harry Frazee, he led the-then no pennant American League franchise in Gotham to seven A.L. pennants and four World Series titles from 1920-1934. He played out his string with the Boston Braves in 1935; even a washed-up Babe was still able to pole three circuit clouts in one game before calling it quits after 28 games and six in that last season. The following year, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yes, the Babe was mighty, and he did prevail more often than naught except over one opponent: Father Time.
The Babe ended his 22 years in the Big Leagues with 2,873 hits good for a career batting average of .342, 714 home runs, 2,217 R.B.I.s, and 2,174 runs scored in 2,503 games. (From his debut in 1914 through the 1918 season, when he was making his transition to becoming a full time position player, Ruth only appeared in 261 ball games as he was considered the top left-handed pitcher in the American League.) In the record books, Ty Cobb scored more runs and Hank Aaron hit more homers and racked up more R.B.I.s (Interestingly, Hammerin' Hank and The Babe ended their careers with the exact same number of runs scored.), but they played in far more games than the The Babe, with 3,035 and 3,298 games, respectively. Among modern players, Rickey Henderson, who surpassed Cobb's record for runs after 25 years in The Show, played in 3,081 games, and Barry Bonds appeared in almost 3,000 games.
No player ever had the impact, both on and off the field, as did the charismatic Babe. When he died of cancer in 1948, the New York Times headline read, "Babe Ruth/Idol of Millions of Boys/Dead".- Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1931, the son of a minor-league player who never made it to the big leagues and named him after Major Leaguer Mickey Cochrane. Mickey's father and grandfather -- who also never made it to the majors -- taught him how to play baseball, but more importantly also taught him how to be a switch-hitter.
Mickey grew up during the Great Depression, which hit Oklahoma especially hard. Times were so tough that the only way to play sports as a kid was to play with friends; there were no organized leagues around back then. It was while playing baseball with his friends that Mickey's astonishing talent for the game made itself evident. When he got into high school he played baseball, basketball and football and excelled at all three. Some thought that he would become a football player when he grew up, but Mickey had known what he wanted to be since the age of five: a baseball player, and nothing else. A devastating knee injury almost ruined his chances of getting into that -- or any other -- sport, and would be the beginning of the knee problems that would plague him throughout his career.
He was drafted into the minors at age 18, and while in the Yankee farm system his astounding talent was so obvious that he was jumped from the Class C division directly to the Yankee team itself. When he got there he was given #6, because Yankee management thought he would be the next "superstar" and in line with the other Yankee greats: Babe Ruth (#3), Lou Gehrig (#4), Joe DiMaggio (#5). Mick didn't do well, however, and was sent back down to the minors. After a couple of lackluster games he told his dad he was going to quit, but after giving it some thought he decided to stick with it and soon began to hit again. He was recalled back to the Yankee team (and given #7 this time), and that was when the Mickey Mantle of legend was born. He started in right field before DiMaggio left. During the 1951 World Series Mickey stepped into a water drain in the outfield, a serious injury that affected his playing from that point on.
In his 18-year career he set (and broke) numerous records and, as he himself has said, if he had taken better care of himself -- most of his home runs were hit while he was injured -- he would have broken every record in the book. Even his injuries and his penchant for hard drinking were no match for his mind-boggling talent -- he once hit a home run with one arm, and has admitted that many of his homers were hit while he was not only injured but drunk and / or hung over. In his later years he came to regret the chances he had and missed because of his drinking and partying. He even made a public service message to the kids who idolized him, recounting the kinds of things he had done and the mistakes he had made, and telling them, "Don't be like me." It's doubtful if there ever can be anyone like him; someone like Mickey Mantle comes along only once in a lifetime. He died August 13, 1995 at the age of 64. - Without a doubt the most famous baseball player ever to come out of North Dakota, Maris was a talent who was judged unfairly throughout his career because of one glorious season. He came up in the pros with the Cleveland Indians, and was soon dealt to the Kansas City Athletics, but it was his third team, the greatest of them all, the New York Yankees, where he would find fame, infamy and controversy. Sure, Maris nipped Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs by one in 1961, but what most casual baseball fans don't know is that he also won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1960, and he was arguably the best right fielder in New York Yankee history, so he was far from a one-year wonder. In 1961 when both he and his more popular teammate Mickey Mantle made the assault on the Babe's record, fans (and Yankee management) preferred Mantle to the reserved Maris to break the mark. When injuries prevented Mantle from reaching the record, Maris did so with the weight of not only the acerbic New York media on him, but the nation as well. Although the media coverage nearly drove him to a nervous breakdown, Maris did tie and break the mark, however was unfairly maligned with an asterisk besides his record because he had taken eight more games to break Ruth's record. This was the decree of then baseball Commissioner Ford Frick, who was Ruth's ghostwriter and one of his best friends. Maris would never really recover from the media onslaught after his record as injuries and perhaps the pressure from the media and fans took a toll on him. He finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, and as a regular helped them to a world championship and two National League pennants in the late 1960s. It would take years for Maris to get his due from the press and the fans, and fortunately for him, it happened before he died of cancer in 1985.
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Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 17, 1963. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic and Deloris Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris felt that the streets of Brooklyn were unsafe to raise a family, so they moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina.
As a youngster, Michael immediately became interested in sports. However, it was baseball not basketball that was his first love. He would play catch in the yard with his father, who loved baseball. He soon started to play basketball to try and follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Larry, whom he idolized growing up.
At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and practiced tirelessly. The hard work paid off as he averaged 25 points per game in his last two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.
Following high school, he earned a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University where he would play under legendary coach Dean Smith. In his first year, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year. He would help lead the Tarheels to the 1982 NCAA Championship, making the game-winning shot.
After winning the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 1984, Jordan decided to leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he would later return to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography.
In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and named Rookie of the Year. This would just be the beginning of a career filled with awards and accolades. In the upcoming years, he would go on to win five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP awards, and a defensive player of the year award.
In 1993, tragedy struck Jordan's seemingly perfect life. On July 23, 1993, his father, James, was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in the chest and threw his body in a swamp.
Three months later on October 6, 1993, following a run of three consecutive NBA championships, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer had the desire to play." Now "retired" at age 33, it was uncertain what Jordan would do next. Would he take a year off out of the public eye to grieve and then come back to the Bulls? Would he go out and look for a white collar job in the field of geography, his college major? Or would he take up a completely different hobby like golf?
In early 1994, Jordan decided to take up a new hobby alright. However, it wasn't golf. It was baseball. Despite not playing baseball since high school some 13 years ago, he signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. He played one unspectacular season for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
On March 18, 1995, Jordan, a man of few words since his retirement, sent two important words to media sources everywhere: "I'm Back". He celebrated his return to the NBA by doing what he always did best: winning. Although the Bulls would lose in the playoffs to the Orlando Magic, it was obvious that Jordan was still the same superstar player. He would go on to lead the Bulls to three more consecutive NBA championships and etch his place in the history as the "NBA's greatest player of all-time".
On January 13, 1999, Jordan re-announced his retirement, saying that "he was 99.9 percent sure that he would never play again". Soon after, Jordan became part owner of the Washington Wizards.
Near the start of the 2001-02 season, there were hints that Jordan may try another comeback to the NBA. On September 25, 2001, Jordan confirmed those rumors, announcing that he would once again return to the NBA as a member of the Wizards. His two seasons in Washington were mediocre at best. His statistics were solid and he showed some flashes of his old self but he could not lead the Wizards to the playoffs and missed several games due to injury. He retired for good following the 2002-03 season and was subsequently dismissed as president of the Washington Wizards.
In June 2006, he became part owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Later that year, he filed for divorce from Juanita, his wife of 17 years. They have three children together.- Actor
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Charles Barkley is an American retired professional basketball player who is an analyst on Inside the NBA (1988).
Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant power forwards. An All-American power forward at Auburn University, he was drafted as a junior by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 5th pick of the 1984 NBA draft. He was selected to the All-NBA First Team five times, the All-NBA Second Team five times, and once to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993 with the Phoenix Suns, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player, and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' "Dream Team". Barkley is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2006 for his individual career, and in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team".
Charles Barkley was popular with the fans and media and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for his last 13 seasons in the league. He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Though shorter than the typical power forward, Barkley used his strength and aggressiveness to become one of the NBA's most dominant rebounders. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. In 2000, he retired as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.
Since retiring as a player, Barkley has had a successful career as an NBA analyst. He works with Turner Network Television (TNT) alongside of Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson as a studio pundit for its coverage of NBA games. Barkley has written several books and has shown an interest in politics. In October 2008, he announced that he would run for Governor of Alabama in 2014, but he changed his mind.- Actor
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Magic Johnson was born on 14 August 1959 in Lansing, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Obsessed (2009), Dead Tone (2007) and Hair Show (2004). He has been married to Cookie Johnson since 14 September 1991. They have two children.- Actor
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. A member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, Abdul-Jabbar twice was voted NBA Finals MVP. In 1996, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
In 1975, he was traded to the Lakers, with whom he played the final 14 seasons of his career and won five additional NBA championships. Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were a key component in the "Showtime" era of Lakers basketball. Over his 20-year NBA career, his teams succeeded in making the playoffs 18 times and got past the first round 14 times; his teams reached the NBA Finals on 10 occasions.
At the time of his retirement at age 42 in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored (38,387), games played (1,560), minutes played (57,446), field goals made (15,837), field goal attempts (28,307), blocked shots (3,189), defensive rebounds (9,394), career wins (1,074), and personal fouls (4,657). In 2007, ESPN voted him the greatest center of all time, in 2008, they named him the "greatest player in college basketball history", and in 2016, they named him the second best player in NBA history (behind Michael Jordan). Abdul-Jabbar has also been an actor, a basketball coach, and a best-selling author.- Actor
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Muhammad Ali beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight champion in history. He defeated heavyweight kings Sonny Liston (twice), Floyd Patterson (twice), Ernie Terrell, Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton (twice), Joe Frazier (twice), George Foreman and Leon Spinks. He defeated light-heavyweight champs Archie Moore and Bob Foster. Ali defeated European heavyweight champions Henry Cooper, Karl Mildenberger, Jürgen Blin, Joe Bugner, Richard Dunn, Jean-Pierre Coopman and Alfredo Evangelista. He defeated British and Commonwealth king Brian London. All of Ali's defeats were by heavyweight champions: Frazier, Norton, Spinks, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. Ali also beat undefeated fighters Sonny Banks (12-0), Billy Daniels (16-0), 'Rudi Lubbers' (21-0) and George Foreman (40-0).- Actor
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John McEnroe is a former professional American tennis player, born in Wiesbaden, West Germany in 1959.
Breaking many records, McEnroe is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, though he is perhaps equally, if not more known, for his losses of temper on the court. His outbursts became so infamous that he titled his 2002 autobiography "You cannot be serious" after his most-known phrase, and observed in the book as he got older that: "There were times I felt like an old circus act, in a show that was attracting less and less interest. "
Since retiring from the sport, McEnroe has worked as a commentator, and often parodied his own public persona, playing fictional versions of himself in commercials, and movies including You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Anger Management (2003) and Jack and Jill (2011).
McEnroe was formerly married to actress Tatum O'Neal from 1986 to 1994, and is presently married to singer Patty Smyth.- At age 21, Tiger Woods became the youngest Masters champ and the first golfer since Jerry Pate in 1976 to win in the first major he played. In 1997, Woods took the lead at the Augusta golf classic and then put on a golf clinic never seen before. He fired a 3-under-par 69 and broke the tournament 72-hole record with an unbelievable 18-under 270. The 12-stroke margin of victory was the largest in Masters history. Woods was chosen as the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and ESPY Male Athlete of the Year in 1997. He was also one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in history, winning six USGA national championships, an NCAA title during his two years at Stanford University, and an unprecedented three consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships. He finished first on the PGA Tour five times in 1999. More importantly, Woods opened wide a door of society in becoming the first African American, as well as the first Asian American, to win a major. Woods was granted dual citizenship by the Thai government (his mother, Kultida, is of half Thai and one quarter Chinese, descent) in 1997 prior to playing in the Asian Honda Classic. Woods has captured the hearts and imaginations of even non-golf fans around the world. Affable and good looking, he became an international star and a prime endorser of golfing equipment and apparel. Born Eldrick Woods on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, his distinctive nickname "Tiger" came from his father Earl's Green Beret army past. "Tiger" had been the moniker of a South Vietnamese officer who saved Earl's life on several occasions. As a child, Woods was one of junior golf's most accomplished players. He putted against Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show (1961) at the improbable age of 2, shot 48 for nine holes at age 3, and was featured in "Golf Digest" at age 5. Woods won several major youth titles in southern California. He won three straight U.S. Amateur titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996 after winning three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He turned professional in the summer of 1996, and the game of golf hasn't been the same since. Sense of humor intact, Woods once observed, "Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps".
- Golfing legend Bobby Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 17, 1903. He began playing golf as a young child, and won his first tournament when he was nine years old. In 1916, at age 14, he made it to the third round of the US National Amateur tournament. Golf was not just a passion with him but almost an obsession, and while he was attending the Georgia School of Technology--from which he graduated in 1922--he continued playing golf, and his astonishing skill at the game resulted in his becoming one of the most admired sports stars of the 1920s and widely credited with making golf one of the most popular sports in the country. He won the US Open in 1923--his first major tournament win--and again in 1926, 1929 and 1930. He took the US Amateur title in 1924, 1925, 1927 and 1928 and the British Open championship in 1926, 1927 and 1930. In 1930 he took the US Open and US Amateur titles and British Open and British Amateur titles, a feat that has never been duplicated. He won a total of 13 major championships. He was a member of the US Walker Cup teams in 1922, 1924, 1926, 1928 and 1930.
In 1931 he began making a series of short instructional films, titled "How I Play Golf", for Warner Brothers Pictures, which were tremendously successful. Directed by veteran filmmaker--and duffer--George Marshall, these shorts featured many Hollywood golfing enthusiasts such as Leon Errol, Joe E. Brown and W.C. Fields, who appeared in them for the opportunity to be instructed by a man many believed to be the finest golfer in the history of the game. Jones retired from golf shortly after starting these films--since he was being paid for them he could no longer claim amateur status--and, since he was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1928 after obtaining his law degree from Emory University in 1927, he opened a law practice in Atlanta.
Jones helped to establish the Augusta National Golf Club, and in 1934 he founded the annual Masters Tournament, held at the club; it eventually became one of the most prestigious tournaments in the game.
In 1948 he suffered a spinal injury that resulted in his being confined to a wheelchair, but he continued to run his diverse business interests from his home in Atlanta. In 1958 he was accorded the singular honor of being allowed "freedom of the burgh" at St. Andrews, Scotland--the last American to receive that honor was American Revolution figure Benjamin Franklin.
Bobby Jones died in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 18, 1971. - Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is a retired American professional golfer. He is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, winning a total of 18 career major championships, while producing 19 second-place and 9 third-place finishes in them, over a span of 25 years. Nicklaus focused on the major championships (Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship), and played a selective schedule of regular PGA Tour events, yet still finished with 73 victories, third on the all-time list behind Sam Snead (82) and Tiger Woods (79).
- Arnold Palmer was born on 10 September 1929 in Youngstown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Return to Campus (1975), Call Me Bwana (1963) and Arnold Palmer: Course Strategy (1989). He was married to Kathleen Gawthrop and Winifred Walzer. He died on 25 September 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Gary Player was born on 1 November 1935 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is an actor, known for My Way II (1977), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) and In Depth with Graham Bensinger (2010). He was previously married to Vivienne Verwey.- Actor
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George Foreman was boxing's most feared fighter from 1973-1974. Undefeated in 40 straight fights, 37 by knockout, he was on a 24 consecutive knockout run when he faced Muhammad Ali on October 30, 1974 in defense of his world heavyweight title in Zaire, Africa. A product of a poor family, Foreman was in constant trouble with the law. He credits the Job Corp with turning his life around. Started boxing as an amateur and, in less than three years, captured a gold medal in the 1968 Olympic Games. Lost only 2 out of 24 amateur fights. Turned pro under the guidance of veteran trainer Dick Saddler. Foreman was a stablemate of former heavyweight king Charles "Sonny" Liston and Charlie Snips. Foreman idolized Liston and copied his ring style and mannerisms. Foreman used a piercing stare to intimated his opponents ala Liston. He was criticized for beating second rate opponents, yet had scored victories over credible fighters like George Chuvallo, Boone Kirkman and Gregorio Peralta. Destroyed undefeated Joe Frazier in two brutal rounds to capture the world title in 1973; Frazier was knocked down six times. Destroyed Jose "King" Roman in one round and Ken Norton in two rounds to retain his title. Foreman was knocked out by 3-1 underdog Muhammad Ali in 8 rounds. Foreman fought 5 men in one night in a 1975 exhibition. Won five straight knockouts on the comeback trail before being decked and decision-ed by Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico in 1977. Foreman claimed to have seen God in his dressing room following the defeat and announced he was going to become a preacher and retire from boxing. Preached for 10 years and blew up to 300 pounds. Decided to return to the ring to raise money for his church; experts laughed, but Foreman racked up 18 straight knockout victories. He was defeated in a title bid by Evander Holyfield but, a few years later, shocked the world by knocking out undefeated World Heavyweight Champion Michael Moorer (36-0) to become champion again at 45. Made a few successful defenses before losing his title by a controversial decision to Shannon Briggs.- Actor
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Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable punching power, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973 and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics.- Actor
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Leon Spinks was born on 11 July 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Untitled Leon Spinks Project, Risen (2010) and Facing Ali (2009). He was married to Brenda Glur, Betty Wilson and Nova Bush. He died on 5 February 2021 in Henderson, Nevada, USA.- Charles "Sonny" Liston's life and death began and ended in the same manner: as a mystery. Liston, one of 25 children by his father, is reputed to have been born in May 1932, yet prison records show various birth dates, among them 1928. After a rough upbringing, with little formal education, Liston found himself in trouble with the law. He served brief prison terms and on one occasion was introduced to boxing by a prison chaplain. Liston excelled in his newfound love, boxing, and, after a short amateur career, turned professional. At 6 feet 1 inch and 217 pounds, Liston had devastating punching power, an iron chin, and lightning reflexes, along with a powerful jab. He quickly destroyed all the leading heavyweight contenders--Roy Harris, Zora Folley, Cleveland Williams--to earn a title shot against Floyd Patterson. Liston destroyed the champion in one round and destroyed him again in the rematch. Liston was the most feared man in the world, until Muhammad Ali arrived on the scene and knocked him out twice, ending his championship days and his reputation as the "World's Baddest Man." Liston continued to box until the time of his death. His 17-year ring log was an impressive 50-4 with 39 knockouts. Outside of the ring, Liston had a charming personality. He was friendly with his fans and had a soft spot for children. He acted in a number of films, the most famous being "Harlow" with Carroll Baker. He died under mysterious conditions on December 30, 1970.
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Jack Dempsey's life story could have been a Hollywood script. Born to a dirt-poor farming family, young Dempsey took up boxing with his older brother. Turning professional under the name Kid Blackie, Dempsey fought in saloons, coal-mining towns, back allies, lumberjack camps, and numerous hick and tank towns around the United States. Pocessing speed, toughness, and one-punch knockout power, Dempsey quickly started racking up a series of knockouts. Defeats to "Fireman" Jim Flynn, Willie Meehan, and Jack Downey, kept Dempsey in the minor circuit. It wasn't until he met manager Jack "Doc" Hearns did Dempsey's career take off. After scoring 5 consecutive first round knockouts, Dempsey met Jess Williard for the World's Heavyweight Boxing Title on July 4, 1919. Dempsey butchered the 6 ft 6 inch 270 pound Williard, knocking him down seven times in round one, and finally stopping him in the third. Dempsey became the first fighter to generate a million dollar gate. His knockouts over Luis Firpo and George Carpienter are legendary. He lost his tile after almost 7 years to Gene Tunney. Lost to Tunney in the "Battle of the Long Count" and retired. In 1931, at 36, Jack Dempsey announced his comeback and fought hundreds of exhibitions. He knocked-out over 40 opponents, sometimes 3 or 4 in one night. In 1940, at 45, he returned for the final time and knocked out 3 opponents in one month. Dempsey went on to run his famous restaurant on Broadway for almost 50 years.- Actor
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Joe Louis is considered by many fistic experts and fans as the greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champion in the sport's history. Born into a poor family, Joe Louis's mother felt the only way her son could escape poverty was through music. She bought him a violin and sent him off daily to lessons. On his way there, young Joe would pass by a boxing gym. In no time, he was working out at the gym, training for a boxing career. His amateur career started off disastrously, as he was knocked-out down 16 times in losing the fight. However, he was determined to continue and posted an outstanding amateur career with only 5 defeats in 60 fights. He turned professional and quickly racked up one of the most impressive winning streaks in boxing history. He was nicknamed, The Brown Bomber, and became the first boxer to defeat six heavyweight champions (Primo Carnera, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Jimmy Braddock, Max Schmeling, and Jersey Joe Walcott). After winning the championship, he held it almost 12 years to set a record, plus set another record with 25 successful title defenses. He retired with a 60-1 record, only to make an unsuccessful and very sad comeback at the age of 37. While champion, Joe Louis volunteered to join the U.S. Army at the height of his career. He made two title defenses in which he donated his entire purses to relief funds to help both the Army and the Navy. He spent almost five years in the service and boxed hundreds of exhibitions. However, after the war, he was hounded by the Internal Revenue Service to pay back taxes on the purses he had donated. He suffered terribly through this ordeal. and soon found himself broke. He launched a "controversial" pro-wrestling career and was undefeated in some 20 matches before retiring with a heart problem. He was helped by his good friend Frank Sinatra and acted in a few films, worked as a host in Las Vegas, and made numerous appearances for boxing. He died a few years after suffering a massive stroke. Joe Louis was buried with full-military honors, and it was said that he was "most" proud of his European-African-Middle Eastern Medal and his Victory Medal World War II. In or out of the ring, Joe Louis was a Champion.- Actor
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Considered one of the best fighters of all time, Ray Leonard burst onto the international scene by winning the light-welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He turned professional with a lawyer, Mike Trainer, handling the business side of his career whilst hiring the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee to guide him towards the top. Dundee's success with Muhammad Ali and Trainer's business savvy ensured that three years later, Sugar Ray Leonard was not only a millionaire, but ready for his first world title.
Puerto Rican Wilfredo Benitez, himself a world champion since the age of 17, surrendered the WBC welterweight title in 1979, and Sugar Ray was on his way. The next seven years saw Leonard engage in some of the most famous battles in ring history with his three most famous rivals; Thomas Hearns (aka Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns), Roberto Durán (aka Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran) and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Duran was the victor in early 1980, taking the WBC crown after a brutal contest. However, honor was restored later that same year, with the famous "No Mas" victory. Duran was out-boxed, out-sped and humiliated and, in the eighth round, surrendered with the words "No Mas - No More".
1981 saw the WBA/WBC welterweight unification bout with Hearns. Victory came in the fourteenth round after a see-saw fight that saw both fighters hurt before Sugar Ray prevailed. Retirement followed but, in 1984, returned at light-middleweight, although he retired again soon after. Clearly, he wasn't the same fighter as in his hey-day. However, the pull of the limelight was too much and, in 1987, returned to the ring with an audacious challenge for the WBC world middleweight crown against the fearsome champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas. Despite being a heavy underdog, Leonard confounded the critics by beating Hagler for the first time since 1980, and taking his beloved world title. Hagler retired, claiming he was robbed.
Many dispute Leonard's victory, and opinion is divided, even to this day. Although he won the WBC super-middleweight & light-heavyweight titles, it was clear that Sugar Ray's best days were behind him. A hollow rubber match victory against Duran and a draw with Hearns carried little weight, and he took a beating in a WBC light-middleweight title against "Terrible" Terry Norris in 1991, getting knocked down twice and sustaining a nasty beating. Six years later, a non-title contest against Hector Camacho (aka Hector "Macho" Camacho) finally persuaded Sugar Ray Leonard that his time was up. After some years establishing himself as a top promoter, he joined forces with ex-British paratrooper & reality TV mogul Mark Burnett to create The Contender (2005). With movie star Sylvester Stallone also on board, "The Contender" gives an insight to the hopes & fears of young professional prize-fighters as they compete for a $1 million prize and a headline-grabbing main event in Las Vegas. It was of particular importance to Leonard, as he wanted the public to see that although he had all the trappings of success, such as wealth & glory, the road to the top was filled with setbacks and problems, both physically & emotionally, which he himself had to overcome in his boxing days. Ray Leonard still remains in the public eye to this day, and his legacy as one of the sport's greatest exponents means that his place in boxing history is forever secure.- Rocco Francis Marchegiano , better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott (from whom he had taken the title), Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore.
- Rocky Graziano was born on 1 January 1919 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Teenage Millionaire (1961) and Tony Rome (1967). He was married to Norma Unger. He died on 22 May 1990 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Jean-Claude Killy was born on 30 August 1943 in Saint-Cloud, Seine-et-Oise [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. He is an actor, known for Snow Job (1972), The White Search (1970) and ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961). He was previously married to Danièle Gaubert.
- Jackie Robinson is an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the The Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, they heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
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Baseball's all-time home run king, Hank Aaron did more than hit home runs. Sure, Aaron led the National League (NL) four times, he also was a two-time batting champion and led the league in RBIs four times and runs scored three times. He won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1957 and has a lifetime batting average of .305. Aaron got his start playing for the Indianapolis Clowns, of the Negro Leagues before signing on with the Milwaukee Braves. He played at their minor league team in Eau Claire, Wis., one of the first black players there, and was brought up by the Braves in 1954. For the next 23 years, Aaron clobbered Major League pitchers. Never a charismatic player, Aaron often let his bat do the talking. He was the subject of intense media scrutiny in 1973-74 when he approached Babe Ruth's hallowed home run record. Aaron received more than 10,000 letters (most of them hate mail and even death threats) during the off-season claiming he should not break the record. Ever the ultimate professional and gentleman, he ignored the insults and slurs and went about the opening season in 1974. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Ruth's record and in doing so, received the undying support of the fans. He finished with 755 overall before retiring after the 1976 season. Aaron was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982, and now works in the front office for the Atlanta Braves.- Actor
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Willie Mays was born on 6 May 1931 in Westfield, Alabama, USA. He is an actor, known for About Last Night (2014), Ironside (1967) and The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950). He was previously married to Mae Louise Allen and Margherite Wendell Chapman.- Stan Mikita was born on 20 May 1940 in Sokolce, Czechoslovakia. He was an actor, known for Wayne's World (1992), 1973 Stanley Cup Finals (1973) and NHL on CBS (1957). He was married to Jill Cerny. He died on 7 August 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Bobby Hull is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, legendary skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high velocity together earned him the name "The Golden Jet".
In his 23 years in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA), Hull played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Winnipeg Jets, and Hartford Whalers. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player twice and the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading point scorer three times, while helping the Black Hawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961. He also led the WHA's Winnipeg Jets to Avco Cup championships in 1976 and 1978. He led the NHL in goals seven times, the second most of any player in history, and led the WHA in goals one additional time while being the WHA's most valuable player two times. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, and received the Wayne Gretzky International Award in 2003. In 2017 Hull was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Hull ended his career having played in 1,063 NHL games, accumulating 610 goals, 560 assists, 1,170 points, 640 penalty minutes, three Art Ross Trophies, two Hart Memorial Trophies, a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, a Stanley Cup Championship and adding 102 penalty minutes, 62 goals and 67 assists for 129 points in 119 playoff games. He played in 411 WHA games, scoring 303 goals, 335 assists and 638 points, adding 43 goals and 37 assists in 60 playoff games.
Hull joined many WHA stars (including Gordie Howe) in a second series against the Soviet national team. The WHA lost the series four games to one (three ending in a tie), despite Hull's seven goals. He was a key member of the Canadian squad that won the 1976 Canada Cup, though, scoring five goals and three assists in seven games. - Producer
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Cal Ripken was born on 24 August 1960 in Havre De Grace, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and executive, known for The Fan (1996), Sunday Night Baseball (1990) and Marvel & ESPN Films Present 1 of 1: Genesis (2014). He has been married to Laura Kiessling since October 2018. He was previously married to Kelly Ripken.- Actor
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Frank Gifford was born on 16 August 1930 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Jerry Maguire (1996), Viva Knievel! (1977) and Spin City (1996). He was married to Kathie Lee Gifford, Astrid Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart. He died on 9 August 2015 in Riverside, Connecticut, USA.- Pat Summerall was born on 10 May 1930 in Lake City, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for The Replacements (2000), Black Sunday (1977) and The Simpsons (1989). He was married to Cherilyn Burns and Katharine Elliott Jacobs. He died on 16 April 2013 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
- Bart Starr was born on 9 January 1934 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for Run to Daylight (1964), Gentle Ben (1967) and The NFL on CBS (1956). He was married to Cherry Starr. He died on 26 May 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
- Y.A. Tittle was born on 24 October 1926 in Marshall, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Any Given Sunday (1999), The NFL on CBS (1956) and What's My Line? (1950). He was married to Minette DeLoach. He died on 8 October 2017 in Stanford, California, USA.
- Richard J. Butkus, "Dick", was born in Chicago, Illinois, December 9, 1942. He graduated from the University of Illinois where he was a two time All- American line backer. A first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, Dick played for them from 1965-1973, and was named All-Pro linebacker seven times. Mr. Butkus was elected into the NFL "Football Hall of Fame" at Canton, Ohio. Many football gurus consider Dick Butkus the finest linebacker in the history of football.
- Mike Ditka is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College Football (1986) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988), he was the 1961 UPI NFL Rookie of Year, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro tight end with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).
He was an NFL champion with the 1963 Bears, and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, playing on the Cowboys Super Bowl VI team as well as winning as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII, and coaching the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. He was named to the NFL's 50th, 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.
As a coach for the Bears for 11 years he was twice both the AP and UPI NFL Coach of Year (1985 and 1988). He also coached the New Orleans Saints for three years.
Ditka and Tom Flores are the only people to win an NFL title as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. Ditka, Flores, Gary Kubiak, and Doug Pederson are also the only people in modern NFL history to win a championship as head coach of a team he played for previously. Ditka is the only person to participate in both of the last two Chicago Bears' league championships, as a player in 1963 and as head coach in 1985.
Mike Ditka is known by the nickname 'Iron Mike', which he has said comes from his being born and raised in a steel town in Pennsylvania. - Actor
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Until the start of the 2008 Season, Brett Favre was the Green Bay Packers' starting Quarterback since joining the team in 1992. He joins Joe Montana in being the only players to win back-to-back MVP awards. Favre led the Packers to three consecutive playoff appearances (for the first time since the 1960s) including a Superbowl win in 1996. Raised in Kiln, Mississippi, Favre was both a baseball and a football star, lettering in both sports. On July 14, 1996, Favre married long-time girlfriend Deanna Tynes after a 12-year courtship.- Producer
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Aaron Rodgers was born on 2 December 1983 in Chico, California, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for The Office (2005), Work Horses and Key and Peele (2012).- Actor
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One of baseball's greatest catchers of all time, Yogi Berra appeared in a record 14 World Series while calling the games for the New York Yankees. Berra proved invaluable to the Yankees as evidenced by his three American League Most Valuable Player awards. Berra was also one of the game's best-hitting catchers, hitting 358 homers and hitting a crisp .285 in his career. Berra also proved his worth as one of the smartest men in the game, managing the Yankees and later the New York Mets. He took both teams to the World Series. Lately however, Berra is more known for his fractured witticisms "It ain't over till it's over." Still, if you were to start an all-star baseball team, Berra would be one of top picks for catcher.- The son of a steel worker from Beaver Falls, Pa., Joseph William Namath (Joe Willie) came from the rich football tradition that is in Pennsylvania. After starring for Paul 'Bear' Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide teams in the 1960s, Namath was drafted by both the National Football League's (NFL) St. Louis Cardinals and the rival American Football League's (AFL) New York Jets in 1965. Namath, known as a brash performer in college, signed with the Jets for a then-record $450,000 and gave the upstart, struggling AFL instant credibility in its war with the NFL. Although he didn't turn the Jets into instant winners, he did improve their fortunes his first three years in the league. Namath delivered on his promise as one of the most exciting players in the AFL, by becoming the first quarterback in history to pass for more than 4,000 yards. Namath was also popular off the field, especially with the ladies (which he indulged in, happily) and was known for his love of the New York nightlife. Because of this, he was dubbed "Broadway Joe" by the New York press. Namath gained his legend with not only his performance, but his mouth. After leading the Jets to the AFL championship over the Oakland Raiders, Namath, weary of all the press knocking him and his team and openly favoring the NFL champion Baltimore Colts, boldly lashed out and predicted victory for him and the Jets. He also showed his poise by talking his way out of a potentially explosive situation with Colts' Defensive Tackle, Lou Michaels. Namath and a teammate were in a restaurant talking about how the Jets were a better team than the Colts, when Michaels (who was in earshot) challenged Namath. The cocky QB, instead, bought Michaels dinner, drinks and gave him a ride home. In the game that many felt made the Super Bowl the spectacle it is today, Namath and the Jets were nearly flawless in beating the 17-point favorite Colts, 16-7. Namath became a household name and gave the Jets and the AFL the respectability they were so desperate to have. Namath continued his all-star performances in New York, although he never again played in the Super Bowl. For several years, he was the entertainer of the NFL (the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970) and even dabbled in movies and television (including a memorable performance in pantyhose for a commercial). He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1977, but his failing knees finally gave out and he retired at the end of the season. Namath was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and, for a few years, was a member of ABC's NFL Monday Night Football (1970) crew. Namath now lives in Florida.
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Alex Karras was born on 15 July 1935 in Gary, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), Victor/Victoria (1982) and Porky's (1981). He was married to Susan Clark and Ivalyn Joan Jurgensen. He died on 10 October 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Orenthal James Simpson, was an American former football running back, broadcaster, actor, advertising spokesman.
Simpson attended the University of Southern California, where he played football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He played professionally as a running back in the NFL for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1. He was the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format.
Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After retiring from football, he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting. - James Worthy is an American former professional basketball player who is a commentator, television host, and analyst. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A standout for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the small forward shared College Player of the Year honors en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship. Named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, he was No. 1 pick of the 1982 NBA draft by the Lakers. - Producer
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Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy, Bryant was recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Lower Merion. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault;with the alleged victim being a 19 year old hotel employee. Criminal charges were later dropped after the accuser failed to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing a public apology and admitting to a sexual encounter while maintaining the interaction was consensual. The accusation briefly tarnished Bryant's reputation, resulting in the loss of several of his endorsement contracts.
After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the second most points scored in a single NBA game, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, both times being named NBA Finals MVP. He continued to be among the top players in the league through the 2012-13 season, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. His next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his #8 and #24 jerseys, making him the only player in NBA history to have multiple jerseys retired by the same franchise.
The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant's four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. He gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).
Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020. A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star MVP Award in his honor.
He was. 5× NBA champion (2000-2002, 2009, 2010); 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010); NBA Most Valuable Player (2008); 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-2016); 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011); 11× All-NBA First Team (2002-2004, 2006-2013); 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001); 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005); 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006-2011); 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)- Actor
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Don Meredith was born on 10 April 1938 in Mount Vernon, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for NFL Monday Night Football (1970), Supertrain (1979) and McCloud (1970). He was married to Susan Schloss Lessans, Cheryl King and Alma Lynne Shamburger. He died on 5 December 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.- Actor
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Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed "The Great One, " is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all-time. At the time of his retirement at the end of the 1998-99 NHL season he was the NHL's all-time scoring leader in Goals, Assists & Points in both the regular season & Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led the NHL in scoring a record 10 times, was Captain of 4 Stanley Cup Championship teams, and was named the league's MVP a record 9 times. He is the only NHL player ever to score 200 Points in a season, and did so 4 times in the span of 5 years. A great ambassador of pro sports, he was also named the NHL's Most Gentlemanly Player 4 times and received the Order of Canada (their highest civilian honor) in 1998. Upon his retirement in 1999, his trademark jersey No. 99 was retired by the NHL.- Sandy Koufax was born on 30 December 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Michael Shayne (1960) and Shotgun Slade (1959). He has been married to Jane Purucker Clarke since 2008. He was previously married to Kimberly Francis and Anne Heath Widmark.
- Jim Bunning was born on 23 October 1931 in Southgate, Kentucky, USA. He was married to Mary Catherine Theis. He died on 26 May 2017 in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, USA.
- Nolan Ryan was born on 31 January 1947 in Refugio, Texas, USA. He is a producer, known for Facing Nolan (2022), Ryan's Hope (1975) and 1969 National League Championship Series (1969). He has been married to Ruth Ryan since 26 June 1967. They have three children.
- Barry Bonds was born on July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California. He is known for his outstanding abilities on the baseball diamond, where he has won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times. While playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates he received a cameo appearance in the baseball film "Rookie of the Year". He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates 1986 to 1992 and San Francisco Giants, 1993 to 2007. He was one of the highest paid players in Major League Baseball.
- Duke Kahanamoku was one of the great Olympic heroes of all time. Born in Hawaii, Duke grew up swimming and entered the 1912 Stockholm Olympics for the United States (Hawaii was not yet a state, but a U.S. possession)and became an international star by winning the Men's 100-Meter Freestyle, something he repeated eight years later at the 1920 Antwerp games (there was no 1916 Olympics as there was World War I) and he won the silver medal while Johnny Weissmuller won the gold (Duke's brother Sam won the bronze) at the 1924 Paris Olympics. All told, Duke won three gold and two silver medals in four Olympic games. He later had a Hollywood career in which he usually played a native chief or a Hawaiian king.
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Jim Thorpe is an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
Jim Thorpe grew up in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with The New York Giants Baseball Team, and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships; he later played for six teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians.
From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41. He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953.
Thorpe has received various accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. A Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the film Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951).- Actor
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Bob Uecker's first career was professional baseball. He played six seasons in the majors (1962-1967), playing catcher for three different National League teams: Braves (Milwaukee, WI, and Atlanta, GA), Cardinals (St. Louis, MO), and Phillies (Philadelphia, PA). His batting, never stellar, declined steadily over his career: he finished with a .200 lifetime average. He wrote a humorous autobiography entitled "Catcher in the Wry". He appeared in a popular series of Lite beer commercials before landing his first movie role.- Actor
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Simply he was, and for many people still is, the greatest football player of the world. Not a single thing was impossible for him: he won three World Cups with his National Team of Brazil (Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, Mexico 1970). He scored more than 1.200 goals during his long career (more than 1.300 official matches). He also won many national Leagues and Continental Cups ("Copa Libertadores"), with his team, the Santos Futebol Clube (of Brazilian 'São Paulo' State). In the '60s, he was nick-named "O Rei" (The King), and in the '70s, ninety-five people out of 100 knew his name. ("Wow, man, you're popular!" said Robert Redford, some years ago, after seeing Pelé give dozens of autographs in New York while he was not asked for one). In the late 1960s, when he and his team, Santos, went to Nigeria to play a few friendly matches, the ongoing civil war stopped for the duration of his visit. He finished his career in the New York Cosmos, in 1977. He later became a United Nations Ambassador and has been also Minister for Sports in his country, but, for the people who saw him make magics with his right foot, he is, now and forever, the biggest footballer in the world, and the one and only "King".- Actor
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Joe DiMaggio was simply the greatest all-around baseball player of his era. As a New York baseball legend, "The Yankee Clipper" succeeded superstars Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and preceded Mickey Mantle. In his 13 year career from 1936 to 1951 (which was interrupted by three years spent in the Army during World War Two from 1943-45), DiMaggio won three Most Valuable Player awards and was named to the All-Star team thirteen times.
His 1936 Yankees team won the World Series his freshman year, as it did in 1937, '38 and '39. The four straight wins was a record that would be surpassed by the Yankees team of 1949-53, of which "Joltin' Joe was a member for their first three World Championships, retiring after the 1951 season due to incredible pain that he had stoically endured. Ultimately, he played in 10 World Series, of which the Yankees won an incredible nine. (Only Yogi Berra, his teammate from 1946-51, appeared on more world champions, winning 10 rings in 14 World Series.)
DiMaggio is the possessor of what many consider the one batting record that will never be breached: consecutive games hitting. From May 15 to July 17, 1941, he hit in 56 straight games. DiMaggio beat out the great Ted Williams of the Red Sox for the MVP award that year, even though Ted hit .406. DiMaggio also beat Williams for the MVP in 1947, when "The Slendid Splinter" won his second Triple Crown the year after he had led the Red Sox to their first World Series since Babe Ruth was a pitcher and utility outfielder for the BoSox in 1918. It was the tightest MVP contest in history not ending in a tie: DiMaggio racked up 202 points with eight first place votes while "Teddy Ballgame" collected 201 points with three first place votes. Such was the respect for DiMaggio, whose team won the pennant and the World Series, that he won over a Triple Crown winner! DiMaggio was a flawless outfielder, and considered the major cog that made the Yankees winners. He was the consummate team player in an era (the Depression and World War II) in which cooperation was emphasized to beat the economic doldrums and global fascism. Williams, in contrast, was fabled as a non-conformist and individualist derided for "playing for himself", playing to boost his statistics rather than "taking one for the team". He would not shake the negative associations of not being a "team player" and not winning a World Series until after the Youth Revolution of the 1960s made conformity passé and nonconformity the norm.
In the 1940s, he was easily the most popular man in what was then justifiably called "America's National Pastime". His popularity was so great that the U.S. Army would not let him go overseas during the war, lest he be killed or captured, and thus damage American morale. In 1949, DiMaggio signed with the first six-figure contract in the history of Major League Baseball, when the Yankees signed him for $100,000 per year. That year he was hampered by the bone spurs that would end his career prematurely. Despite excruciating pain, an injured DiMaggio came back from the disabled list to face the Red Sox, who had nearly won the pennant the year previously (losing in a one-game playoff to the Cleveland Indians) and were up by one game with two games left to play against the Yankees.
His injuries would limit him to 76 games that year, but he came back for the series. The torrid hitting of DiMaggio led the Yankees over the BoSox in both games, capturing the pennant (and the first of a record five straight World Series titles) for rookie Yankees manager Casey Stengel. In an era of genuine heroes, DiMaggio was the epitome of the genre. Such was his unique status that he retired after a mediocre 1951 season, in which he hit only .263 with 12 homers and 71 RBIs in 113 games (after hitting .301 with 32 homers and 122 RBIs in 139 games the previous year). Joe DiMaggio did not want to become an average player, playing out his string. He wanted to go out a champion, and he did.
DiMaggio played his entire career in Yankee Stadium, the "House that Ruth Built", so called not only due to the Babe's great popularity, but also because the park was tailored to his left-handed power. DiMaggio was a right-handed hitter in a park that was death to righties: left-center field at Yankee Stadium in 1937 was 457 feet deep (whereas now, it is 399 feet deep). As DiMaggio and Ted Williams aged, it became dogma that while Williams was the better hitter, DiMaggio was the better all-around player. However, it is interesting to note that outside of their home ballparks, DiMaggio out-hit Williams.
In 1969, a poll conducted to coincide with the centennial of major league baseball ranked him as baseball's greatest living player. The great Joe DiMaggio, whom many believe was the most perfect and most complete ballplayer of all time, would continue to be legendary, even if he had not married Marilyn Monroe.- Maurice Richard is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games in 1944-45, and the first to reach 500 career goals. Richard retired in 1960 as the league's all-time leader in goals with 544. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1947, played in 13 All-Star Games and was named to 14 post-season NHL All-Star Teams, eight on the First-Team. In 2017 Richard was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Richard, Elmer Lach and Hector 'Toe' Blake formed the "Punch line", a high-scoring forward line of the 1940s. Richard was a member of eight Stanley Cup championship teams, including a league record five straight between 1956 and 1960; he was the team's captain for the last four. The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its five-year waiting period for eligibility and inducted Richard into the hall in 1961. In 1975 he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. The Canadiens retired his number, 9, in 1960, and in 1999 donated the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy to the NHL, awarded annually to the league's regular season leading goal-scorer. - Producer
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LeBron James is an American basketball player and film producer who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He is one of the most accomplished basketball players of the 21st century. He played himself in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Trainwreck. He is the owner of a film production company called SpringHill Company.- Actor
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Tall, charismatic ex-star quarterback for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers football team. During the 1970s, Bradshaw led the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins over six seasons, and was noted Super Bowl MVP on two occasions. After retiring in 1983, he became a key media commentator on NFL football, and has worked for both the CBS and FOX networks.
Has cropped up in minor roles in three Burt Reynolds movies, Hooper (1978), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Cannonball Run (1981).- Producer
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Peyton Manning is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time due to his numerous career achievements, Peyton spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and was a member of the Denver Broncos in his last four seasons. Manning played college football for the University of Tennessee, leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the 1997 SEC Championship in his senior season. He is the second son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and older brother of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
Peyton Manning was selected by the Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. From 1998 to 2010, he improved the fortunes of the struggling Colts franchise and helped transform them into consistent playoff contenders. During his tenure as starting quarterback, Manning led the team to eight division championships, two AFC championships, and one Super Bowl title, the franchise's first in over three decades, as well as their first since relocating to Indianapolis.
After undergoing neck surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season, Manning was released by the Colts and signed with the Broncos. Serving as the team's starting quarterback from 2012 to 2015, he contributed to the Broncos reaching the top of their division each year and his playing career concluded with a victory in Super Bowl 50.
Peyton Manning holds many NFL records, including AP MVP awards (5), Pro Bowl appearances (14), 4,000-yard passing seasons (14), single-season passing yards (5,477 in 2013), single-season passing touchdowns (55 in 2013). He tied for most First-Team All Pros for a quarterback with 7, and is second in career passing yards (71,940) and passing TD (539). At 39 years of age, Manning was the oldest quarterback to start in and win a Super Bowl until Tom Brady surpassed him by winning a Super Bowl at 41.- Producer
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Eli Manning was born on 3 January 1981 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Capital One College Bowl (2021), Chad Powers and The Simpsons (1989). He has been married to Abigal McGrew since 19 April 2008. They have four children.- Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the heir apparent to Tommy Maddox, Ben Rothelisberger wound up taking the NFL by storm in the 2004 season. When Maddox went down with an injury in Pittsburgh's 2nd week loss of 2004 to the Baltimore Ravens, Rothelisberger was elevated to starting quarterback, and the Steelers' season was never the same. Nicknamed Big Ben due to an imposing build that was unusual for quarterbacks, Rothelisberger won in his first official start in week three of 2004, and won again in week four. He and the Steelers kept winning in subsequent games, and suddenly the Steelers, a year removed from a poor 2003 season, were becoming an AFC force.
It was during the 2004 Halloween weekend that Rothelisberger officially "arrived" when Pittsburgh hosted the defending Superbowl champion New England Patriots, who had compiled an NFL-record 21 consecutive victories. This streak came crashing to a half as Rothelisberger led the Steelers to a 34-20 triumph, giving Pittsburgh the edge in the AFC. The following Sunday Rothelisberger handed the visiting Philidelphia Eagles a 27-3 pounding, the Eagles' first loss of the year and which led to the infamous Terrell Owens-Donovan McNabb sideline incident. Now Pittsburgh was listed a Superbowl contender, and opposing defenses were forced to pay far more attention to Rothelisberger than they could ever have anticipated. Big Ben began to be tested more as the 2004 season wound down, notably in a dramatic shootout with the Eli Manning-led New York Giants, but Rothelisberger continued to triumph, and led the Steelers to a spectacular 15-1 2004 season.
Entering the playoffs, however, Rothelisberger was now a target of opposing defensive schemes, and facing the New York Jets Rothelisberger committed several ill-fated plays, notably a pair of 4th-quarter interceptions. But two botched New York Jet field goal tries allowed Rothelisberger to lead the Steelers to a field goal triumph, and left Big Ben with a 16-0 record as a starter. His winning streak, however, came to an end in the AFC Championship Game to the revenge-minded New England Patriots, who picked off Rothelisberger three times; a 2nd-quarter pick was returned by Rodney Harison for a back-breaking touchdown. Rothelisberger threw two touchdown passes but could not overcome the Superbowl-bound Patriots in a 41-27 drilling of the Steelers.
It was his first career loss as a pro, and his second loss would come some nine months later in a suspenseful 23-20 loss to the Patriots. He would bounce back, leading the Steelers to a 11-5 record in 2005. As a wild card, the Steelers went on to defeat the division champion Cincinatti Bengals, heavily-favored Indianapolis Colts, and the re-energized Denver Broncos to earn a berth in Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks.
Although he struggled in the Super Bowl, Ben was able to do just enough to help the Steelers to their first NFL championship since the 1979 season. At age 23, he became the youngest quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl win.
However, the celebration was short-lived as Rothlisberger was seriously injured in a near-fatal off-season motorcycle accident, to which he was not wearing a helmet. He was able to recover and now shows no signs of injury. - Actor
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Howie Long was born on 6 January 1960 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Broken Arrow (1996), 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) and Firestorm (1998). He has been married to Diane Addonizio since 27 June 1982. They have three children.- Actor
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Reggie Miller is an American retired professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers.
Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in pressure situations and most notably against the New York Knicks. When he retired, he held the record for most career 3-point field goals made. He is fourth on the list behind Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, and James Harden. A five-time All-Star selection, Miller led the league in free throw accuracy five times and won a gold medal in the Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad (1996).
Miller is widely considered the Pacers' greatest player of all time. He worked as an NBA commentator for TNT. On September 7, 2012, Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.- Actor
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Ray Allen was born at Castle Air Force Base, near Merced, California, to Flora (Day) and Walter Allen, Sr. He graduated from Hillcrest High school in Dalzell, South Carolina in 1993 after taking the varsity basketball team (the Wildcats) to the State Championships. He was the 1996 Big East Player of the Year. As a junior, he was a consensus All-American First Team selection by numerous writers and organizations. Ray was a unanimous choice for the All Big East First Team. He finished 3rd on the Huskies all-time scoring list with 1,922 points. In 1995-96, he hit 115 three pointers to set a UConn single season record. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1996 with the 5th overall pick. He never played for Minnesota and was traded with Andrew Lang to the Milwaukee Bucks for Stephon Marbury. Ray was an immediate starter and played in all 82 games as a rookie. In his career he won Joe Dumars Sportsmanship Award in 2002-2003 season, played four times in All-Star game (2000-2005, won All-Star 3-point shootout) also won "Good Guy" award in 2000 and 2001.- Actor
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Dennis Rodman is an American retired professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed "The Worm" and is famous for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities.
Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. His biography at NBA.com states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history". On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman's No. 10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year.
In addition to being a retired professional basketball player, Rodman is a retired part-time professional wrestler and actor. He was a member of the nWo and fought alongside Hulk Hogan at two Bash at the Beach events. In professional wrestling, Rodman was the first ever winner of the Celebrity Championship Wrestling tournament. He had his own TV show, The Rodman World Tour (1996), and had lead roles in the action films Double Team (1997) and Simon Sez (1999). He also appeared in several reality TV series.- Actor
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One of the NBA's first superstars Julius Erving's high flying hard powered style brought the NBA and basketball to levels previously unheard of. Julius Erving was born in Hempstead New York in 1950. He grew up in a housing project, the son of a single mother, with two siblings. His father having left when he was three his mother remarried, and they moved to nearby Roosevelt, New York. His mother wanted his children to have a better life, and she realized that basketball might be a way out for his young son. Before going to high school Erving averaged 11 points a game with his Salvation Army team. At Roosevelt High school he began to flourish, competing in statewide tournaments, getting named on many occasions to various all Long Island teams, and receiving other different awards. Erving averages 26 points and 20 rebounds, one of the few players in NCAA History to average 20 of both statistics. In a time when few players left college early to join the Pros Julius Erving did just that. He signed with the ABA's Virginia Squires, a league which was not opposed to players entering professional basketball early. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 1973, but legal entanglements prevented him from playing with the team, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, which also drafted him. By this time the ABA was talking about a merger with the NBA, but Oscar Robertson's player union was preventing this from taking place. The ABA was taking a lot of top flight players from college who would have had excellent careers in the NBA, as well as taking current NBA players and placing them on ABA rosters. For a time it seemed as though the NBA would submerge in favor of the ABA. However extremely lackluster ABA markets, unstable ownership, too many team moves, and lackluster ABA markets proved too much for the league. After starting with the Squires, Erving was traded to the Nets. He became an incredible scorer, an incredible talent, and considered to possibly be the most explosive basketball players period, he won a few championships, scoring titles, and was one of the all around best players in basketball. By 1976 the ABA was no longer a significant force, teams collapsed, owners and players were both disgruntled, and the ABA didn't have any significant talent to market, except for Dr. J. What is not clear is how he got his nickname, but it is thought that as a doctor he would cure anyone who thought they could take him on. It was a nickname he had since college. In a contractual dispute with his team he was bought by the Philadelphia, for a then record then 3 million. Erving had been a basketball icon for years, with his Afro, his intense style, and his in your face on the court manor. It played very well with his fans, and would become a staple in Philadelphia, joining a high flying spectacular team of Darryl Dawkins, Lloyd B. Free, and others. The team went to a 50-32 record, the undoubted leader of his team. However the spectacular team yet again fell to fundamentals. Erving advanced his team to the finals, winning the first two. Erving and his teammates has said the series was over before they started. However their opponents the Portland Trailblazers, led by Bill Walton. Walton led his team to four straight finals victories to win the teams first ever finals. For the next two years the Sixers became a fun team to watch, and they would go deep into the playoffs routinely, but they never could win. By 1979 the NBA was in crisis, ratings, and attendance were down. The NBA was perceived to be too black, too into drugs, and disco, and was viewed as too much for one part of society, no doubt a result of bigotry, as a large percentage of players in the NBA were black. But that year would be a watershed year for the NBA. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entered, and Erving changed his image. He cut of his afro, made his image a little more clean, took the in your face element out of his game, but remained none-the-less spectacular. While he was a player with a lot of flair a lot of observers said his game was not nearly as flaring as it was in the ABA. But in 1980 Erving would rekindle an old rivalry, and start a new one. The old one came against arch-rival Boston, led by Larry Bird. That was a crucial match-up as both players were the undoubted leaders of their teams, and both were small forwards. But the Sixers were revamped as well, a little less spectacle, and a little more fundamental. This was obvious in new point guard Maurice Cheeks and defensive minded six man Bobby Jones. While the team beat Boston, they were no match for the Mgic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, and the L.A. Lakers in the finals losing in six. Next year Philadelphia had the best record in the NBA, split with Boston. L.A. suffered that year and was eliminated in the first round, so everyone knew that Philadelphia and Boston would meet in the Conference finals, and more than likely would win the finals. The matchup was one of the classics. Philadelphia was now a much more fundamental team, while the Celtics were now revamped with new big men Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. In the Boston Garden the series was split in the first two games. The next two in Philadelphia's Spectrum Philly won. Boston won the next one in the Garden, then the next one in the Spectrum, the margins in most of these games were as low as 1 and as high as 3, Philadelphia in many of the game blowing leads. In Game 7 in Boston Garden it happened again. Philadelphia was up by as many as eleven, but in a very physical fourth quarter a Larry Bird field goal, the only field goal in the last two minutes stopped the Sixers yet again. The next year a hotly contested series with Boston went the Sixers way in seven but yet again they lost to the Lakers n the finals. In 1982 the Sixers realized they had a minor problem: they had great offense, and fair defense, a defense that really could not compete with the elite teams. The Sixers signed Moses Malone, getting rid of power forward Caldwell Jones to Houston. This team, led by Erving and Malone with a supporting cast of Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Mark Iavaroni, and an excellent bench, the team exploded and was considered one of the ten best ever. Moses Malone was MVP, Erving All Star MVP, both All NBA First Team, Bobby Jones was Sixth Man of the Year, leading the team to a 65-17 record. It was an NBA crowning achievement, proving to be the pride of Philadelphia, giving it's basketball team an elusive championship. But success proved fleeting for the Sixers. Next year the injured and aging Sixers lost in five in the first round to the upstart New Jersey Nets. While it was a sad way to go out it was obvious the Sixers especially Erving was older and not what he used to be. Despite that the team the next year would play the now stellar Boston Celtics in the conference finals, and lose in five. Afterward the Sixers never got to the conference finals again with Erving, despite acquiring emerging superstar, and legend Charles Barkley. He retired in 1987, a true legend in basketball, and in Philadelphia. He was considered an unofficial ambassador to the game, and also an avid philanthropist, helping the game reach heights of popularity never before seen. Since then Erving is on the board of directors of Coca Cola, a broadcaster for a short time, and always a legend who advertises and promotes the game.- Walt Frazier was born on 29 March 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for Eddie (1996), 3 A.M. (2001) and Aaron Loves Angela (1975). He was previously married to Marsha Ann Clark.
- Joe Theismann was born on 9 September 1949 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Cannonball Run II (1984), ESPN's Sunday Night Football (1987) and The Man with Bogart's Face (1980). He has been married to Robin Smith since 1996. He was previously married to Jeanne Caruso and Shari Brown.
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As one of football's most colorful personalities, John Riggins is best known for his days as a running back for the Washington Redskins. His bruising, punishing style of play wore down opponents and brought new meaning to the concept of the power running game. He is equally remembered as a renegade for sporting a Mohawk early in his career and for telling U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to "lighten up".
John was born August 4, 1949 in Seneca, Kansas as Robert John Riggins. He attended Centralia High School in the small town of Centralia, Kansas, but his skills as a football player would elevate him to the big-time. He played football for the Jayhawks at the University of Kansas, where he twice earned all conference honors and broke school records once held by NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.
His professional football career began with the New York Jets, where he played for five years and generated some respectable numbers, having broken the 1,000 yard level in his final season with the Jets in 1975. The following season, he played for the Washington Redskins, but did not have a breakout year until 1978, when he eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing and repeated the accomplishment in 1979. Unfortunately, Riggins sat out the 1980 season over a contract dispute.
In 1981 Riggins said "I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back" and returned to play for Washington, but did not have the kind of year he had in 1979. Although his playing time was reduced by the players' strike during the 1982 season, Riggins' performance in the post season is what most likely put him in the Hall of Fame. His most memorable performance came in Super Bowl XVII with 166 yards rushing, including the game winning 43 yard touchdown run in the Redskins' 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Riggins finished out his career in Washington after the 1985 season with 11,352 career rushing yards, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He has since worked in broadcasting and recently started a new career in acting.- Actor
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Marino was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the most prolific and celebrated passer in Pitt Panther history and a first-round draft pick for Don Shula of the Dolphins. Marino has established a record number of records on the All-Time Quarterback list, does charity work, and created the Dan Marino Foundation to benefit the youth charities of South Florida.- Actor
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John Elway is an American former professional football quarterback who is general manager and president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).
John Elway played college football at Stanford and his entire 16-year professional career with the Denver Broncos. At the time of his retirement in early 1999, Elway had recorded the most victories by a starting quarterback and statistically was the second most prolific passer in NFL history. He was also a prolific rusher of the ball, being one of only two players ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (the other being Thurman Thomas) and the only quarterback to do so.
John Elway set several career records for passing attempts and completions while at Stanford and also received All-American honors. He was the first selection in the 1983 NFL Draft, famously known as the quarterback class of 1983, where he was taken by the Baltimore Colts before being traded to the Denver Broncos. In January 1987, Elway embarked on one of the most notable performances in sports and in NFL history, helping engineer a 98-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the AFC Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns. Following that game in Cleveland, Elway and the Broncos lost in Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants Football Team.
After two more Super Bowl losses, the Broncos entered a period of decline; however, that ended during the 1997 season, as Elway and Denver won their first Super Bowl title by defeating the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos repeated as champions the following season in Super Bowl XXXIII by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19. Elway was voted MVP of that Super Bowl, which was the last game of his career, and in doing so Elway set a then-record five Super Bowl starts which was broken in February 2015 when Tom Brady of New England Patriots started Super Bowl XLIX. As Denver's quarterback, Elway led his teams to six AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls, winning two. After his retirement as a player, he served as general manager and executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos, which won four division titles, two AFC Championships, and Super Bowl 50 during his tenure. Elway has been a member of the Broncos organization for all three of their Super Bowl victories, two as a player and one as an executive.
Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in his first year of eligibility and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.- Maury Wills was a star football quarterback and baseball pitcher for Cardozo High School (Washington, D.C.), and was signed to a contract by the National League Brooklyn (later Los Angeles) Dodgers in 1950. He batted both right- and left-handed and threw right-handed. He played for their minor league teams (1951-59) as a second baseman before he was called up to the parent club in 1959, where he played shortstop until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-68) and drafted in the expansion of the league by the Montreal Expos (1969). He was traded back to the Dodgers in that year and played with them until his retirement in 1972
- Considered by many experts to be the greatest quarterback in the history of NFL football, Montana was recruited by the San Francisco 49ers from Notre Dame in 1979 after leading the "Fighting Irish" to a Cotton Bowl victory in 1978. "Joe Cool," as he was known for his ice cool disposition in the heat of the game, led the 49ers on field for twelve seasons and played key roles in the San Francisco 49ers four Super Bowl victories between 1982 and 1990. Montana scooped the Super Bowl MVP Award in 1982, 1985 and 1990, however he suffered an elbow injury in January 1991, and missed all of the 1991 season, and most of the 1992 season.
He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in April 1993, and spent his final two years with the Chiefs before finally retiring at the end of 1994.
Well remembered for his amazing plays with fleet-footed wide receiver Jerry Rice, and high-stepping running back Roger Craig. - Actress
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Serena Williams is one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She earned her first Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open in 1999, and won a string of five Grand Slam singles title wins: the 2002 French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open titles and the 2003 Australian Open and her second Wimbledon title in 2003, all by defeating her older sister, Venus Williams in the finals. To date, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. Serena has appeared in guest roles on The Simpsons (1989) and My Wife and Kids (2000). She was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981, to Richard and Oracene Williams. The youngest of five girls, Serena grew up with Venus and older sisters Lyndrea, Isha & Yetunde. She and sister Venus were coached in tennis from an early age by their father, Richard.- Producer
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Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player. Williams has been ranked world No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on three occasions, for a total of 11 weeks. She first reached the No. 1 ranking on February 25, 2002, the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era, and the second all time since Althea Gibson.
She has reached 16 Grand Slam finals, most recently at Wimbledon in 2017. She has also won 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all with Serena Williams; the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals. Williams also has two Mixed Doubles titles. Her five Wimbledon singles titles tie her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments in that span. At the 2020 Australian Open, Williams extended her record as the all-time leader, male or female, in Grand Slams played, with 85. With her run to the 2017 Wimbledon singles final, she broke the record for longest time between first and most recent grand slam singles finals appearances. Williams was twice the season prize money leader in 2001 and 2017.
Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles, along with a silver medal in mixed doubles, pulling even with Kathleen McKane Godfree for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female tennis player. She is the only tennis player to have won a medal at four Olympic Games. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
With 49 singles titles, Williams trails only her sister Serena Williams among active players on the WTA Tour with most singles titles. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest since January 1, 2000. She is also one of only two active WTA players to have reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, along with sister Serena.- Actor
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Archie Moore (born Archibald Lee Wright; December 13, 1913 or 1916- December 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time (December 1952 - May 1962). He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, competing from 1935 to 1963. Nicknamed "The Mongoose", and then "The Old Mongoose" in the latter half of his career, Moore was a highly strategic and defensive boxer, with a strong chin and unusual resilience. As of December 2020, BoxRec ranks Moore as the third greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. He also ranks fourth on The Ring's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Moore was also a trainer for a short time after retirement, training Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and James Tillis.- Actor
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Often mentioned as the greatest player in NFL history, this ruggedly handsome African American fullback for the Cleveland Browns first appeared on movie screens in the western Rio Conchos (1964), followed by a strong supporting role as convict commando "Jefferson" in the terrific WWII action film The Dirty Dozen (1967). He was kept busy with additional on screen appearances in other fast paced films including Ice Station Zebra (1968), 100 Rifles (1969) and El Condor (1970).
Brown's popularity grew during the boom of "blaxploitation" cinema in the early 1970s portraying tough "no nonsense" characters in Slaughter (1972), Black Gunn (1972) and Three the Hard Way (1974). His on-screen work in the latter part of the 1970s and 1980s was primarily centered around guest spots on popular TV shows such as CHiPs (1977) and Knight Rider (1982). However, Brown then resurfaced in better quality films beginning with his role as a fiery assassin in The Running Man (1987), he parodied the blaxploitation genre along with many other African-American actors in the comedy I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), played an ex-heavyweight boxer in the sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks! (1996) and ironically played an ex-football legend in the Oliver Stone directed sports film Any Given Sunday (1999).
Additionally, Jim Brown was a ringside commentator for the first six events of the Ultimate Fighting Championships from 1993 through to 1996. A bona fide legend in American sports and a successful actor, he continues to remain busy in front of the camera with recent appearances in various sports shows & TV productions.- Jim's mother relocated from New York to California following the death of Jim's adoptive father. Jim was nine years old. His mother subsequently remarried and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where Jim attended high school. He excelled in football, baseball, and basketball. Though offered a basketball scholarship at UCLA, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles at age 18 and received a $50,000 signing bonus. During his pitching career for the Orioles (1965-1984) he won 268 games and became the only pitcher to win a World Series game in each of three different decades. He was voted the Cy Young Award three times. In 1990 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Despite all this, Jim's greatest fame may have come when, beginning in the late 1970s, he appeared in a series of ads for Jockey Underwear modeling various styles of briefs, including the "bikini" variety. At the time, these ads were considered "daring" because of their blatant display of "male beefcake." They certainly added a new meaning to the term "pitcher's mound" and they helped to turn Jim into an overnight sex symbol.
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Darryl Strawberry was born on 12 March 1962 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Gen. Sex (2024), The Game 365 (2006) and 1996 American League Championship Series (1996). He has been married to Tracy Boulware since 1 October 2006. He was previously married to Charisse Strawberry and Lisa Andrews.- Arthur Ashe grew up in segregated Richmond, Virgina where he decided to make a career out of tennis where he won his first U.S. Open in 1968, the first ever won by a black player. Ashe firmly established his stardom in 1975 after beating Jimmy Connors to take the Wimbledon title. As a tennis professional, he won three Grand Slam singles titles and led the U.S. to four Davis Cup victories. Over his career he won 33 singles tournaments on five continents. A sudden heart attack in 1979 ended his playing career where he underwent quadruple bypass surgery and then double bypass surgery in 1983 where he contracted AIDS from tainted blood during the surgery. Ashe kept his illness a secret until a newspaper leaked the story in early 1992 where he finally admited that he had AIDS and became an outspoken advocate for more research funding and created the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. He died just two days after completing his memoirs "Days of Grace."
- Joe Morgan played major league baseball for 22 seasons. Spending time with the Houston Colt .45's/Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland A's. A two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Joe was part of Cincinnati's famous "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Joe is currently lead baseball analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.
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Dave Winfield, the hard-hitting, Gold Glove outfielder who put together a Hall of Fame career with the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the California Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays (with which he won a World Series Championship in 1992), Minnesota Twins (1993-1994), and Cleveland Indians (with whom he went to the World Series in 1995), was born October 3, 1951 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The day of Winfield's birth was a storied day in baseball history. Bobby Thomson of the NY Giants, in the third and last game of a three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant, bashed a circuit clout in the bottom of the ninth inning to win it all for the Giants, a home run known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World". (The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees, the team that would figure prominently in Winfeild's life.)
An outstanding athlete at the University of Minnesota, the 6' 6" Golden Gopher Winfield was as coveted by professional basketball teams as he was by Major League Baseball. In 1973, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in baseball, and by the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association and the Utah Stars of the rival American Basketball Assocaition. He was even a draft pick of the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings, even though Winfield had never played college football!
The 12-time All Star who would would never play a game in the minors primarily was a right fielder known for his playing shallow and making dramatic leaps over the outfield wall to steal potential homers from frustrated hitters. Winfield also was possessed of a rifle like arm, the combination of which with his overall outfield play won him seven Gold Gloves for fielding, two in the National League and one in the American League. After batting .308 with 34 homers and 118 RBI in 1979 (good for #3 in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting), he positioned himself as a coveted player in the new free agent market. After declaring free agency after the 1980 season, he was signed by New York Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III for a phenomenal 10-year contract worth over $20 million, record numbers for the times. Steinbrenner was seeking a replacement for the legendary Reggie Jackson, the fabled "Mr. October", whom he did not plan to resign after the 1981 season.
In Winfield's first season with the Yankees, the strike-shortened 1981 season, playing alongside Jackson and many of the key players who had won four divisional titles, three American League pennants and two World Series since 1976, Winfield had a respectable season, coming in #7 in that year's MVP voting. However, he had a poor World Series, getting one hit in 22 at bats for an .045 average, leading Steinbrenner to later rue the day he let Reggie go, and deriding Winfield as "Mr. May". Their relationship thoroughly deteriorated over the years, as the Yankees consistently failed to make the playoffs, even leading to a scandal that saw Steinbrenner banned for baseball for life (temporarily) in the owner's machinations to discredit Winfield. Winfield later shook off the "Mr. May" sobriquet and won redemption by playing on Toronto's World Series Championship team in 1992, and with the American League Champion Cleveland Indians in 1995. (The Yankees didn't return to the winner's circle until 1996, the year after Winfield retired from baseball.)
In his career, Winfield racked up 3,110 hits, 5,221 total bases, 465 home runs, and 1,833 RBIs. It was a performance good enough to make him a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2002.
As a player and now a baseball executive, Winfield is known for his charitable concerns, with his Dave Winfield Foundation dedicated to helping underprivileged children. In 1994, he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1994 for his humanitarian activities.- Eric Dickerson was born on 2 September 1960 in Sealy, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for S.W.A.T. (2017), CSI: NY (2004) and The Comebacks (2007).
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Shaquille O'Neal is a retired professional American basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT. He is considered one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. He was one of the tallest and heaviest players ever. O'Neal played for six teams over his 19-year career.
O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999-2000 MVP award, the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. Largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%). O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. O'Neal is an electronic music producer, and touring DJ, known as Diesel. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows.- Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competition swimmer, nine-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in seven events. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, an achievement surpassed only by Michael Phelps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Spitz set new world records in all seven events in which he competed in 1972.
Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic golds, a silver, and a bronze; five Pan American golds; 31 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles; and eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles. During those years, he set 35 world records, but two were in trials and unofficial. He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971, and 1972 by Swimming World Magazine. He was the third athlete to win nine Olympic gold medals.