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If you are a sports fan, you have probably heard the
names Jim Thorpe and Babe Ruth. Even though both men died about fifty years ago, they are still considered among the greatest
athletes of all time. When the sports television network ESPN compiled its list of top athletes of the twentieth century,
it listed Ruth at number two and Thorpe at number eight. What you may not know is that both of these athletic legends played
sports in North Carolina when they were quite young. Their experiences in this state were very important. Jim Thorpe was born
in Oklahoma in 1888. He was a Fox and Sac Indian. He attended college at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. Thorpe was
All-America in football in the fall of 1908. He spent the spring and summer of 1909 in North Carolina in a fun summer job—playing
minor league baseball for the Rocky Mount Railroaders. The Railroaders belonged to the Eastern Carolina League, which also
included teams in Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Wilson. Thorpe earned twenty-five dollars per week. Many
college athletes played minor league baseball during the summers in the early years of the century. In fact, two of Thorpe’s
Carlisle team mates joined him in Rocky Mount. Many college players used phony names when they played minor league ball, but
Thorpe did not. The local fans knew all about his college exploits.
Thorpe played pitcher, infielder, and outfielder for
Rocky Mount. He was fast and strong. The Rocky Mount fans loved him. One fan, Thomas McMillan, told historian Robert Reising
that Thorpe made many friends while warming up before the games. Thorpe would intentionally hit or throw balls outside the
ballpark. That meant that the school kids who chased the balls down could get into the games free by bringing back the balls.
It’s no wonder that Thorpe had many young fans.
James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett (September
1, 1866 – February 18, 1933) was a heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L.
Sullivan. He is also considered to be the father of modern boxing because of his scientific approach and innovations in boxing
technique. Corbett changed prizefighting from a brawl to an art form of the new school of faster, scientific boxers.
James J. Corbett (1866-1933) held the title of heavyweight champion from
1892 to 1897. Corbett marked the turning point in ring history by being the first to win the title under the Marquis of Queensberry
rules. College educated, Corbett was also an actor, writer, and boxing coach.
According to records, Corbett started his official boxing carrier on the 3rd of July 1886 under the alias of “Jim
Dillon” against Frank Smith in Salt Lake City, Utah, US. Whom he defeated by disqualification (Smith) in round 4.
On May 21, 1891, Corbett fought Peter "Black Prince" Jackson,
a much-heralded bout between cross-town rivals, since Corbett and Jackson were boxing instructors at San Francisco's two
most prestigious athletic clubs. They fought to a draw after 61 rounds.
On September 7, 1892 at the Olympic Club in New Orleans,
Louisiana, Corbett took on the great John L. Sullivan and even though he was outweighed by 34 lbs., Corbett knocked out “The
Boston Strong Boy” John L. Sullivan with relative ease wearing 5 oz. boxing gloves in 21 rounds (one hour and twenty
minutes).
Under the Police Gazette headlines that read, “Science
Replaces Force” it was written, “James J. Corbett lifted boxing out of the barroom slough, the evil influences
of its habitués, and started it towards its moral revolution.” Police Gazette read, The title passed from America’s
most popular gladiator to the lithe, handsome youth, the ‘California Dandy’ whose fistic prowess flowered to full
bloom on the sun-kissed slopes of California.
National Police
Gazette -- This night, September 7, 1892, is the pinnacle of the New Orleans fight scene, a scene that epitomized the struggles
and the extremes of the sport during its four-and-a-half year reign. It is also a historic night, for the champion is dethroned.
John L. Sullivan has reigned for ten years, but the younger James Corbett emerges victorious after twenty-one rounds. When
the Boston Strong Boy goes down, referee Duffy is forced to pantomime the count, and the declaration of victory, amid the
uproar.
Despite the tumult, Duffy is able to quiet the crowd,
and according to boxing lore - Sullivan staggers to the ropes and says:
“Gentlemen, all I have got to say is this.
I stayed
once too long.
I met a younger man,
who proved too good for me.”
and I am done.
Since boxing hadn’t become a legal sport at the time of this event,
there were bare-knuckle bouts recorded throughout the world during the Queensberry era. However in America and the U.K. “The
Queensberry” era had become the way championship fights were fought, wearing gloves. After “The Queensberry”
era started at this event, the sport of boxing would never be the same.
In his only successful title defense, January 25, 1894 Corbett knocked out Charley of Great Britain in three rounds.
On September 7, 1894 he took part in the production of one of the first recorded boxing events, a fight with Peter Courtney.
This was filmed at the Black Maria studio at West Orange, New Jersey, in the USA and was produced by William K.L. Dickson.
It was only the second boxing match to be recorded.
Frederick Percival Mills was born in Bournemouth,
Dorset, on England’s south coast, on 26th June 1919.The family did not live among the hotels, guest houses and
the homes of the genteel retired, but in an old terraced house in one of the less salubrious back streets. His father Tom,
who served in the army in the great war, was a “Totter” who drove his horse and cart around the streets buying
unwanted junk which he, hopefully, would sell at a profit. His mother Lottie had worked part time in the local hotels to help
support the family whole Tom was away in the army.
Freddie’s
brother Charlie boxed in unlicensed shows and it was he who showed the youngster the rudiments of self defence. This meant
that as a school boy Freddie was brash, confident and able to look after himself. He also got into plenty of trouble and on
one occasion stole a pair of roller skates, sold them to another boy in school, and ended up in court where he was fined £1
– half a weeks wages to his parents.
He
was given his first pair of gloves on his 11th birthday and aged 13 saw his fist professional fight at Bournemouth’s
Winter gardens. He and a friend scaled the side of the building and found a window from where they could see the action. They
repeated this on several occasions until one day they were almost caught by the promoter Jack Turner – who would later
become Freddie’s promoter.
Freddie left school aged 14 and worked for the milkman
Percy Cook. Cook was a boxer as was his brother Gordon ,who had been the lightweight champion of Wales. Freddie took his gloves
to work with him and would spar with the other apprentices which was a good learning experience for him, and Cook taught him
many tricks of the trade. When he was 16 he entered a novice tournament at Westover Ice Rink, Bournemouth. Despite never having
fought as an amateur Freddie knocked out Jimmy Riley – who was far from being a novice – in the first round. Two
weeks later George Barfoot went the same way in the semi final. Two weeks later he met Reg Davis in the final and dispatched
him in three rounds.
Mills tried to remain in boxing and took
out a manager's licence, practising for a couple of years at the Empress HaII, London (which is now demolished),
but found his niche as an entertainer. He toured with entertainer Dickie Henderson and was a regular personality' on television.
He and his wife led happy lives, setting up home in Denmark south
London, and two daughters arrived in 1951 and 1958. However. Me Freddie Mills Chinese Restaurant, which he had launched with
two business partners in 1946, began to fail and the establishment was refurbished and re-opened in 1962 as The Freddie Nitespot,
sadly things did not improve much and unknown to Mills the club was being used for prostitution. He was however that the notorious
gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray were regular customers.
Shergar’s name is etched in racing folklore as
much for his headline-grabbing demise as for his exceptional performances on the racecourse, the most scintillating of those
being his record-breaking victory in the 1981 Derby. Famously kidnapped by the IRA following his retirement to stud, the Aga
Khan’s colt was one of the finest Derby winners of the 20th century and without argument the best racehorse of his generation
with a lofty Timeform rating of 140. Trained by Michael Stoute in Newmarket, Shergar won impressively on his first start as
a two-year-old before finishing second to the more experienced Beldale Flutter on his only other outing in what is now the
Racing Post Trophy. Having been rated 31st among his peers in the 1980 European Free Handicap, Shergar commenced his Classic
season as a 33/1 ante-post chance for the Derby. Those odds tumbled after a 10-length victory in Sandown’s Classic Trial
was followed by a 12-length demolition in the Chester Vase. Shergar lined up at Epsom as the 10/11 favourite for Derby glory.
He did not disappoint his supporters as he once again accelerated away from inferior rivals to register a stunning 10-length
success - the widest winning margin in the long history of the race.
With the Epsom Classic in the bag, Shergar went to the
Curragh and added the Irish Derby by four lengths before routing his elders by the same distance in Britain’s premier
all-age middle-distance contest, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. The stage was set for an autumn
hurrah in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp but in an unexpected twist, connections decided to take in the
St Leger at Doncaster. The extended mile and three quarters of the world’s oldest classic race proved beyond Shergar’s
stamina reserves and he could fare no better than fourth. That defeat was to be Shergar’s final race. Valued at £10
million, the colt retired to the Aga Khan’s Ballymany Stud in Ireland but on 8 February, 1983, hooded gunmen seized
the stallion. A £2-million ransom was demanded and refused. Shergar’s fate remains a mystery.
Winner of six major championships, Nick Faldo is the
best golfer that Britain has ever produced. Although he has not always been a favourite of the press and formerly maintained
a chilly demeanor towards fellow professionals, his great victories are fondly remembered by the British golfing public. Through
a programme of publicity events, the launching of the Faldo Series in Asia and the recent publication of his autobiography,
Faldo has opened more of himself to the golfing public. We knew he is a ferocious competitor and dedicated technician but,
in an interview with James Spence, Faldo confronts many of his mistakes. Through the cultivation of youth through the Faldo
Series, he is transferring the product of 30 years of professional experience to his young charges. He is not certain that
all of it is being understood or absorbed but he is pretty sure that the Series provides everything required to turn precocious
talents into illustrious careers at the top of the game. His experience extends well beyond that offered by other noted sifus.
He has walked famous fairways on Sunday afternoons and raised the cups that lay beyond the 18th of them. The most memorable
of these two walks took place in two places that could not be more different: the Lothians and Georgia.
Faldo was a successful golfer before the trough that
accompanied his famous swing rebuild and the three lean years that followed lasting until 1986. The doyen of golf writers,
Peter Dobereiner, described the demon of ambition that was gripping Faldo thus: "In 1983 he won five tournaments and
was ranked European No.1, progress that most players would have regarded as highly satisfactory. Not Faldo. In several Open
championships he played himself into contention but his game did not stand up to the crunch of the last nine holes. He determined
that he must achieve consistency, no matter what it might take. It took two years out of his golfing life with nary a sniff
of victory. It took a massive drop in his income. It took an agony of frustration, grinding hard work, and the pain of Leadbetter's
incisors clamped to his nose. It took the embarrassment of the bewildered criticism of his golfing colleagues and many others
who understood even less about demonology." It is no exaggeration to say that any dedicated British golfer over the age
of 30 will remember where they were during his breakthrough major win in the '87 Open at Muirfield and also during his
overcoming of a hapless Greg Norman during the '96 Masters.
The Olympic Velodrome is the only world class cycling
track in western United States and the only one in the world on a university campus. Velodrome specification include: length,
333.33 meters (1,093 ft.); width, 7 meters (23 feet); bank turns, 33 degrees; attainable speeds up to 72 kilometers (47 miles)
per hour; permanent seating, 2,000; Olympic seating capacity, 8,000 and velodrome surface of poured concrete track on concrete
fill. The cost of the velodrome was $3 million, and the contractor: Stolte, Inc. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on July
9, 1981 at the construction site. The ceremonies were kicked off at 10:15am with a race between Eric Heiden and challengers
from the media, followed by a 10-lap club race by The South, Bay Wheelmen. Visitors from the Southland Corporation, Stolte
Corporation officials and representatives from LAOOC were present. On May 10, 1982, the International Cycling Federation Certification
(FIAC) was received. The first trial high speed run performed by Jack Simes, 3-time U.S. Olympic Cycling team member and 2-time
team coach, occurred on January 21, 1982. The grand opening occurred July 8, 1982 with Eric Heiden (1980 Lake Placid 5 Gold
Medal winner for speedskating) and Sheila Ochowicz (1976 Winter Games-Innsbruck, Gold Medal winner of 500 meter speedskating),
cycling the first official lap. The grand opening ceremonywas a three day event with July 9 and 10 devoted to the Grand Prix
Finals. 3,000 people attended, including Sam, the Eagle the official XXIII Olympiad mascot. The Grand Prix Finals were a series
of bicycle track events to improve American cyclists at the international level. Emphasis was placed on Olympic track events,
match sprints, individual pursuit, the kilometer and the points race.
September 17 and 18, 1982 the SCCF 20th Annual Far West Championships were held at the completed velodrome, and October
3, 1982 the 8th International Human Powered Speed Championships were held. This event was held specifically for the unique
pedal-powered vehicles.
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion
d'honneur (born 24 February 1955 in Lorette, Loire) is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion,
Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio (5 championships) and Michael Schumacher (7 championships).
From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix victories. Schumacher surpassed Prost's total of 51 victories
at the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix. In 1999, Prost received the World Sports Awards of the Century in the motor sport category
alongside all-time greats like Pelé, Muhammed Ali, Carl Lewis and Steffi Graf.[2]
Prost discovered karting at the age of 14 during a family holiday. He progressed through motor sport's junior
ranks, winning the French and European Formula Three championships, before joining the McLaren Formula One team in 1980 at
the age of 25. He finished in the points on his Formula One debut and took his first race victory at his home Grand Prix in
France a year later, while he was driving for Renault's factory team.
Babe Ruth’s visit to North Carolina was very different.
George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1895. He was raised at Saint Mary’s Orphanage
because his parents could not control him. In 1914 he signed a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles,
a minor league team in the International League. In March 1914 the Orioles visited Fayetteville for spring training.
Ruth stayed in Fayetteville for only about a month, but he always remembered
it. It was the first time he had ever been out of Baltimore. Ruth later wrote about how much fun he had riding the LaFayette
Hotel elevators. He was so inexperienced that, according to legend, one
of his team mates saw him tagging along behind manager and owner Jack Dunn in Fayetteville and said, “There goes Dunn’s
new babe.” That gave Ruth his famous nickname.
On March 7 Ruth played in his first intrasquad game—a
game between members of the same team. The two sides took the names Buzzards and Sparrows. Ruth was a Buzzard. His team won
the game 15 to 9. He hit a long home run, described by Fayetteville residents as the longest home run they had ever seen.
Ruth recalled that “I hit it as I hit all the others, by taking a good gander at the pitch as it came up to the plate,
twisting my body into a backswing, and then hitting it as hard as I could swing.”
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG
(26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United
between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season. He is the longest serving manager in the
history of Manchester United.
Before going into management, Busby
was a player for two of Manchester United's greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool. During his time at City, Busby
played in three FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. After his playing career was interrupted by the Second World War, Busby
was offered the job of assistant coach at Liverpool, but they were unwilling to give him the control over the team that he
wanted and he took the vacant manager's job at Manchester United instead.
Aged 17, Busby signed for Manchester City on a one-year contract worth £5 per week on 11 February 1928, with
the provision for him to leave at the end of the deal if he still wished to emigrate to the United States with his mother.
He decided to stay and made his debut for City on 2 November 1929, more than 18 months after first signing for the Blues,
when he played at inside left in a 3–1 win at home to Middlesbrough in the First Division. He made 11 more appearances
for City that season, all at inside forward, scoring five goals in the process.
During the 1930–31 season, City manager Peter Hodge decided that Busby's talents could be better exploited
from the half-back line, with Busby playing the right-half role. In his new position, Busby built up a reputation as an intelligent
player and a finer passer of the ball. In 1930, Manchester United made an enquiry about signing Busby from their cross-town
rivals, but they were unable to afford the £150 fee that City demanded. By the 1931–32 season, Busby was firmly
established in the first team, missing just one match that season. Indeed, Busby and Jackie Bray became such fixtures at wing-half
that club captain Jimmy McMullan had to move to forward to keep his place in the team. In the 1930s Manchester City performed
strongly in the FA Cup. They reached the semi-finals in 1932, and the final in 1933 before finally winning the tournament
in 1934. However, from the second half of the 1934–35 season, Busby's number 4 jersey was worn by Jack Percival
with increasing regularity, and Busby was sold to Liverpool for £8,000 on 12 March 1936, having made more than 200 appearances
for Manchester City.
He made his debut for the Reds just two days later,
on 14 March, away to Huddersfield Town; the match ended in a 1-0 Liverpool defeat. Busby opened his goalscoring account a
month later – his 47th minute strike helped his team to a 2–2 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park. Busby
soon made the number 4 shirt his own, ousting Ted Savage in the process. He rarely missed a game over the following three
seasons. This consistency earned Busby the Liverpool captaincy and he led the club with great distinction. Along with Jimmy
McDougall and Tom Bradshaw, Busby made up what is considered by many to be the best half-back line Liverpool had ever had.
Bob Paisley joined Liverpool from Bishop Auckland in 1939, and it was Busby
who took him under his wing and showed him the ropes at Anfield. This led to a lifelong friendship between two of the most
successful managers in English football history. The Second World War arrived soon after, and with it came an end to Busby's
playing days. Like many of the Liverpool playing staff, he signed on for national service in the King's Liverpool Regiment.
Busby carried on playing football during the war, making three appearances
for Chelsea. He also turned out for Middlesbrough, Reading, Brentford, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and Hibernian.
Busby made only one "official" international appearance for Scotland;
he played in a 3-2 British Home Championship defeat to Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff, on 4 October 1933. He also made seven
appearances for Scotland against England during the Second World War, winning just one of them, but these are considered unofficial.
After a break of 12 years, the Olympic Summer Games
were to be staged once again. For the second time since 1908, the IOC selected London - earmarked for the 1944 Games
- as a venue.
London was a likely option for the first post-war
Summer Olympics because its existing facilities had remained largely intact through the war. In front of King George VI, the
Swedish IOC President, Sigfrid Edstrom, and more than 80,000 spectators, the XIV Olympic Summer Games were opened at
the Empire Stadium, Wembley.
Despite some concerns, the IOC continued
the tradition of relaying the Olympic torch from Athens, but decided to re-route the runners. On their way from Olympia
to London, the torch bearers were diverted via Pierre de Coubertin’s tomb in Lausanne and thereby avoided having to
run through Germany.
Not surprisingly the Games took place without
teams from Germany and Japan. Both countries were considered the aggressors of World War II and as a result were excluded
from participating. Athletes from the Soviet Union did not take part either, the USSR not being affiliated to the IOC.
Before the Games, the organisers dropped the idea of building an Olympic village because of anticipated high costs; Britain
was, after all almost bankrupt in the years following World War II. Instead, the athletes stayed in military barracks
and colleges around the capital; rationing meant that many teams had to bring their own food with them.
In the competitions, polo and outdoor handball were no longer included, while the
Olympic arts competitions were held for the last time, thus ending Pierre de Coubertin’s original idea of combining
art with sport.
The woman’s competitions were expanded
by the addition of the 200 metres, long jump and shot events. Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands became the star
of the Games making history as the “flying housewife”. A mother of two children she won gold medals over
100 metres, 200 metres, in the 400 metres relay, and in the 80 metres hurdles, where a photo-finish confirmed her win over
Britain’s Maureen Gardner. Even though the 30 year old Blankers-Koen was already past her sporting best, a more favourable
timetable might have seen her take further medals.
With three
gold medals (combined, team and pommel-horse) one silver (parallel bars), and a bronze (horizontal bar), the Finnish gymnast
Veikko Huhtanen managed to surpass the Dutch athletes medal tally. The Hungarian athlete Aladar Gerevich won two golds in
London. He competed in Olympic Games from 1932 right up until 1960, winning seven golds, one silver and two bronze medals
in various fencing events. In winning 38 events the USA became the most successful team of the Games, ahead of Sweden
with 16 golds and France with ten Olympic titles.
Raymond ("Ray") Illingworth, CBE (born 8 June
1932 in Pudsey, Yorkshire) is a former English cricketer, cricket commentator and cricket administrator. He was one of only
nine players to have taken 2,000 wickets and made 20,000 runs in First class cricket, and the last one to do so[1]. He played
for Yorkshire (1951–68 and 1982–83), Leicestershire (1969–78) and England (1958–73) and was a Wisden
Cricketer of the Year in 1960. He made his first-class debut at 19, was capped in 1955 and became a stalwart of the Yorkshire
team in the sixties. He made his Test début as early as 1958 but struggled on his first tour, in the West Indies in
1959-60, taking just five wickets in five Test matches. After failing to make an impact in four Tests against South Africa
he found himself struggling for a place. A good series against India in 1967 established him in the team. He joined Leicestershire
in 1968 after a contract dispute with Yorkshire,[2][3] Illingworth played 787 first-class matches over nearly 33 years and
was a prolific wicket-taker in county cricket, taking 2072 scalps, he sent down 408 balls without reward in the three Tests
against New Zealand in 1973 but conceded only 1.91 runs an over in his Test career. He was not a sharp spinner of the ball,
relying on accuracy and subtle variations of flight, but his arm ball was particularly effective with many of his victims
being caught at slip, playing for spin that was not there. His middle-order batting was based around stern defence; a fifth
of his innings, mostly from number 6 or 7 in the order, finished not out. He scored 24,134 first-class runs in all, with a
best of 162, at an average of 28.06. Against the Rest of the World in 1970 Illingworth topped the England averages with 476
runs (52.89) and six half-centuries, a testament to his grit and determination against the best in the world.
For almost thirty years, Muhammad Ali has held the Guinness
World Record as the most written- about person in history. Although John Lennon once claimed that the Beatles had become bigger
than Jesus, Ali is the one who really deserves such distinction, at least in a literary sense. Why, then, would anybody have
the temerity to think that he could add something to this already overflowing mix? What makes this book worth reading? Though
library shelves may buckle under the weight of the Muhammad Ali literature, there is surprisingly little written about key
aspects of his life, such as his pre- championship boxing matches, the management of his career, and his current legacy. I
concentrate on these three important themes. Understanding Ali’s transformation from a controversial to a revered fi
gure takes knowledge of his entire life in the public spotlight. To comprehend this phenomenon, one must look at Ali’s
career holistically, from his appearance as an Olympic champion in 1960 to his present incarnation as an iconic international
hero. On November 22, 1965, Ali fought Floyd Patterson in his second title defense. Patterson lost by technical knockout at
the end of the 12th round. As would later occur with Ernie Terrell, many sports writers accused Ali of "carrying"
Patterson so that he could physically punish him without knocking him out. Ali countered that Patterson, who said his punching
prowess was limited when he strained his sacroiliac, was not as easy to down as may have appeared.
Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell
(the WBA stripped Ali of his title after his agreement to fight a rematch with Liston) on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed
out. Ali won a 15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper
by stoppage on cuts May 21, and knocked out Brian London in the third round in August. Ali's next defense was against
German southpaw Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights
of his life, Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.
Ali returned
to the United States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According
to the Sports Illustrated account, the bout drew an indoor world record 35,460 fight fans. A year and a half before the fight,
Williams had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight
missing one kidney and 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali
beat Williams in three rounds.
On February 6, 1967, Ali
returned to a Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered
Ali by calling him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his
opponent, "What's my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name?" Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment,
losing 13 rounds on two judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN
on the sports channel's "Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight continued only because Ali wanted to thoroughly
punish and humiliate Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and
a barbarous display of cruelty." When asked about this during a replay of the fight on ABC's popular "Wide World
of Sports" by host Howard Cosell, Ali said he was not unduly cruel to Terrell- that boxers are paid to punch all their
opponents into submission or defeat. He pointed out that if he had not hit and hurt Terrell, Terrell would have hit and hurt
him, which is standard practice. Cosell's repeated reference to the topic surprised Ali. Following his final defense against
Zora Folley in March 1967 Ali would be stripped of his title the following month for refusing to be drafted into the Army[6]
and had his professional boxing license suspended.Ali was scheduled to fight WBA champion Ernie Terrell (the WBA stripped
Ali of his title after his agreement to fight a rematch with Liston) on March 29, 1966, but Terrell backed out. Ali won a
15-round decision against substitute opponent George Chuvalo. He then went to England and defeated Henry Cooper by stoppage
on cuts May 21, and knocked out Brian London in the third round in August. Ali's next defense was against German southpaw
Karl Mildenberger, the first German to fight for the title since Max Schmeling. In one of the tougher fights of his life,
Ali stopped his opponent in round 12.
Ali returned to the United
States in November 1966 to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams in the Houston Astrodome. According to the Sports
Illustrated account, the bout drew an indoor world record 35,460 fight fans. A year and a half before the fight, Williams
had been shot in the stomach at point-blank range by a Texas policeman. As a result, Williams went into the fight missing
one kidney and 10 feet of his small intestine, and with a shriveled left leg from nerve damage from the bullet. Ali beat Williams
in three rounds.
On February 6, 1967, Ali returned to a
Houston boxing ring to fight Terrell in what became one of the uglier fights in boxing. Terrell had angered Ali by calling
him Clay, and the champion vowed to punish him for this insult. During the fight, Ali kept shouting at his opponent, "What's
my name, Uncle Tom ... What's my name?" Terrell suffered 15 rounds of brutal punishment, losing 13 rounds on two
judges' scorecards, but Ali did not knock him out. Analysts, including several who spoke to ESPN on the sports channel's
"Ali Rap" special, speculated that the fight continued only because Ali wanted to thoroughly punish and humiliate
Terrell. After the fight, Tex Maule wrote, "It was a wonderful demonstration of boxing skill and a barbarous display
of cruelty." When asked about this during a replay of the fight on ABC's popular "Wide World of Sports"
by host Howard Cosell, Ali said he was not unduly cruel to Terrell- that boxers are paid to punch all their opponents into
submission or defeat. He pointed out that if he had not hit and hurt Terrell, Terrell would have hit and hurt him, which is
standard practice. Cosell's repeated reference to the topic surprised Ali. Following his final defense against Zora Folley
in March 1967 Ali would be stripped of his title the following month for refusing to be drafted into the Army[6] and had his
professional boxing license suspended.
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966 in Paris
raised in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career
at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years, including two League and FA Cup "doubles".
Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse
and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer
to him as "Eric the King".
Manchester United Career
United's season had been disappointing up to Cantona's
signing. They had had problems scoring goals: Brian McClair was off form, and summer signing Dion Dublin had broken his leg
early in the season. However, Cantona quickly settled into the team, not only scoring many goals but also creating chances
for the other players. For the next two years, United went on an amazing run, winning the inaugural Premiership in 1993. They
retained the Premiership and with Cantona's two penalties helping them to a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.
Cantona was voted PFA Player Of The Year in 1994.
Cantona then became infamous for an incident that occurred on
25 January 1995. In an away match against Crystal Palace, after being sent off by the referee for a vengeful kick on Palace
defender Richard Shaw (after Shaw had pulled his shirt without punishment), he launched a 'kung-fu' style kick against
a Crystal Palace fan, Matthew Simmons. At Simmons' subsequent trial for threatening language and behaviour, he attacked
the prosecution counsel after being found guilty, leaping over a bench and executing a flying kick of his own. He was sentenced
to seven days in jail, but only served 24 hours of his sentence.[2] At a press conference called later, Cantona gave what
is perhaps his most famous quotation. As the journalists gathered to hear him speak, Cantona entered the room, sat down and
said, in a slow and deliberate manner:
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's
because they think sardines will be thrown in to the sea"
He then got up from his seat and left, leaving many
of the assembled crowd bemused. He was sentenced to 120 hours of community service after an appeal court overturned a 2 week
prison sentence for assault. He was also suspended by The Football Association until the following October. Manchester United
eventually lost the Premiership title to Blackburn.
Sue Barker lived in a small town and her coach, Arthur
Roberts, never set goals like winning Wimbledon. Nevertheless Sue Barker would rise to be World number three tennis player.
Sue Barker's favourite memory as a player was when as a teenager, on centre court for the first time, she played Maria
Bueno. Sue Barker's tennis playing highlights include winning the French Open and making it to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Sue Barker quit tennis at the age of 28 because she had bad Achilles tendons and shin splints. She went into sports broadcasting,
initially with Australia's Channel 7 in 1985, but after stints at BSB and Sky Sports, she joined the BBC in 1993 and has
been a regular presenter there since. Sue Barker presents BBC1's popular show A Question of Sport.
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