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| Name | ESPN |
|---|---|
| Owner | ESPN Inc (The Walt Disney Company-80%; Hearst Corporation-20%) |
| Sister names | ESPN2ESPN3.comESPNUESPN America HDESPN 3DESPN BrasilESPN ClassicESPN DeportesESPNewsESPN PlusESPN on ABCESPN (UK)Longhorn NetworkTSN (Canada)SBS ESPN (Korea) |
| Logofile | ESPN wordmark.svg |
| Logosize | 180px |
| Logocaption | ESPN's Current Logo. |
| Language | English |
| Launch | September 7, 1979 |
| Headquarters | Bristol, Connecticut |
| Web | ESPN.com |
| Career | http://espncareers.com/ |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV)720p (HDTV) |
| Slogan | The Worldwide Leader In Sports |
| Sat serv 1 | DirecTV |
| Sat chan 1 | 206 (SD/HD) 210 Alternate feed |
| Sat serv 2 | Dish Network |
| Sat chan 2 | 140 (SD/HD) 145 147 148 Alternate feeds |
| Sat serv 3 | DSTV |
| Sat chan 3 | Channel 230 |
| Cable serv 1 | Teledasun (LBN)(Sri Lanka) |
| Cable chan 1 | Channel |
| Cable serv 2 | Available on most cable systems |
| Cable chan 2 | Check local listings for channels |
| Adsl serv 1 | AT&T; U-Verse |
| Adsl chan 1 | 602 |
| Cable serv 2 | Verizon Fios |
| Cable chan 2 | 70 |
| Online serv 1 | ESPN3 |
| Online chan 1 | www.espnstar.com |
| Key people | George Bodenheimer, President |
| Founder | Scott Rasmussen and Bill Rasmussen |
Founded by Bill Rasmussen, his son Scott Rasmussen and Getty Oil executive Stuart Evey, it launched on September 7, 1979, under the direction of Chet Simmons, the network's President and CEO (and later the United States Football League's first commissioner). Getty Oil Company provided the funding to begin the new venture. Geoff Bray of New Britain, CT was chosen as the architect. George Bodenheimer is ESPN's current president, a position he has held since November 19, 1998. Bodenheimer has also headed ABC Sports, a separate legal entity now branded as ESPN on ABC, since March 3, 2003.
ESPN's signature telecast, SportsCenter, debuted with the network and aired its 30,000th episode on February 11, 2007. ESPN broadcasts primarily from its studios in Bristol, Connecticut. The network also operates offices in Miami; New York City; Seattle, Washington; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Los Angeles. The Los Angeles office, from which the late-night edition of SportsCenter is now broadcast, opened at L.A. Live in early 2009. The name of the sport company was lengthened to "ESPN Inc." in February 1985.
ESPN markets itself as "The Worldwide Leader in Sports". Most programming on ESPN and its affiliated networks consists of live or tape-delayed sets of events and sports-related news programming (such as SportsCenter). The remainder includes sports-related talk shows (such as Around the Horn, Jim Rome is Burning, Outside the Lines, "SportsNation", and PTI), sports-related documentaries, films (such as ""), and original series (such as "The Bronx Is Burning").
ESPN started with the debut of Sportscenter hosted by Lee Leonard and George Grande. Afterwards was a pro slow pitch softball game. The first score on SportsCenter was from women's tennis on the final weekend of the US Open.
To help fill 24 hours a day of air time, ESPN aired a wide variety of sports events that broadcast networks did not show on weekends, including Australian rules football, the Canadian Football League, Davis Cup tennis, professional wrestling, boxing, and additional college football and basketball games. The U.S. Olympic Festival, the now-defunct competition that was organized as a training tool by the United States Olympic Committee, was also an ESPN staple at the time. ESPN also aired business shows and exercise videos.
ESPN recruited Steve Powell, former Director of Sports Programming at HBO, to be its first head of Programming. Powell had been the youngest VP at HBO and its parent company (Time, Inc.), but left to attend Harvard Business School. He worked for ESPN while completing the MBA Program at Harvard.
In 1983, The United States Football League (USFL) made its debut on ESPN and ABC. The league (which lasted for three seasons) enjoyed ephemeral success, some portion of which was a byproduct of the exposure afforded through ESPN coverage.
On July 15, 1985, ESPN started airing the "ESPN Sports Update" (later known as "28/58"), a condensed run-down of scores and news that aired at 28 and 58 minutes past the hour, when SportsCenter was not airing. This was changed to 18/58 on May 30, 2005.
In 1987, ESPN gained partial rights to the National Football League. The league agreed to the deal as long as ESPN agreed to simulcast the games on local television stations in the participating markets. ESPN Sunday Night Football would last for 19 years and spur ESPN's rise to legitimacy. In the 2006 NFL season, ESPN began airing Monday Night Football, formerly seen on its sister network ABC. (NBC took over the Sunday night game) Former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue credits ESPN for revolutionizing the NFL, "ESPN was able to take the draft, the pregame and highlight shows, and other NFL programming to a new level."
In 1990, ESPN added Major League Baseball to its lineup with a $400 million contract. The contract has been renewed and will continue through 2011. Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were the longtime voices of the network's centerpiece Sunday Night Baseball through the 2010 season. Steve Phillips joined the package in 2009, but Phillips was later dismissed by the network in October 2009. In December 2010 ESPN announced that Orel Hersheiser, Dan Schulman, and Bobby Valentine will be the new announcers of "Sunday Night Baseball" beginning with the 2011 season.
ESPN broadcast each of the four major professional sports leagues in North America from 2002 until 2004, when it cut ties with the National Hockey League. The network had aired NHL games from 1980–82, from 1986–89, and most recently from 1992-2004. ESPN has been broadcasting Major League Soccer games about once a week on ESPN2 since that league's inception in 1996. In most years, the annual All-Star Game and MLS Cup championship game, and in some years, the Opening Night game, are shown on ABC broadcast stations.
With the increasing cost of live sports entertainment, such as the USD$8.8 billion costs for NFL football broadcasts rights for eight years, "scripted entertainment has become a luxury item for ESPN," said David Carter, director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California.
ESPN broadcasts 65 sports, 24 hours a day in 16 languages in more than 200 countries.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw a considerable growth within the company. ESPN Radio launched on New Years Day, 1992 and has seen tremendous success. ESPN2 was founded in 1993, launched by Keith Olbermann and Suzy Kolber with SportsNite. Three years later ESPNews was born, with Mike Tirico as the first anchor. In 1997, ESPN purchased Classic Sports Network and renamed it ESPN Classic. The youngest ESPN network in the USA, ESPNU, began broadcasting on March 4, 2005.
ESPN International was started in the early 1990s to take advantage of the growing satellite markets in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In Canada, ESPN, Inc. purchased a minority share of TSN and RDS (the corporate logos of both networks were redesigned to match the look of ESPN's logo). In 2004, ESPN entered the European market by launching a version of ESPN Classic. Then in December 2006 it agreed to purchase North American Sports Network, and on February 1, 2009 NASN was re-branded as ESPN Africa. SportsCenter's primary three broadcasts on ESPN America each day are at 1am ET (which re-airs usually until 9am ET), 6pm ET, and 11pm ET.
In 1994, ESPN launched The ESPN Sports Poll, created by Dr. Richard Luker. The Sports Poll was the first ongoing national daily study of sports fan activities and interests in the United States. Sporting News acknowledged the accomplishments of The ESPN Sports Poll and Dr. Luker in 1996.
From 1996 onward ESPN was closely integrated with ABC Sports. That year Steve Bornstein, president of ESPN since 1990, was made president of ABC Sports as well. This integration culminated in the 2006 decision to merge ABC Sports' operations with ESPN. As a result, all of ABC's sports programming now uses ESPN on ABC. However, ABC Sports is still legally separate from ESPN due to ESPN's joint ownership arrangement with Disney and Hearst.
In 1998, ESPN began using "Skycam" for their broadcasts of the NHL. The system was later put to use in baseball, basketball, and football games. In 2007, ESPN signed an agreement with the Arena Football League to broadcast at least one game every week, usually on Monday nights. In January 2008, ESPN signed a multi-million dollar contract with professional gaming circuit, Major League Gaming (MLG).
On August 3, 2009, ESPN began broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the first time, having been awarded the domestic rights to 46 Barclays Premier League matches for the forthcoming season, and 23 matches each for the following three seasons, due to the cancellation of the Premier League's contract with Setanta Sports over a missed payment. The deal only affected television rights within the U.K.; international rights (held in the U.S. at the time by Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Sports North America) were not initially affected, but Setanta would later shutter its U.S. operations (most of Setanta's former rights are now held by FSC's spinoff channel Fox Soccer Plus). Also in the US, ESPN now has rights to at least one Premier League and one La Liga game a week.
On January 5, 2010, ESPN announced plans for a new network, ESPN 3D, to premiere on June 11, 2010. The new network will broadcast 85 sporting events in 3D during its first year, including the FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. ESPN has been testing 3D broadcasting for more than two years. Additional broadcasts may include up to 25 World Cup matches and the Summer X Games. On January 5, 2011, a year after the announcement of the ESPN3D launch, ESPN announced that ESPN3D will go to 24 hour a day programing on February 14, 2011.
On February 7, 2011, the primary standard definition feeds of ESPN and ESPN 2 switched from the fullscreen to the letterbox aspect ratio, becoming the third and fourth cable channels, respectively to be broadcast in the letterbox format full-time (after cable news channels Fox News Channel and CNN); unlike Fox Sports Net, which switched to letterbox format one week earlier, the two ESPN networks broadcast all programming (sports telecasts, sports news and opinion programs such as SportsCenter and commercial advertisements) letterboxed, while video broadcast exclusively in standard definition is pillarboxed. ESPNU, ESPNews and ESPN Classic continue to be broadcast in the 4:3 fullscreen format for their SD feeds.
The topic of censoring on ESPN threads has been a point of criticism. Posting remarks that may be contradictory to the views of ESPN staff has oftentimes been cause for banning a member from "posting privileges." Furthermore, there is a common perception among those comment boards that ESPN exhibits a lack of professionalism when expressing the views of their writers or simply for their failure to adequately proof read articles before publishing them online. ESPN has oftentimes, within said boards as well as among the echoes of public opinion, been compared to sensationalist productions such as TMZ.com.
In 1984, ABC made a deal with Getty Oil to acquire ESPN. ABC retained an 80% share, and sold 20% to Nabisco. The Nabisco shares were later sold to Hearst Corporation, which still holds a 20% stake today. In 1986, ABC was purchased for $3.5 billion by Capital Cities Communications. In 1996, The Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion and picked up an 80% stake in ESPN at that time. According to an analysis published by Barron's Magazine in February 2008, ESPN "is probably worth more than 40% of Disney's entire value... based on prevailing cash-flow multiples in the industry."
Although ESPN has been operated as a Disney subsidiary since 1996, it is still technically a joint venture between Disney and Hearst (which also owns many ABC affiliates, some of which are among the network's largest and strongest affiliates). It was actually under the Disney ownership that ABC Sports and ESPN accelerated their merger.
All Bristol and L.A. Live studio shows, along with most live events on ESPN, are produced in high definition. ESPN is one of the few networks with an all-digital infrastructure. Shows that are recorded elsewhere − such as Jim Rome Is Burning (Los Angeles) are presented in a standard definition, 4:3 format with stylized pillarboxes. Pardon the Interruption and Around the Horn have begun airing in HD on September 27, 2010. ESPN, however, maintains a policy that any video that originates in high definition must remain in HD when aired on ESPNHD.
In 2006, the network has come under considerable scrutiny from industry technicians and early adopters of HD due to a perceived degradation in picture quality, specifically during live events.
In Latin America, the 720p high-definition version of ESPN was launched as "ESPN HD" on April 28, 2009 (only Brazil) and on December 1, 2009 in other countries.
In January 2011, ESPN began to prepare cable providers to downconvert the ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD signals for their standard definition analog channels with letterboxing, and began to remove on-air references to ESPNHD beyond the 'available in HD' mentions in promotions and show openings.
SportsCenter - SportsCenter works around the clock to deliver the latest sports news and highlights as they happen.
Highlight Express - A 30-minute long show that repeats itself and contains all the scores and stories through out the day.
The Beat - A show in which instead of the latest highlights, they show the news that's happening to the athletes and teams around the league, they also cover up stories on local teams in the different cities.
Jim Rome is Burning - TV and Talk radio veteran Jim Rome brings his fast rapid fire analysis, and his no holds-barred opinions to the show.
Around the Horn - Tony Reali and four reporters from across the country debate sports hottest topics. Tony gives points out when player makes a good point, but will deduct if he has to mute him. The winner gets a 30-second victory speech.
Pardon the Interruption (PTI) - Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon face off during the 30 minute debate show, with 2 minutes to argue and gain points, time ticks as the journalist tackled down the list of sports topics.
Baseball Tonight - A show in which analysts such as Bobby Valentine and Dave Winfield, debate and go over the baseball teams around the league.
Scott Van Pelt Show - Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Russillo debate and give opinions on the latest sports news on ESPN Radio or can be seen on ESPN2.
Little League World Series 1985–2014
Many jokes have been made by comedians about fake obscure sports that are shown on ESPN. Dennis Miller mentioned watching "sumo rodeo," while George Carlin stated that ESPN showed "Australian dick wrestling." One of several Saturday Night Live sketches poking fun at the network features ESPN2 airing a show called Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly, which includes a fake advertisement for "Senior Women's Beach Lacrosse." SNL also parodies ESPN Classic with fake archived obscure women's sportscasts from the 1980s such as bowling, weight lifting and curling, with announcers who know nothing about the sport, and instead focus on the sponsors which are always women's hygiene products. In the early years of ESPN, Late Night with David Letterman even featured a "Top Ten List" poking fun at some of the obscure sports seen on ESPN at the time. One of the more memorable sports on the list was "Amish Rake Fighting."
A common joke in comedic television and film involves people getting ESP (an abbreviation for Extrasensory Perception, and an irony considering ESPN was initially supposed to be named "ESP") confused with ESPN, often including someone saying something along the lines of "I know these kind of things, I've got ESPN". Electronic Arts in the early 1990s used to have a faux sports network logo on their sports games called EASN (Electronic Arts Sports Network), but soon changed to EA Sports after ESPN requested that they stop using it. There are at least 22 children named after the network.
ESPN Now was a former rolling digital cable barker channel which aired from 2001–2004 and featured a scoring ticker, along with ESPN and Go.com promotional advertising. It mainly was used to promote ESPN's college sports pay per view packages to viewers. The channel was eventually discontinued with the rise of video on demand.
Both ESPN and ESPN2 carried ABC News coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The only original program produced after the preemption was a shortened 6pm edition of SportsCenter which focused on covering the cancellations of sporting events in reaction to the terror attacks.
ESPN carried most of the first round of the 2003 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament due to CBS News's coverage of the invasion of Iraq. The games were still produced by CBS and distributed to the correct markets through cable companies. The only ESPN identifier was the bottomline graphic, which ran throughout the entire telecast.
Category:Bristol, Connecticut Category:Companies established in 1979 Category:ESPN media outlets Category:Walt Disney Company subsidiaries Category:Hearst Corporation assets Category:Orphan initialisms Category:Television channels and stations established in 1979 Category:Companies based in Hartford County, Connecticut Category:Cable TV of Hong Kong Category:Sports television networks in the United States Category:Hasbro subsidiaries
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Name | Tony Kornheiser |
|---|---|
| Nickname | WHY |
| Birth date | July 13, 1948 |
| Birth place | Lynbrook, New York |
| Education | Binghamton University |
| Occupation | Sports columnistRadio hostTelevision hostColor commentator |
| Spouse | Karril |
| Parents | Ira and Estelle |
| Children | Elizabeth and Michael |
After graduation he enrolled at Harpur College (now Binghamton University) where he began his journalism career and graduated with a degree in English in 1970. During the summers of his youth, he attended Camp Keeyumah, a summer camp in Pennsylvania. His counselor there was basketball coach Larry Brown.
Kornheiser is the only child of Ira (1910–2000) and Estelle Kornheiser (d. 1968). Kornheiser grew up in a Jewish household, and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at a Conservative synagogue. Kornheiser currently resides in Washington, D.C., as well as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife Karril. They have two children, Michael and Elizabeth.
On August 15, 2006, Kornheiser revealed on The Dan Patrick Show that he had skin cancer and had received treatment.
Politically, Kornheiser describes himself as a "blue state guy." He and Wilbon are good friends with Democratic political advisor James Carville, who has appeared several times on PTI.
Kornheiser has been noted to be a strong New York Mets and New York Knicks fan.
His columns were usually sarcastic with touches of humor. The most distinct style of his columns is that he often uses his alter ego in italics to question his points of views for self-deprecation, like "Excuse me, Tony..."
In 1991, Kornheiser created a string of now-famous Bandwagon columns to describe the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl run that year. He started the idea when the Redskins trounced the Detroit Lions 45-0. He officially unveiled the first Bandwagon column when the team had an undefeated 4-0 record. From then on, the Bandwagon column appeared weekly. When the Redskins advanced to Super Bowl XXVI, Kornheiser and his Post colleagues Jeanne McManus and Norman Chad rode a thirty-three-foot recreational vehicle decorated as the Bandwagon for a 1,200-mile journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In the 1990s, Kornheiser usually wrote three columns per week, which were a Tuesday column and a Thursday column in the Sports Section and a Sunday column in the Style Section. Because of his work on both radio and Pardon the Interruption, he stopped writing Style Section columns and only wrote one column a week. His last Style Section column was published on September 30, 2001. His three books, Pumping Irony, Bald as I Wanna Be and I'm Back for More Cash, are the compilations of his Style Section columns.
Kornheiser was a finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
He also started working for ESPN in 1997 and kept his column at the Post. As part of his ESPN Radio contract, Kornheiser wrote columns called Parting Shots for ESPN The Magazine between 1998 and 2000.
In 2005, Kornheiser started to write short columns called A Few Choice Words with his photo in the Post's Sports Section. These short, sports-related columns appeared on the second page of the Post's Sports section and were much shorter than the full-length columns Kornheiser used to write for the paper. This was the first time that the Post displayed a columnist's photo beside his column. He called these short columns "columnettes." He usually wrote three "columnettes" per week unless he had other duties. He did not write columns between April 26, 2006, and August 7, 2006, to prepare as an analyst of ESPN's Monday Night Football.
Starting August 8, 2006, he wrote columns called Monday Night Diary to describe his adventures on Monday Night Football. His short-column space was later replaced by Dan Steinberg's D.C. Sports Bog.
On May 14, 2008, it was announced that Kornheiser had accepted a buyout from the Post. "I love the paper. They were great to me every day that I was there," he told Reuters. "But I don't do much for the paper anymore." Kornheiser had not written a regular column for the paper's print edition since 2006. However, Wilbon and Tony continued to tape a "Talking Points" mini online TV feature for the Washington Post until June 3, 2009 when an installment termed the final one was posted on the Post's site. In it Michael Wilbon says he thinks there will be further installments while Kornheiser seems certain it is a permanent decision management has made.
On May 20, 2010, Kornheiser said on his radio show that in fact he was fired by the Washington Post, saying "they fired me in a despicable way."
After completing the 2006 season on ESPN's Monday Night Football, Kornheiser signed with WTWP, Washington Post Radio, to relaunch his radio show on February 20, 2007. The show aired live from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and was then replayed from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. XM Radio carried his show on a thirty-minute delay, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., beginning March 5, 2007, on XM Sports Nation, Channel 144. Kornheiser went on hiatus from the show following the June 28, 2007, broadcast because of his Monday Night Football duties. The show was hosted by David Burd and included the same supporting cast. The show was called The Tony Kornheiser Show Starring David Burd during the hiatus. Kornheiser returned to the show as the full-time host from January 21, 2008, to June 27, 2008. The show aired live from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and was replayed from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m on WWWT, and on XM Sports Nation, XM channel 144 from 8:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. He announced during this period in 2008 that he would not be back on the radio until he was done with Monday Night Football.
The Tony Kornheiser Show is on the air daily Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to Noon on Washington DC radio station WTEM (980 kHz AM) and streamed live on the station's website, ESPN980.com. It is also available as a podcast.
The Tony Kornheiser Co-hosts are; Gary Braun, Jeanne McManus and (Marc) Nigel Sterne with news and weather from Kevin. Regular guests are: John Feinstein, David Aldridge, Torie Clarke, Bob Ryan, Liz Clarke, Mark Maske, Sam Smith, Sally Jenkins, Barry Svrluga, Lisa de Moraes, Chuck Todd, Michael Wilbon, and Howard Fineman.
He appeared on ESPN's The Sports Reporters beginning in 1988. He sometimes guest-hosted the program when the then-host of the show, the late Dick Schaap, was away.
He was also a panelist on Full Court Press hosted by George Michael on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. during the NFL off-season until that show was canceled in December 2008 due to budget cuts. He sometimes guest-hosted Redskins Report on WRC when Michael was away.
He has appeared on numerous other ESPN productions, including SportsCenter, Who's Number One?, and multiple player's/sportsman's profiles entitled SportsCentury.
Unlike Wilbon, Kornheiser does most episodes of PTI in-studio due to his self-admitted fear of flying. Prior to joining MNF, his last trips outside of the studio were to cover Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans and to attend the NFL owners meetings in Orlando in 2006; Kornheiser both times traveled via train, though returned from the Orlando trip via airplane. On the April 6, 2006, edition of PTI, he expressed his dismay at the amount of travel required for MNF. Though he has mentioned on his radio program that he is taking steps to overcome his aviophobia, he in fact spent a five-week period on the road traveling to mainly western MNF sites, doing PTI via satellite.
Kornheiser returned for a second season of Monday Night Football. On January 9, 2007, Kornheiser told Newsday, "If they would like to have me back, my inclination is that I would like to do it again."
Kornheiser reportedly earned $1.8 million for being a Monday Night Football announcer and $900,000 for co-hosting PTI.
On May 18, 2009, ESPN announced that Kornheiser would be leaving Monday Night Football due to fear of flying. Former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden has replaced Kornheiser in the MNF booth.
After Kornheiser's first game on Monday Night Football, Paul Farhi wrote in The Washington Post that Kornheiser had emphasized the obvious, played third fiddle, and was reminiscent of Dennis Miller "in a bad way." Kornheiser responded during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on August 15, 2006, saying that Farhi was a "two-bit weasel slug" and his own newspaper had back-stabbed him. His response generated more criticism from The Washington Post and other media outlets. Other criticism has come from Toronto Argonauts play-by-play commentator Mike Hogan, who said, "The thing that really bothers me is that Kornheiser doesn't seem to know his place. If you're there for comic relief, that's one thing. But for God's sake, leave the football analysis to guys who actually played the game." Former NFL offensive lineman Mike Schad also criticized Kornheiser, saying that "when people watch a game, they want to learn something. I don't need a guy who's sarcastic or trying to be funny. I love listening to Ron Jaworski on Monday Nights. He played the game and has lots of good insight and Kornheiser just gets in his way."
Mike Golic, an ESPN colleague of Kornheiser's, who had expressed skepticism regarding his prospects as an on-air analyst because he was never an athlete, said that his performance on MNF was "fine." Kornheiser's response was, "I just want to wring Golic's neck and hang him up over the back of a shower rod like a duck."
During a Monday Night Football telecast on September 15, 2008, Kornheiser made a comment about a clip of the ESPN Deportes crew's call of a Felix Jones touchdown, saying, “I took high-school Spanish, and that either means ‘nobody is going to touch him’ or ‘could you pick up my dry cleaning in the morning.’” Later in the broadcast, Kornheiser apologized on-air for the remark.
On February 23, 2010, various news sources reported that Kornheiser had been suspended from ESPN for two weeks for comments he made on his radio show about fellow high-profile ESPN personality Hannah Storm's wardrobe that day. }}
In March 2010, Kornheiser commented: "The last time I looked, the roads were made for automobiles...We're going to be dominated as if this was Beijing by hundreds of thousands of bicyclists...They all wear … my God … with the little water bottle in the back and the stupid hats and their shiny shorts. They are the same disgusting poseurs that in the middle of a snowstorm come out with cross-country skiing on your block. Run 'em down...Let them use the right, I’m okay with that. I don’t take my car and ride on the sidewalk because I understand that’s not for my car… Why do these people think that these roads were built for bicycles? ... They dare you to run them down.” Cyclist Lance Armstrong replied. "Disgusting, ignorant, foolish. What a complete f-ing idiot." Kornheiser later apologized to Armstrong on-air and offered to go on a bike ride with him.
In June 2010, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers criticized Kornheiser's performance on Monday Night Football, saying: "He's terrible...I don’t think he’s funny. I don’t think he’s insightful. I don’t think he knows, really, anything about sports.”. Rodgers also criticized ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski and other ESPN employees during the interview. Kornheiser responded in an interview by saying: "If he thinks I’m no good, he wouldn’t be the first. Or the last.” and "I tried to establish some rapport with that. I guess that rapport didn’t exist.”
Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:American sports radio personalities Category:American sportswriters Category:American columnists Category:American Jews Category:Jewish American writers Category:The Washington Post people Category:Binghamton University alumni Category:George W. Hewlett High School alumni Category:National Football League announcers Category:People from Five Towns, New York
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Name | Tiger Woods |
|---|---|
| Fullname | Eldrick Tont Woods |
| Nickname | Tiger |
| Birth date | December 30, 1975 |
| Birth place | Cypress, California |
| Death date | |
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Nationality | |
| Residence | Windermere, Florida |
| Spouse | Elin Nordegren (2004–2010) |
| Children | Sam Alexis (b. 2007)Charlie Axel (b. 2009) |
| College | Stanford University (two years) |
| Yearpro | 1996 |
| Tour | PGA Tour (joined 1996) |
| Prowins | 97 |
| Pgawins | 71 (3rd all time) |
| Eurowins | 38 (3rd all time) |
| Japwins | 2 |
| Asiawins | 1 |
| Auswins | 1 |
| Champwins | |
| Otherwins | 15 |
| Majorwins | 14 |
| Masters | Won: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 |
| Usopen | Won: 2000, 2002, 2008 |
| Open | Won: 2000, 2005, 2006 |
| Pga | Won: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 |
| Wghofid | |
| Wghofyear | |
| Award1 | PGA TourRookie of the Year |
| Year1 | 1996 |
| Award2 | PGA Player of the Year |
| Year2 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| Award3 | PGA TourPlayer of the Year |
| Year3 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| Award4 | PGA Tourleading money winner |
| Year4 | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| Award5 | Vardon Trophy |
| Year5 | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 |
| Award6 | Byron Nelson Award |
| Year6 | 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| Award7 | FedEx Cup Champion |
| Year7 | 2007, 2009 |
| Awardssection | List of career achievements by Tiger Woods#Awards |
Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 71 PGA Tour events, third all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.
Woods held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons.
On December 11, 2009, Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by over a dozen women, through many worldwide media sources. Woods returned to competition for the 2010 Masters on April 8, 2010, after a break lasting 20 weeks.
In July 2010, Forbes announced Woods as the richest sportsman in the world, earning a reported $105m according to them and $90.5m according to Sports Illustrated.
On October 31, 2010, Woods lost the world number one ranking to Lee Westwood. Since late November 2009, when the infidelity scandals began breaking in the media, Woods has been winless worldwide for 18 months, the longest streak without a title of his professional career.
From childhood he was raised as a Buddhist and actively practised this faith from childhood until well into his adult career. He has attributed his deviations and infidelity to his losing track of Buddhism. He said that "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."
At birth, Woods was given 'Eldrick' and 'Tont' as first and middle names. His middle name, Tont (), is a traditional Thai name. He got his nickname from a Vietnamese soldier friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given the Tiger nickname. He became generally known by that name and by the time he had achieved national prominence in junior and amateur golf, he was simply known as 'Tiger' Woods.
Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy, introduced to golf before the age of two, by his athletic father Earl, who was a good standard amateur golfer and one of the earliest Negro college baseball players at Kansas State University. In 1978, Tiger putted against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes over the Cypress Navy course, and at age five, he appeared in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible. Before turning seven, Tiger entered and won the Under Age 10 section of the Drive, Pitch, and Putt competition, held at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress, California. In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships. He first broke 80 at age eight. He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.
Woods' father Earl wrote that Tiger first beat him when he was 11 years old, with Earl trying his best. Earl lost to Tiger every time from then on. Woods's first major national junior tournament was the 1989 Big I, when he was 13 years old. Woods was paired with pro John Daly, then relatively unknown, in the final round; the event's format placed a professional with each group of juniors who had qualified. Daly birdied three of the last four holes to beat Woods by only one stroke. As a young teenager, Woods first met Jack Nicklaus in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Country Club, when Nicklaus was performing a clinic for the club's members. Woods was part of the show, and impressed Nicklaus and the crowd with his skills and potential.
While attending Western High School in Anaheim at the age of 15, Woods became the youngest ever U.S. Junior Amateur champion in 1991, was voted Southern California Amateur Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year for 1991. In 1992, he defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the first multiple winner, competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open, and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year, and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year.
The following year, Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and remains the event's youngest-ever and only multiple winner. In 1994, he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, a record that stood until 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee. Woods won over the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida. He was a member of the American team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships (winning), and the 1995 Walker Cup (losing).
Woods graduated from Western High School in 1994 at age 18, and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" among the graduating class. He had starred for the high school's golf team under coach Don Crosby.
The following April, Woods won his first major, The Masters, with a record score of 18 under par, by a record margin of 12 strokes. The landmark victory made Woods the tournament's youngest-ever winner, as well as its first African-American winner (and its first Asian-American winner). All told, Woods set a total of 20 Masters records in 1997 and tied six others. He went on to win another three PGA Tour events that year, and on June 15, 1997, in only his 42nd week as a professional, rose to number one in the Official World Golf Rankings, the fastest-ever ascent to world No. 1. At the conclusion of the 1997 season, Woods was named PGA Player of the Year, the first time a golfer had won the award in just his second year as a professional.
While expectations for Woods were high, his play faded in the second half of 1997, and in 1998 he only won a single PGA Tour event. He answered critics of his "slump" and what seemed to be wavering form by maintaining he was undergoing extensive swing changes with his coach, Butch Harmon, and was hoping to do better in the future.
Picking up where he had left off in 1999, Woods started 2000 with his fifth consecutive victory and began a record-setting season. He extended his win streak to six at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February with a memorable comeback—trailing by seven strokes with seven holes to play, he finished eagle-birdie-par-birdie for a 64 and a two-stroke victory. His six consecutive wins were the most since Ben Hogan in 1948 and only five behind Byron Nelson's record of eleven in a row. In the 2000 U.S. Open, he broke or tied a total of nine U.S. Open records with his 15-shot win, including Old Tom Morris's record for the largest victory margin ever in a major championship, which had stood since 1862, and became the Tour's all-time career money leader. He led by a record ten strokes going into the final round, and Sports Illustrated called it "the greatest performance in golf history." In the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews, which he won by eight strokes, he set the record for lowest score to par (−19) in any major tournament, and he holds at least a share of that record in all four major championships. At 24, he became the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.
Woods's major championship streak was seriously threatened at the 2000 PGA Championship, when Bob May went head-to-head with Woods on Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club. However, Woods played the last twelve holes of regulation seven under par, and won a three-hole playoff over May with a birdie on the first hole and pars on the next two. He joined Ben Hogan (1953) as the only other player to win three professional majors in one season. Three weeks later, he won his third straight start on Tour at the Bell Canadian Open, becoming only the second man after Lee Trevino in 1971 to win the Triple Crown of Golf (U.S., British, and Canadian Opens) in one year. By the end of Woods' 2000 campaign, he had won three consecutive majors, nine PGA Tour events, and had set or tied 27 Tour records. Of the twenty events he entered, he finished in the top three fourteen times. His adjusted scoring average of 67.79 and his actual scoring average of 68.17 were the lowest in PGA Tour history, besting his own record of 68.43 in 1999 and Byron Nelson's average of 68.33 in 1945. He was named the 2000 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, becoming the first and only athlete to be honored twice. Woods was ranked as the twelfth best golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine just four years after he turned professional.
The following season, Woods continued to dominate. His 2001 Masters Tournament win marked the only time in the modern era of the Grand Slam that any player has held all four major championship titles at the same time, a feat now known as the "Tiger Slam". It is not viewed as a true Grand Slam, however, because it was not achieved in a calendar year. Surprisingly, he was not a factor in the three remaining majors of the year, but finished with the most PGA Tour wins in the season, with five. In 2002, he started off strongly, joining Nick Faldo (1989–90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965–66) as the only men to have won back-to-back Masters Tournaments.
Two months later, Woods was the only player under par at the U.S. Open, and resurrected buzz about the calendar Grand Slam, which had eluded him in 2000. All eyes were on Woods at the Open Championship, but his third round score of 81 in dreadful weather at Muirfield ended his Grand Slam hopes. At the PGA Championship, he nearly repeated his 2000 feat of winning three majors in one year, but bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes in the final round cost him the championship by one stroke. Nonetheless, he took home the money title, Vardon Trophy, and Player of the Year honors for the fourth year in a row.
The next phase of Woods's career saw him remain among the top competitors on the tour, but lose his dominating edge. He did not win a major in 2003 or 2004, falling to second in the PGA Tour money list in 2003 and fourth in 2004. In September 2004, his record streak of 264 consecutive weeks as the world's top-ranked golfer came to an end at the Deutsche Bank Championship, when Vijay Singh won and overtook Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Many commentators were puzzled by Woods's "slump," offering explanations that ranged from his rift with swing coach Butch Harmon to his engagement and marriage. At the same time, he let it be known that he was again working on changes to his swing, this time in hopes of reducing the wear and tear on his surgically repaired left knee, which was subjected to severe stress in the 1998–2003 version of his swing. Again, he anticipated that once the adjustments were complete, he would return to his previous form. Woods changed coaches, working with Hank Haney after leaving Harmon.
Four weeks later at the 2006 PGA Championship, Woods again won in dominating fashion, making only three bogeys, tying the record for fewest in a major. He finished the tournament at 18-under-par, equaling the to-par record in the PGA that he shares with Bob May from 2000. In August 2006, he won his 50th professional tournament at the Buick Open—and at the age of thirty years and seven months, he became the youngest golfer to do so. He ended the year by winning six consecutive PGA Tour events, and won the three most prestigious awards given by the PGA Tour (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Byron Nelson Awards) in the same year for a record seventh time.
At the close of his first 11 seasons, Woods's 54 wins and 12 major wins had surpassed the all time eleven-season PGA Tour total win record of 51 (set by Byron Nelson) and total majors record of 11 (set by Jack Nicklaus). He was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for a record-tying fourth time.
Woods and tennis star Roger Federer, who share a major sponsor, first met at the 2006 U.S. Open tennis final. Since then, they have attended each other's events and have voiced their mutual appreciation for each other's talents.
Woods began 2007 with a two-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational for his third straight win at the event and his seventh consecutive win on the PGA Tour. The victory marked the fifth time he had won his first tournament of the season. With this win, he became the third man (after Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead) to win at least five times in three different events on the PGA Tour (his two other events are the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and WGC-CA Championship). He earned his second victory of the year at the WGC-CA Championship for his third consecutive and sixth win overall at the event. With this victory, he became the first player to have three consecutive victories in five different events.
At the 2007 Masters Tournament, Woods was in the final group on the last day of a major for the thirteenth time in his career, but unlike the previous twelve occasions, he was unable to come away with the win. He finished tied for second two strokes behind winner Zach Johnson.
Woods earned his third victory of the season by two strokes at the Wachovia Championship, the 24th different PGA Tour tournament he won. He has collected at least three wins in a season nine times in his 12-year career. At the U.S. Open, he was in the final group for the fourth consecutive major championship, but began the day two strokes back and finished tied for second once again. His streak of never having come from behind to win on the final day of a major continued.
In search of a record-tying third consecutive Open Championship, Woods fell out of contention with a second-round 75, and never mounted a charge over the weekend. Although his putting was solid (he sank a 90-footer in the first round), his iron play held him back. "I wasn't hitting the ball as close as I needed to all week," he said, after he finished tied for twelfth, five strokes off the pace.
In early August, Woods won his record 14th World Golf Championships event at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by 8 strokes for his third consecutive and sixth victory overall at the event. He became the first golfer to win the same event three straight times on two different occasions (1999–2001) and (2005–2007). The following week, he won his second straight PGA Championship by defeating Woody Austin by two strokes. He became the first golfer to win the PGA Championship in back-to-back seasons on two different occasions: 1999–2000 and 2006–2007. He became the second golfer, after Sam Snead, to have won at least five events on the PGA Tour in eight different seasons.
Woods earned his 60th PGA Tour victory at the BMW Championship by shooting a course record 63 in the final round to win by two strokes. He sank a fifty-foot putt in the final round and missed only two fairways on the weekend. He led the field in most birdies for the tournament, and ranked in the top five in driving accuracy, driving distance, putts per round, putts per green, and greens in regulation. Woods finished his 2007 season with a runaway victory at the Tour Championship to capture his fourth title in his last five starts of the year. He became the only two-time winner of the event, and the champion of the inaugural FedEx Cup. In his 16 starts on Tour in 2007, his adjusted scoring average was 67.79, matching his own record set in 2000. His substantial leads over the second, third, and fourth players were similar in 2000 (1.46 (Phil Mickelson), 1.52 (Ernie Els), 1.66 (David Duval)) and 2007 (1.50 (Els), 1.51 (Justin Rose), 1.60 (Steve Stricker)).
In his next event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods got off to a slow start, finishing the first round at even par and tied for 34th place. After finishing the third round in a five-way tie for first place, he completed his fifth consecutive PGA Tour victory with a dramatic putt on the 18th hole to defeat Bart Bryant by a stroke. It was also his fifth career victory in this event. Geoff Ogilvy stopped Woods's run at the WGC-CA Championship, a tournament Woods had won in each of the previous three years. He remains the only golfer to have had more than one streak of at least five straight wins on the PGA Tour.
Despite bold predictions that Woods might again challenge for the Grand Slam, he did not mount a serious charge at the 2008 Masters Tournament, struggling with his putter through each round. He would still finish alone in second, three strokes behind the champion, Trevor Immelman. On April 15, 2008, he underwent his third left knee arthroscopic surgery in Park City, Utah, and missed two months on the PGA Tour. The first surgery he had was in 1994, when he had a benign tumor removed, and the second in December 2002. He was named Men's Fitness's Fittest Athlete in the June/July 2008 issue.
Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open in one of the most anticipated golf groupings in history including Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the top three golfers in the world. Woods struggled the first day, notching a double bogey on his first hole. He would end the round at +1 (72), four shots off the lead. He scored −3 (68) his second day, still paired with Mickelson, managing five birdies, one eagle and four bogeys. On the third day of the tournament, he started off with a double bogey once again and was trailing by five shots with six holes to play. However, he finished the round by making two eagle putts, a combined in length, and a chip-in birdie to take a one-shot lead into the final round. His final putt assured that he would be in the final group for the sixth time in the last eight major championships.
On Sunday, June 15, Woods began the day with another double bogey, and trailed Rocco Mediate by one stroke after 71 holes. He winced after several of his tee shots, and sometimes made an effort to keep weight off his left foot. Woods was behind by one stroke when he reached the final hole. Left with a putt for birdie, he sank it to force an 18-hole playoff with Mediate on Monday. Despite leading by as many as three strokes at one point in the playoff, Woods again dropped back and needed to birdie the 18th to force sudden-death with Mediate, and did so. Woods made par on the first sudden-death hole; Mediate subsequently missed his par putt, giving Woods his 14th major championship. After the tournament, Mediate said "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "He beat everybody on one leg." His third win in the U.S. Open tied him with Bobby Jones for the career lead in USGA championships won, with nine.
Two days after winning the U.S. Open, Woods announced that he would be required to undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008 golf season, including the final two major championships: The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. Woods also revealed that he had been playing for at least ten months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and sustained a double stress fracture in his left tibia while rehabbing after the surgery he had after the Masters. Publications throughout the world asserted his U.S. Open victory as "epic" and praised his efforts, especially after learning of the extent of his knee injury. Woods called it "My greatest ever championship – the best of the 14 because of all the things that have gone on over the past week."
Woods' absence from the remainder of the season caused PGA Tour TV ratings to decline. Overall viewership for the second half of the 2008 season saw a 46.8% decline as compared to 2007.
Woods won his second event of 2009 at the Memorial Tournament. He trailed by four shots after three rounds but shot a final round 65, which included two consecutive birdies to end the tournament. The win was Woods' fourth at the event. Woods won his third event of the 2009 season on July 5 at the AT&T; National, an event hosted by Woods himself. However, for the third time going into a 2009 major, Woods failed to capitalize on his preceding win. Instead, at the 2009 Open Championship, played at Turnberry, he missed the cut for only the second time in a major championship since turning professional.
On August 2, Woods captured the Buick Open for his fourth win of the season, with a three-shot victory over three other players. After firing an opening-round 71 that put him in 95th place and outside of the cutline, Woods responded with a second-round 63, nine-under-par, that vaulted him into contention. A third-round 65 put him atop the leaderboard and he coasted to victory with a final-round 69 for a 20-under 268 four-round total. This was his biggest turnaround pro victory to date.
Woods won his 70th career event the following week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He went head-to-head against Pádraig Harrington on Sunday until the 16th, where Harrington made a triple-bogey-8 on the par five hole, and Woods made birdie. Tiger went on to win the event by four strokes over Harrington and Robert Allenby.
At the 2009 PGA Championship, Woods shot a 5-under 67 to take the lead after the first round. He remained leader or co-leader through the second and third rounds. Going into the final round, Woods had a 2-stroke lead at 8-under. However, at the 68th hole, Woods was overtaken for the first time atop the leaderboard by Yang Yong-eun. Yang eventually won the tournament by three strokes over Woods, who finished second. It marked the first time that Woods failed to win a major when leading or co-leading after 54 holes, and the first time he had lost any tournament on American soil when leading by more than one shot. It also meant that Woods would end the year without a major for the first time since 2004.
Woods won his 71st career title at the BMW Championship. The win moved him to first place in the FedEx Cup standings going into the final playoff event. It was his fifth win at the BMW Championship (including three wins as the Western Open) and marked the fifth time he had won an event five or more times in his career on the PGA Tour. Woods finished second at The Tour Championship to capture his second FedEx Cup title.
At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Woods had a spectacular performance, winning all five of his matches at the event. He joined his friend Mark O'Meara, who won all five of his matches at the 1996 Presidents Cup, and Shigeki Maruyama, who accomplished this feat in the 1998 Presidents Cup. In all three instances, their respective teams won the competition. Woods was paired with Steve Stricker for all four partners' rounds of the competition, in foursomes and four-ball. On the first day of foursomes, they won 6 and 4 over the team of Ryo Ishikawa and Geoff Ogilvy. In Friday's match of four-ball, they won over the team of Ángel Cabrera and Geoff Ogilvy, 5 and 3. On Saturday, they beat the team of Tim Clark and Mike Weir after trailing for most of the match, by winning the 17th and 18th holes to win 1-up in morning foursomes, and in the afternoon four-ball they defeated the team of Ryo Ishikawa and Y. E. Yang by the score of 4 and 2. In the singles match, Woods was paired with his nemesis from the 2009 PGA Championship, Yang. Yang grabbed the quick 1-up lead on the first hole, but on the third hole lost the lead and Woods went onto win the match by a score of 6 and 5. In addition, Woods clinched the Cup for the United States, which was the first time ever in his career he had the honor and opportunity to do this in a team event competition.
In November 2009, Woods was paid $3.3 million to play in the JBWere Masters, held at Kingston Heath in Melbourne, Australia from November 12 to 15. The event was sold out for the first time. He went on to win at 14 under par, two strokes over Australian Greg Chalmers, marking his 38th European Tour win and his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Missing the start of the 2010 season, Woods returned to competition for the 2010 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, starting on April 8, 2010, Woods next competed at the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship at the end of April, but missed the cut for just the sixth time of his career. He shot his second-worst round as a professional on April 30, a 7-over 79 during the second round to miss the 36-hole cut by eight strokes. Woods withdrew from The Players Championship during the fourth round, on May 9, later citing a neck injury. He had scored 70-71-71 in the first three rounds, and was two over par for the round, while playing the seventh hole, when he withdrew. Hank Haney, who had coached Woods since 2003, issued a statement resigning as his coach shortly after The Players Championship.
Woods returned to competitive golf four weeks later to defend his title at The Memorial Tournament. He made the cut and went on to finish T19, his worst finish in that tournament since 2002. His next competitive tournament began June 17 at the U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach, the site of his 2000 win by a record 15 shots. After a relatively unspectacular performance through the first two rounds, Woods showed signs of his pre-2010 form, as he managed a back nine 31 in route to shooting a five-under-par 66 on Saturday, which would tie for the low round of the tournament and put him back into contention. However, he was unable to mount a charge on Sunday, despite the collapse of 54-hole leader Dustin Johnson, and went on to finish the tournament at three-over-par and in a tie for fourth place, repeating his top-5 result at the 2010 Masters Tournament.
Woods then played in the AT&T; National in late June, which he had formerly hosted, before AT&T; dropped his personal sponsorship. He was the defending champion, and the favorite among many, but he struggled all four days of the tournament, failed to post a round under par, and tied for 46th place.
Woods then flew to Ireland to play in a two-day charity event -– the JP McManus Pro-Am –- and then flew home to Florida to "see his kids", before preparing for The Open Championship just over a week later. He changed his putter for the Open Championship at St Andrews Old Course, saying he always struggled on slow greens and needed this new Nike Method 001 putter to "get the ball rolling faster and better". This was a somewhat surprising statement, considering he had won the previous two Open Championships held at St Andrews, in 2000 and 2005. It was the first time Woods had used any other putter than his Titleist Scotty Cameron since 1999. Woods putted well the first day of the tournament, shooting a 5-under 67, but wind gusts of over 40 mph suspended play for 66 minutes the next day at St Andrews, and Woods was never able to get anything going. It was the same story Saturday. He missed short putts over and over again. He changed his putter back to his old Scotty Cameron for the final round, but did not putt any better. Woods finished 3-under overall, 13 shots behind winner Louis Oosthuizen (tied for 23rd place).
Woods finished in 18-over par, tying for 78th place (second-to-last place) in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on August 8. He posted his worst four-round result as a professional golfer.
Woods began working with Canadian golf coach Sean Foley in August 2010; the two had been discussing a possible partnership for several previous weeks. In the 2010 PGA Championship, played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Woods made the 36-hole cut but failed to mount a challenge, ending in a tie for 28th place.
Woods's inconsistent play in the 2010 FedEx Cup playoffs failed to qualify him into the top 30 players for The Tour Championship, for the first time since he turned professional in 1996. He had won the FedEx Cup in 2007 and 2009. He also failed to qualify on points for the 2010 Ryder Cup team, for the first time in his career. But captain Corey Pavin chose Woods as one of his four captain's picks. Woods, again partnering with Steve Stricker in pairs play, played inconsistently in terrible weather conditions at Celtic Manor in Wales; the matches were delayed several times when the course became unplayable, and the format had to be significantly modified and then even extended to a fourth day to complete the event. The U.S., entering as Cup holders, lost the Cup to the European team, by the narrowest possible margin, 14.5 to 13.5. However, Woods played impressive golf in his final-day singles match, winning decisively over Francesco Molinari.
Woods then took an extended break from competition, to refine new techniques with Foley. He returned in early November, after more than a month off, at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, where he had placed 2nd in 2009, but failed to challenge seriously. Next was a visit to Thailand, his mother's birthplace, for a one-day Skins Game, honoring King Bhumibol. At the 2010 JBWere Masters, held near Melbourne, Australia in mid-November, Woods arrived as defending champion and was paid an appearance fee of more than $3 million. He charged late on the final day to finish in fourth place. Over his final six holes, Woods made two eagles, two birdies, and two pars, to end with a round of 6-under 65. Three weeks later, resuming his role as host of the elite-field Chevron World Challenge near Los Angeles (he had skipped the 2009 event because of personal crisis; the tournament serves as a primary benefactor of his charitable foundation), Woods put up three straight rounds in the 60s, and led going into the final round for the first time in 2010. But he struggled with his long-game control in mixed weather conditions on Sunday, and putted much worse than he had in previous rounds, winding up in a tie with Graeme McDowell after 72 holes. McDowell sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the final green; Woods then sank his own short birdie putt to tie. McDowell again made birdie on the first playoff hole (the 18th) from 20 feet to take the title, when Woods missed from shorter range. The playoff loss meant that Woods went winless for an entire season, for the first time since turning professional. However, Woods finished the 2010 season ranked #2 in the world. He again used the Nike Method 003 putter for his final two events of 2010.
Woods made his next appearance at the Dubai Desert Classic, an event he had previously won twice and always ended inside the top five, in six previous appearances. Woods, ranked #3 in the world, was grouped with #1 Lee Westwood and #2 Martin Kaymer for the first two rounds. Woods started with 71 and scored 6-under 66 in round two to move into contention, and stayed in the hunt with 72 for round three, but struggled on Sunday with 75, to end in a tie for 20th, at 4-under 284, seven shots back of winner Álvaro Quirós. During the final round of that competition, Woods spat on the ground a few feet from the hole, after missing a putt at the 12th green. The incident was shown on televised coverage worldwide. Woods apologized for the incident in which he breached the European Tour's code of conduct; he will be fined an undisclosed sum. Later starters had to play across the area where Woods spat. Sportswriter John Feinstein stated on Golf Channel a few days after the incident that Woods is in fact the most-fined player in the history of the PGA Tour.
Woods made his next appearance at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, a World Golf Championship event for the top 64 players. He was playing in this tournament for the first time since Accenture dropped his personal sponsorship some 14 months earlier. Woods, a three-time champion who has more match wins in the event than any other player, came in as one of the four #1 seeds, but lost in the first round on the first sudden-death hole, the 19th, to Thomas Bjørn, after the two players had tied their 18-hole match. On February 27, Woods had his world ranking drop to #5, the lowest it has been since the week before the 1997 Masters Tournament.
Woods played next in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral's Blue Monster course, where he had never missed the top ten in any event. Woods was never in contention to win, but kept his streak going with a tie for tenth place, scoring 70-74-70-66, for eight-under-par 280, eight shots behind winner Nick Watney. His final round tied for best of the day, and was his lowest 18-hole score on the PGA Tour since the third round of the 2010 U.S. Open. After the final round, Woods commented that he was making good progress on his game with coach Sean Foley, being able to identify and correct faults during his final round at Doral. Woods put a Nike heel-shafted blade putter in play for the final two rounds, replacing his center-shafted Titleist Scotty Cameron blade model; he explained afterward he wanted a hotter putter to tackle Doral's grainy greens.
Woods competed in the 2011 Tavistock Cup, a charity interclub team event, held at his home course, Isleworth Country Club, but represented the new club Albany, of the Bahamas, where he is an investor. Woods teamed with Arjun Atwal the first day to post a better-ball score of 64, and shot 69 on his own ball on day two. Lake Nona won the team portion of the event, and England's Oliver Wilson won the Payne Stewart Salver with the low individual score of 65.
Woods next competed in the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he has won six times. Woods showed inconsistent play over the four rounds, carding 73-68-74-72 to finish at one-under-par 287, in a tie for 24th place, seven shots behind winner Martin Laird. His world ranking dropped to #7 following this event, the lowest it has been since the week before the 1997 Masters. Woods contended strongly in the 2011 Masters Tournament, scoring 71-66-74-67 to finish at ten-under 278, in a tie for fourth place, four shots behind winner Charl Schwartzel. His ranking rose to #5.
Woods was sidelined from tournament play until May 12 by two leg injuries incurred in round three of the Masters. He entered the 2011 Players Championship, but withdrew after nine holes of the first round, with a score of +6, as his injuries caused him to limp noticeably. His world ranking has fallen to #8.
When Woods first joined the professional tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the world of golf. However, when he did not upgrade his equipment in the following years (insisting upon the use of True Temper Dynamic Gold steel-shafted clubs and smaller steel clubheads that promoted accuracy over distance), many opponents caught up to him. Phil Mickelson even made a joke in 2003 about Woods using "inferior equipment", which did not sit well with Nike, Titleist or Woods. During 2004, Woods finally upgraded his driver technology to a larger clubhead and graphite shaft, which, coupled with his clubhead speed, made him one of the Tour's lengthier players off the tee once again.
Despite his power advantage, Woods has always focused on developing an excellent all-around game. Although in recent years he has typically been near the bottom of the Tour rankings in driving accuracy, his iron play is generally accurate, his recovery and bunker play is very strong, and his putting (especially under pressure) is possibly his greatest asset. He is largely responsible for a shift to higher standards of athleticism amongst professional golfers, and is known for putting in more hours of practice than most.
From mid-1993, while he was still an amateur, until 2004, Woods worked almost exclusively with leading swing coach Butch Harmon. From mid-1997, Harmon and Woods fashioned a major redevelopment of Woods' full swing, achieving greater consistency, better distance control, and better kinesiology. The changes began to pay off in 1999. Since March 2004, Woods has been coached by Hank Haney, who has worked on flattening his swing plane. Woods has continued to win tournaments with Haney, but his driving accuracy has dropped significantly since his move from Harmon. In June 2004, Woods was involved in a media spat with Harmon, who also works as a golf broadcaster, when Harmon suggested that he was in "denial" about the problems in his game, but they publicly patched up their differences.
Haney announced that he was stepping down as Woods' coach on May 10, 2010.
On August 10, 2010, Sean Foley helped Woods with his swing during a practice round at the PGA Championship and confirmed the possibility of working with him.
When Woods turned pro, Mike "Fluff" Cowan was his caddie until March 8, 1999. He was replaced by Steve Williams, who has become a close friend of Woods and is often credited with helping him with key shots and putts.
Woods has also participated in charity work for his current caddy, Steve Williams. On April 24, 2006 Woods won an auto racing event that benefited the Steve Williams Foundation to raise funds to provide sporting careers for disadvantaged youth.
Woods announced on December 3, 2006 that he will develop his first golf course in the United Arab Emirates through his golf course design company, Tiger Woods Design. The Tiger Woods Dubai will feature a , par-72 course named Al Ruwaya (meaning "serenity"), a clubhouse, a golf academy, 320 exclusive villas and a boutique hotel with 80 suites. Tiger Woods Dubai is a joint venture between Woods and Tatweer, a member of the government-affiliated Dubai Holding. Woods chose Dubai because he was excited about the "challenge of transforming a desert terrain into a world-class golf course." The development was scheduled to be finished in late 2009 at Dubailand, the region's largest tourism and leisure project. However, economic difficulties in Dubai have delayed the completion of this project. A Feb. 1, 2011 report on The Golf Channel stated the project has been abandoned, with only six holes completed.
On August 14, 2007, Woods announced his first course to be designed in the U.S., The Cliffs at High Carolina. The private course will sit at about in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.
Woods will also design a golf course in Mexico. This will be his first oceanfront course. It will be called Punta Brava, which will be located by Ensenada, Baja California. The project will include an 18-hole course designed by Woods, 40 estate lots of up to three acres in size, and 80 villa homes of up to . Construction will start in 2009 with the project scheduled for completion in 2011.
In 2002, Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A company spokesman stated that Buick is happy with the value of Woods' endorsement, pointing out that more than 130,000 Rendezvous vehicles were sold in 2002 and 2003. "That exceeded our forecasts," he was quoted as saying, "It has to be in recognition of Tiger." In February 2004, Buick renewed Woods' endorsement contract for another five years, in a deal reportedly worth $40 million. The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, designed to be worn while playing the game, incorporates numerous innovative design features to accommodate golf play. It is capable of absorbing up to 5,000 Gs of shock, far in excess of the forces generated by a normal golf swing.
Woods also endorses the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so since 1999. In 2006, he signed a six-year contract with Electronic Arts, the series' publisher.
In February 2007, along with Roger Federer and Thierry Henry, Woods became an ambassador for the "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though an expert estimated the deal could total between $10 million and $20 million.
In October 2007, Gatorade announced that Woods would have his own brand of sports drink starting in March 2008. "Gatorade Tiger" was his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Although no figures were officially disclosed, Golfweek magazine reported that it was for five years and could pay him as much as $100 million. The company decided in early fall 2009 to discontinue the drink due to weak sales.
According to Golf Digest, Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007, and the magazine predicted that by 2010, Woods would pass one billion dollars in earnings. In 2009, Forbes confirmed that Woods was indeed the world's first athlete to earn over a billion dollars in his career (before taxes), after accounting for the $10 million bonus Woods received for the FedEx Cup title. The same year, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $600 million, making him the second richest "African American" behind only Oprah Winfrey.
He has been named "Athlete of the Decade" by the Associated Press in December 2009. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.
Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters Tournament, golf's increased popularity is commonly attributed to Woods' presence. He is credited by some sources for dramatically increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new audiences, and for drawing the largest TV audiences in golf history.
Tiger Woods is registered as an independent. In January 2009, Woods delivered a speech commemorating the military at the . In April 2009, Woods visited the White House while in the Washington, D.C. area promoting the golf tournament he hosts, the AT&T; National.
However, at least ten of the tournaments in which Nelson played did not have modern-day cuts; that is, all of the players in these events were guaranteed to compete past 36 holes. The Masters, for example, did not institute a 36-hole cut until 1957 (which was well after Nelson retired), the PGA Championship was match play until 1958, and it is unclear whether or not three other events in which Nelson competed had 36-hole cuts. Therefore, these analysts remove "no 36-hole cut" events from both cut streak measures, leaving Nelson's consecutive cuts made at 103 (or possibly less) and Woods's at 111.
In the tournaments in which Nelson competed that did not have 36-hole cuts (that is: the Masters, PGA Championship and the possible three other tournaments), only the top 20 players received a paycheck even though all players in these events were guaranteed to compete past 36 holes. The cut format from that era was virtually identical to the current PGA Tour practice, and most events in Nicklaus' streak, except for the Tournament of Champions (now the SBS Championship), the World Series of Golf (now the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), and the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship (10 events for Nicklaus) had a cut made after 36 holes.
A related effect was measured by economist Jennifer Brown of the University of California, Berkeley who found that other golfers played worse when competing against Woods than when he was not in the tournament. The scores of highly skilled (exempt) golfers are nearly one stroke higher when playing against Woods. This effect was larger when he was on winning streaks and disappeared during his well-publicized slump in 2003–04. Brown explains the results by noting that competitors of similar skill can hope to win by increasing their level of effort, but that, when facing a "superstar" competitor, extra exertion does not significantly raise one's level of winning while increasing risk of injury or exhaustion, leading to reduced effort.
Many courses in the PGA Tour rotation (including Major Championship sites like Augusta National) began to add yardage to their tees in an effort to slow down long hitters like Woods, a strategy that became known as "Tiger-Proofing". Woods himself welcomed the change as he believes adding yardage to the course does not affect his ability to win.
Woods has won 71 official PGA Tour events including 14 majors. He is 14–1 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. He has been heralded as "the greatest closer in history" by multiple golf experts. He owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.
He has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings. He is one of five players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus) to have won all four professional major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so. Woods is the only player to have won all four professional major championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 2000–2001 seasons.
LA = Low Amateur DNP = Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
1 Won on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. 2 Won on the seventh extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. 3 Won on the second extra hole of a sudden-death playoff. 4 Won on the fourth extra hole of a sudden-death playoff.
1Cancelled due to 9/11 DNP = Did not play QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = tied NT = No Tournament Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10. Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
:
Early in the morning of June 18, 2007, Elin gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, in Orlando. The birth occurred just one day after Woods finished tied for second in the 2007 U.S. Open. Woods chose to name his daughter Sam because his father said that Woods looked more like a Sam. On September 2, 2008, Woods announced on his website that he and his wife were expecting their second child. Five months later, it was announced Elin had given birth to a son, Charlie Axel Woods, on February 8, 2009. Woods and Nordegren divorced on August 23, 2010.
Woods announced shortly afterward that he would neither play in nor attend his own charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, nor any other remaining tournaments in 2009.
After over a dozen women claimed in various media outlets that they had affairs with Woods, media pressure increased. On December 11, he released another statement, admitting to infidelity, offering another apology, and announcing an indefinite hiatus from professional golf. Reporting the subject of the injunction was also enjoined. The following week, one of the women who had undertaken media interviews regarding her relationship with Woods admitted having taken photographs of Woods naked, on the pre-meditated premise that she would sell them if they ever broke up.
On December 8, 2009, Nielsen indicated that advertisers had tentatively suspended TV ads featuring Woods after news of his adulteries emerged. Major sponsors initially pledged support and to retain Woods, but he was suspended by Gillette on December 11, On January 1, 2010, AT&T; announced the end of its sponsorship of Woods. On January 4, 2010, Electronic Arts, via the blog of President Peter Moore, stated that they would continue to work with Woods and cited their collaboration on a web-based golf game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online. On January 13, General Motors ended a free car loan deal that had been due to end on December 31, 2010.
A December 2009 study by Christopher R. Knittel and Victor Stango, economics professors at the University of California at Davis, estimated that the shareholder loss caused by Woods' extramarital affairs to be between $5 billion and $12 billion.
Golf Digest magazine, which had featured monthly instructional articles from Woods on an exclusive basis since 1997, announced in its February 2010 issue that it would suspend publication of articles by Woods while he works out his problems. Woods resumed his articles with the magazine with its September 2010 issue. On January 6, 2011, the magazine announced that its publishing relationship with Woods would end with the February 2011 issue.
On February 27, 2010, energy drink firm Gatorade ended its sponsorship of Tiger Woods. However, Gatorade said it would continue its partnership with the charitable Tiger Woods Foundation. In March Irish bookmaker Paddy Power revealed that Woods had declined a $75 million endorsement deal with them.
Orlando waitress Mindy Lawton was interviewed as well; she claimed that she and Woods met frequently for sex, usually in the private den of his home, but sometimes in other locations, over a period of several months. One of their trysts was apparently observed and photographed, on a tip from Lawton's mother, with this information going to the National Enquirer. According to the program, the tabloid then contacted Woods's management team, with the outcome being an arrangement to cover up the affair, in exchange for Woods's appearance on the cover of a fitness magazine, and an article detailing his workout routine; the fitness magazine was part of the same publishing group as the National Enquirer. The program presented an interview with a Las Vegas madam, who stated that Woods had employed high-priced prostitutes from her agency on many occasions, either in Las Vegas or at golf tournaments around the United States, with Woods paying for flights for the women to join him at the tournaments. The program also stated that Woods likely had a child, a boy, with porn star Devin James, from a time before his marriage to Elin Nordegren; a photograph of the child was shown.
On December 15, 2009, The New York Times reported that Anthony Galea, a Canadian sports doctor who had previously treated Woods, was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly providing the drug Actovegin and human growth hormone to athletes. According to the same article, Galea visited Woods at his Orlando home at least four times in February and March 2009 to administer a special blood-spinning technique, and that Woods had responded well to the treatment.
Woods has said he "believes in Buddhism... Not every aspect, but most of it." In his February 19, 2010 public apology statement, Woods said that he had been raised as a Buddhist and had practiced this faith until recent years. He then said that he will turn back to Buddhism to help him turn his life around.
When Woods came to Thailand for a tournament in 2000, Thai officials tried to bestow on him royal decorations, and even offered him Thai citizenship, based on his mother being Thai. Although Woods said the bestowment would bring his family "a lot of honor [and] a lot of pride," he reportedly declined the offer because of tax complications.
Woods has a niece named Cheyenne Woods who, as of 2009, is an amateur golfer at Wake Forest University.
Woods and his former wife own a 155-foot (47 m) yacht called Privacy, berthed in Florida. The $20 million, vessel features a master suite, six staterooms, a theatre, gym, and Jacuzzi, and sleeps 21 people. Registered in the Cayman Islands, the boat was built for Woods by Christensen Shipyards, a Vancouver, Washington-based luxury yacht builder. Woods sometimes stays on the yacht when playing tournaments at oceanside golf courses. In October 2010, Woods moved into a new £30 million home on Jupiter Island with a 4-hole golf course.
Category:1975 births Category:African American golfers Category:American Buddhists Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American philanthropists Category:American sportspeople of Chinese descent Category:American sportspeople of Thai descent Category:Golf writers and broadcasters Category:Golfers from California Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners Category:Living people Category:Men's Career Grand Slam champion golfers Category:People from Anaheim, California Category:People from Orange County, Florida Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:Stanford Cardinal men's golfers Category:Winners of men's major golf championships
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| Caption | Merriman during his tenure with the Chargers |
|---|---|
| Currentteam | Buffalo Bills |
| Currentnumber | 55 |
| Currentpositionplain | Outside linebacker |
| Birthdate | May 25, 1984 |
| Birthplace | Washington, D.C. |
| Heightft | 6 |
| Heightin | 4 |
| Weight | 265 |
| Debutyear | 2005 |
| Debutteam | San Diego Chargers |
| College | Maryland |
| Draftyear | 2005 |
| Draftround | 1 |
| Draftpick | 12 |
| Pastteams | |
| Status | Active |
| Highlights | |
| Statweek | 17 |
| Statseason | 2010 |
| Statlabel1 | Tackles |
| Statvalue1 | 231 |
| Statlabel2 | Sacks |
| Statvalue2 | 43.5 |
| Statlabel3 | INTs |
| Statvalue3 | 1 |
| Statlabel4 | Forced Fumbles |
| Statvalue4 | 8 |
| Nfl | MER568200 |
The New York Giants traded Philip Rivers (selected 4th overall in the 2004 Draft), and their 1st round selection for the following year (amongst others) for the rights to sign Eli Manning, who had been selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 1st overall pick that year. Manning had made it clear he was not interested in playing for the Chargers, in a similar fashion to John Elway in 1983 when selected by the Baltimore Colts.
The Giants draft pick ended up being the 12th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Chargers used that selection to take Merriman.
On August 1, after a long holdout period, Merriman signed a 5-year, $11.5 million contract that included $9 million in guarantees and $4 million in incentives.
On January 4, 2006, Merriman was awarded with The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He received 28 1/2 votes of a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters. He beat Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who received 16 1/2 votes, Cincinnati linebacker Odell Thurman, with 4, and Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware, with one. On February 12, 2006, Merriman participated in the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although in a losing effort, Merriman made 3 tackles and forced one fumble. "I enjoyed myself the whole entire week", said Merriman. "I topped it off today by playing the entire game with all the guys I grew up watching. It's going to be my first of many if I just keep working hard."
The incident led to the passage of a rule that forbids a player who tests positive for steroids from being selected to the Pro Bowl or winning any performance awards in the year in which they tested positive. The rule is commonly referred as the "Merriman Rule". However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to distance the policy from being associated with the player, stating that Merriman tested clean on 19 of 20 random tests for performance-enhancing drugs since entering the league.
At the start of his 2006 season after the 4 game suspension, Merriman again began his season with success, recording 3 sacks and an interception in his first 2 games. Merriman went on to record 8.5 sacks and make ESPN's midseason All-pro team, prior to dropping an appeal against an NFL enforced 4 week suspension due to testing positive for steroids. In the 2006 regular season, Merriman led the league in sacks with 17 while playing only 12 games. He also added 4 forced fumbles to his career (2 against both the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos). Merriman finished third in the balloting for 2006 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, behind Jason Taylor and Champ Bailey, after having tested positive for using steroids which is against the league's drug abuse policy. Taylor commented that Merriman should not have been considered for the award because of his suspension. Merriman reportedly responded by sending Taylor a "Lights Out" t-shirt and a box of popcorn with a note saying enjoy watching him in the playoffs. Merriman, nicknamed "Lights Out", performed a dance to celebrate each of his 17 sacks in 2006-2009 After the Chargers were eliminated in the playoffs by the New England Patriots that season, members of the Patriots began performing Merriman's "Lights Out" dance on the field in celebration. Merriman's Chargers teammate LaDainian Tomlinson, referred to the act as showing no class and being disrespectful.
Merriman finished the season with 68 total tackles, with 54 solo and 14 assisted tackles, performing to his usual caliber by tallying 12.5 sacks. His prowess was shown during the season when it was said that his 9.5 sacks through to week 13 was seen as a decline in performance, a quote to which Merriman took a great compliment. After the Chargers finished the season with a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, Merriman was named to the Pro Bowl for a third consecutive year and was named Second-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
On September 9, it was announced that Merriman would indeed go through with the reconstructive knee surgery to repair his torn knee ligaments and would be placed on the Injured Reserve, missing the rest of the 2008 NFL Season.
Merriman at that point had a total of 39.5 sacks in 3 seasons and had made the Pro Bowl in all 3 seasons that he'd played. His 39.5 sacks are the most for any player from 2005 to 2007, edging out Jason Taylor by just one full sack. He had also been named First-Team All-Pro in his first 2 seasons, while earning a Second-Team All-Pro selection in his 3rd season.
On October 13, the Chargers announced that Merriman was being placed on injured reserve and, per NFL rules, would be released when he is healthy. Merriman had re-injured his calf against Oakland and has been limited in the first five weeks of the season. Merriman was put on waivers by the Chargers on November 2, 2010. He was claimed by the Buffalo Bills the following day.
On November 10, Merriman suffered an Achilles injury during his first workout with his new team. Subsequently, on November 27, the Bills placed Merriman on season-ending injury reserve. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills on January 1, 2011.
In December 2009, Merriman filed a civil suit against Tequila, alleging intentional interference with contract, unfair competition, and trademark infringement. He claimed that Tequila improperly used his own "Lights Out" logo and disrupted negotiations for t-shirts to be marketed by Wal-Mart.
On October 10, 2007 Merriman was chosen as the cover athlete for EA Sports' NFL Tour video game.
Merriman appears in Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" music video and made a special appearance at WWE's One Night Stand 2008 on June 1, 2008, where he hit superstar Chavo Guerrero with a Singapore Cane.
Merriman is featured in the Nike Football "Leave Nothing" advertisement.
Merriman also made a cameo in season 7 of HBO's Entourage.
Merriman also appeared on Cartoon Network's Destroy Build Destroy along with Antonio Gates.
He currently resides in the city of Poway near San Diego, California.
Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Prince George's County, Maryland Category:Players of American football from Maryland Category:African American players of American football Category:American football outside linebackers Category:Drugs in sport Category:American football linebackers Category:American sportspeople in doping cases Category:Doping cases in American football Category:Maryland Terrapins football players Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players Category:San Diego Chargers players Category:Buffalo Bills players Category:National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners
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| Name | Jason Heyward |
|---|---|
| Position | Right fielder |
| Width | 240 |
| Caption | Heyward at spring training in February, 2011 |
| Number | 19 |
| Team | Atlanta Braves |
| Bats | Left |
| Throws | Left |
| Birthdate | August 09, 1989 |
| Birthplace | Ridgewood, New Jersey |
| Debutdate | April 5 |
| Debutyear | 2010 |
| Debutteam | Atlanta Braves |
| Statyear | 2010 season |
| Stat1label | Batting average |
| Stat1value | .277 |
| Stat2label | Home runs |
| Stat2value | 18|stat3label= Runs batted in |
| Stat3value | 72 |
| Stat4label | Stolen bases |
| Stat4value | 11 |
| Teams | |
| Awards |
Heyward was considered the consensus number one Major League Baseball prospect for the 2010 season. Baseball America, Keith Law of ESPN.com and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com all listed Heyward as baseball's top prospect in 2010 season previews. In 2007, he was regarded as the top prospect in the Braves minor league system, according to Baseball America, being listed by the publication as the organization's best power hitter and having the best strike zone discipline in the system.
Heyward started 2009 at Myrtle Beach, gaining successive promotions to Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. In 99 games, he was a .323 hitter with 17 homers and 10 steals, including high numbers in OBP (.408), SLG (.555), and OPS (.963), while scoring 69 runs and driving in 63 RBIs.
In September 2009, Heyward was named the Minor League Player of the Year both by Baseball America and USA Today.
During Spring Training in March 2010, Heyward hit two notable batting practice home runs. One hit and damaged a Coca-Cola truck in the parking lot, and another broke the sunroof of Atlanta Braves' assistant GM Bruce Manno's car in the same lot.
On April 5, during his first Major League plate appearance, Heyward hit a three-run home run, estimated at , off of Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs. Heyward became the fifth player in Braves history to hit a home run in his first Major League at bat, on the heels of Jordan Schafer, who did it the previous year.
He was named Rookie of the Month in April and May of 2010.
Heyward was selected as a starter for the 2010 All-Star Game, but did not play due to an injury to his right thumb. On July 28, Heyward stole home on a double steal against the Washington Nationals, the first Brave to steal home since Rafael Furcal, who did it more than ten years earlier. On August 22, against the Chicago Cubs, Heyward had his first career multi-home run game and set a career high in hits and runs scored with four. He made his post-season debut with the Braves on October 7, 2010 against the San Francisco Giants. During the 2010 NLDS the San Francisco fans chanted "Posey's better!" because of his rookie rival Buster Posey.
Heyward finished his rookie season with a .277 batting average, a .393 on-base percentage, and 18 home runs. He was named an outfielder on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team. He was also named an outfielder on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. Heyward finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Buster Posey.
Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Atlanta Braves players Category:African American baseball players Category:Baseball players from New Jersey Category:Major League Baseball right fielders Category:National League All-Stars Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:People from Henry County, Georgia Category:People from Ridgewood, New Jersey Category:Danville Braves players Category:Gulf Coast Braves players Category:Rome Braves players Category:Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Category:Mississippi Braves players Category:Gwinnett Braves players
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| Caption | Storm at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hannah Storen |
| Birth date | June 13, 1962 |
| Birth place | Oak Park, Illinois USA |
| Occupation | Television Journalist, Television personality, Author, Sports anchor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | Dan Hicks (1994–present) |
Storm took her on-air name during her stint as a disc jockey for a hard rock radio station in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the early 1980s. While at Notre Dame, she worked for WNDU-TV, the Notre Dame-owned NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. After graduation, she took a job as a disc jockey at KNCN-FM (C-101) in Corpus Christi, Texas. Six months later, she got a job at a Houston rock station KSRR 97 Rock as the drive-time sportscaster. Storm stayed in Houston for four years doing a variety of radio and television jobs, including hosting the Houston Rockets halftime and postgame shows and also hosted Houston Astros postgame shows on television. She worked as a very popular weekend sports anchor on WCNC TV 36 (formerly WRET) in Charlotte, NC in 1988-89. She made the huge leap to CNN from there.
In addition to her duties on The Early Show, Storm hosted shows for the award-winning CBS newsmagazine, 48 Hours. She also served as co-host of the network's CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade for five years. In 2007, Storm conceived and wrote a daily blog for CBSNEWS.com, which featured behind-the-scenes insight and stories of inspirational women.
During an Early Show on-air segment, Storm revealed on camera that she had a congenital defect known as port-wine stain under her left eye.
In November 2007, CBS announced that Storm was leaving The Early Show. Storm's last day as an The Early Show co-host was December 7, 2007.
In August 2009, she added tennis host to her ESPN duties by co-hosting the 2009 U.S. Open with Mike Tirico and Chris Fowler. She also hosted the U.S. Open in 2010.
In February 2010, fellow ESPN colleague Tony Kornheiser criticized her outfit that day on his radio show, and was suspended from ESPN for two weeks. He has since apologized to her via a 15-minute phone conversation. Beginning on April 3, 2010, Storm would host ESPN Sports Saturday, a show on corporate sibling ABC similar to that network's classic sports series, Wide World of Sports.
In June 2010, alongside fellow anchor Stuart Scott, she provided the lead coverage for the 2010 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and then would become host of the NBA Countdown pregame show for the 2010-2011 season, alternating with Stuart Scott.
In 2008, Storm created the Hannah Storm Foundation, which raises awareness and provides treatment for children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks. She also sits on the boards of the Tribeca Film Festival, Colgate Women's Sports Awards, 21st Century Kids 1st Foundation, and has done extensive work with the March of Dimes, Partnership for Drug-Free America, Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, the Women's Sports Foundation, Vascular Birthmark Institute, University of Notre Dame, and the Diocese of Bridgeport. Storm also founded Brainstormin' Productions for the creation of educational and inspirational programming.
Category:American DJs Category:American television sports announcers Category:American sportswriters Category:Golf writers and broadcasters Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters Category:National Football League announcers Category:Figure skating commentators Category:People from Oak Park, Illinois Category:People from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Tennis commentators Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:College football announcers Category:Women sports announcers Category:University of Notre Dame alumni Category:Houston Rockets broadcasters Category:Houston Astros broadcasters Category:1962 births Category:Living people
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| Name | Erin Andrews |
|---|---|
| Caption | Andrews at a 2007 college football game |
| Birthname | Erin Jill Andrews |
| Birth date | May 04, 1978 |
| Birth place | Lewiston, Maine |
| Education | University of Florida |
| Occupation | ESPN Broadcaster/Good Morning America Correspondent |
| Url | http://erinandrews.com |
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, popular among male sports fans for her beauty. In 2007 and 2008, she was voted "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" by Playboy magazine..
In 2000, Andrews began work as a freelance reporter with FSN Florida. In 2001 she moved on to the Sunshine Network, serving as a Tampa Bay Lightning reporter, and in 2002 she served as a studio host and part-time reporter for Turner Sports, covering the Atlanta Braves and college football for TBS and the Atlanta Thrashers and Hawks for Turner South. She was rushed to the hospital, but she only suffered bruises.
It was announced that starting in late 2010, Andrews will host ESPN's College Gameday from 9:00am to 10:00am on Saturdays on ESPNU and be a Good Morning America correspondent.
On September 11, 2009, Andrews appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in what Andrews called her "first and last interview" about the situation. Andrews described the situation as a "nightmare", and stated that at the time she discovered the video she believed her career would end.
On October 2, 2009, the FBI announced the arrest of a Chicago, Illinois area suspect. Michael David Barrett, a 47 year old divorced father, was charged with interstate stalking for taking the videos, posting the videos online and trying to sell them to celebrity Web site TMZ.com. FBI agents matched information in the e-mail to Barrett. On December 15, 2009, Barrett pleaded guilty to the interstate stalking charge. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
In July 2010, USA Today reported that Erin Andrews has sued Radisson, Marriott, and the stalker.
Andrews became an advocate for tougher anti-stalking laws after the incident. Andrews is working with US Senator Amy Klobuchar to enact a new federal anti-stalking law.
Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:American television sports announcers Category:College football announcers Category:College basketball announcers in the United States Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters Category:National Hockey League broadcasters Category:People from Lewiston, Maine Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:University of Florida alumni Category:Women sports announcers Category:Participants in American reality television series
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| Name | Dustin Pedroia |
|---|---|
| Width | 200 |
| Caption | Dustin Pedroia |
| Team | Boston Red Sox |
| Number | 15 |
| Position | Second Baseman |
| Birthdate | August 17, 1983 |
| Birthplace | Woodland, California |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| Debutdate | August 22 |
| Debutyear | 2006 |
| Debutteam | Boston Red Sox |
| Statyear | 2010 season |
| Stat1label | Batting average |
| Stat1value | .305 |
| Stat2label | Home runs |
| Stat2value | 54 |
| Stat3label | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value | 253 |
| Stat4label | On Base Percentage |
| Stat4value | .369 |
| Stat5label | Runs |
| Stat5value | 377 |
| Teams | |
| Awards |
Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Red Sox as 5' 9" (175 cm) and 180 pounds. In 2003 a USA Today article gave his height as 5' 7" (170 cm), and when he was in college the NCAA and Arizona State University gave his height as 5' 8".
Pedroia attended Arizona State University, where he was teammates with current Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler and current Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier. Kinsler and Pedroia battled for the shortstop position; ultimately, Pedroia stayed at shortstop, while Kinsler ended up at second base before transferring to the University of Missouri. In three years at ASU, Pedroia never hit below .347, and had a career average of .384, starting all 185 games. Furthermore, to help ASU recruit better pitchers, Pedroia relinquished the last two years of his athletic scholarship. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; other winners have included Ike Davis, Willie Bloomquist, Paul Lo Duca, and Barry Bonds.
Pedroia won the AL Rookie of the Year award, and was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
In the ALCS, Pedroia heated up, batting .395. In the 7th game, Pedroia hit a 2-run homer into the Green Monster seats in the 7th inning and had 5 RBI. He then hit a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th to help the Red Sox secure the series and a spot in the World Series.
Entering the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies, Pedroia was one of two rookies starting (with center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury) for the American League champion Red Sox. These two rookies jump started the Red Sox offense. Pedroia only saw one pitch in his first World Series at-bat before he took Rockie ace Jeff Francis' pitch over the Green Monster. This made him only the second player (and the first rookie) to lead off the Series with a home run. The only other player to lead off a World Series with a home run was Baltimore's Don Buford against Tom Seaver and the 1969 New York Mets. After winning the first two games of the World Series, the Red Sox entered Game 3 making history by having two rookies bat first and second in the line-up. Ellsbury and Pedroia combined for 7 hits, 3 runs, and drove in 4 more to help the Sox take the first three games of the Series. The Red Sox won Game 4 and swept the Colorado Rockies to win their seventh World Series title. Pedroia hit .278 with 5 hits, 1 home run with 4 runs batted in the Series.
The Angels contained Pedroia in the Division Series, but in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, Pedroia was red hot. In 26 trips to the plate in the LCS, Pedroia collected 9 hits including three home runs and a double. However, his impressive line that included a .346 batting average and .731 slugging percentage wasn't enough to propel the Red Sox into the World Series as the rest of the team struggled to a .234 batting average against the impressive Tampa pitching staff.
He also recorded the first Major League hit in Citi Field history when he hit a bloop double down the right field line in an April 3 exhibition game against the New York Mets. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the 2009 season. Pedroia was selected to the 2009 All Star Game on July 5.
Pedroia was selected to be the starting second baseman for the 2009 AL All Star Team. The weekend prior to the game, however, he withdrew from the team. Pedroia stated that he wanted to stay with his wife, Kelli, who was experiencing pregnancy complications with the couple's first child. The same issue had caused him to miss a regular season game prior to the All Star break.
Pedroia achieved his first multi-home run game on September 9, 2009, against the Baltimore Orioles.
For the second consecutive year, Pedroia led the American League in Runs Scored with 115 (2nd in MLB behind Albert Pujols who had 124 runs scored). He finished third in the AL / MLB with 48 doubles.
On June 24, 2010, Pedroia went 5 for 5, with 5 RBI, and hit three home runs in a game against the Colorado Rockies that the Red Sox won, 13–11, in the tenth inning. On June 25, 2010, Pedroia fouled a ball off his foot in an at-bat versus the San Francisco Giants. MRI results the next day confirmed that he had a broken bone in his foot, and later was placed on the 15-Day Disabled List. Pedroia was so concerned about his fielding skills getting rusty (he was on doctors' orders not to put weight on his foot for two weeks) that he practiced fielding ground balls on his knees. On July 4, 2010, Pedroia was named to be a reserve player on the American League All Star team, but did not participate due to this injury, and had former Arizona State teammate Ian Kinsler replace him on the roster.
Pedroia returned to the lineup on August 17 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, only to be put back on the DL after playing 2 games.
Pedroia and Red Sox manager Terry Francona frequently play games of cribbage on team road trips. On Boston's sports talk radio station, WEEI, mid-day show hosts Dale Arnold and Michael Holley are known for asking Francona about their cribbage matches on the plane. Pedroia has been teased for refusing to admit that Francona is the better cribbage player. Francona has been known to call Dustin "Pedey," short for Pedroia, a nickname to represent his lack of height.
On January 9, 2009, Pedroia was named as the cover athlete of the baseball video game , and appeared in several commercials for the game.
On August 18, 2009 Dustin's wife Kelli gave birth to the couple's first child, a boy they named Dylan.
}} |after=Evan Longoria}} |after=Joe Mauer}}
Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players Category:American League All-Stars Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Category:Baseball players from California Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:People from Woodland, California Category:Sarasota Red Sox players Category:Augusta GreenJackets players Category:Portland Sea Dogs players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players
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| Name | Doug Gottlieb |
|---|---|
| Birth date | January 15, 1976 |
| Birth place | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Death date | |
| Employer | ESPN |
| Occupation | Analyst |
Gottlieb then transferred to Oklahoma State University and took over as point guard for an OSU team that had gone 17-15 in consecutive years; the team immediately returned to the NCAA tournament. Gottlieb was the 1998 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Oklahoma State went to three consecutive NCAA tournaments, including the 2000 Elite Eight. Gottlieb was a member of Oklahoma State's basketball team from 1997–2000, leading the nation in assists per game as a junior with an average of 8.8 As a senior, he ranked second in the nation with 8.6 assists per game. He currently ranks tenth all-time in NCAA career assists with 947.
Gottlieb graduated from OSU in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in marketing.
Gottlieb and Syracuse University basketball coach, Jim Boeheim have traded barbs since 2005 because of Gottlieb's criticism of what he regards as Syracuse's soft nonconference schedule and Boeheim's comments regarding Gottlieb's difficulties at Notre Dame. Gottlieb and Boeheim refuse to discuss their feud publicly.
Category:1976 births Category:Point guards Category:Living people Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from California Category:American sports radio personalities Category:People from Orange County, California Category:Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players Category:Jewish American sportspeople Category:Jewish basketball players Category:Maccabi Ra'anana players Category:Israeli Basketball Super League players Category:Basketball players at the 2001 Maccabiah Games Category:Maccabiah basketball players of the United States Category:People from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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| Name | Brock Xavier Huard |
|---|---|
| Number | 5, 7, 11 |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Birthdate | April 15, 1976Seattle, Washington |
| Debutyear | 1999 |
| Debutteam | Seattle Seahawks |
| Finalyear | 2004 |
| Finalteam | Seattle Seahawks |
| Draftyear | 1999 |
| Draftround | 3 |
| Draftpick | 77 |
| College | Washington |
| Teams | |
| Highlights | |
| Nfl | HUA252861 |
| Pfr | HuarBr00 |
| Databasefootball | HUARDBRO01 |
| Stat1label | TD-INT |
| Stat1value | 4-2 |
| Stat2label | Passing Yards |
| Stat2value | 689 |
| Stat3label | QB Rating |
| Stat3value | 80.3 |
Brock Xavier Huard (born April 15, 1976 in Seattle, Washington) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Brock's brother, Damon, also played quarterback at the University of Washington and later played in the National Football League. His younger brother, Luke Huard, is currently quarterbacks coach for Illinois State University.
Huard's career numbers with the Puyallup Vikings were very impressive completing 237 of 408 passes and passing for 45 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. Huard also lettered in basketball, averaging 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds as senior. In addition to his athletic exploits, Huard graduated from Puyallup with a 4.0 grade point average.
After redshirting in 1995, Brock was placed into a battle with Mukilteo, WA product Shane Fortney for the starting quarterback position the next spring. Though Fortney won the starting job, Huard was considered by many to be the more talented quarterback. Huard saw his first career action in the first game of the Huskies' 1996 season against Arizona State. Huard entered the game with Washington down by 21 points but rallied his team to a 42-42 tie (though ASU would go on to win 45-42 on a last-minute field goal). The next week Huard saw action again after Fortney was injured in what seemed like garbage time against BYU. From there, Huard took over as the Huskies' starting quarterback and led the Huskies (along with a strong offensive line and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year running back Corey Dillon) to an 8-1 record the rest of season. Huard, while not spectacular in his first year as a starter, showed glimpses of the talent that had made him one of the most highly recruited QBs in the nation two years prior. As a result of internal conflict related to Huard's elevation to the starting position, Shane Fortney transferred to Northern Iowa following the 1996 season.
Washington entered the 1997 season ranked 4th in the AP poll and won the first two games of the 1997 season handily (over BYU and San Diego State). However, in the third game of the season Nebraska beat Washington convincingly in Husky Stadium and Huard suffered an ankle injury early in the game and was not available to play the rest of the game. This play was significant in that it would mark the first time Huard was injured in a career that was henceforth injury riddled. In addition, the injury led to the UW coaching staff 'burning' Woodinville, WA native Marques Tuiasosopo's redshirt. Huard would miss more time in 1997 due to injury and what had been a season that started with the potential of a National Championship ended in a disappointing 7-4 record and a 41-35 loss to Washington State in the Apple Cup. Though Huard was seen as a highly rated prospect for the 1998 draft, he elected to come back to Washington for his junior year.
Though Huard's junior season started out with an improbable win at Arizona State , the year quickly deteriorated with an embarrassing loss at Nebraska. Huard went on to set many University of Washington records during his senior season, but because the team experienced their first non-winning season since 1975 (after a loss to Air Force in the Oahu Bowl) Huard's legacy at the University of Washington remains mixed. During his senior season, many fans openly called for Huard to be benched in favor of Tuiasosopo.
Still, Huard holds school career marks for most passing yards (5,742), touchdown passes (51), 300+ yard games (4), attempts without an interception (151) and ranks second in 200+ games (14) and total yards per game (191.4). He was also named Academic All-American his final two seasons. Huard also earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors as sophomore and was finalist for Davey O'Brien Award while setting school record with 23 scoring tosses.
Perhaps just as impressive as his on-field accomplishments, Huard maintained a 3.6 GPA as psychology major at Washington. During his time at Washington, Huard met and became engaged to the former Molly Hills, a basketball player on the University of Washington's women's team.
Brock and Damon became the NFL's first set of brothers to start at QB on the same weekend in league history on November 26, 2000. Damon opened against the Indianapolis Colts as a member of the Miami Dolphins, while Brock started against the Denver Broncos for the Seahawks.
Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:American football quarterbacks Category:College football announcers Category:Indianapolis Colts players Category:National Football League announcers Category:People from Seattle, Washington Category:Players of American football from Washington (state) Category:Seattle Seahawks players Category:Washington Huskies football players
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| Name | Brian Wilson |
|---|---|
| Alt | Brian Wilson performing in January 2007 |
| Caption | Brian Wilson performing in January 2007 |
| Landscape | yes |
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Brian Douglas Wilson |
| Birth date | June 20, 1942 |
| Birth place | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Death date | |
| Genre | Rock, pop, psychedelic rock, surf rock, experimental rock, baroque pop, art rock |
| Occupation | Songwriter, bassist, pianist, vocalist, producer, composer, arranger |
| Instrument | Vocals, bass, piano, synthesizers |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Label | Capitol/EMI RecordsSire/Reprise/Warner Bros. RecordsBrother/Reprise/Warner Bros. RecordsGiant/Warner Bros. RecordsCaribou/CBS RecordsNonesuch/Elektra RecordsDisney Records |
| Associated acts | The Beach Boys The Four Freshmen, Jan and Dean |
| Url | |
| Notable instruments | Fender Precision BassBaldwin HT2R Theater Organ |
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group. Besides being the primary composer in The Beach Boys, he also functioned as the band's main producer and arranger. Wilson's life was derailed by years of drug abuse and mental illness, contributing to tensions with the band. After years of treatment and recuperation, he began a solo career in 1988.
That same year, Wilson and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which refers to Wilson on its website as "One of the few undisputed geniuses in popular music". In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and ranked Wilson number 52. Wilson won a Grammy Award in 2005 for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)" as Best Rock Instrumental. He is also an occasional actor and voice actor, having appeared in television shows, films, and other music artist music videos.
Brian Wilson's father Murry Wilson told of Brian's unusual musical abilities prior to his first birthday, observing that the baby could repeat the melody from "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along" after only a few verses had been sung by the father. Murry stated, "He was very clever and quick. I just fell in love with him."
At about age two, Brian heard George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which had an enormous emotional impact on him. A few years later Brian was discovered to have extremely diminished hearing in his right ear. The exact cause of this hearing loss is unclear, though theories range from Brian's simply being born partially deaf, to a blow to the head from Brian's father, or a neighborhood bully, being to blame.
While father Murry was ostensibly a reasonable provider, he was often abusive. But Murry, a minor musician and songwriter, also encouraged his children in this field in numerous ways. At a young age, Brian was given six weeks of lessons on a "toy accordion", and at seven and eight sang solos in church with a choir behind him. By most accounts a natural leader by the time he began attending Hawthorne High School, Brian was on the football team as a quarterback, played baseball and was a cross-country runner in his senior year. However, most of his energy was directed toward music. He sang with various students at school functions and with his family and friends at home. Brian taught his two brothers harmony parts that all three would then practice when they were supposed to be asleep. He also played piano obsessively after school, deconstructing the harmonies of The Four Freshmen by listening to short segments of their songs on a phonograph, then working to recreate the blended sounds note by note on the keyboard. Brian received a Wollensak tape recorder on his sixteenth birthday, allowing him to experiment with recording songs and early group vocals.
Enlisting his cousin and often-time singing partner Mike Love, and Wilson's reluctant youngest brother Carl Wilson, Brian's next public performance featured more ambitious arrangements at a fall arts program at his high school. To entice Carl into the group, Wilson named the newly-formed membership "Carl and the Passions". The performance featured tunes by Dion and the Belmonts and The Four Freshmen ("It's a Blue World"), the latter of which proved difficult for the ensemble to carry off. However, the event was notable for the impression it made on another musician and classmate of Brian's who was in the audience that night, Al Jardine, later to join the three Wilson brothers and Mike Love in The Beach Boys.
Brian and his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson along with Mike Love and Al Jardine first gelled as a music group in the summer of 1961, initially named the Pendletones. After being prodded by Dennis to write a song about the local water sports craze, Brian and Mike Love together created what would become the first single for the band, "Surfin'". Over Labor Day weekend 1961, Brian took advantage of the fact that his parents were in Mexico City for a couple days and intended to use the emergency money they had left for the boys to rent an amp, a microphone, and a stand-up bass. As it turned out, the money they had left was not enough to cover musical expenses, so Al Jardine appealed to his mother, Virginia for assistance. When she heard the group perform, she was suitably impressed and handed over $300 to help out. Al promptly took Brian to the music store where he was able to rent a stand-up bass. After two days of rehearsing in the Wilson's music room, Brian's parents returned home from their trip. Murry was irate, until Brian convinced him to listen to what they'd been up to. His father was convinced that the boys did indeed have something worth pursuing. He quickly proclaimed himself the group's manager and the band embarked on serious rehearsals for a proper studio session. Recorded by Hite and Dorinda Morgan and released on the small Candix label, "Surfin'" became a top local hit in Los Angeles and reached number seventy-five on the national Billboard sales charts.
Dennis later described the first time Brian heard their song on the radio as the three Wilson brothers (and soon-to-be-band member David Marks) drove in Brian's 1957 Ford in the rain: "Nothing will ever top the expression on Brian's face, ever ... THAT was the all-time moment."
However, the Pendletones were no more. Without the band's knowledge or permission, Candix Records had changed their name to The Beach Boys.
Looking for a followup single for their radio hit, Brian and Mike wrote "Surfin' Safari", and attempts were made to record a usable take at World Pacific, including overdubs, on February 8, 1962, along with several other tunes including an early version of "Surfer Girl". Only a few days later, discouraged about the band's financial prospects, and objecting to adding some Chubby Checker songs to The Beach Boys live setlist, Al Jardine abruptly left the group.
Murry Wilson had become The Beach Boys manager, and when Candix Records ran into money problems and sold the group's master recordings to another label, Murry terminated the contract. Brian, worried about The Beach Boys' future, asked his father to help his group make more recordings. But Murry and Hite Morgan (who at this point was their music publisher) were turned down by a number of Los Angeles record companies.
As "Surfin'" faded from the charts, Brian, who had forged a songwriting partnership with Gary Usher, created several new tunes, including a car song, "409", that Usher had helped write. Recruiting Carl and Dennis' friend, thirteen-year-old neighbor David Marks, who had been playing electric guitar (and practicing with Carl) for years, Brian and the revamped Beach Boys cut new tracks on April 19 at Western Recorders including an updated "Surfin' Safari" and "409". These tunes convinced Capitol Records to release the demos as a single; they became a double-sided national hit.
Recording sessions for the band's first album took place in Capitol's basement studios (in the famous tower building) in August 1962, but early on Brian lobbied for a different place to cut Beach Boy tracks. The large rooms were built to record the big orchestras and ensembles of the 50s, not small rock groups. At Brian's insistence, Capitol agreed to let The Beach Boys pay for their own outside recording sessions, which Capitol would own all the rights to, and in return the band would receive a higher royalty rate on their record sales. Additionally, although it was very rare at the time for rock and roll band members to have a say in the process of making their records, during the taping of their first LP Brian fought for, and won, the right to be totally in charge of the production- though his first acknowledged liner notes production credit did not come until the band's third album Surfer Girl, in 1963.
January 1963 saw the recording of the first top-ten (cresting at #3 in the United States) Beach Boys single, "Surfin' USA", which began their long run of highly successful recording efforts at Hollywood's Western Recorders on Sunset Boulevard. It was during the sessions for this single that Brian made the production decision from that point on to use doubletracking on the group's vocals, resulting in a deeper and more resonant sound.
The tune, adapted from (and eventually entirely credited to) Chuck Berry, is widely seen as emblematic of the early 60s American rock cultural experience. The Surfin' USA album was also a big hit in the United States, reaching number two on the national sales charts by early July, 1963. Brian and his group had become a top-rank recording and touring music band.
He also began working with other artists in this period. On July 20, 1963, "Surf City", which he had co-written with Jan and Dean, was the first surfing song to reach the pinnacle of the sales charts. While Brian was excited and happy, his father (and still-manager) Murry and Capitol Records were less than thrilled. Indeed, openly enraged by Brian's chart-topping effort for what he saw as a rival band, Murry went so far as to order his oldest son to sever any further efforts with Jan and Dean.
Brian's other non-Beach Boy work in this period included tracks by The Honeys, Sharon Marie, The Timers, and The Survivors. Feeling that surfing songs had become limiting, Brian decided to produce a set of largely car-oriented tunes for The Beach Boys' fourth album Little Deuce Coupe, which was released in October 1963, only three weeks after the Surfer Girl LP. The departure of guitarist David Marks from the band that month meant that Brian was forced to resume touring with The Beach Boys, for a time reducing his availability in the recording studio.
During the Pet Sounds sessions, Wilson had been working on another song, which was held back from inclusion on the record as he felt that it was not sufficiently complete. The song, "Good Vibrations", set a new standard for musicians, and what could be achieved in the recording studio. Recorded in multiple sessions and in numerous studios, the song eventually cost $50,000 to record within a six month period. In October 1966, the song was released as a single, giving The Beach Boys their third U.S. number-one hit—alongside "I Get Around" and "Help Me, Rhonda"—and it sold over a million copies.
:[A] combination of factors, including litigations against the record company and increasing animosity between Wilson and the rest of the band, meant that in May 1967 Wilson pulled the plug on the record... [Mike] Love had already dismissed "Good Vibrations "as "avant-garde shit" and objected to the way Wilson, Parks and a group of highly skilled session musicians were creating music way beyond his understanding... By March 1967, the bad feeling got too much for Parks and, having no desire to break up The Beach Boys, he walked out.
Following the cancellation of Smile, The Beach Boys relocated to a recording studio within the confines of Brian Wilson's mansion, where the hastily compiled Smiley Smile album was assembled, along with a number of future Beach Boys records. This marked the end of Wilson's leadership within the band, and has been seen to be "the moment when the Beach Boys first started slipping from the vanguard to nostalgia."
Wilson spent the majority of the following three years in his bedroom sleeping, taking drugs, and overeating. During this time, his voice deteriorated significantly as a result of chain smoking, drug ingestion and neglect. Many of his "new" contributions to Beach Boys albums were remnants of Smile (e.g., "Cabinessence", "Surf's Up"), and those that were genuinely new reflected his depression and growing detachment from the world ("'Til I Die", the EP "Mount Vernon and Fairway"). Reportedly, Warner Bros. Records was so desperate for material from Wilson that the single "We Got Love" (co-written by Ricky Fataar, Blondie Chaplin, and Love) was scrapped from the Holland album in favor of "Sail On, Sailor", a song mostly written by committee (including Chaplin, Almer and Parks) that happened to draw its initial germ from a Wilson chord sequence.
In 1975, Wilson's wife and family enlisted the services of controversial therapist Eugene Landy in a bid to help Wilson, and hopefully help revive the group's ailing profile. Wilson did not stay under Landy's care for long, but during this short period, the doctor managed to help him into a more productive, social frame of mind. The new album 15 Big Ones, consisting of oldies and some new songs was released in 1976 and Wilson began to regularly appear live on stage with the band. A Love-orchestrated publicity campaign announced that "Brian is Back". He was also deemed to be well enough to do a solo performance on Saturday Night Live in November 1976. In 1977, the cult favorite Love You was released, consisting entirely of new material written and performed by Wilson. He continues to say it is his favorite Beach Boys album.
By 1982, Eugene Landy was once more called into action, and a more radical program was undertaken to try to restore Wilson to health. This involved firing him from The Beach Boys, isolating him from his family on Hawaii, and putting him onto a rigorous diet and health regimen. This, coupled with long, extreme counseling sessions, continued to bring Wilson back to reality. He lost a tremendous amount of weight, was certainly healthier and more conversant than previously, but he was also under a strict level of control by Landy. Wilson's recovery continued as he joined the band on stage in Live Aid in 1985, and recorded the album The Beach Boys with the group.
Dr. Landy provided a Svengali-like environment for Wilson, controlling his every movement in his life, including his musical direction. Landy's misconduct would eventually lead to the loss of his psychologist license, as well as a court-ordered removal and restraining order from Wilson.
Some years later, during his second marriage, Wilson was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type which supposedly caused him to hear voices in his head. By 1989 the rumor was that Brian either had a stroke or had abused too many drugs and was permanently "fried". a neurological condition marked by involuntary, repetitive movements, that develops in about 20% of patients treated with antipsychotic drugs for a long period of time. Wilson's drug regimen has now been reduced to a mild combination of antidepressants, and he has resumed recording and performing.
The effects of Brian Wilson's mental illness on his parenting skills were discussed by Wilson's daughter Wendy during her appearance in an episode of the British reality television program Supernanny. Wilson's daughter Carnie and granddaughter Lola also made an appearance on the episode. The effects of Brian Wilson's mental illness are also referenced in the Barenaked Ladies song "Brian Wilson".
Wilson's first solo album, Brian Wilson, released in 1988, was favorably reviewed in the music press, but sold poorly. A memoir, Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story, was released in 1990, in which he spoke about his troubled relationship with his abusive father Murry, his internal disputes with the Beach Boys, and his "lost years" of mental illness. Although it was written following interviews with Brian and others and released with Brian's name as co-author, Landy was largely responsible for the direction of the book, in conjunction with People magazine writer Todd Gold. The book describes Landy in terms that could be called messianic. In a later lawsuit over the book, instigated by several family members including his brother Carl and mother Audree, Wilson testified in court that he hadn't even read the final manuscript. As a result, the book was taken out of press some years later. A second solo album made for Sire under the aegis of Landy, entitled Sweet Insanity, was never released after being rejected by the record label. Landy's illegal use of psychotropic drugs on Wilson and his influence over Wilson's financial affairs was legally ended by Carl Wilson and other members of the Wilson family. A court appointed conservator was appointed to oversee Wilson's financial and legal affairs.
In 1995, Wilson married Melinda Ledbetter, a car saleswoman and former model he met several years earlier while still under the care of Eugene Landy. The couple adopted five children: two girls, Daria Rose and Delanie Rae, in 1998; a boy, Dylan, in 2004; a boy, Dash Tristan; and a girl, Dakota Rose, in 2010 in 2009. Wilson has two daughters from his first marriage to Marilyn Rovell: Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, who would go on to musical success of their own in the early 1990s as two-thirds of Wilson Phillips.
Also in 1995, he released two albums, albeit neither containing any new original Wilson material, almost simultaneously. The first, the soundtrack to Don Was's documentary I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, consists of re-recorded versions of songs from his Beach Boys and solo catalogue produced by Was, along with a 1976-vintage demo recording. The second, Orange Crate Art, saw Wilson as lead vocalist, multitracked many times over, on an album of songs produced, arranged and (mostly) written by Van Dyke Parks, and was released as a duo album under both men's names.
His final release as part of the group was on the 1996 album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1, a group collaboration with select country music artists singing the lead vocals. After considerable mental recovery, he mended his relationship with his daughters Carnie and Wendy and the three of them released an album in 1997 titled The Wilsons.
In 1996 Wilson sang backup on Belinda Carlisle's "California."
Wilson released a second solo album of mostly new material, Imagination, in 1998. Following this, he received extensive vocal coaching to improve his voice, and learned to cope with his stage fright and started to play live for the first time in decades, going on to play the whole Pet Sounds album live on his tours of the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.
A new studio album, Gettin' in Over My Head, was released on June 22, 2004. It featured collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Wilson's deceased brother Carl. Clapton played on the track "City Blues." The album was almost entirely composed of re-recordings of unreleased material, and received mixed reviews.
The debut performance at the RFH was a defining moment for Brian. The documentary DVD of the event shows Brian preparing for the big day and, right up to show time, expressing doubts over the concept of putting this legendary work before the public. After an opening set of Beach Boys classics, he climbed back on stage for a rousing performance of the album. A 10-minute standing ovation followed the concert; the DVD shows a sprinkling of rock luminaries in the crowd, such as Roger Daltrey, Paul Weller, Sir George Martin and Sir Paul McCartney (although neither Martin nor McCartney attended the opening night, contrary to what the DVD implies).
Smile was then recorded through April to June and released in September, to wide critical acclaim. The release hit #13 on the Billboard chart. The 2004 recording featured his backup/touring band, including Beach Boys guitarist Jeff Foskett, members of the Wondermints and backup singer Taylor Mills. In this version, "Good Vibrations" features Tony Asher's original lyrics in the verses, instead of Mike Love's lyrics from the released 1966 version.
Wilson won his only Grammy Award in 2005 for the track "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)" as Best Rock Instrumental. In 2004 Smile was taken on the road for a thorough tour of Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In December 2005, he also released What I Really Want for Christmas for Arista Records. The release hit #200 on the Billboard chart, though sales were modest. Wilson's remake of the classic "Deck The Halls" became a surprise Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit.
Though no longer a part of The Beach Boys touring band, Brian Wilson remains a member of the Beach Boys corporation, Brother Records Incorporated.
In September 2005, Wilson arranged a charity drive to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, wherein people who donated $100 or more would receive a personal phone call from Wilson. According to the website, over $250K was raised. In November 2005, former bandmate Mike Love sued Wilson over "shamelessly misappropriating... Love's songs, likeness, and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the 'Smile' album itself" in the promotion of Smile. The lawsuit was ultimately thrown out of court on grounds that it was meritless.
On November 1, 2006, Wilson kicked off a small but highly anticipated tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds. He was joined by Al Jardine.
Wilson released a new album That Lucky Old Sun on September 2, 2008. The piece originally debuted in a series of September 2007 concerts at London's Royal Festival Hall, and in January 2008 at Sydney's State Theatre while headlining the Sydney Festival. Wilson describes the piece as "consisting of five 'rounds', with interspersed spoken word". A series of US and UK concerts led up to its release.
On September 30, 2008, Seattle's Light in the Attic Records released A World of Peace Must Come, a collaboration between Wilson and Stephen Kalinich, originally recorded in 1969, but later lost in Kalinich's closet.
In 2000, Wilson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney introduced Brian, referring to him as "one of the great American geniuses."
On May 10, 2004, Wilson was honored as a BMI Icon at the 52th annual BMI Pop Awards. He was saluted for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."
May 20, 2011, Wilson is scheduled to receive the UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award at UCLA Spring Sing.
Category:American composers Category:American record producers Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Sire Records artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:Musicians from California Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:The Beach Boys members Category:1942 births Category:Songwriters from California Category:Living people Category:People with schizophrenia
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Caption | Favre with the Vikings in October 2009 |
|---|---|
| Width | 200 |
| Number | 4 |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Birthdate | October 10, 1969 |
| Birthplace | Gulfport, Mississippi |
| Heightft | 6 |
| Heightin | 2 |
| Weight | 222 |
| Highschool | Hancock North Central |
| College | Southern Mississippi |
| Draftyear | 1991 |
| Draftround | 2 |
| Draftpick | 33 |
| Debutyear | 1991 |
| Debutteam | Atlanta Falcons |
| Finalyear | 2010 |
| Finalteam | Minnesota Vikings |
| Teams | |
| Highlights | |
| Statweek | 17 |
| Statseason | 2010 |
| Statlabel1 | TD–INT |
| Statvalue1 | 508–336 |
| Statlabel2 | Yards |
| Statvalue2 | 71,838 |
| Statlabel3 | QB Rating |
| Statvalue3 | 86.0 |
| Nfl | FAV540222 |
Favre started at the quarterback position for the University of Southern Mississippi for four years before being selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft by Atlanta (33rd overall). He was traded to Green Bay on February 10, 1992, for the 19th pick in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Favre became the Packers' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 season, and started every game through the 2007 season. He was traded to the New York Jets and started at quarterback for the 2008 season before signing with the Vikings on August 18, 2009 as their starting quarterback. He made an NFL record 297 consecutive starts (321 including playoffs).
He is the only player to win the AP Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1995–97). He has led teams to eight division championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009), five NFC Championship Games (1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009), and two Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXXI, Super Bowl XXXII), winning one (Super Bowl XXXI).
He holds many NFL records, including most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most career interceptions thrown, most consecutive starts, most consecutive starts by a QB, most career victories as a starting quarterback, most sacked, and most fumbles. He is often referred to by his nickname "The Gunslinger".
Irvin Favre said he knew his son had a great arm but also knew that the school was blessed with good running backs. As a result, in the three years Brett was on the team, his father ran the wishbone, a run-oriented offense. Favre rarely threw more than five passes in a game.
On July 14, 1990, before the start of Favre's senior year at Southern Miss, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident. When going around a bend a few tenths of a mile from his parents' house, Favre lost control of his car, which flipped three times and came to rest against a tree. It was only after one of his brothers smashed a car window with a golf club that Favre could be evacuated to the hospital. In the ambulance, his mother was sitting with him. "All I kept asking [her] was 'Will I be able to play football again?'" Favre recalled later. Doctors would later remove of Favre's small intestine. Six weeks after this incident, on September 8, Favre led Southern Miss to a comeback victory over Alabama. Alabama coach Gene Stallings said, "You can call it a miracle or a legend or whatever you want to. I just know that on that day, Brett Favre was larger than life."
Favre continues to hold various Southern Miss football records. As of the end of the 2009 season, he held the career individual record in the following categories: most plays, most total yards gained, most passing yards gained, most completions made, and most passing attempts made. He had held the record for the most touchdowns scored (52), but it was later tied by quarterback Lee Roberts, who played for the school from 1995–98. Favre had 15 games over his career where he compiled more than 200 passing yards, making him the fourth all–time school leader in that category. Of those 15 games, five were 300-yard games, the most compiled by any of the school's quarterbacks. Additionally, he was the seasonal leader in total passing and total offense in all four of his seasons at Southern Miss.
Favre earned a teaching degree with an emphasis in special education from the University of Southern Mississippi.
In the third game of the 1992 season, Majkowski injured a ligament in his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals, an injury severe enough that he would be out for four weeks. Favre replaced Majkowski for the remainder of the contest. Favre fumbled four times during the course of the game, However, down 23–17 with 1:07 left in the game, the Packers started an offensive series on their own 8 yard line. Still at the quarterback position, Favre completed a 42 yard pass to Sterling Sharpe. Three plays later, Favre threw the game–winning touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor with 13 seconds remaining.
The following season Favre helped the Packers to their first playoff berth since 1982 and was named to his second Pro Bowl. After the season Favre became a free agent. General manager Ron Wolf negotiated Favre into a five-year, $19 million contract.
The Packers finished the 1994 season 9–7, advancing them to the playoffs in back to back years, a feat they had not accomplished since the Vince Lombardi era.
While being treated for various injuries, Brett Favre developed an addiction to vicodin, which became publicly known when he suffered a seizure during a hospital visit. Amid an NFL investigation, he went public to avoid any rumors about his condition. In May 1996, he went into treatment and remained in rehabilitation for 46 days. Had he chosen not to go, the NFL would have imposed a $900,000 fine. Favre led the Packers to their best season in 30 years in the 1996 season, winning his second consecutive MVP award in the process. The Packers led the NFL in points scored as well as fewest points scored against. Green Bay tied the Denver Broncos for the NFL's best regular season record, 13–3, defeated the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. The Packers advanced to Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome, a short drive from Favre's hometown.
In Super Bowl XXXI, Favre completed 14 of 27 passes for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the second play of the game, Favre threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Rison. Favre also completed an 81-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman in the second quarter (then a Super Bowl record). Favre rushed for 12 yards and another touchdown, as the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, 35–21. In their 19 games of the season, the Packers had a turnover ratio of plus 24, and outscored their opponents 100–48 in the playoffs.
In the regular season finale of 2001, Favre was the target of minor controversy when, in a game against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium, he was sacked by the Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. It was Strahan's lone sack of the game and gave him the NFL's single–season sack record of 22.5, which topped Mark Gastineau's record of 22 set in 1984. Some analysts, such as Mike Freeman of The New York Times, expressed the opinion that Favre allowed himself to be sacked in order to allow Strahan to set the record.
On March 1, 2001, Favre signed a "lifetime" contract extension, which technically was a 10-year contract extension worth around $100 million.
Favre and the Packers continued posting positive results through the next few seasons. Through the 2004 season, the Packers had the longest streak of non-losing seasons (13) in the NFL, despite an 8–8 record under coach Ray Rhodes, a 9–7 season under coach Mike Sherman, and no playoff berths in either 1999 or 2000. The streak ended in 2005, with the Packers finishing 4–12 overall.
A notable game in the 2004 season in which Favre and the Packers finished 10–6 was against the New York Giants. During the game, Favre suffered a concussion. He did not receive medical clearance to re-enter the game. Despite the concussion, Favre threw a 28-yard touchdown to Javon Walker on a fourth down play. Afterwards it was reported that Favre did not remember throwing the touchdown pass.
After the death of his father, a series of events related to Favre's family were reported in the media. In October 2004, ten months after the death of Favre's father, his brother-in-law, Casey Tynes, was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident on Favre's Mississippi property.
Soon after in 2004, Favre's wife, Deanna Favre, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following aggressive treatment through 2004, she recovered. She created The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation which supports breast cancer education and women's breast imaging and diagnosis services for all women, including those who are medically underserved. Brett and Deanna's property in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was also extensively damaged by the storm. Favre elected to continue to play in the 2005 season.
For the 2005 season, the Packers, despite throwing for over 3,000 yards for a record 14th consecutive time, Favre had a below average season with only 20 touchdown passes and a league-leading 29 interceptions. The loss of guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle to free agency along with key injuries to Javon Walker, Ahman Green, Bubba Franks, among others, hampered Favre and the team. His passer rating was 70.9, 31st in the NFL and the worst single season rating of his career. After the disappointing season, many speculated that Favre would retire. However, on April 26, 2006, Favre announced that he would remain with the team for the 2006 season. Despite earlier comments that the 2006 season would be his last, Favre announced in a press conference on May 6, 2006, that he had not ruled out the possibility of returning beyond the 2006 season.
In the 2006 season, Favre suffered his first career shutout against the Chicago Bears. Later in the season, the New England Patriots shut out the Packers in a game where he was injured before halftime and could not complete the game. On September 24, 2006, he became just the second quarterback in NFL history to record 400 touchdown passes (Dan Marino being the first). He connected with rookie wide receiver Greg Jennings on a 5-yard pass that Jennings turned into a 75-yard touchdown play during a win against the Detroit Lions. He also became the first player ever to complete 5,000 passes in his career. On December 31, 2006, the Packers played their last game of the season, winning 26–7 against the Chicago Bears. It was his 22nd career win versus the Bears, moving him to an all-time record of 22–8.
's touchdown pass record on September 30, 2007, at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]] Favre began the 2007 season trailing in a number of career NFL passing records. On September 16, 2007, Favre and the Packers defeated the New York Giants to give Favre his record setting 149th win, passing John Elway. On September 30, Favre threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in a game against the Vikings. This was his 421st NFL touchdown pass, and set a new all time record, surpassing Dan Marino's 420.
On November 4, 2007, after the Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 33–22, Favre became only the 3rd quarterback to have defeated all thirty-one other current NFL teams. He joined Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to do this, just the week after the two of them achieved the accomplishment. On Thanksgiving 2007, Favre led the Packers to a 37–26 win over the Lions, and brought the Packers to a 10–1 record. He won the Galloping Gobbler award, given by the broadcasters at Fox to the game MVP. Favre threw three touchdown passes for his 63rd career game with at least three touchdowns, surpassing Marino's former record of 62.
Favre led the Packers to a 13–3 regular season record, the NFC North championship, and the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Prior to the Packers' playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Favre stated his desire to continue playing football for another season. In the Divisional Playoffs, Favre threw three touchdowns as the Packers cruised to a 42–20 victory over the Seahawks at a snowy Lambeau Field. The Packers' season ended the following week when they suffered a 23–20 overtime loss in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. Negotiating sub-zero temperatures, Favre amassed 236 passing yards and two touchdowns, but also threw an interception in overtime that set up the Giants' game-winning field goal. Favre's 90-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver in the second quarter was the longest pass in Packers playoff history, and it extended Favre's NFL record for consecutive postseason games with a touchdown pass to 18. Favre stated after the game that he would make a decision more quickly than he has in the past regarding whether he would return for another season.
Favre's milestone 2007 season culminated with his selection to the 2008 Pro Bowl as the starting quarterback for the NFC, but an ankle injury forced him to withdraw.
On March 4, 2008, Favre formally announced his retirement. Although Favre stated that he had been willing to play another year, he felt that another season would only be successful if he led his team to another Super Bowl victory. He added the chances for a Super Bowl win were small, and that he wasn't up for the challenge. At his press conference, Favre openly wept about leaving the NFL. He stated that his decision, regardless of what was being said in the media, had nothing to do with what the Packers did or didn't do. He said, seemingly contradictory to Cook's statements, that his decision to retire was based on the fact that he didn't want to play anymore. He said during the conference, "I know I can play, but I don't think I want to. And that's really what it comes down to." On July 11, 2008, Favre sent a letter to the Packers asking for his unconditional release to allow him to play for another NFL team. Packers general manager Ted Thompson announced he would not grant Favre an unconditional release and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to Aaron Rodgers as its new quarterback. Complicating matters was Favre's unique contract giving him the leverage to void any potential trade by not reporting to the camp of the team he might be traded to if the Packers elect to go that route.
Favre spoke publicly for the first time about his potential comeback in a July 14, 2008, interview with Greta Van Susteren on the Fox News Channel's On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. In the interview, Favre said he was "guilty of retiring early," that he was "never fully committed" to retirement, and that he was pressured by the Packers to make a decision before the NFL Draft and the start of the free agent signing period. Favre disputed the notion that he doesn't want to play for Green Bay and said that while he understands the organization has decided to move on, they should now allow him to do the same. He made clear that he would not return to the Packers as a backup and reiterated his desire to be released rather than traded, which would allow him the freedom to play for a competitive team. Favre also accused the Packers of being dishonest, wishing the team would have been straightforward with him and the public.
In the second part of the interview, which aired on July 15, Favre expressed his frustration with Packer management, spoke of his sympathy for successor Aaron Rodgers' predicament, and affirmed he is 100 percent committed to playing football in 2008.
FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer reported on July 16, 2008, that the Packers filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings with the league office, alleging improper communication between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Favre, although one source suggested that Favre may have been in contact with Vikings head coach Brad Childress. After an investigation, Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled there had been no violation of tampering rules.
Favre formally filed for reinstatement with the NFL on July 29, 2008, and his petition was granted by Commissioner Goodell, effective August 4, 2008. Favre then flew to Green Bay to report to Packers training camp. After a lengthy meeting with head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson, however, both sides agreed it was time for Favre and the organization to part ways. McCarthy sensed Favre was not in "the right mind-set" to resume playing for the Packers, while Favre felt that his relationship with Packer management had deteriorated to the point that a return to the team would be untenable. the Packers traded Favre to the Jets on August 7, 2008, in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft with performance escalation. Favre's season with the Jets started well; in week four of the 2008 season, he threw six touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, a personal best and one fewer than the NFL record. This performance led to him being selected as the FedEx Air Player of the Week. By Week 12, the Jets had compiled an 8–3 record, including a win over the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans. However, the Jets lost four of the last five games of the season, including the final game against the Miami Dolphins, who had acquired Chad Pennington after he was released from the Jets to make room for Favre. In those five games, Favre threw eight interceptions and only two touchdown passes, bringing his season total to twenty-two of each. Favre had complained of shoulder pain and had an MRI performed on December 29, 2008, which revealed a torn biceps tendon in his right shoulder. After the 2008 season had ended, in mid January 2009, Favre told Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum, "it may be time to look in a different direction" regarding the quarterback position. On February 11, 2009, Favre informed the Jets that he was retiring after 18 seasons. He remained property of the New York Jets organization, until April 28, 2009, when the Jets released Favre from his contract, thus allowing him to sign anywhere he wanted. By May 2009, he was officially cut from the Jets Reserve/Retired list. In September 2009, Favre again made Jets news, as the NFL learned that the Jets were aware that Favre injured his arm in the eleventh game of the 2008 season, and fined the Jets $125,000 for not reporting the injury in any of the Jets' five final games.
Amid speculation that Favre would once again attempt a comeback, it was reported in May 2009, that Favre had undergone arthroscopic surgery to complete a tear in his proximal biceps tendon. (Because the biceps muscle has two attachments, the muscle remains functional and is often less painful when an injured tendon is cut.) On June 15, 2009, Favre stated he was considering playing again, most likely with the Minnesota Vikings. On July 28, Brett Favre informed Vikings officials that he would remain retired. On the morning of August 18, 2009, WCCO-TV, a CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, Minnesota reported that Favre would sign with the Minnesota Vikings later in the day. ESPN.com later reported the same news, as Favre would sign a contract with the Vikings pending a physical. Favre officially signed with the Minnesota Vikings on August 18, 2009.
During Week 2, on September 20, Favre surpassed former Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall for consecutive starts at one position, with 291.
On September 27, in the Vikings' Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Favre threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught for a 32-yard touchdown by wide receiver Greg Lewis with 2 seconds left, resulting in a 27–24 come from behind victory. The play later won the 2010 ESPY award for Best Play.
On October 5, with a 30–23 victory over his former team the Green Bay Packers, which he was with for 16 seasons, Favre became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat every one of the league's 32 franchises since the NFL first expanded to 32 franchises in 2002. This Monday night game between Minnesota and Green Bay was the most-viewed television program, sports or otherwise, in the history of cable television. The game drew a 15.3 rating and had 21.8 million viewers.
With week five's win against the St. Louis Rams, Favre started the 2009 season 5–0, which was a personal best in his career. That same game, he also recorded the second reception of his career. His first catch was in 1992, his first NFL completion. Then, he outdid himself by going to 6–0 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens.
On November 1, Favre returned to Green Bay to play his former team. After receiving boos from fans in the stadium he called home for 16 years, Favre went on to complete 17 of 28 passes for 244 yards. His four touchdown passes in this game tied Dan Marino's career record of 21 four-touchdown games. Favre and the Vikings claimed a 38–26 victory to improve to 7–1. The game drew a 17.4 rating and 29.8 million viewers, higher than Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
On November 22, Favre threw four touchdowns in the 35–9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, taking the Vikings to 9–1. Brett's four touchdown passes in this game surpassed Dan Marino's previous record, taking it to 22 four-touchdown games. Favre completed 22 of his 25 throws for a career-high 88 percent. His previous career high was 85.2 percent against Detroit on Sept. 20.
On November 29, Favre threw three TD passes and posted a passer rating of 112.5 in a 36–10 home win against the Chicago Bears. It was his 282nd consecutive regular-season game, tying Jim Marshall's record for most consecutive games played by a position player.
After starting 10–1, the Vikings lost three of their next four games, with losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers and a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. During the Carolina game, Minnesota head coach Brad Childress told Favre that he was considering benching Favre to protect him and Favre disagreed.
On December 29, 2009, Favre was named to his 11th Pro Bowl behind Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints). He racked the third most votes behind Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
Favre led the Vikings to a 34–3 win in their first playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing four touchdown passes and no interceptions. It was his first-ever playoff win against the Cowboys, following three playoff losses when he was the quarterback of the Packers. Favre also became the first quarterback to win a playoff game at the age of 40. In celebration, Favre rallied his teammates in the locker room to sing "Pants on the Ground", a humorous song first performed during an American Idol audition.
Favre and the Vikings subsequently lost in the NFC Championship game in overtime against the New Orleans Saints. Favre's final throw against the Saints resulted in an interception which effectively ended any chance of a Vikings victory in regulation. Despite the loss, Favre set playoff records for pass completions and passing yards previously held by Joe Montana.
On April 30, 2010, Favre told ESPN's Ed Werder that he was informed by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews that his ankle injury that he suffered in the 2009 NFC Championship Game had not healed and would require surgery to repair it if he wanted to play for a twentieth season in the league and will now face the prospect of having surgery or retire. He issued this statement, saying: "This decision would be easy if not for my teammates and the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year truly felt like 10 – much like Green Bay for many years. That's what I was missing in my heart I suppose, a sense of belonging."
On Tuesday, August 3, 2010, NBC Sports reported the confirmation of Brett Favre returning to the Minnesota Vikings, however he repeatedly mentioned that the 2010 season would be his final season. An announcement was given on August 17, 2010 confirming his return to the team. Favre started the Vikings' second preseason game at San Francisco on August 22.
On October 11, 2010, Brett Favre achieved two milestones. He threw for his 500th touchdown and 70,000th yard against the New York Jets. Despite his two milestones, Brett Favre had three turnovers and his Vikings lost 20–29.
On November 7, 2010, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Favre threw for a career high 446 yards while rallying the Vikings from a 14-point 4th quarter deficit. The Vikings eventually won in overtime, 27–24.
On December 2, 2010, in a game against the Buffalo Bills, Favre was hit by Bills linebacker Arthur Moats while making a throw, causing him to sustain a sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder. Favre missed the rest of the game and was replaced by Tarvaris Jackson who led the Vikings to victory despite throwing 3 interceptions.
On December 13, 2010, due to his sprained shoulder, Brett Favre was marked inactive for the game against the New York Giants ending his consecutive regular season start streak at 297. Favre started a total of 321 games including post-season appearances. On December 20, 2010 while playing the Chicago Bears outside at TCF Bank Stadium due to the collapse of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Favre sustained a concussion after being sacked by Bears defensive end Corey Wootton. This would be his final appearance in an NFL game.
On January 2, 2011, Favre was unable to play against the Detroit Lions in the final game of the regular NFL season due to his inability to pass NFL-mandated post-concussion tests. In a press conference immediately following the game, Favre announced his intention to retire from professional football.
On January 17, 2011, Favre officially filed his retirement papers with the NFL.
Favre is the only quarterback to have led a team to victory over all thirty-two teams in the league since the NFL expanded to 32 franchises in 2002.
Favre is one of four quarterbacks to lead the league in touchdown passes four times. The others are Johnny Unitas, Len Dawson, and Steve Young.
Since the beginning of Favre's consecutive starts streak, 238 other quarterbacks have started in the NFL, seventeen of them being back-ups to Favre at one point.
In 2009, Favre surpassed Jim Marshall for starts at any position with his record-breaking 271st start as a quarterback as the Vikings played the Lions. His streak ended at 297, with the last start in the streak coming on December 5, 2010. Favre was unable to start the Vikings' December 13 game against the New York Giants due to a shoulder injury, despite the game being delayed for a day because of the collapse of the Metrodome roof.
Favre's mother, Bonita, helps manage his holdings in agriculture and real estate, handle his endorsements and appearances and oversee his charity work. Brett and Bonita Favre released a book in 2004 titled Favre (ISBN 978-1-59071-036-4) which discusses their personal family and Green Bay Packers family, including the Monday Night Football game that followed the death of Brett's father Irvin Favre.
Favre established the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation in 1996. In conjunction with his annual golf tournament, celebrity softball game and fundraising dinners, the foundation has donated more than $2 million to charities in his home state of Mississippi as well as to those in his adopted state of Wisconsin.
The Favre family also owns and operates the Brett Favre's Steakhouse, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Favre made a cameo appearance in the 1998 romantic comedy film There's Something About Mary as Cameron Diaz's character's love interest.
Favre is a spokesperson for many products, including Snapper Inc., Wrangler Jeans and Sears. In the Sears ads, Favre pokes fun at himself for his constant waffling between retirement and continuing his playing career by debating whether or not to buy a plasma screen TV, saying "I'll take it... Nah, I don't know". In another ad he has a conversation with a Blue Crew associate who says of the TV, "some guys just can't make up their minds" to which Favre replies "Yeah, I hate those guys." In a Hyundai commercial with a similar theme, he accepts the 2020 NFL MVP award, with fully gray hair, saying "When you're playing at 50, and you're older than the fans, coaches, and owners, well... I should probably retire after this... But I don't know."
Favre was temporarily banned by the NFL from drinking alcohol after he admitted he was addicted to Vicodin and spent 46 days at a drug rehab clinic before the 1996 season.
Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players Category:American football quarterbacks Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American people of Choctaw descent Category:American people of French descent Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:Green Bay Packers players Category:Minnesota Vikings players Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Native American sportspeople Category:New York Jets players Category:People from Gulfport, Mississippi Category:People from Hancock County, Mississippi Category:People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Category:Players of American football from Mississippi Category:Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Name | Bill Simmons |
|---|---|
| Birthname | William J. Simmons III |
| Birth date | September 25, 1969 |
| Education | College of the Holy CrossB.A. in Political ScienceBoston UniversityM.A. in Print Journalism |
| Occupation | Sports columnistAuthorPodcaster |
| Spouse | Kari Simmons |
| Children | Zoe SimmonsBenjamin Oakley Simmons |
| Years active | |
| Url | http://www.bostonsportsguy.com/ |
Since joining ESPN in 2001, in addition to writing for ESPN.com, he has also hosted his own podcast on ESPN.com titled The B.S. Report, appeared as a special contributor on the television series , and serves as an executive producer of ESPN's documentary project, 30 for 30. He also has written two best-selling books and worked as a writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Simmons is known for his style of writing which is characterized by mixing sports knowledge and analysis, pop culture references, his non-sports-related personal life, and for being written from the viewpoint of a passionate sports fan. Simmons also has created numerous internet memes, most notably the Ewing Theory and the Manning Face.
In 2007, he was named the 12th-most influential person in online sports by the Sports Business Journal, the highest position on the list for a non-executive. 1969, to William Simmons Molly Clark, is a doctor. In 1988, he completed a postgraduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prep school located in Wallingford, Connecticut. As a child Simmons read the David Halberstam book The Breaks of the Game, one of his main influences,
While attending the College of the Holy Cross Simmons wrote a column for the school paper, The Crusader, called "Ramblings" and later served as the paper's Sports editor. unable to get a newspaper job, Simmons "badgered" into giving him a column, and he started the web site BostonSportsGuy.com while working as a bartender and waiter at night. His first column was "Is Clemens the Antichrist?" which became one of the most e-mailed articles on the site that year. In the first sixteen months which Simmons wrote for Page 2 the viewership doubled. Simmons writes a column per month for his page titled "Sports Guy's World."
As a lead columnist, The series premiered on October 6, 2009 with "King's Ransom" directed by Peter Berg. Simmons serves as executive producer on the project. On June 14, 2007 the podcast was changed to The B.S. Report with a new theme song written by Ronald Jenkees. Simmons creates three or four hour long podcasts a week, generally carrying one theme throughout, talking to everyone from sports and media notables to his friends. averaging 2 million downloads a month. Simmons guests includes athletes and writers such as Chuck Klosterman as well as personal friends Jacko (Yankees fan John O'Connell), Cousin Sal (Sal Iacono) and Joe House.
Simmons began writing a weekly, but convinced ESPN after three years to give him 1,200 words.
In October 2007, it was announced the Simmons joined the television series as a special contributor. In May 2010, it was reported that Simmons and ESPN came to an agreement on a new contract, although no official announcement has been made on the terms.
He has occasionally appeared on Pardon the Interruption as a guest host, and was a panellist on the 2010 PTI's Free Agency Summit episode.
Grantland.com will feature articles and podcasts from Simmons, Malcolm Gladwell, Chuck Klosterman, Dave Eggers, Michael Weinreb, Katie Baker, Molly Lambert, Chris Ryan, Robert Mays III, Bill Barnwell and Patrice Evans. and is an occasional guest on sports talk radio shows.
Simmons left Boston and moved to California on November 16, 2002 and began working in April 2003 as a comedy writer for the show. Simmons called it "the best move I ever made" of 2004 after a year and a half of writing for the show. book, Now I Can Die in Peace. The book spent five weeks on The New York Times extended best-seller list. , which was released on October 27, 2009. The book tries to find out who really are the best players and teams of all time and the answers to some of the greatest "What ifs?" in NBA history. It debuted at the top of The New York Times Best Seller List for non-fiction books.
One of his most popular recurring columns is the "Mailbag" where he answers readers' e-mails. He almost always ends these columns with a strange e-mail, followed by the statement "Yup, these are my readers." He also occasionally engages in lengthy chat sessions with readers on ESPN.com. His wife occasionally writes mini-articles within Simmons' own Page 2 articles as "The Sports Gal," on subjects such as The Hills and her lack of understanding of a golf handicap.
A month before the feud erupted, Simmons was scheduled to interview then-senator Barack Obama for a podcast. According to a campaign source, a television interview with Scott was canceled by higher-ups as well. Scott eventually did interview Obama right before the convention began.
On October 31, 2008, ESPN refused to post Simmons' NFL Week Nine Picks, instead just putting up his predicted lines.
In November 2008, according to Deadspin, Simmons had quit the B.S. Report due to the content being edited out of them. The controversy revolved around the entry of pornography actor Christian into a ESPN fantasy basketball league. On November 25, 2008, Simmons returned to recording his B.S. Report podcast with a disclaimer, which says "The BS report is a free flowing conversation that occasionally touches on mature subjects."
In late 2009, Simmons was punished by ESPN for writing tweets critical of Boston sports radio station WEEI's The Big Show. He was suspended for two weeks from Twitter with an exception for tweets about his book tour.
Given the time since the name Ewing Theory was coined and the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory, a number of readers suggested the name be updated to the "Tiki Theory" named after former player Tiki Barber and Simmons agreed.
The Manning Face references receded from Simmons' columns during the 2006–09 stretch when each brother won a Super Bowl and Peyton won two MVP awards, but Simmons noted it returned during the Colts' Super Bowl XLIV loss to the New Orleans Saints, after Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton's pass and returned it 74 yards for the title-clinching TD. He later said it wasn't clear whether the Manning Face was returning for good or made a cameo appearance.
Simmons is a devoted fan of Boston's teams including Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and Boston Celtics. He is also a Los Angeles Clippers season ticket holder.
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
| Position | Left wing |
|---|---|
| Shoots | Right |
| Height ft | 6 |
| Height in | 2 |
| Weight lb | 233 |
| League | NHL |
| Team | Washington Capitals |
| Former teams | HC Dynamo Moscow (RSL) |
| Ntl team | Russia |
| Birth date | September 17, 1985 |
| Birth place | Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR |
| Draft | 1st overall |
| Draft year | 2004 |
| Draft team | Washington Capitals |
| Career start | 2001 |
| Website | AlexOvechkin8.com}} |
During the 2007–08 season, he led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points to capture the Rocket Richard and Art Ross Trophies. That season he also won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player voted by the NHL Players' Association and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP. He is the only player to win all four awards since the Rocket Richard Trophy's inception in 1999. He would lead Team Russia to a gold medal at the World Championships the same year.
In 2009, he again won the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, the Lester B. Pearson Award, and the Rocket Richard Trophy. Ovechkin also led the Capitals to their second consecutive division title. He won the Ted Lindsay Award, which the Pearson Award had been renamed, for a third straight year in 2010, as well as being named to the First All-Star Team for a fifth consecutive season.
Sergei, Ovechkin's older brother, had initially introduced him to hockey, and Alex enrolled in hockey school at the age of 8.
The following off-season, Ovechkin was selected first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. He had been projected as the first overall pick for nearly two years and had earned comparisons to Mario Lemieux. He was so highly regarded that the Florida Panthers attempted to draft him in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in the 9th round, even though his birthday was two days after the cut-off (September 15, 1985). Rick Dudley, the general manager of the Panthers, claimed the pick was legitimate, claiming that Ovechkin was old enough with leap years taken into consideration.
Ovechkin finished the 2005–06 season leading all NHL rookies in goals, points, power-play goals, and shots. He finished third overall in the NHL in scoring with 106 points and tied for third in goals with 52. His 425 shots led the league, set an NHL rookie record and was the fourth-highest total in NHL history. Ovechkin's point total was the second-best in Washington Capitals history and his goals total tied for third in franchise history. He was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team, the first rookie to receive the honor in 15 years. After the season ended, Ovechkin received the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best rookie. EA Sports made him one of the cover athletes for NHL 07. The following season, Ovechkin appeared in his first NHL All-Star Game in Dallas on January 24, 2007. He completed his second NHL season with 46 goals and 92 points.
Playing in the final season of his rookie contract, in 2007–08, Ovechkin signed a 13-year contract extension worth $124 million with the Capitals on January 10, 2008. The contract, which averages $9.5 million per year, is the richest in NHL history. Working without an agent, Ovechkin negotiated directly with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee.
Late in the season, on March 3, 2008, Ovechkin notched his 50th, 51st and 52nd goals of the campaign for his fourth career NHL hat trick and to hit the 50-goal mark for the second time in his career. Later that month, on March 21, 2008, Ovechkin scored his 59th and 60th goals of the season against the Atlanta Thrashers, becoming the first NHL player to score 60 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux and Jaromír Jágr in 1995–96 and 19th player overall. Four days later, on March 25, Ovechkin scored his 61st goal of the season to break the Washington Capitals' team record for goals in a single season previously held by Dennis Maruk. He also went on to break Luc Robitaille's record for most goals by a left winger in one season on April 3, 2008, by scoring two goals for his 64th and 65th of the season. He also became the first NHL player to score at least 40 even-strength goals in one season since Pavel Bure in 1999–2000.
Leading the league in scoring with 65 goals and 112 points, Ovechkin captured both the Art Ross Trophy and the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2007–08. It was the first time in 41 seasons that a left-winger led the NHL in points since Bobby Hull led the league with 97 points in 1965–66.
Ovechkin helped lead a rejuvenated Capitals team back to the Stanley Cup playoffs with a stronger supporting cast that included countryman Alexander Semin, rookie center Nicklas Bäckström and defenseman Mike Green. He scored the game winning goal in his NHL playoff debut with less than five minutes left in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored nine points in seven games against the Flyers as the Capitals were eliminated in the opening round. In the off-season, Ovechkin was awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award as the top player voted by the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP, becoming the first player in the history of the NHL to win all four major awards, including the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies. Ovechkin was also awarded his third consecutive Kharlamov Trophy, named after Soviet hockey star Valeri Kharlamov and presented by Sovetsky Sport newspaper as the best Russian NHL player as voted by other Russian NHL players.
In late October of the 2008–09 NHL season, Ovechkin returned home to Moscow to visit his ailing grandfather, missing only the second game of his career up to that point, snapping a consecutive streak of 203 games played. On February 5, 2009, Ovechkin scored his 200th goal against the Los Angeles Kings becoming only the fourth player in the NHL to reach the milestone in four seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux. On March 19, he scored his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first Washington Capitals player to reach the 50-goal mark three times. He finished the campaign with 56 goals to capture his second consecutive Rocket Richard Trophy, joining Jarome Iginla and Pavel Bure as the third player to win the award twice and the second player after Bure (2000 and 2001) to win the award in back-to-back seasons. With 110 points, he finished as runner-up to countryman Evgeni Malkin for the Art Ross.
Ovechkin and the Capitals repeated as division champions en route to meeting the Rangers in the opening round. After advancing to the second round in seven games, Ovechkin notched his first NHL playoff hat trick on May 4, 2009, in Game 2 against the Penguins to help Washington to a 4–3 win. The Capitals were eventually defeated by Pittsburgh, the eventual Stanley Cup champions, in seven games. Ovechkin finished the 2009 playoffs with a post-season career-high 21 points in 14 games. He went on to win the Hart and Pearson Trophies for the second consecutive year, becoming the seventeenth player to win the Hart multiple times.
Just over a month into the 2009–10 season, Ovechkin suffered an upper-body injury during a game against the Blue Jackets on November 1, 2009, after a collision with opposing forward Raffi Torres. After returning, Ovechkin was suspended by the NHL on December 1 for two games (one for the action, and one for a second game misconduct penalty during the season) for a knee-on-knee hit to Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason during a game the previous day. Both Gleason and Ovechkin had to be helped off the ice, although Gleason later returned during the game, while Ovechkin did not. Ovechkin was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct at the time. Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau commented that Ovechkin's style of play was at times "reckless". The suspension was Ovechkin's first of his career, causing him to forfeit $98,844.16 in salary.
On January 5, 2010, Ovechkin was named captain of the Washington Capitals after previous captain Chris Clark was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became the first European, second youngest and 14th overall captain in team history.
On February 5, 2010, at a game against the New York Rangers, Ovechkin, with his second goal and third point of the game, reached the 500-point milestone of his NHL career. He is the fifth player to achieve the milestone in only five seasons, reaching it in 373 career games.
On March 14, 2010, at a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center, Ovechkin sent Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell into the boards after Campbell had dumped the puck to the blue line. Ovechkin was called for boarding, receiving a 5-minute major and a game misconduct, and was suspended for 2 games (for a third game misconduct of the season, a 2-game suspension is automatic). Campbell suffered a fractured clavicle and fractured rib, and was expected to be out 7–8 weeks.
Ovechkin won the 2009–2010 Ted Lindsay Award, becoming only the second player to win the award in three consecutive years.
Ovechkin currently ranks third in Capitals history in goals (only Peter Bondra and Mike Gartner have tallied more goals) and is 7th in total points.
In 2009–2010 Ovechkin surpassed the mark of Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame goaltender Bill Durnan (first four seasons from 1943–44 through 1946–47) and became the first player in NHL history voted a First Team All-Star in each of his first five seasons.
In 2011, Ovechkin and the Capitals took part in the New Year's Day NHL Winter Classic, facing Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin did not score any points, but he and the Capitals won 3–1.
On March 8, 2011, in a 5-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, Ovechkin recorded his 600th career point.
On April 5, 2011, Ovechkin scored his 300th career goal, becoming the 6th youngest and 7th fastest player to do so.
At the age of 17, when he was selected by Russian coach Viktor Tikhonov to play in the Česká Pojišťovna Cup EuroTour tournament, Ovechkin became the youngest skater ever to play for the Russian National Team. In that tournament he also became the youngest player ever to score for the National Team. He also was selected to play at the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships, which he amassed 14 goals and 4 assists in 8 games, leading Russia to a Sliver medal.
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At the age of 18, Alex Ovechkin was named Captain of the Junior Russian National Team. Russia finished 5th in the tournament. In 2003, the team would go on to win a gold medal in the IIHF World U20 Championship.
At the age of 19, Ovechkin was named to the Russian National Team for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, making him the youngest player to play in the tournament.
Also at the age of 19, Alex Ovechkin was named Captain of the Junior National Team in the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The tournament, lasting from December 25, 2004, to January 4, 2005, was Ovechkin's third and last. At the end of the tournament he had collected 7 goals (tied for tournament lead). His team received the silver medal after losing the gold medal game to Canada on January 4, and Ovechkin was named the Best Forward of the tournament as well as selected to the tournament All-Star Team. In 2005 Ovechkin played in his first IIHF men's World Championships. He scored five goals and three assists, landing eighth in the top scorers list and sharing third place in goal scoring.
In 2006, Ovechkin played in his first Winter Olympic Games. Although Russia came away from the games without a medal, Ovechkin scored 5 goals in the tournament, including the game-winner against Canada's Martin Brodeur, eliminating Canada from the tournament. Ovechkin was the only player not on the Swedish (Gold) or Finnish (Silver) teams to be named to the all-tournament team.
At the 2006 IIHF World Championships, Ovechkin scored six goals and three assists (nine points) in seven games before Russia lost 4–3 to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. For his efforts, Ovechkin was one of six players selected to the Media All-Star Team.
At the 2008 IIHF World Championships, Ovechkin helped lead Russia to the gold medal by finishing with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in nine games. He was selected to the Media All-Star Team for the second time in five tournament appearances.
In the 2010 Winter Olympics, Ovechkin and Team Russia were one of the favourites to win the Gold Medal. Despite high expectations, Russia lost to Canada 7–3 in the quarterfinals. Ovechkin finished with 2 goals and 2 assists in Russia's four games.
After being eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs, Ovechkin joined Team Russia for the 2010 IIHF World Championships along with many other Russian stars, such as Malkin, Datsyuk, and Kovalchuk. Despite being heavily favoured to win the tournament, Russia lost to the Czech Republic in the finals. This loss ended a disappointing year for Ovechkin on the international stage.
Ovechkin also joined the Russian team for the 2011 IIHF World Championships after the Capitals were eliminated from the NHL playoffs. He played in 5 games for the Russian team, but did not manage to score any points. This was the first time Ovechkin failed to score any points in a World Championship tournament.
On June 11, 2008, Ovechkin also launched his own line of designer streetwear with CCM.
Ovechkin was reportedly involved in a feud with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin, who was drafted second behind Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Though the two were reported to be good friends when they roomed together during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, this friendship quickly cooled. There is no definitive information on what caused the feud, but the most popular theory is that it began in August 2007, when Ovechkin supposedly punched Malkin's Russian agent, Gennady Ushakov, at a Moscow nightclub. Ovechkin has denied that version of events, while Malkin confirmed it, although he was not certain whether this was the precipitating event to the feud. The most notorious event took place on January 21, 2008 in Pittsburgh, when Ovechkin took a run at Malkin, which would have seemingly resulted in a devastating hit had Malkin not ducked out of the way just in time. The two would also not make eye contact at the 2008 NHL Awards Ceremony. Despite these incidents, Ovechkin has repeatedly denied "having it out" for Malkin. it apparently dissipated as mysteriously as it started. On January 24, 2009, at the SuperSkills Competition, Malkin assisted Ovechkin in his stunt during the Breakaway Challenge. Malkin handed Ovechkin his props for the stunt as well as handing him his stick and pouring some sports drink down Ovechkin's throat. Though there is no final word on the nature and status of the feud, considering their past interactions, this incident appears to show that the feud has effectively ended. It has been reported that Ilya Kovalchuk, who was then the Atlanta Thrashers' captain and is also teammate of Ovechkin and Malkin on the Russian national team, brokered the peace between the two. On January 24, 2009, Ovechkin won the Breakaway Competition at the SuperSkills Competition for the 2nd consecutive year in Montreal after emerging in the final few seconds wearing a hat bestowed with a Canadian flag and white sunglasses. On January 25, 2009, Ovechkin scored 1 goal and notched 2 assists, as well as scoring the game-ending shootout goal in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game as the Eastern Conference won 12–11.
He has also made a brief cameo appearance in Vlad Topalov's music video for "Perfect Criminal". He appears at 3:50 minutes into the video, playing "the last man on Earth".
Late in the 2008–09 NHL season, Ovechkin garnered some criticism over his exuberant after-goal celebrations. In the February 28, 2009, segment of Hockey Night in Canada's Coach's Corner, Canadian hockey analyst Don Cherry likened Ovechkin's celebrations of jumping into the boards and his team-mates to that of soccer players, concluding that this was not the Canadian way and advising Canadian kids to ignore Ovechkin's example. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau came to Ovechkin's defense, stating Cherry "doesn't know Alex like we know Alex", and Ovechkin himself stated that he "doesn't care" about Cherry. The next notable incident happened on March 19, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After scoring his 50th goal of the season, Ovechkin put his stick on the ice, pretending to warm his hands over it because it was "hot". The incident sparked an immediate response from Tampa Bay coach Rick Tocchet who said that "[Ovechkin] went down a notch in my books". Boudreau had also stated that he would discuss the incident with Ovechkin, and teammate Mike Green, despite being the first to celebrate with Ovechkin afterwards, commented that he did not wish to join in the pre-meditated celebration. Ovechkin himself was unapologetic, and said about Don Cherry in particular, "He's going to be pissed off for sure...I love it!".
He is the cover athlete of 2K Sports hockey simulation video game NHL 2K10, as well as the cover athlete of EA Sports NHL 07.
On July 6, 2009, Ovechkin was named an ambassador for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
In late 2009, he was named GQ's 48th most powerful person in D.C.
During the 2010–11 season, he has been featured in one of ESPN's This is SportsCenter commercials, in which he laughed off a question by an ESPN personality accusing him of being a Russian spy before being pulled upward by a line through an open ceiling tile by countryman and Capitals teammate Semyon Varlamov.
Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Moscow Category:Art Ross Trophy winners Category:Calder Trophy winners Category:Hart Memorial Trophy winners Category:HC Dynamo Moscow players Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Lester B. Pearson Award winners Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:National Hockey League first overall draft picks Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks Category:National Hockey League players with 50 goal seasons Category:National Hockey League players with 100 point seasons Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Russia Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia Category:Rocket Richard Trophy winners Category:Russian ice hockey left wingers Category:Sportspeople from Moscow Category:Washington Capitals captains Category:Washington Capitals draft picks Category:Washington Capitals players
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
