- published: 18 Feb 2011
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- author: rowdyyy23
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![2003.01.19h-W1: Keiji Mutoh/Bill Goldberg vs. KroniK: Brian Adams/Bryan Clarke [DREAM TAG MATCH]*](http://web.archive.org./web/20121126195951im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8mWgvcwzWH8/default.jpg "*lighting-fix applied. WRESTLE-1 in Tokyo Dome 2003 January 19 Attendance: 20000+ Tokyo, Japan -This is Brian Adams' last match as he suffered a spinal cord injury during this bout that required surgery which, sadly, forced Adams' into early retirement. *footage courtesy: SKY PerfecTV!")
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Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta (
/ətˈlæntə/, stressed /ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia with a 2010 population of 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest in the U.S. It is a major component of a growing southeastern megalopolis known as the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.
Atlanta began as a settlement located at the terminus of a railroad line, and it was incorporated in 1845. Today, the city is a major business city and the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States (via highway, railroad, and air), with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Atlanta as an "alpha(-) world city." With a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. The city is a center for services, finance, information technology, government, and higher education. Metro Atlanta contains the country's third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, and is the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. As of 2010, Atlanta is the seventh most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.
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Bucharest
Bucharest (Romanian: București pronounced [bukuˈreʃtʲ] (
listen)) is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at 44°25′57″N 26°06′14″E / 44.4325°N 26.10389°E / 44.4325; 26.10389Coordinates: 44°25′57″N 26°06′14″E / 44.4325°N 26.10389°E / 44.4325; 26.10389, and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River.
Bucharest was first mentioned in documents as early as 1459. Since then it has gone through a variety of changes, becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and steadily consolidating its position as the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and arts. Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and Art Deco), Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of "Little Paris" (Micul Paris). Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, and Nicolae Ceaușescu's program of systematization, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom..
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California
California (pronounced
i/kælɨˈfɔrnjə/) is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.
California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.
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Dawsonville, Georgia
Dawsonville is a city in Dawson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 619 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Dawson County. It is named for William Crosby Dawson, political and military leader.
The city was incorporated in 1859.
This town was featured in Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy discussing its history of moonshine and how bootlegging eventually turned into NASCAR.
Dawsonville is located at 34°25′N 84°7′W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all of it land.
The community is at the junction of State Routes 9, 53, and 136.
Amicalola Falls, located in Dawsonville, is on the List of the seven natural wonders of Georgia (U.S. state).
As of the census of 2000, there were 619 people, 234 households, and 153 families residing in the city. The population density was 320.9 people per square mile (123.8/km²). There were 257 housing units at an average density of 133.2 per square mile (51.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.58% White, 0.16% Native American, 0.97% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.00% of the population.
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Harvard University
Harvard University is an American private Ivy League research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation (officially The President and Fellows of Harvard College) chartered in the country. Harvard's history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
Harvard was named after its first benefactor, John Harvard. Although never formally affiliated with a church, the college primarily trained Congregationalist and Unitarian clergy. Harvard's curriculum and students became secular throughout the 18th century and by the 19th century had emerged as the central cultural establishment among Boston elites. Following the American Civil War, President Charles W. Eliot's forty year tenure (1869–1909) transformed the college and affiliated professional schools into a centralized research university, and Harvard became a founding member of the Association of American Universities in 1900.James Bryant Conant led the university through the Great Depression and World War II and began to reform the curriculum and liberalize admissions after the war. The undergraduate college became coeducational after its 1977 merger with Radcliffe College. Drew Gilpin Faust was elected the 28th president in 2007 and is the first woman to lead the university. Harvard has the largest financial endowment of any academic institution in the world, standing at $32 billion as of September 2011.
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Los Angeles
Los Angeles (
i/lɒs ˈændʒələs/ loss-AN-jə-ləs; Spanish: [los ˈaŋxeles], which is written Los Ángeles; British pronounciation /lɒs ˈændʒəliːz/ loss-AN-jə-leez) with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in the state of California, and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of 468.67 square miles (1,213.8 km2), and is located in Southern California. Often known by its initials L.A., the city is the focal point of the larger Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area and Greater Los Angeles Area region, which contain 12,828,837 and nearly 18 million people respectively as of 2010, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world and the second largest in the United States. Los Angeles is also the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the United States, while the entire Los Angeles area itself has been recognized as the most diverse of the nation's largest cities. The city's inhabitants are referred to as "Angelenos".
wn.com/Los_Angeles -
Romania
Romania (i/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.
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Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa ( /ˈtʌlsə/) is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 (2010) residents in the MSA and 988,454 (2010) in the CSA. Tulsa's CSA is projected to reach one million between 2010 and 2012. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, and extends into Osage, Rogers, and Wagoner counties.
Tulsa was first settled between 1828 and 1836 by the Lochapoka Band of Creek Native American tribe. In 1921, it was the site of the infamous Tulsa Race Riot, one of the largest and most destructive acts of racial violence in the history of the United States. For most of the 20th century, the city held the nickname "Oil Capital of the World" and played a major role as one of the most important hubs for the American oil industry. Tulsa, along with several other cities, claims to be the birthplace of U.S. Route 66 and is also known for its Western Swing music.
wn.com/Tulsa,_Oklahoma
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Abe Saperstein
Abraham M. Saperstein (July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters. He was born in London, England to a Jewish family.
Saperstein was the commissioner of the American Basketball League and owned the Chicago Majors team in that league.
In the 1988 Harlem Globetrotters documentary 6 Decades of Magic, it was noted that Saperstein chose "Harlem" to indicate that the players were African-American, even though they were actually from Chicago, and the "Globetrotters" moniker to make it seem as though the team had traveled all around the world.
Saperstein, whose 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) stature may render him as Basketball Hall of Fame's shortest member, was elected to the Hall in 1971. In 1979, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He played baseball, basketball, and ran track while in high school. He played as a guard for the Chicago Reds.
He was buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois near Chicago.
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Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician and film producer. After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office. He is best known for his comedic roles, such as in the films Billy Madison (1995), Happy Gilmore (1996), The Waterboy (1998), Big Daddy (1999), and Mr. Deeds (2002), though he has ventured into more dramatic territory. In 1999, Sandler founded Happy Madison, a film and television production company that has produced numerous films and developed the 2007 television series Rules of Engagement.
Adam Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents, Stanley, an electrical engineer, and Judy Sandler, a nursery school teacher. When he was five, his family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he attended Manchester Central High School. He found he was a natural comic, and nurtured his talent while at New York University by performing regularly in clubs and on campuses. Sandler graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988.
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Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen (born February 29, 1924), nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s.
He played his entire 10-year career (1947–1956) with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, where he drove in 100 or more runs 5 years in a row, was a 4-time All-Star, twice led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs, and was an MVP. Rosen was extremely muscular, and had tremendous power and excellent bat control.
Rosen was a .285 career hitter, with 192 home runs and 717 RBIs in 1,044 games. He was selected for the All-Star Game every year between 1952 and 1955. Rosen appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He and his family moved to Miami, Florida when he was three years old. He grew up in the southwest section of Miami, which is now the heart of Little Havana. Rosen grew up without a father, and was raised by three women: his grandmother, mother and aunt.
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Alan Veingrad
Alan Stuart Veingrad, now known as Shlomo Veingrad (born July 24, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League.
Veingrad played for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons, and two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (who won Super Bowl XXVII), playing in a total of 86 games.
Veingrad was born in Brooklyn and lived in New Jersey from ages 3 to 9, before moving to Miami. He went to Miami Sunset High School, and grew up in a Jewish household, but never embraced religion until a later point in his life.
He played college football on scholarship at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce), where he was an All-American and also won National Strength and Conditioning All-America honors. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2006.
In 1986, Veingrad made the Green Bay Packers as the opening day starting offensive tackle.
Veingrad played for the Green Bay Packers for five seasons, from 1986–90, and two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, 1991–92, who won Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993, playing in a total of 86 games.
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Allie Sherman
Alexander "Allie" Sherman (born February 10, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired American football National Football League running back and head coach.
Sherman was the coach of the NFL's New York Giants from 1961 to 1969. His division titles with the Giants from 1961 to 1963 were the high points of his coaching career. Sherman collected two NFL Coach of the Year Awards in 1961 and 1962, the first time such an honor was awarded to the same person in consecutive years.
Sherman, who is Jewish, was the son of Russian Jews. In high school at Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Sherman was captain of his school's handball team, but did not make the school's football team. A very bright student, he graduated high school at the age of 16.
Sherman was the starting quarterback beginning in 1940. He was then the quarterback and captain of the 1941–42 Brooklyn College football team with Johnny Most.
After graduating in 1943 at 20-years-old, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL as a quarterback and defensive back. In his rookie season, he played with a combined Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers squad (due to manpower shortages caused by World War II). The team, called the Steagles, finished third in the NFL East with a record of 5–4–1.
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Amy Alcott
Amy Alcott (born February 22, 1956, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1975, and won five major championships and 29 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Alcott won the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur in 1973, but by 1975, at age 18, she was ready to turn pro. Her first victory came in just her third start, at the Orange Blossom Classic. She went on to be named LPGA Rookie of the Year. Three times Alcott would win four tournaments in a year: 1979, 1980, and 1984. Her best year came in 1980, when in addition to those four victories she also won the LPGA Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, finished second five times and was in the Top 10 in 21 out of 28 tournaments played.
Alcott's first major championship victory came at the 1979 Peter Jackson Classic (later renamed the du Maurier Classic). She went on to win the U.S. Women's Open in 1980 and the Nabisco Dinah Shore in three times, in 1983, 1988, and 1991. In fact, the 1991 Nabisco Dinah Shore was her final victory on the LPGA Tour. After her win at the 1988 Dinah Shore, Alcott initiated what is now a tradition of the winner leaping into the greenside lake to celebrate.
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Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett (born December 27, 1959) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the University of Iowa, and was recognized as an All-American. A second-round pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, Tippett played professionally for the New England Patriots for his entire pro career. Currently, he is the Patriots' Executive Director of Community Affairs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Tippett was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey. He first attended college and played football at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls in 1978.
He is married to Rhonda Tippett (née Kenney) with three daughters, Janea Tippett, Asia Barnes and Madison, and one son, Coby. Asia has been a Patriots Cheerleader since 2008. Andre Tippett is a former Baptist, and a convert to Judaism. He currently lives in Sharon, Massachusetts, and is a Pop Warner football coach.
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Anthony Ervin
Anthony Lee Ervin (born May 26, 1981) is a former American swimmer. He has won two Olympic medals and two World Championship golds.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, he became the first swimmer of African American descent to make the USA Olympic Swimming Team. At those Games, he swam to a gold medal in the men's 50 m freestyle, tying with countryman Gary Hall Jr. He also was on the silver medal winning men's 4×100 m freestyle relay.
Ervin retired from swimming in 2003 at the age of 22.
In 2011, Ervin returned to swimming and is currently preparing for the 2012 London Olympics.
Ervin was born in Hollywood, California and raised in Valencia, California. His father is of African-American and Native American descent and his mother is Jewish. He swam for the club team Canyons Aquatic Club. He currently still holds several age group records.
He formerly coached a Manhattan-based junior swim team, The Manhattan Makos, before going off to finish up his studying at Berkeley.
Anthony has been the head developmental coach in Oakland with the famed Oakland Undercurrent swim team since the Spring of 2011. He is one of the most inspirational and innovative age group coaches in the world.
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Art Heyman
Arthur Bruce "Art" Heyman (born June 24, 1941) is an American former professional basketball player.
Heyman, who was Jewish,[2] was born in New York City, New York. A 6' 5" guard/forward, after attending Oceanside High School in New York, Heyman was heavily recruited by many schools, and originally signed a letter of intent to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels. At the last moment, however, Heyman changed his mind and agreed to play for the Tar Heels greatest rivals, the Duke Blue Devils.
Due to NCAA eligibility rules that prohibited freshmen from playing varsity sports, Heyman played his first year at Duke with the Freshman team, which compiled a record of 10–5, including three victories over the Tar Heels. During one of the Duke-North Carolina freshman games, North Carolina freshman Dieter Krause attacked Heyman, leading to a melee where the two coaches had to be restrained from attacking each other. Heyman needed five stitches after the attack.
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Art Shamsky
Arthur Louis Shamsky (born October 14, 1941, in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball player. He played right field, left field, and first base from 1965 to 1972 for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In 2007 he was the manager of the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League.
Shamsky is Jewish and was born in St. Louis. He attended University City High School in St. Louis and played on the school's baseball team as did fellow major leaguer and Israel Baseball League manager Ken Holtzman four years later. After playing ball for the University of Missouri in 1958-59, he was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1959.
Shamsky began his professional baseball career as an 18-year-old with the 1960 Geneva Redlegs, and homered in his first at-bat. A roommate of Pete Rose that year, he hit .271 and slugged .480. His 18 homers were second in the league, well ahead of Tony Perez and Dick Allen. Shamsky led the league's outfielders in assists, and made the All-Star team.
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Barney Ross
Barney Ross (born Dov-Ber "Beryl" David Rosofsky; December 23, 1909 – January 17, 1967) was an American professional boxer. Ross became a world champion in three weight divisions and was a decorated veteran of World War II.
Dov-Ber (or Beryl) Rosofsky was born in New York City to Isidore "Itchik" Rosofsky and Sarah Epstein Rosofsky. His father was a Talmudic scholar who had emigrated to America from his native Brest-Litovsk after barely surviving a pogrom. The family then moved from New York to Chicago. Isidore became a rabbi and owner of a small vegetable shop in Chicago's Maxwell Street neighborhood, a vibrant Jewish ghetto akin to the New York's Lower East Side of the 1920s and '30s.
The young Rasofsky grew up on Chicago's mean streets, ultimately ignoring his father's admonition that Jews do not fight back.
"'Let the goyim be the fighters,'" Ross later recalled being told by his father. "'The trumbeniks, the murderers – we are the scholars.'" Ross's ambition in life was to become a Jewish teacher and a Talmudic scholar, but his life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his small grocery. Prostrate from grief, his mother Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown and his younger siblings—Ida, Sam and George-were placed in an orphanage or farmed out to other members of the extended family. Dov and his older brothers Ben and Morrie were left to their own devices.
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Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
In NWA/WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a one-time Television Champion, a one-time Western States Heritage Champion, a four-time NWA (Mid Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Champion and a one-time NWA United States Tag Team Champion with Ron Garvin. In WWF, he was a two-time World Tag Team Champion with his brother-in-law, Mike Rotunda. On March 31, 2012, Windham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen.
Windham was trained by his father Blackjack Mulligan and popular world champion Harley Race. He debuted on November 27, 1979 against J.J. Dillion in Odessa, Texas when he was 19 years old. Much of his early career was in the NWA's Championship Wrestling from Florida territory where Gordon Solie was the head announcer. He was a fan favorite for most of the early and middle periods of his career, having great success in singles and tag action. Windham had notable feuds with Kevin Sullivan and his army. With his brother-in-law Mike Rotunda, Windham formed a tag team in 1984. The duo captured the NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship three times between March and May 1984.
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Ben Bennett
Ben Bennett (born May 5, 1962 in Sunnyvale, California) is an American football coach most recently the head coach of the af2's Austin Wranglers. He has been involved in professional football as a player and coach since 1984. After a successful college career at Duke University, Bennett played in the National Football League (NFL), the United States Football League (USFL), the Arena Football League (AFL), and the World League of American Football (WLAF). He coached in the AFL and af2. He was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2000.
Ben Bennett played high school football at Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California where he set 18 school and 9 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League records and was the captain of the senior team.
As a freshman in 1980, was voted ACC “Rookie of the Year” and twice named the ACC “Offensive Player of the Week”. Best individual game was against Wake Forest University, setting three NCAA freshman records by completing 38 of 62 passes for 469 yards. Finished the season completing 174 of 330 passes for 2,050 yards and 11 TDs.
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Benny Friedman
Benjamin "Benny" Friedman (March 18, 1905 – November 24, 1982) was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan (1924–1926), Cleveland Bulldogs (1927), Detroit Wolverines (1928), New York Giants (1929–1931), and Brooklyn Dodgers (1932–1934).
He is generally considered the first great passer in professional football. In 2005, Friedman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Friedman became the starting quarterback and placekicker midway through his sophomore year at Michigan (On defense, he played in the backfield). In 1925 and 1926, he led the Wolverines to consecutive 7–1 seasons and first place finishes in the Big Ten Conference. Against Indiana in 1925, Friedman accounted for 44 points, throwing for five touchdowns and kicking two field goals and eight extra points. The following year, he was a consensus first-team All-American and most valuable player of the Big Ten.
In 1927, Friedman joined his hometown Cleveland Bulldogs in the National Football League. After a successful rookie season in Cleveland, he had a spectacular second year playing for the Detroit Wolverines. In 1928, Friedman led the NFL in passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and scoring as well as extra points (He may have led in other categories, too, but the NFL did not record yardage stats in those days.)
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Benny Leonard
Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner, Hebrew name דוב בער בן אברהם גרשון (Dov Ber ben Avraham Gershon); April 17, 1896 – April 18, 1947) was an American professional lightweight boxer. He was ranked 8th on the Ring Magazine's list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years" and #7 on ESPN's "50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time." In 2005, the International Boxing Research Organization ranked Leonard as the #1 lightweight of all-time.
Benny Leonard was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto, which was then located in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City, on whose streets he learned to fight.
Leonard was known for his speed, excellent boxing technique and ability to think fast on his feet. He also was a hard hitter, who scored 70 KOs out of his 183 wins. Leonard was defeated 24 times and was held to a draw on 8 occasions. As was common in the era in which he fought, Leonard engaged in several no-decision matches and is believed to have fought 219 bouts.
Leonard debuted on a Saturday in November 1911—the exact date is unknown—losing in three rounds at the Fondon Athletic Club in New York when the fight was stopped because he was bleeding through the nose. He won 12 of his next 18 bouts (three were no-decisions), establishing a reputation as a good local fighter before meeting Canadian Frankie Fleming in May 1912. Leonard was knocked out for only the second time in his career. He lost a rematch with Fleming 16 months later. (Not surprisingly, Fleming got the first shot at Freddie Welsh, failing to unseat the lightweight champion in a May 1915 fight the newspapers awarded to Welsh.) Leonard’s next big test came when he took on featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane in Atlantic City in April 1915. Kilbane won six of ten rounds to win the decision. “Leonard might have beaten the champion if he had a little more confidence,“ the Chicago Tribune said, “but even when he was having the best of the going he shut up like a clam and clinched for all he was worth.”
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Big Van Vader
Leon Allen White (born May 14, 1955) better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or Vader, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. White is perhaps best known for his time with New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation and All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s. A super-heavyweight wrestler capable of significant aerial maneuvers as well as power moves, he was both a face and a heel in several professional wrestling promotions. During his career, he became an eight time world champion (three times in World Championship Wrestling, three times in New Japan Pro Wrestling and two times in All Japan Pro Wrestling).
While working out at a gym, White was spotted by a man who remembered him from his college football days who suggested he look into professional wrestling. Trained by Brad Rheingans, White got his first national exposure in the American Wrestling Association. He went by the moniker "Baby Bull", which was later changed to "Bull Power". White honed his skills during this time, and his ring work improved significantly, so much so that he was given a match with Stan Hansen for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
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Bill Goldberg
William Scott "Bill" Goldberg (born December 27, 1966) is a former professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is famous for his lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition) The official count is listed as 173-0, although some have disputed the legitimacy of that total.
Goldberg is recognized by WWE as a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time World Heavyweight Champion, with both reigns represented by the Big Gold Belt. He was the first of four men to hold a version of the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, later followed by Chris Benoit, Booker T and Big Show. He is also recognized by WWE as a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart).
Before he was a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a football player. After retiring from wrestling, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion EliteXC until its closure. He is currently hosting the television show Garage Mahal on the DIY Network.
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Bill Mazer
Bill Mazer (born 1920 in Kiev, Russia, now Ukraine during the Russian Civil War) is a Jewish American television and radio personality who has won numerous awards and citations, including three Sportscaster of the Year awards for New York from 1964–66.
Mazer earned the nickname "The A-Maz-In" for his deep knowledge of sports trivia, which was made evident while hosting his WNBC radio show in the 1960s. Based on this, he wrote several sports trivia books, including Bill Mazer's Amazin' Baseball Book: 150 Years of Baseball Tales & Trivia published by Zebra Books in 1991.
Mazer's family left Kiev, emigrating before his first birthday. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He received a BA at University of Michigan before being drafted. During World War II, he served the majority of his time in the Armed Forces-Air Force Transport Command in the Pacific theatre.
After returning home, he married Dora Sudarsky ("Dutch"), his pre-war sweetheart. They had three children. Their marriage lasted 50 years, ending with her death from cancer in 1996, and Mazer has never remarried.
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Bob Nystrom
Robert Thore Nystrom (born October 10, 1952) is a retired professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1972 to 1986. He is best remembered as having scored the winning goal at the 7:11 mark of overtime to give the New York Islanders the 1980 Stanley Cup title. This signaled the first of four straight championships for the club.
Playing his minor hockey in Hinton, Alberta, Nystrom is immortalized on the town's wall of fame. He is arguably the most successful NHL player from the geographical area that yielded the likes of Dave Scatchard and Dean McAmmond.
His son Eric plays professional hockey for the Dallas Stars of the NHL, and previously played for the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild.
Born Thore Robert Nyström in Stockholm, Sweden, Nystrom came to Canada as a four-year-old and starred for the BCJHL's Kamloops Rockets in 1969–70. He was an emotional sparkplug on the Calgary Centennials of the WCJHL for two seasons and was claimed 33rd overall by the Islanders in 1972. He played half a season for minor league affiliate New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey league before being promoted to the Islanders in March 1973, wearing number 5.
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Bobby Lashley
Franklin Roberto "Bobby" Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist, actor, and former collegiate amateur wrestler as well as a former professional wrestler. During his professional wrestling career, he was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time United States Champion and a two-time world champion, having had two reigns as ECW World Champion.
Lashley attended Missouri Valley College, where he won three national college amateur wrestling championships between 1996 and 1998 and placed fourth in 1995. In 1997 and 1998, he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Wrestling Champion. Lashley later joined the United States Army, where he continued to wrestle. He was training for the Olympics in 2003, when he suffered a knee injury while doing business at a bank where a robbery broke out. The injury ended his Olympic plans, and Lashley went into pro wrestling soon after.
In November 2004, Lashley began working in the professional wrestling area and signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. He was assigned to the development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was known as Blaster Lashley, and was a member of the Bolin Services stable along with Mike Mondo and Ken Doane. However during that time Bolin Services began to crumble with Lashley refusing to help Doane win matches, resulting in him turning face and going by his Bobby Lashley name.
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Bobo Brazil
Houston Harris (July 10, 1923 — January 20, 1998) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Bobo Brazil. Even though he is "Bobo", a promoter mispronounced it and it stuck .He is credited with breaking down barriers of racial segregation in professional wrestling. Harris is considered one of the first successful African American professional wrestlers, and is often referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of professional wrestling".
Houston Harris was born in Little Rock, Arkansas but later lived in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Benton Harbor, Michigan. He played baseball and worked in a steel mill.
Harris was trained by Joe Savoldi after meeting him at matches at the Naval Armory. Originally, Harris was to be known as "Boo-Boo Brazil", but a promoter misprinted his first name as "Bobo" in an advertisement and it stuck.
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Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman (born March 1, 1965), better known by his ring name Booker T, is an American professional wrestler and wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand.
Booker is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)/WWE, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), holding 35 major titles between those organizations. He is the most decorated wrestler in WCW history, having held 20 titles in the organization, including a record six WCW World Television Championships, and a record ten WCW World Tag Team Championships as one half of Harlem Heat with his brother, Lane "Stevie Ray" Huffman (he claimed an eleventh reign in the WWF with Test).
Between WCW and the WWF/WWE, Booker is a six-time world champion: a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion (his fifth reign occurred in the WWF) and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only black man to become a world champion in both WCW and the WWF/WWE. He was the winner of the WWE King of the Ring tournament in 2006, the sixteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the eighth WWE Grand Slam Champion. Also the ninth, and final, WCW Triple Crown Champion, he is the most recent of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championships.
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Booker T (wrestler)
Robert Booker Tio Huffman (born March 1, 1965), better known by his ring name Booker T, is an American professional wrestler and wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand.
Booker is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)/WWE, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), holding 35 major titles between those organizations. He is the most decorated wrestler in WCW history, having held 20 titles in the organization, including a record six WCW World Television Championships, and a record ten WCW World Tag Team Championships as one half of Harlem Heat with his brother, Lane "Stevie Ray" Huffman (he claimed an eleventh reign in the WWF with Test).
Between WCW and the WWF/WWE, Booker is a six-time world champion: a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion (his fifth reign occurred in the WWF) and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only black man to become a world champion in both WCW and the WWF/WWE. He was the winner of the WWE King of the Ring tournament in 2006, the sixteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the eighth WWE Grand Slam Champion. Also the ninth, and final, WCW Triple Crown Champion, he is the most recent of four men in history to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crown Championships.
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Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian American writer, actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE under a Legends contract. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. Along with his famed "Hit Man" nickname, Hart was known by the monikers "The Excellence of Execution", "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be" and "The Pink and Black Attack"—the latter being in reference to his ring attire, as well as his signature mirrored sunglasses, which he routinely gave away to a young audience member before matches.
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Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels (born Bret Michael Sychak, March 15, 1963) is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison who have sold over 30 million records worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and the number-one single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".
Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, including a Soundtrack album to the movie A Letter from Death Row in which Michaels starred in, wrote and directed in 1998 and a classic Poison style rock album Songs of Life in 2003. Michaels has appeared in several movies and TV shows, including as a judge on the talent show Nashville Star which lead to his country influenced rock album Freedom of Sound in 2005. He starred in the hit VH1 reality show Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and its sequels, which inspired his successful solo album Rock My World. He was the winning contestant on NBC's reality show Celebrity Apprentice 3 and also featured in his own reality Docu-series Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It, which inspired his highest charting album as a solo artist Custom Built, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock list.
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Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar (/ˈlɛznər/; born July 12, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, actor, former mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler, signed with WWE and appearing on its Raw brand. He is also a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and former #1 ranked mixed martial arts (MMA) Heavyweight by Sherdog; he was ranked #5 before he announced his retirement at the end of 2011. Lesnar is an accomplished amateur wrestler, winning the 2000 NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship and placing second in 1999, losing in the finals to 1999 world freestyle wrestling champion and future New England Patriots offensive lineman Stephen Neal.
He gained prominence in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2002 to 2004, where he is a former three-time WWE Champion, becoming the youngest WWE Champion at age 25 with his first reign. Lesnar was the 2002 King of the Ring and the winner of the 2003 Royal Rumble. After leaving WWE, Lesnar pursued a career in the NFL. He played during the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings, but ended up being a late cut. Lesnar returned to professional wrestling at the end of 2005, and joined New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match. He was officially stripped of the title by NJPW in July 2006, and took the physical belt with him to Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), where he was still recognized as IWGP Champion until June 2007.
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Carly Colón
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. (born on February 21, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both Carly Colón and Carlito. Colón occasionally still performs in the World Wrestling Council (WWC). He is a 13-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion.
In 2003, Colón signed a developmental contract with WWE. He worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) for sixteen months, mostly wrestling in tag team matches while making appearances in WWC. On October 7, 2004, Colón made his debut performing on the main event of SmackDown! as Carlito Caribbean Cool. Colón is a former United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion and has been part of both the Raw and SmackDown brands. He is the only wrestler to win a championship on two separate debuts in WWE and the second Puerto Rican to become Intercontinental Champion after Pedro Morales. At WrestleMania XXV, Colón and his brother, Eddie Colón, became the only tag team to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship.
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Carol Leifer
Carol Leifer (pronounced /ˈliːfər/ LEE-fər; born July 27, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer and actor whose career as a stand-up comedian started in the 1970s when she was in college. David Letterman discovered her performing in a comedy club in the 1980s and she has since been a guest on Late Night With David Letterman over twenty-five times as well as numerous other shows and venues. She has written many television scripts including for The Larry Sanders Show, Saturday Night Live, and most notably, Seinfeld.
Leifer's "inner monologue" observational style is often autobiographical encompassing subjects about her Jewish ancestry and upbringing, coming out, same-sex marriage, relationships (having been married previously to a man and now partnered with a woman) and parenting.
Leifer recently became vegan, saying "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn’t part of a small enough minority. So now I’m a Jewish lesbian vegan."
Leifer was born in East Williston, New York, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family, the daughter of Anna, a psychologist, and Seymour Leifer, an optometrist.
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Charlee Minkin
Charlee Minkin (born November 13, 1981, in San Francisco, California) is a female judoka from the United States, who won the silver medal in the women's half lightweight division (– 52 kg) at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
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Charlie Sumner
Charles "Charlie" Sumner (born October 19, 1930) is a former American football player who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the twenty second round of the 1954 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 194 lbs. safety from the College of William & Mary, Sumner played in 8 NFL seasons from 1955-1962. He later was an assistant coach for the Oakland Raiders for many seasons and the head coach of the Oakland Invaders of the USFL in 1985. He was born in Radford, Virginia
Sumner led the Invaders to the USFL Championship game - a club that featured future NFL stars Anthony Carter, Bobby Hebert, Ray Bentley and Gary Plummer. The 1985 USFL Championship game was the last game the league would ever play. The Invaders lost to the Baltimore Stars, 28-24 at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.
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Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit (French pronunciation: [bəˈnwɑ]) (May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide. During his professional wrestling career, Benoit worked for such major promotions as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE).
Among other accolades, Benoit is a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, one-time World Heavyweight Champion (tied for third longest reign in history). Both of his world title reigns were represented by the Big Gold Belt: Benoit is one of four men to have held the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, alongside Bill Goldberg, Booker T and Big Show. He is also a record-tying five-time WCW/WWE United States Champion, having held the championship twice in WCW, and three times in WWE. The twelfth WWE Triple Crown Champion and seventh WCW Triple Crown Champion, he is the second of four men in history to achieve both the WWF and WCW Triple Crown Championships.
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Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), known professionally as Chris Jericho, is an American-born Canadian professional wrestler, musician, media personality, actor, author and businessman. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its Raw brand in addition to being the lead singer of heavy metal band Fozzy. He is also well known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and internationally in Canadian, Mexican and Japanese promotions.
Jericho has won 30 championships between WWF/E, WCW, and ECW - the three most prominent American promotions in the 1990s and early 2000s. He is credited as being the first Undisputed WWF Champion, having unified the WWE Championship and World Championship (formerly the WCW Championship) in 2001.
In WWE Jericho is a six-time world champion, having won the Undisputed WWF Championship once, the WCW/World Championship twice and the World Heavyweight Championship thrice. He is also a record nine-time Intercontinental Champion, and the fourth WWE Grand Slam Champion.
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Chris Kanyon
Christopher Klucsarits (January 4, 1970 – April 2, 2010) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon (or simply Kanyon) and Mortis.
After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby Bold Eagle at the Lower East Side Wrestling Gym in Manhattan at some point between December 1991 and January 1992. He wrestled his first match on April 5, 1992 in Levittown, New York at the Island Trees Junior High School, and wrestled one match as Chris Morgan before adopting the ring name Chris Canyon and later changed it to Chris Kanyon. Kanyon worked as a physical therapist for the next three years, wrestling on weekends and in the evenings, before finally deciding to become a full-time professional wrestler in 1995. Early in his career, Kanyon formed a tag team with Billy Kidman which saw both men wrestle in the uniform of hockey players.
In late 1994, he made several appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as a jobber, facing wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Tatanka and Bob Holly. His friend and future manager James Mitchell saw potential in him and sent him for training with The Fabulous Moolah in South Carolina and with Afa at the Wild Samoan wrestling School.
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Christian (wrestler)
William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring names Christian and Christian Cage, who is signed to WWE and appearing on its SmackDown brand, where he is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Reso was trained by former professional wrestlers Ron Hutchinson, Dory Funk, Jr., and Tom Prichard, and made his wrestling debut in June 1995. Reso wrestled in Canadian independent promotions early in his career. During his time in these promotions, he competed in singles and tag team competition, the latter with Edge, his storyline brother. In 1998, Reso signed a developmental deal with the WWF and began competing for the company the following year. After signing with the WWF, Reso made his debut and captured his first title with the company, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He and Edge went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven different occasions. During this time, they gained notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. In 2001 the team parted ways and Reso signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2005.
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Cliff Bayer
Cliff Bayer (born June 24, 1977, in New York City) is an American two-time Olympian foil fencer.
Bayer and his older brother, Greg, used to duel in their parents' living room with Luke Skywalker light sabres when they were children. Their mother, fearing damage to the furniture, took them to a fencing salle in New York City. Bayer began fencing at the age of 8, and competing internationally at the age of 16.
Cliff is now an investment banker for UBS Securities, covering the commercial aerospace industry.
In 1996, he was the NCAA Foil Champion while at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was enrolled in the Wharton School of Business. He also earned an MBA from Wharton.
Bayer won the U.S. National Championship in 1995, while still a senior at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, becoming the youngest national champion ever, at the age of 17—an honor that he held until 2007, when Gerek Meinhardt won the championship at the age of 16.
He won the U.S. National Championship again in 1997, 1998, and 2000.
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CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand as the reigning WWE Champion.
In professional wrestling, Brooks is a seven time World Champion, having held the ROH World Championship and ECW Championship once, the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship twice.
In addition to these championships Punk has also won the World Tag Team Championship (with Kofi Kingston), and the WWE Intercontinental Championship making him the nineteenth WWE Triple Crown Champion and the man to achieve this honor fastest at 203 days. Between WWE and Ring of Honor (where he is also a two-time World Tag Team Champion), Punk has won a total of eleven championships. He was also the winner of the 2008 and 2009 Money in the Bank ladder matches (the only wrestler to win the match twice in a row), and was the 2011 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner.
Punk initially came to prominence through his career on the professional wrestling independent circuit, primarily as a member of the ROH roster, where he was the first head trainer of the ROH wrestling school as well as winning both of their championships. In 2005, Punk signed a contract with WWE and was sent to its developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won every championship available in the promotion. Throughout his career, Punk has consistently used the gimmick of being straight edge, a lifestyle he follows in his actual day-to-day life. Depending on Punk's alignment as a crowd favorite or villain, he emphasizes different aspects of the culture to encourage the desired audience reaction.
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Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who performed under his real name for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In the WWF, he found his greatest success as Mr. Perfect, a nickname introduced in his second run with the company which gradually became his official ring name as use of his real name was phased out; Hennig used the same ring name in his third and final run, however his real name was widely acknowledged. He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and father to current WWE (formerly the WWF) superstar Michael McGillicutty.
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Curtis Stone
Curtis Stone (born 4 November 1975) is an Australian celebrity chef, author and television personality, nicknamed "The Quiet Terminator" by fans following his performance on The Celebrity Apprentice 3.
He was born in Melbourne, Australia. Stone began cooking with his grandmother at the age of five. He attended Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. His father, Bryan Stone, is an accountant.
Stone was studying for his Bachelor of Business before deciding his heart was in food. He worked at some top Australian restaurants before leaving to work at various restaurants in London. In Australia, he debuted his cooking career at age 18 at the Savoy Hotel. On completing his qualifications as a chef, Stone began cooking in London under Marco Pierre White at the Café Royal and Mirabelle. He went on to become head chef at White's Quo Vadis.
Stone returned briefly to Australia to make the traveling cooking show Surfing the Menu (on ABC TV) with another chef, Ben O'Donoghue.
No stranger to television, Stone had appeared in a number of cooking programs in the UK, including Dinner in a Box, Good Food Live and Saturday Kitchen. He also hosted the first season of My Restaurant Rules in Australia. Beginning in May 2006, Stone hosted Take Home Chef on TLC in the United States, which went on to become an international hit for TLC.
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Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953 in Queens, New York) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and LGBT rights activist.
She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the debut solo album She's So Unusual in 1983, which spawned four Billboard Hot 100 top-five songs—"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night"—She's So Unusual was the first album in history to have four top five singles by a female. The album earned Lauper Best New Artist at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985.
Her success continued with the follow-up, True Colors in 1986, which spawned two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs—"True Colors" and "Change of Heart", and earned two nominations at the 29th Grammy Awards.
Since 1989 released from a nine studio albums acclaimed critical, A Night to Remember (1989), Hat Full of Stars (1993), Sisters of Avalon (1996), Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life (1998),Shine (2001), At Last (2003), The Body Acoustic (2005), Bring Ya to the Brink (2008).
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Dan Grunfeld
Daniel Leslie Grunfeld (born February 7, 1984, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player. He played briefly for Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Basketball Super League and signed a two-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem starting at the beginning of November 2011.
He is the son of former New York Knicks guard, and current Washington Wizards executive, Ernie Grunfeld. In high school, he averaged 23.9 points per game and was the MVP of his conference. In college, at Stanford University, he was first team All Pacific-10 Conference as a junior. He has also played professionally for EWE Baskets Oldenburg, Aguas de Valencia Gandía Bàsquet, CB Valladolid, and Bnei Hasharon.
Grunfeld is Jewish, and the son of former New York Knicks guard, and current Washington Wizards executive, Ernie Grunfeld. His father was also general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, before becoming President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards.
Grunfeld grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, while his father was the GM of the New York Knicks. Due to this, Grunfeld grew up a die-hard Knicks fan, but was still only an average player on his FAMS middle school team in the mid-late 1990s. When his father became the Milwaukee Bucks GM, Grunfeld moved to Wisconsin. It was there that he developed his game, shot up in height, and became a dominating high school player.
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Daniel Bukantz
Daniel B. Bukantz (December 4, 1917 – July 26, 2008) was an American Olympic fencing competitor and referee and also a dentist.
He won the national singles championship in the foil in 1949, 1952, 1953 and 1957. He competed in the foil in Olympic games four consecutive times beginning in 1948, and was part of nine national championship teams for the Fencers Club of New York. He won the gold medal in the foil at the 1950 Maccabiah Games in Israel. He also competed in epee at times. [1] He was a head referee at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. He is a member of the United States Fencing Hall of Fame in Shreveport.
He operated a dental practice in Manhattan for about 40 years.
He attended City College of New York and then entered dental school at New York University. He was commissioned a captain in the Army Dental Corps during World War II. He served in the 87th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge.
He was married to Alice Ellenbogen Bukantz. His son Jeff Bukantz was captain of the 2004 and 2008 United States Olympic fencing teams.
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Danny Schayes
Daniel Leslie "Danny" Schayes (born May 10, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA from 1981 until 1999. At 6'11" and 235 pounds, he played at center. He is the son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes.
Schayes was born to a Jewish family in Syracuse, New York, the son of Naomi Eva (née Gross) and Dolph Schayes. His father's parents were born in Romania and immigrated to the United States. He is an alum of Jamesville-Dewitt High School. Schayes scored 1,012 points in his high school career, and led his team to the Onondaga League North title in 1977. He ended the year as a player on the gold medal-winning U.S. basketball team coached by his father at the 1977 Maccabiah Games (in Tel Aviv, Israel), before beginning his college career.
Schayes had an outstanding senior year at Syracuse University, in which he averaged nearly 12 points and compiled 284 rebounds for SU. He was named to the 1981 All-Big East first team, and was both an All-American, and an Academic All-American. He still holds the Carrier Dome record for rebounds in a game, with 23 in a game against Georgetown.
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Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder. Strawberry was well known for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the game, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams.
During his 17-year career, he helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999. A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the All-Star Game eight straight times from 1984–1991. Strawberry was formerly an analyst for SportsNet New York. His memoir, "Straw: Finding My Way," written in collaboration with author John Strausbaugh, was published on April 28, 2009 by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers.
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Dave Cohen
Dave Cohen (born October 6, 1966) is the current defensive coordinator for the Western Michigan Broncos football team. He was the final head coach of Hofstra University's football program. He coached from 2006 through 2009, but days after the 2009 season ended, Hofstra announced that it was dropping its football program due to economic and popularity considerations. In his five seasons as head coach, Cohen compiled an 18–27 overall record.
Cohen was born in Huntington, New York, and attended Commack High School in Long Island, New York from 1980–1984. He then attended Long Island University C.W. Post Campus from 1984–1988 where he earned a bachelor's degree in business management. Cohen then received his master's degree in education administration from the University of Albany in 1990.
Cohen is married to his wife Denise and have two children, Charlie and Brian.
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David Archer
David Mark Archer (born February 15, 1962) is a former professional American football player. A 6'2" undrafted quarterback from Snow College and Iowa State University, Archer played six seasons in the National Football League from 1984 to 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles. He attended Soda Springs High School, in Soda Springs, Idaho.
Archer played for the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF in 1992, throwing for 2,964 yards (NFL Europa single season record) and leading them to a World Bowl championship, where he was named game MVP. In 1993 he headed to the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Sacramento Gold Miners (part of the league's United States expansion) where in 1993 he threw for 6,023 yards, still the fourth most in any CFL season (Doug Flutie of the Calgary Stampeders threw for even more yards that year.) He threw for 3,340 yards for Sacramento in 1994. He played with the San Antonio Texans in 1995, and the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1996. After the Rough Riders folded, he was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the dispersal draft. He decided to not play in Saskatchewan as the contract offer was too low and retired instead. He spent the 1997 season as a CFL television analyst and returned to the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1998. His final game was the Western Final playoff game against the Calgary Stampeders with Jeff Garcia at quarterback. Calgary won and went on to win the Grey Cup. Archer retired after that game and is now the color analyst for the Atlanta Falcons and SEC college football.
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David Blu
David Blu (Hebrew: דוד בלו; born David Bluthenthal, July 18, 1980, in Los Angeles) is a 6' 7" (2.01 m) American-Israeli professional basketball player who plays for the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club.
He was born as David Bluthenthal. In 2010 he changed his name to David Blu .
Blu is Jewish. His mother is Jewish, and his African American father converted to Judaism. He represented the United States at the Maccabiah Games in 1997.
Before high school, Blu attended Palms Junior High.
He attended the University of Southern California, which was founded by his great-great-great-grandfather, Isaias Hellman. A starter from his sophomore season on, he was consistently one of the top players in the Pac-10.
In 2001–02, his senior season, Blu was named All-Pac 10 honorable mention. He averaged 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He graduated in 2002.
After graduation, he went to Europe and signed with Israeli professional team Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israel League. During two years with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2003–04) he lifted team to the Euroleague championship in 2004 and the Israeli National Cup twice. He scored 20 points off the bench in the 2004 Euroleague final, a 44-point Maccabi annihilation of one of his future teams, Fortitudo Bologna.
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Dean Malenko
Dean Simon (born August 4, 1960) is a retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Dean Malenko. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He is best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Considered by many to be one of the most technically gifted professional wrestlers of all time, Malenko's in-ring talents would earn him the nickname, "The Man of 1,000 Holds". He was also known as "The Iceman" for his cold and calculating demeanor.
In the WWF, he was a 2-time Light Heavyweight Champion. In WCW, he was a 1-time United States Champion, a 4-time Cruiserweight Champion and a 1-time World Tag Team Champion with Chris Benoit. In ECW, he was a 2-time Television Champion and a 1-time Tag Team Champion with Chris Benoit.
Malenko was born into a wrestling family, and his father Boris Malenko was a prominent wrestling figure. He started out as a referee in the Tampa area and even worked briefly as a referee for the WWF in the mid-1980s. He has wrestled all over the world and has spent much time wrestling in Mexico and Japan. He wrestled with his brother Joe from 1988 to 1992, forming a tag team, until his brother retired. On January 24, 1992, Malenko defeated "The Superstar" for the Suncoast Pro Wrestling (SPW) Southern title in Palmetto, Florida. Malenko defeated Jimmy Backlund for the ICWA Light Heavyweight title on March 12, 1992, in Tampa.
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Debbie Rademacher
Debbie Rademacher (born 27 May 1966, as Debbie Belkin) is a retired American soccer defender who was a member of the United States women's national soccer team.
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Deena Kastor
Deena Michelle Kastor (born Deena Michelle Drossin on February 14, 1973) is an American long-distance runner. She holds American records in the marathon, half-marathon, and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. She is also an eight-time national champion in cross country.
In high school, Kastor won three California state cross country titles and two CIF California State Meet titles at 3200 meters while running for Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California. She also competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships all four years of her prep career. At the University of Arkansas she was a four-time SEC champion and an eight-time All-American. Post-collegiately, Kastor ran under coaches Joe Vigil and Terrence Mahon (currently head of the Mammoth Lakes, California training group).
Kastor has twice been runner up in the World Cross Country Championships.
She holds U.S. records in the following events:
Kastor formerly held the following record:
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Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg, Jr.; April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page (DDP), is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor, signed to WWE in a Legends contract[citation needed]. In the course of his wrestling career, which spanned two decades, Page has wrestled for mainstream wrestling promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Page first broke into the wrestling business in 1988, as a manager in the American Wrestling Association, where he worked for nine months before signing with WCW in 1991. There, he continued as a manager until late 1991, when he became a wrestler. Over a decade in WCW, Page became a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, four-time WCW World Tag Team Champion and one-time WCW World Television Champion. He is the fourth WCW Triple Crown Champion.
After WCW was sold in 2001, Page signed with the WWF, where he became a one-time WWF European Champion and one-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. Due to a series of injuries, he allowed his contract with the company to expire in 2002. He worked for TNA from 2004 to 2005. Page is now an actor in small-budget films, as well as a fitness guru and motivational speaker.
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Dick Savitt
Richard "Dick" Savitt (born March 4, 1927) is a 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 metres) and 185-pound (84 kg) right-handed American male former tennis player.
Savitt was ranked World No. 2 in 1951. That year, at the age of 24, he won both the Wimbledon Singles Championship and the Australian Singles title. He retired the following year.
Savitt is one of three American men who have won both the Australian and British Championships in one year, following Don Budge (1938) and preceding Jimmy Connors (1974).
Savitt is Jewish, and was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He taught himself tennis at the age of 14, but never took a tennis lesson in his life. The self-taught Savitt played tennis well enough, however, to make the finals of the New Jersey Boys Championship and, for two years afterward, the National Boys Tennis Tournament before moving up to the junior ranks.
His first love was basketball, though, and when his family moved to Texas, he was an All-State forward and a co-captain of his El Paso, Texas high school basketball team in 1944. In 1945 Savitt entered the Navy, and played on a service basketball team.
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Dick Schaap
Richard Jay Schaap (September 27, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York –December 21, 2001 in New York City, New York) was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and author.
Born to a Jewish family and raised in Freeport, New York, on Long Island, Schaap began writing a sports column at age 14 for the weekly Freeport Leader, but the following year he moved to the Nassau Daily Review-Star daily under Jimmy Breslin. He would later follow Breslin to the Long Island Press and New York Herald Tribune.
He attended Cornell University and was editor-in-chief of the student paper, the Cornell Daily Sun, during which time he defended a professor before the House Un-American Activities Committee.[citation needed] He lettered in varsity lacrosse playing goaltender. During his last year at Cornell, Schaap was elected to the Sphinx Head Society. After graduating in 1955 he received a Grantland Rice fellowship at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and authored his thesis on the recruitment of basketball players.
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Dick Slater
Richard Van Slater (born May 19, 1951), better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, is a retired American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid 1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Slater began wrestling with Mike Graham at Robinson High School, in Tampa, Florida. He attended the University of Tampa with Paul Orndorff. From there he began wrestling in Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling. He worked as a booker in Knoxville, Tennessee after Ron Fuller sold his promotion to Jim Barnett. He wrestled in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (later World Championship Wrestling), where he appeared on the first Starrcade. He also worked in Mid-South Wrestling Association, where he was managed by Dark Journey. Made some trips to the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico. He wrestled briefly in the World Wrestling Federation as a babyface under a "Rebel" gimmick, but soon returned to WCW. He wrestled there until receiving his back injury that ended his career.
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Dolph Schayes
Adolph "Dolph" Schayes (born May 19, 1928) is a retired American professional basketball player and coach in the NBA. A top scorer and rebounder, he was a member of the 1955 NBA champion Syracuse Nationals and a 12-time All-Star.
Schayes played his entire Hall of Fame career with the Nationals and their successor, the Philadelphia 76ers, from 1948 to 1964. In his 16-year career, he led the team into the post-season 15 times.
Schayes was born in New York, New York, the son of Carl, a truck driver for Consolidated laundries, and his mother Tina, a housewife. Schayes was Jewish, and both his parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. “Dolph” grew up on Davidson Avenue and 183rd Street, off Fordham.
He is the father of retired NBA center Danny Schayes, who played in the NBA for 18 seasons. He is the grandfather of Abi, Carla, and Rachel Goettsch, who won silver medals for the U.S. volleyball team at the 2001 Maccabiah Games, Mickey Ferri, who won a gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the 2005 Maccabiah Games. Schayes settled in Syracuse in 1948, and still makes his home there, where he is a real estate developer.
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Dolph Ziggler
Nicholas Theodore "Nick" Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, who is contracted to WWE. He wrestles on the Raw brand under the name Dolph Ziggler. He is also known for his performances with WWE as Spirit Squad member Nicky in 2006.
Nemeth signed a development contract with WWE in 2004, and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He was brought up to the Raw brand in 2005 as Kerwin White's sidekick. He was, however, sent back to OVW shortly afterwards, where he joined the Spirit Squad. They debuted on Raw in January 2006, and won the World Tag Team Championship once before returning to OVW that November.
In September 2007, Nemeth was assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he formed a tag team with Brad Allen. The pair won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship once, and Nemeth later won the championship for the second time with Gavin Spears as his partner. He returned to Raw as Ziggler in September 2008, and was drafted to the SmackDown brand in April 2009. At the SmackDown tapings on July 28, Ziggler won the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the first time. He held the championship for five months, until January 2011. He was awarded, and lost, his first World Heavyweight Championship on February 15, 2011. That March he returned to the Raw roster, and won the WWE United States Championship for the first time three months later.
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Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. (born June 14, 1946) is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have made him a well-known celebrity who was No. 17 on the 2011 Forbes Celebrity 100 list. He is well-known as a real-estate developer who amassed vast hotel, casino, and other real-estate properties, in the New York City area and around the world.
Trump is the son of Fred Trump, a wealthy New York City real-estate developer. He worked for his father's firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son, while attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1968 officially joined the company. He was given control of the company in 1971 and renamed it The Trump Organization.
In 2010, Trump expressed an interest in becoming a candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election. In May 2011, he announced he would not be a candidate, but a few weeks later he said he had not completely ruled out the possibility. In December 2011, Trump was suggested as a possible Vice Presidential selection by Michele Bachmann. Bachmann has since suspended her presidential campaign.
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Donna Orender
Donna Orender is a sports executive and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She was recently president of the WNBA. She grew up on Long Island, New York and was a five-sport athlete in high school, lettering in basketball, field hockey, volleyball, softball, and tennis. She is currently married to M.G. Orender and has two children, Zachary and Jacob.
Orender graduated from Queens College in 1978 with a degree in psychology, followed by graduate studies in social work at Adelphi University. While at Queens College she was an All-American basketball player.
Under the name Donna Geils, Orender played three seasons in the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), where she was an All-Star, and one of only 20 women to play in all three seasons of the league. During that time span, she played for the New York Stars (1978–79), New Jersey Gems (1979–80), Chicago Hustle (1980–81). In 1985, she played for the U.S. Maccabiah Team. Orender's WBL career is featured in the book "Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Basketball League, 1978–1981," by Karra Porter (University of Nebraska Press, 2006)
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Doug Shapiro
As of 2010, Doug Shapiro has 35 years of cycling experience that includes being a member of two American Olympic Teams, the third American to ever compete and finish the Tour de France. For the last twenty years, he has served as a consultant and expert witness to attorneys who represent parties involved in bicycle accident litigation.
Shapiro began his competitive cycling career at the age of thirteen. During his seventeen career as both a top amateur and professional racer, Shapiro competed in many countries throughout the world. Doug was a member of the American Olympic Team in 1980, but was not able to participate due to United States participation in the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. Doug was a member of the 1984 American Olympic team. In 1980, he received a Congressional Gold Medal at the White House due to the 1980 Olympic Boycott.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress and this corrective measure was long overdue given the sacrifice by the American Olympic team. The U.S. Mint produced 650 medals to be awarded to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, but because of the considerable cost of producing so many medals, financial constraints dictated that they be gold-plated rather than solid gold. As a result, because of this technical difference, the official listing of Gold Medal recipients maintained by the Clerk of the House of Representatives did not carry the ones awarded to the 1980 Team even though Congress intended that they be fully recognized Congressional Gold Medals. Now with the recent designation, the medals awarded to the 1980 Team hold the same standing as the ones that have been awarded during the last 231 years to such luminaries as George Washington, who was so honored on March 25, 1776.
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Duane Gill
Duane Gill (born July 10, 1959) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion. He would go on to hold the title for 15 months, becoming the longest reigning Light Heavyweight Champion in the company's history.
Gill made his debut on the American independent scene as a part of a masked tag team with Barry Hardy called The Lords of Darkness, with Hardy billed as Agony and Gill billed as Pain. On August 2, 1991, they defeated Cream Team (Dino Casanova and Rip Sawyer) to become the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation's first ever Tag Team Champions. The Lords participated in two of three 40-man battle royals held in 1992.
The second battle royal took place two months later. The Lords later became second version of The Executioners and took part in a 40-man battle royal won by Tatanka. The Executioners then joined the World Wrestling Federation, competing on its Monday Night Raw program against several other tag teams. The Executioners split in early 1994 and Hardy left the company on April 18. Gill then began competing under his real name as an enhancement talent before also leaving the company soon after.
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Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. Runnels is best known for performing as Goldust in WWE and is also known for performing in various companies such as World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. Among the other names Runnels has performed under are Black Reign and Seven.
Runnels is the son of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and the half brother of Cody Rhodes.
Between WWF/E and WCW, Rhodes won 17 total championships. In World Championship Wrestling, he was a two-time United States Champion, a one-time Six-Man Tag Team Champion, a two-time World Tag Team Champion, and a one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion. In World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, he is a three-time Intercontinental Champion, a seven-time Hardcore Champion, and a one-time World Tag Team Champion.
Rhodes debuted as a fan favorite in the World Wrestling Federation in late 1990, wrestling as Dustin Rhodes. In December 1990, Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase in a televised ten-minute challenge match. On January 19, 1991 at the Royal Rumble, Rhodes and his father Dusty lost to Ted DiBiase and Virgil in a tag team bout, and left immediately after.
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Dwayne Bruce
Dewayne Bruce (born May 14, 1960) is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. Bruce was a trainer at the WCW Power Plant wrestling school.
As Sergeant Buddy Lee Parker, Dewayne Bruce wrestled in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) with tag partner Lieutenant James Earl Wright as The State Patrol. He became a member of the Dungeon of Doom under the short-lived identity Braun The Leprechaun before being repackaged as "Military Man" Jack Boot. Boot only lasted a short time before Buddy Lee Parker returned, this time as a Military Sergeant. Bruce's final wrestling persona was simply The Sarge, and after this, he became a trainer at the official WCW wrestling school, the Power Plant. He would occasionally pop up on WCW Saturday Night as a jobber during his lesser famed career, and WCW commentators would credit him multiple times for training the highly popular Bill Goldberg. Towards the end of WCW, Bruce was involved in a somewhat major storyline where he teamed up with Goldberg to wrestle against Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell.
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Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler who is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand. He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Johnson was a college football player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push as a heroic character in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos. Johnson is regarded by many as one of the greatest talkers in professional wrestling history, Rock was voted third by the fans for his microphone ability behind Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin who were second and first respectively.
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Ed Newman
Ed Newman (born June 4, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former Offensive Guard who, from 1973 to 1984, played 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Hailing from Woodbury, New York, Newman enrolled in 1969 at Duke University on an athletic scholarship. He participated in two sports: twice earning All Conference honors in football and twice as a heavyweight wrestler. In 1973, Newman graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. The Miami Dolphins drafted Newman in the sixth round of the 1973 NFL Draft.
In his football career, the Dolphins went to three Super Bowls: Minnesota Vikings (1973 win), Washington Redskins (1982 loss), and San Francisco 49'ers (1984 loss); and Newman was selected by his peers to the Pro Bowl four times (1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984).
During his NFL career, Newman spearheaded a community drive for blood donations on behalf of the South Florida Blood Service. This and other charitable efforts resulted in the renaming of Northwest 17th Street (Miami, Florida) to "Ed Newman Street." He continues to support and participate in many charitable events to this date.
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Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions. In the United States, Guerrero wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Guerrero's gimmick was that of "Latino Heat", a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His catchphrase became "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!," which was used in one of his entrance themes. Guerrero partly used this phrase in his autobiography Cheating Death, Stealing Life.
Despite being a villain for most of his career, he got over in and outside the ring being the youngest, yet most popular and successful of the Guerrero brothers. Guerrero was widely regarded as one of the most respected and gifted technical wrestlers in history. Throughout his career, Guerrero encountered various substance abuse problems outside of wrestling, including alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers. His real-life problems were sometimes integrated into his storylines. Notwithstanding these issues, Guerrero won 23 titles during his career, including the WWE Grand Slam Championship.
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Edge (wrestler)
Adam Copeland (born October 30, 1973) is a Canadian retiredprofessional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is best known for his time with WWE.
Copeland was trained by former professional wrestlers Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchinson. Throughout the 1990s, he wrestled in North American independent promotions early in his career. During his time in these promotions, he competed in singles and tag team competition, the latter with Christian, his storyline brother. In 1997, Copeland signed a developmental deal with the WWF and began competing for the company later that year; he made his televised debut the following June under the ring name Edge. In June 1999, he won the WWF Intercontinental Championship, making it his first title reign with the company. He and Christian went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven different occasions. During this time, they gained notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches.
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Elliott Maddox
Elliott Maddox (born December 21, 1947, in East Orange, New Jersey) is an African-American former Major League Baseball American player. Maddox, from 1970 to 1980, played for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets.
Maddox attended Union High School in Union, New Jersey. He then went on to attend the University of Michigan, and while there took Judaic studies courses. As a junior in 1967, he won the Big Ten batting title with a .467 average. Maddox converted to Judaism in 1975.
In June 1966 he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 4th round of the draft, but did not sign. In June 1968 he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round (20th pick) of the draft (secondary phase). In 2 minor league seasons, in 1968 and 1969, Maddox batted .303.
As a 22-year-old, he played 109 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1970. In October 1970, he was traded by the Tigers with Denny McLain, Norm McRae, and Don Wert to the Washington Senators for Ed Brinkman, Aurelio Rodríguez, Joe Coleman, and Jim Hannan. In 1972, he stole 20 bases, a career high.
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Emily Jacobson
Emily Phillipa Jacobson (born December 2, 1985, in Dunwoody, Georgia) is an American sabre fencer.
Jacobson is a daughter of David Jacobson, a member of the 1974 U.S. National fencing team in saber and also a former Yale fencer, and Tina Jacobson, who has also fenced competitively.
She is the younger sister of fellow U.S. Olympic team fencer Sada Jacobson, born in February 1983. She also has a younger sister, Jackie, who was born February 26, 1989, who is also a world-class fencer.
Jacobson graduated from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2004.
She started attending Columbia University in the fall of 2004, where she is a psychology major.
She emerged onto the world stage in 2001 at the age of 15, when she finished 7th in saber at the World Championships. She won a team gold medal in sabre at the 2001 World Junior Team Championships.
She was ranked No. 2 in 2003 among female junior and senior U.S. saber fencers (her sister Sada was No. 1).
She won a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games.
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Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American entrepreneur, professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand.
With an amateur background in Tae Kwon Do, Bischoff also sporadically performed as an in-ring competitor, and is a former WCW Hardcore Champion. He wrote an autobiography, titled Controversy Creates Cash, that was released in 2006 under WWE Books.
Bischoff started in wrestling working for the American Wrestling Association under owner Verne Gagne and would eventually become an on-air interviewer and host until the AWA folded in 1991. Bischoff at first worked in the sales department on the AWA's syndicated programming, and became an on-air personality virtually by accident and at the last minute. Larry Nelson, whom at the time was employed by the AWA as an announcer, was arrested under suspicion of a DUI. Because of Nelson's sudden unavailability, Verne Gagne and his son, Greg, opted to recruit Bischoff (who initially had no desire to be in front of the camera) to fill-in on the interviews. Bischoff believed that the Gagnes thought that he would be a good replacement due to his immediate availability in the television studio, and the fact that he was already wearing a suit and tie.
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Eric Nystrom
Eric Thore Nystrom (born February 14, 1983) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, taken 10th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut with Calgary in 2005. Nystrom also played for the Minnesota Wild prior to his trade to Dallas in 2011. He played four seasons of college hockey with the Michigan Wolverines before he turned professional. On four occations, Nystrom has played with the United States national team, most recently at the 2010 World Championship. He is the son of former NHL player Bob Nystrom.
Nystrom was born and raised in Syosset, New York where his father, Bob, was an NHL player for the New York Islanders. Bob, who was himself born in Sweden but grew up in Western Canada, won four consecutive Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983. Bob coached his son during his formative years in hockey. Nystrom, who is Jewish, attended high school at Portledge School in Locust Valley, New York. He has an older sister, Marissa.
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Ernie Accorsi
Ernie Accorsi (born October 29, 1941, in Hershey, Pennsylvania) is the former General Manager of the NFL's New York Giants football team. Accorsi had held the position from January 8, 1998, when he took over for the legendary George Young until his retirement on January 16, 2007. He was succeeded by Jerry Reese.
A 1963 graduate of Wake Forest University with a degree in journalism, Accorsi served in the U.S. Army before getting his start in sports as a reporter for the Charlotte News. He later wrote for the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer before moving to the athletic departments at St. Jospeh's University (PA) and then Penn State. Accorsi began his NFL career in 1970 with the Baltimore Colts as its' Public Relations Director, worked on former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s staff in the league office in 1975 before rejoining the Colts two years later as Assistant General Manager. He resigned as GM in 1983 after drafting then - Stanford University quarterback John Elway and then learning that the club had traded the rights to him to the NFL's Denver Broncos. In 1985, Accorsi was hired by then Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell to serve as the team's new General Manager and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, serving for seven seasons before being fired in 1992, in a whirl of controversy surrounding the releasing of then starting QB Bernie Kosar, whom Accorsi was responsible for accquiring in a NFL Supplemental Draft conducted before the 1985 season.
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Ernie Grunfeld
Ernest "Ernie" Grunfeld (born April 24, 1955) is the General Manager of the Washington Wizards. He was also once a professional basketball player. He served as general manager of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association from 1989 to 1999, and as the Bucks' general manager from 1999–2003, at which time he became the President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards.
Born in Satu Mare, Romania, Grunfeld immigrated together with his parents, Alex and Livia to the United States in 1964. He grew up in Forest Hills, in Queens, New York City, where he attended Forest Hills High School.
In the summer of 1973, Grunfeld was selected to play on the American team for the Maccabiah Games, the only high school student on the starting five. He led the team in scoring with a 20-point average, but Israel defeated the U.S. in the final 86–80.
Some 200 colleges pursued him. He rejected such major basketball powers as Marquette and Notre Dame, and picked the University of Tennessee because he liked the facilities, the schedule, and the chance it afforded him to become a college star. He starred with fellow New York City high schooler and future NBA star, Bernard King. Together they were dubbed the "Ernie and Bernie Show." Together they averaged over 40 points per game. In his sophomore year he averaged 23.8 points per game; in his junior year, 25.3; and in his senior year, 23.8. He left as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,249 points, a total later surpassed by Allan Houston in 1993.
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Fred Lebow
Fred Lebow (June 3, 1932 – October 9, 1994), who was born Fischel Lebowitz, was an avid runner and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with over 43,660 finishers in 2009. He was posthumously inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lebow ran in the inaugural marathon in 1970, finishing 45th out of 55 runners with a time of 4:12:09. He ran his last NYC Marathon on November 1, 1992 in celebration of his 60th birthday, after being diagnosed with brain cancer in early 1990, with his dear friend, 9 time NYC Marathon women's winner Grete Waitz with a time of 5:32:35.
During his career he completed 69 marathons in 30 countries. Along with the NYC Marathon he also organized the Empire State Building Run Up, the Fifth Avenue Mile, and the Crazy Legs Mini Marathon, the first strictly women's race. Lebow was also president of the New York Road Runners Club for twenty years.
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Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law.
Under Bettman, the NHL has seen rapid growth of league revenues, from $400 million when he was hired to over $3.0 billion in 2010–11. He also oversaw the expansion the NHL's footprint across the United States, with six new teams added during his tenure, bringing the NHL to 30.
However, Bettman's tenure in the NHL has been controversial. He has often been criticized for attempting to "Americanize" the game, and expanding the league into non-traditional hockey markets such as the American South at the expense of the more traditional markets in Canada and the Northern United States. Bettman was also a central figure of two labor stoppages, including the 2004–05 NHL lockout that saw the entire season canceled. These controversies have made him unpopular among fans around the league.
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Gary Gubner
Gary Jay Gubner (born December 1, 1942, in New York, New York) was an American shotputter, weightlifter, and discus hurler. He is known for setting various shot put records, including a 53-foot throw with a 16-lb. ball when he was 16, and a 64' 11¾" (19.805 m) throw in 1962 that set the world indoor record.
Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Gubner has also been recognized by the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in its 2000 book Jewish Sports Legends.
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Gary Wood
Gary Fay Wood (July 9, 1942 – March 3, 1994) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League from 1964 until 1969.
The 5' 11'' quarterback was drafted out of Cornell University in the 1964 NFL Draft by the New York Giants in the eighth round. Wood in his time in the NFL had a career completion percentage of 46.5% and a passer rating of 54.5.
Wood was inducted into the New York Sports Hall of Fame on March 24, 1996.
After graduating from Cortland High School in Cortland, New York, Wood had an outstanding career as the three-year starting quarterback at Cornell beginning in 1961, his sophomore season. Wood was the leading rusher and passer for the Big Red every year in which he was the starter. In 1962, Wood led the nation in all purpose yards with 1,395 (155.0 yards per game). Wood was elected team captain in 1963 and during his senior year was elected to the National Honor Society.
In 1964, Wood was selected in the eighth round (109th overall)[citation needed] of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants. In his rookie season for the Giants he backed up starter Y. A. Tittle.
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Gladys Heldman
Gladys Medalie Heldman (May 13, 1922 – June 22, 2003) was the founder of World Tennis magazine; she supported Billie Jean King and other female tennis players who formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s (the precursor of today's WTA Tour). She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Heldman, the daughter of New York Court of Appeals judge George Z. Medalie, first became interested in tennis after marrying Julius Heldman, the left-handed United States junior champion in 1936. Gladys started playing tennis after her two daughters were born (her daughters, Carrie Heldman and Julie Heldman, had national junior rankings, and Julie was ranked as high as No. 5 in the world). Originally a New Yorker, Gladys rose to a No. 1 ranking in Texas, as well as No. 2 in the Southwest; she even appeared at Wimbledon in 1954 and also competed in the U.S. Championships at Forest Hills.
Gladys Heldman is best known for founding World Tennis magazine in 1953, and for promoting the women's game during the 1950s and 1960s. She worked with female tennis players to create a separate women's circuit in 1970. Female players felt they were being denied the financial rewards of the men's game. With Gladys' organization, top players, including Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, and her daughter Julie, formed a separate women's tour. With backing from Joe Cullman of Philip Morris, the first participants in the circuit, known as the "Houston Nine," played the first Virginia Slims Circuit tournament in Houston in late 1970. The players accepted $1 contracts from Heldman. The tournament was a success, and although the American players were temporarily suspended by the USTA, the Virginia Slims Circuit became so popular that it eventually merged with the USTA.
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Glenn Jacobs
Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967) better known by his ring name, Kane, is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand.
Born in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, Jacobs began his wrestling career in 1992 working in independent circuits. He wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling as Unabomb where he won the SMW Tag Team Championship as a member of The Dynamic Duo, and in the United States Wrestling Association where he won the USWA Heavyweight Championship as Doomsday. He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1995, where he wrestled under various gimmicks before debuting as Kane, in 1997. The character's half-brother is The Undertaker, with whom Kane has teamed up as the Brothers of Destruction.
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Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. (born September 20, 1951) is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Valentine traveled around Texas in his teens with his father. During a summer vacation, he decided to drop out of college and become a wrestler. His father initially tried to deter him, but eventually ceded to his wishes and sent him to Canada in 1970 to train under Stu Hart in Calgary. Wisniski remained in Canada for a year, wrestling his debut match in July 1970 against Angelo "King Kong" Mosca (he lost in around five minutes). Six months later, Wisniski relocated to Detroit to complete his training under The Sheik.
Initially reluctant to take his father's ring name, Wisniski wrestled as Baby Face Nelson before becoming Johnny Fargo, one half of The Fargo Brothers with Don Fargo between 1971 and 1974. The Fargo Brothers initially competed in the Buffalo and Cleveland based National Wrestling Federation before moving on to Texas. They split in 1974 and Wisniski went to Florida, where he began performing as Johnny Valentine, Jr., hopeful that he could live up to his father's legacy. He later changed his ring name to Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and was billed as Johnny Valentine's brother, not his son, because of fears that the elder Valentine would be thought of as too old to be a legitimate threat. Valentine remained in Florida for a year while also working in Los Angeles and in Japan under Antonio Inoki in 1975 and early 1976.
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Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation. He hit 58 home runs in 1938, equaling Jimmie Foxx's 1932 mark for the most home runs in one season by any player between 1927 (when Babe Ruth set a record of 60) and 1961 (when Roger Maris surpassed it).
Greenberg was a five-time All-Star, was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. Greenberg became the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. Greenberg is still the American League record holder for most RBIs in a single season by a right-handed batter—183 RBI in 1937 (a 154-game schedule.) Only left-handed batter Lou Gehrig's 184 RBI in 1931 surpasses Greenberg in the American League record books. Greenberg was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, became the very first baseball player to earn over $80,000/year in salary (he was paid $100,000, ($1,041,000 today) plus $25,000 that his contract with Detroit called for in the event they sold or traded him), and was one of the few opposing players publicly to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.[1]
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Hank Rosenstein
Henry "Hank" Rosenstein (June 16, 1920 – February 27, 2010) was a professional American basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rosenstein played at City College of New York and was a member of the original roster New York Knickerbockers, playing with them in what is now cosnsidered the first NBA game, played in Toronto on November 1, 1946, and in their first season, 1946/1947. Prior to joining the Knicks, Hank starred in AAU Basketball and was MVP in the Eastern Jewish Center League in 1942–43.
After the Knicks, Rosenstein played for five seasons with the Scranton Miners of the American Basketball League, playing on their championship teams in 1949–50 and 1950–51. In the latter year he led the team in scoring.
Rosenstein was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on March 29, 1998. He died of heart failure on February 27, 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida.
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Harley Race
Harley Leland Race (born April 11, 1943) is a retired American professional wrestler and is a current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 8 times. He worked for all of the major wrestling promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was the first NWA United States Heavyweight Champion. Race is one of six men inducted into each of the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Race was an early fan of professional wrestling, watching programming from the nearby Chicago territory on the DuMont Network. After overcoming polio as a child, he began training as a professional wrestler as a teen under former world champions Stanislaus and Wladek Zbyszko, who operated a farm in his native Missouri. While in high school, an altercation with another classmate led to the principal kneeing Race in the back of the head as he tried to break up the fight. Enraged, Race attacked him, resulting in his expulsion. Already 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 225 lb (102 kg), Race decided to get his start in professional wrestling.
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Harris Barton
Harris Scott Barton (born April 19, 1964) is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Harris was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother was from a very Orthodox Jewish background in Queens, New York and his father was from a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. They met while attending Emory University.[citation needed]
He attended [1] Hebrew Academy of Atlanta, now known as the Greenfield Hebrew Academy] through the fifth grade, and began playing football at age five. He was county MVP his senior season at Atlanta's Dunwoody High School, where he also participated in basketball and wrestling.[citation needed]
He was recruited by over 100 colleges including USC, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame, but Harris eventually chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with a 3.3 GPA in Finance.[citation needed]
Harris was a freshman All-American at UNC, starting every game for four years. He played nose-to-nose against William "Refrigerator" Perry on national television at Clemson. He was selected to the Associated Press All-American football player team that year, being the first Jewish player in 30 years to do so.[citation needed]
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Harry Danning
Harry Danning, nicknamed Harry the Horse (September 6, 1911, Los Angeles, California – November 29, 2004) was a professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Giants, and was considered one of the top defensive catchers of his era. He batted and threw right-handed. Danning, who was Jewish, was nicknamed "Harry The Horse" for Damon Runyon's Broadway character. He attended Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles. His brother, Ike Danning, played for the St. Louis Browns in 1928.
Danning first played with the New York Giants in 1933. From 1934 to 1936, he served as the Giants reserve catcher, working behind Gus Mancuso. In the 1937 season, Danning and Mancuso shared the catching duties with Danning appearing in 93 games, while Mancuso appeared in 86 games. In 1938 Danning took over the role as the Giants starting catcher. He was selected for the National League All-Star squad in four consecutive years (1938–41), played for the Giants team which defeated the Washington Senators in the 1933 World Series championship, and appeared in the pennant-winning clubs that were defeated by the New York Yankees in the 1936 and 1937 World Series.
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Henry Wittenberg
Henry Wittenberg (September 18, 1918 – March 9, 2010) was a prodigious American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. He won two Olympic medals and was the first American wrestler after 1908 to achieve this feat. He at one point in his career wrestled 300 matches without losing. He taught wrestling at Yeshiva University and City College of New York for thirteen years. In 1977, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Henry Wittenberg was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He became an excellent wrestler despite not wrestling in high school, where he instead swam and played chess. As a student at City College of New York he did not even consider himself athletic. However, the wrestling coach, Joe Sapora, introduced him to the sport. By his junior year of college, he was placing in prestigious college tournaments. After college, Wittenberg entered eight AAU tournaments. He won all eight of them. In the AAU tournaments he did not lose a match. He wrestled over 300 matches in a row and did not lose a single one. Wittenberg was the co-captain of the CCNY wrestling team together with Stanley Graze in 1939.
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Herb Brown
Herb Brown (born March 14, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is the former head coach of the Detroit Pistons (1976–78). Brown was named head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons during the 1975-76 NBA season, replacing Ray Scott, who'd gone 17-25. The 39-year-old Brown, who'd been an assistant to Scott in Detroit, went 19-21 in his first season with the Pistons, who won 10 of their last 11 games of the regular season. He then guided the team into the second round of the NBA playoffs where the Pistons lost to Golden State, four games to two.
The following season, the Pistons went 44-38 under Brown, before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors.
The Pistons fired Brown on December 15, 1977, after a 9-15 start to the 1977-78 NBA season, replacing him with the team's 32-year-old general manager, Bob Kauffman, who went 29-29 as head coach.
The Bobcats are Brown's third team on which he has served under brother Larry. Together, they helped coach the Pistons to the NBA championship in 2004, and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals.
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Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell (/koʊˈsɛl/; born Howard William Cohen; March 25, 1918 – April 23, 1995) was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these. Of course, I am." In its obituary for Cosell, The New York Times described Cosell's impact on American sports coverage: "He entered sports broadcasting in the mid-1950s, when the predominant style was unabashed adulation, [and] offered a brassy counterpoint that was first ridiculed, then copied until it became the dominant note of sports broadcasting."
In 1996, Howard Cosell was ranked #47 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time and in 2011 his first full biography, Mark Ribowsky's Howard Cosell: The Man, The Myth, and the Transformation of American Sports, was published.
Cosell was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to accountant Isidore Cohen and his wife Nellie Cohen. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York. His parents had wanted him to become a lawyer. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from New York University, where he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi. He then earned a degree at New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the law review.
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Hulk Hogan
Terry Gene Bollea (born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Hogan enjoyed mainstream popularity in the mid 1980s through the early 1990s as the all-American character Hulk Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF—now WWE), and was notable in the mid-to-late 1990s as Hollywood Hogan, the villainous nWo leader, in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Following the closure of WCW, he made a brief return to WWE in the early 2000s before revising his heroic character by combining elements of his two most famous personas.
Hogan was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. He is a 12-time world champion being a six-time WWF/WWE Champion, six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Edge. He won the Royal Rumble in 1990 and 1991, making him the first to win two consecutive Royal Rumbles. He was also the first WWE wrestler to win the WWE Championship three times. In his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hogan held the title for 469 days from July 17, 1994 to October 29, 1995—the longest ever reign for this championship.
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Ilana Kloss
Ilana Sheryl Kloss (born 22 March 1956) is a former professional tennis player and the commissioner of World Team Tennis.
Kloss was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before turning professional, in 1972 she won the Wimbledon juniors singles title. In 1974 she won U.S. Open juniors singles title, and was the youngest player ever to be ranked # 1 in South Africa.
Kloss was ranked # 1 in the world in doubles in 1976. That year, she won doubles titles at the U.S. Open, the Italian Open, the U.S. Clay Courts, the German Open, the British Hard Courts Championship, and Hilton Head, as well as the mixed doubles title at the French Open.
She was ranked as high as # 19 in the world in singles play in 1976.
In 1977 she won both the German and Canadian championships, and the British clay court championship. In 1973, she won the title in Cincinnati with Pat Walkden, defeating Evonne Goolagong and Janet Young in the final.
Most of her women's doubles titles were achieved with partner Linky Boshoff.
After retiring, Kloss took part in the 35-and-over tour, winning the U.S. Open doubles and mixed doubles championship in 1999.
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Isaac Berger
Isaac "Ike" Berger (born November 16, 1936, in Jerusalem) was an Olympic weightlifter for the United States.[2] He holds 23 world weightlifting records, and is a 12-time United States national titleholder.[3][4]
Berger, who is Jewish, came to the United States and became a naturalized citizen as a teenager. Berger is the son of a rabbi, and himself an ordained cantor.
He was the first featherweight in history to lift more than 800 pounds, and the first to press double his body weight.
He won the U. S. featherweight championship seven times, from 1955 through 1961 and in 1964.[5]
He was world champion in 1958 and 1961, finishing second in 1957, 1959, and 1963.[6]
He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics. In the Featherweight class at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Berger won the gold medal with lifts totaling 352.5 kilograms (777 lb.).[7][8] Four years later he won a silver medal at the Rome Olympiad (362.5 kg, 799 lb).[9] In the 1964 Tokyo Games he again won the Featherweight class silver at 382.5 kg (843 lb).[10] His 1964 Olympic record of 152.5 kg (336 lb) in the clean and jerk, at a bodyweight of 130 pounds (59 kg), made him pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world, a record that stood for nine years.
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Jack Garfinkel
Jack "Dutch" Garfinkel (born June 13, 1918) is a retired American basketball player.
Garfinkel attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn and then nearby St. John's University to play for future Hall of Fame coach Joe Lapchick. In 1941, he won the Haggerty Award, given to the top player in the New York City metropolitan area.
After his college career was over, Garfinkel served in the United States Army during World War II. He then played for the Philadelphia Sphas of the American Basketball League, the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League (NBL), and finally settled in with the Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), where he was a member of the franchise's first team in 1946–47. Garfinkel lasted three seasons with the Celtics, but his career ended prior to the NBL/BAA merger that formed the National Basketball Association in 1949.
After his playing days were over, Garfinkel became a basketball coach and official.
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James J. Dillon
James J. "J.J." Dillon (born James Morrison on June 26, 1942) is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.
He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling. He guided many wrestlers to singles and tag titles in the NWA. From 1989 until 1997 Dillon served as a front office executive for the WWF before returning to a similar, albeit on-camera role with WCW.
In 2009, he made a one-night appearance at Deaf Wrestlefest 2009 to team with "Beef Stew" Lou Marconi and "Handsome" Frank Staletto in a six-man tag team match against "Franchise" Shane Douglas, Dominic Denucci and Cody Michaels.
On March 31, 2012 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen.
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Jason Lezak
Jason Edward Lezak (born November 12, 1975) is an American Olympic swimmer, winner of 4 Olympic gold medals.
He formerly swam for Irvine Novaquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club. The head coach, Jeff Julian, is a good friend.
He is 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighs 93 kg (205 pounds). Lezak is a specialist in the 50 and 100 m freestyle races. He also owns long-course world records in the 400m freestyle and medley relays, as well a former American record holder in the 100 Free. Lezak is one of the few elite swimmers not to have a personal coach. Despite this, Lezak enjoys team sports and fellow American Gary Hall, Jr. dubbed Lezak as a "professional relay swimmer" at the 2004 Olympic Trials before their matchup in the 100m freestyle.
Lezak was born in Irvine, California, and is Jewish. The name Lezak, pronounced Leh-Zhack (short e), probably comes from the Polish word root meaning 'to lie, to recline'.[citation needed] Lezak attended El Camino Real Elementary School, which is now known as Woodbury Elementary. Jason currently lives in Irvine, California, his hometown, with his wife, Danielle.
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Jason Reso
William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring names Christian and Christian Cage, who is signed to WWE and appearing on its SmackDown brand, where he is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Reso was trained by former professional wrestlers Ron Hutchinson, Dory Funk, Jr., and Tom Prichard, and made his wrestling debut in June 1995. Reso wrestled in Canadian independent promotions early in his career. During his time in these promotions, he competed in singles and tag team competition, the latter with Edge, his storyline brother. In 1998, Reso signed a developmental deal with the WWF and began competing for the company the following year. After signing with the WWF, Reso made his debut and captured his first title with the company, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. He and Edge went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on seven different occasions. During this time, they gained notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. In 2001 the team parted ways and Reso signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2005.
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Jay Fiedler
Jay Brian Fiedler (born December 29, 1971) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.
Fiedler was born to a Jewish family on Long Island in Oceanside, New York. He is a distant relative of Arthur Fiedler, the long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Fiedler attended Oceanside High School in Oceanside, and won varsity letters as a quarterback in football, a point guard in basketball, and as a decathlete in track and field. He was influenced greatly by his MVP Vince Camileri, who beat Fiedler for the MVP award in the Oceanside Stallions Youth Football League in Oceanside, New York.
He is an alumnus of Dartmouth College, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Fiedler led Dartmouth to a 22–7–1 record from 1991–93, Ivy titles in 1991 (6–0–1) and 1992 (6–1–0), and second place in 1993. He was the Ivy player-of-the-year, All-Ivy League first team, and third team All-America in 1992. In 1993 he engineered comeback victories in four of the Green's last five games, and repeated as All-Ivy League first team quarterback. During three seasons, Fiedler set Dartmouth records for touchdown passes (58), passing yards (6,684) and total offense (7,249 yards).
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Jeff Agoos
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Agoos (born May 2, 1968, in Geneva, Switzerland) is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. As of 2012[update], he is the radio color analyst for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Agoos (nicknamed Goose), was born in Switzerland, when his father, who was a U.S. diplomat, was posted there. However, he was raised in Texas, and won a record five MLS championships: three with D.C. United and two with the San Jose Earthquakes. He also won the 1996 U.S. Open Cup and was the 2001 MLS Defender of the Year. He was elected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009.
Agoos attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. He was named a two-time Parade Magazine High School All-American as well as a Dallas All-Sports Athlete-of-the-Year. Agoos was raised Jewish, and during the summer of 1985, was selected to represent the United States at the 1985 Maccabiah Games.
From 1986 to 1990, Agoos played soccer for Bruce Arena at the University of Virginia. During his four seasons with the Caveliers, earned First-Team All-American honors twice, in 1988 and 1990. He finished second in Hermann Award voting his senior season.
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Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, painter, poet, singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is also known for his stint with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWE).
Before gaining prominence in WWE, Hardy performed for the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA), a promotion he ran with his brother Matt. After being signed by WWE, the brothers worked as jobbers, before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion. Noted for his seemingly fearless airborne moves, Hardy's offensive toolbox more resembles a stunt man's than a pro wrestler's.
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Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born April 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), an organization he co-founded along with his father, Jerry. He is currently heading TNA's off-shoot promotion Ring Ka King in India. He is well-known from his multiple runs in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1990s.
A third-generation wrestler, Jarrett has held seventy championships in various promotions throughout his career. Within TNA, he is currently recognized as an eleven-time world champion, having been a six-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time AAA World Heavyweight Champion. He has also accumulated five additional world title reigns, being a three-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and two-time WWA World Heavyweight Champion. He achieved notable championship success in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), becoming a six-time Intercontinental Champion (a record from 1999–2004), and one of three men to hold both the Intercontinental and European Championships simultaneously. While he never captured the WWF Championship, Jarrett challenged for the title and is recognized by the promotion as a four-time world champion, given his four reigns with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which is now a WWE (formerly WWF) trademark. He is the first wrestler to be a two-time King of the Mountain, and also won Mexican promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración's (AAA) Rey de Reyes tournament in 2004. Between the WWF, WCW, and TNA, Jarrett has held twenty-two total championships as well as other numerous regional titles.
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Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit (born March 23, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American football referee in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. From 1965 to 1975, Markbreit officiated college football games in the Big Ten Conference. He then joined the NFL in 1976 as a line judge before being promoted to the head referee position in just his second year. His uniform number in the league was 9, which is now worn by Mark Perlman. Until he retired from the NFL after the 1998 season, Markbreit officiated in two wild card (1991 and 1994), ten divisional (1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1997, and 1998), eight conference championship (1980, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1996) playoff games, one Pro Bowl (1978), and four Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVII, Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXVI, and Super Bowl XXIX and was an alternate in Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl XXII, and Super Bowl XXVIII. To date, he is the only NFL head referee to officiate four Super Bowl games.
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Jew
The Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים ISO 259-3 Yhudim Israeli pronunciation [jehuˈdim]), also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an ethnoreligious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation.Converts to Judaism, whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos is equal to those born into it, have been absorbed into the Jewish people throughout the millennia.
In Jewish tradition, Jewish ancestry is traced to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the second millennium BCE. The modern State of Israel defines itself as a Jewish state in its Basic Laws, and Israel's Law of Return states: "Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh." Israel is the only country where Jews are a majority of the population. Jews achieved political autonomy twice before in ancient history. The first of these periods lasted from 1350 to 586 BCE, and encompassed the periods of the Judges, the United Monarchy, and the Divided Monarchy of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, ending with the destruction of the First Temple. The second was the period of the Hasmonean Kingdom spanning from 140 to 37 BCE. Since the destruction of the First Temple, most Jews have lived in diaspora. A minority in every country in which they live (except Israel), they have frequently experienced persecution throughout history, resulting in a population that has fluctuated both in numbers and distribution over the centuries.
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Jillian Schwartz
Jillian Schwartz (born September 19, 1979) is an American-born pole vaulter who competes internationally for Israel. She represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics and competed at four consecutive World Championships in Athletics from 2003 to 2009. Her best placing in international competition was fourth at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
She competed at the NCAA championships while at Duke University and gained All-America honours on three occasions. Although she never won at a USATF Championships event, she took the runner-up spot on three occasions at both the USA Outdoor and USA Indoor Championships. Her personal best mark is 4.72 m, set indoors in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 2008. Since gaining Israeli citizenship in 2010, she has set Israeli records in the pole vault both outdoors and indoors.
Born in Evanston, Illinois, she was raised in Lake Forest. She wanted to take up pole vaulting at Lake Forest High School, but was not allowed as the girl's vault was not allowed in Illinois until 1997. She moved to Arkansas in order to train in the discipline. Schwartz attended Duke University and became the first woman to win an Eastern College Athletic Conference title for the Duke Blue Devils in 1999. The following year she won the Atlantic Coast Conference pole vault title and came third at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. She attended the United States Olympic Trials for the first time in 2000, but failed to register a height. In her final year at Duke, in 2001, she set university records of 4.10 m indoors and 4.32 m outdoors, as well as winning the ACC outdoor and indoor titles. She claimed second place at the NCAA Outdoors and signed with Nike that summer, deciding to turn professional.
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Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). His best known character is that of an American patriot, which sees him use a 2x4 length of wood as a weapon, the battle cry "Hooo!" and the U-S-A! cheer.
Duggan is a survivor of kidney cancer, an illness he was diagnosed with during his time with WCW. Duggan has claimed to have wrestled in all 50 States in America as well as in the countries/territories of Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guam, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Scotland, England and Wales (In The United Kingdom.)
In the WWF, Duggan was the winner of the first-ever Royal Rumble match in 1988 and in WCW, he was a one time United States Heavyweight Champion and a one time (and the final) World Television Champion.
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Jim Haslett
James Donald "Jim" Haslett (born December 9, 1955) is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams in the National Football League.
Haslett attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was selected in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He was a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills until 1985, and played with the New York Jets in 1987. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for 1979. In a 2005 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Haslett admitted to using steroids while playing for the Buffalo Bills. Haslett went on record saying that "everybody tried it" to gain a competitive advantage against opposing teams.
Haslett's first coaching position was as an assistant coach at the University at Buffalo. He is the second assistant coach of the Buffalo Bulls to move and become a head coach in the NFL. The first was Buddy Ryan.
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Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher (born May 18, 1943) is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka was the first ECW Heavyweight Champion and held the title on two occasions. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the early to mid-1980s and is credited with introducing the high-flyer style of wrestling to the WWF. His children Jimmy Reiher, Jr. and Sarona Reiher are also wrestlers.
Reiher was active in amateur bodybuilding in Hawaii in the 1960s. He also enjoyed some success as a professional bodybuilder, earning the titles of Mr. Hawaii, Mr. Waikiki and Mr. North Shore. Reiher opted to go into the more lucrative career of professional wrestling due to his uncertainty of making a living in bodybuilding. While working at Dean Ho's gym in Hawaii, Snuka met many of the wrestlers who worked in the South Pacific region and decided to try the sport. Snuka made his debut as Jimmy Kealoha fighting Maxwell "Bunny" Butler in Hawaii in 1970. He later moved to the mainland and wrestled for Don Owen’s NWA Pacific Northwest territory where he held the belt as Heavyweight Champion six times. He first won the title by pinning Bull Ramos on November 16, 1973. It was in this territory, that Reiher transformed himself into Jimmy Snuka. Snuka also held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship six times with partner Dutch Savage. Snuka also had a two year feud with another rookie, Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
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Joe Jacobi
Joseph Bennet Jacobi was born in Washington, D.C., on September 26, 1969. He began canoeing at a day camp in Maryland, has been among the world's elite for the past fifteen years. After growing up paddling on the Potomac River, Jacobi took his talents to the international stage and competed in twenty different countries, winning Whitewater National Championships in Australia, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Chile, and the U.S. Jacobi won the C-2 U.S. National Championship for five consecutive years (1988-1992), and finished second in the overall standings of the C-1 Champion International Whitewater series in 1991 and 1995 (he also placed fifth in 1992 and third in 1994).
Jacobi was a member of the United States' canoe team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, competeing in the C2 slalom event. He and his partner Scott Strausbaugh captured the gold medal, the first American team in Olympic history to capture a gold medal in whitewater slalom. Jacobi finished in second place in his single canoe class at the 2000 Olympic Trials and was an alternate for the American team; he did not compete in Sydney. After 2000, Jacobi continued to compete at a high level, he captured the U.S. Championship in 2002 and then finished ninth at the 2003 World Championships with teammate Matt Taylor. In 2000, Jacobi was named 'Paddler of the Century' by Paddler Magazine. On December 15, 2001, Jacobi carried the Olympic torch through Nashville, Tennessee as it made its way to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the 2002 Winter Games. Jacobi stated, "With the recent challenges confronting our society, the upcoming Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City not only offer a tremendous element of healing for our country, but also a source of inspiration for the entire world."
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John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its Raw brand.
In WWE, Cena has won 19 championships in total, including 12 world titles (having won the WWE Championship a record 10 times and the World Heavyweight Championship twice). In addition, Cena has also won the WWE United States Championship three times, and is a four-time Tag Team Champion, having held the World Tag Team Championship twice (once each with Shawn Michaels and Batista), and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (once each with David Otunga and The Miz). Cena also won the 2008 Royal Rumble match, and is a two-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner (2009 and 2010). He also has the fourth highest number of combined days as WWE Champion behind Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino.
Cena started his professional wrestling career in 2000, wrestling for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where he held the UPW Heavyweight Championship. In 2001, Cena signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino).
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John Frank
John E. Frank (born April 17, 1962) was an American football player who played tight end in the NFL from 1984 to 1988 and earned two Super Bowl rings.
He attended Mt. Lebanon High School in suburban Pittsburgh, the same high school Mark Cuban attended.
As an undergraduate, he played college football at the Ohio State University, where he set a school record for receptions by a tight end (121). All-Big Ten as a junior and senior, Frank ranks 4th on the all-time Ohio State receiving list with 121 catches for 1,481 yards and 23 touchdowns. The receptions and yardage totals are the most in school history by a tight end. He was a 3-year starter, catching a personal high 45 passes in 1981 and again in 1983, still a record total for tight ends. He was voted the team MVP as a senior. In the classroom, Frank was a 2-time Academic All-American and was a Rhodes Scholar nominee as a senior.
His five-year (1984–1988) pro career was spent with the San Francisco 49ers, which he helped lead to victory in Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII.
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John Layfield
John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966) is an American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News. Layfield is best known by his ring names, Bradshaw, John "Bradshaw" Layfield or JBL while working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history with a reign lasting 280 days.
Layfield's main gimmick as John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) – a wealthy, gladhanding, big-mouthed, fiery-tempered businessman – was based on Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Layfield is a regular panelist on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom, has appeared on CNBC, and has written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now. (ISBN 0-7434-6633-0). Layfield also hosts a weekend talk radio program, syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, in which he discusses his conservative political views. Layfield is also employed by Northeast Securities as its Senior Vice President.
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Jon Scheyer
Jonathan James "Jon" Scheyer (born August 24, 1987) is an American-Israeli 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) professional basketball player. He plays shooting guard for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Super League in that competition, the Adriatic League, and the Euroleague. Scheyer led his high school team to an Illinois state basketball championship as a high school All American, and the 2009–10 Duke Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA Basketball Championship as a college All American. He was a prolific high school scorer, and later an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) leader in numerous statistical categories, ranging from free throw percentage and three point shots/game to assists/turnover ratio.
A high school All American, he once scored 21 points in a game's final 75 seconds of play in an attempt to spark a comeback. The 4th-leading scorer in Illinois high school history, he led his team to a state championship in 2005, and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2006. He chose to attend Duke for college, for whom he moved from shooting guard to point guard towards the end of the 2008–09 season, and was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2009 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament.
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Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1972), also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator and authority figure. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he spent nine years as a commentator, interviewer, and occasional wrestler.
He is currently an anchor on ESPN First Take and SportsCenter on both ESPN and occasionally on ESPN America. He also introduces updates on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN2.
Before embarking on an announcing career in professional wrestling, Coachman was a highly scouted basketball prospect. After two state basketball championships at McPherson High School in McPherson, Kansas, Coachman moved across town to continue playing for McPherson College. While at McPherson, Coachman's interests included participating in theatre, serving as the sports editor for the school newspaper, and doing play-by-play and color commentary for the local football and basketball radio broadcasts.
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Josh Miller
Josh Miller (born April 14, 1970, in Queens, New York) is a former American football punter and current football analyst.
He was signed by the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1994. He played college football at the University of Arizona.
Miller was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
Miller, who is Jewish, attended East Brunswick High School in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey, where he was an All-State pick in football (playing wide receiver, in addition to handling the duties of punting where he still holds some career records) and track (as a high jumper), as well as playing guard in basketball.
Miller attended Scottsdale Community College for two years and was a letterman in football with the Fighting Artichokes. He was a two-time All-Western State Football League pick at punter.
Miller transferred to the University of Arizona and was a two-year letterman in football. He was an All-Pacific Ten Conference selection and an All-America selection as a senior.
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Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman (born December 8, 1945) is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis titles.
In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.
The daughter of junior champion Julius Heldman (the U.S. junior champion in 1936; a leading amateur player in the 1930s and 1940s) and World Tennis Magazine founder and publisher Gladys Heldman (who played at Wimbledon), she was born in Berkeley, California and began playing tennis when she was eight years old.
She won her first national title (the Canadian 18 and under singles) at age 12, in 1958. It was the first of her three Canadian Junior Championships, and she became the first 12-year-old ever to capture a national crown. Heldman went on to win the U.S. Girls Junior Singles Title in 1960 (in the 15s) and 1963 (in the 18s).
Heldman was Cincinnati Singles Champion in 1962. While a student at Stanford University in 1964, Heldman reached the national collegiate singles and doubles finals. She received her B.A. from Stanford in 1966, and went on to earn her J.D. from UCLA Law School in 1981, where she was a Law Review editor and was Law School Graduate of the Year, as well as UCLA Graduate Woman of the Year.
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Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs (born April 26, 1967) better known by his ring name, Kane, is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand.
Born in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain, Jacobs began his wrestling career in 1992 working in independent circuits. He wrestled in Smoky Mountain Wrestling as Unabomb where he won the SMW Tag Team Championship as a member of The Dynamic Duo, and in the United States Wrestling Association where he won the USWA Heavyweight Championship as Doomsday. He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1995, where he wrestled under various gimmicks before debuting as Kane, in 1997. The character's half-brother is The Undertaker, with whom Kane has teamed up as the Brothers of Destruction.
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Kay Stephenson
George Kay Stephenson (born December 17, 1944) is a former American college and professional football player and current coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different professional leagues. Stephenson played quarterback for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. He finished his career in the World Football League playing for the Jacksonville Sharks in 1974 before entering the coaching ranks.
Stephenson was born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida in 1944, and grew up in nearby Pensacola. He attended Pensacola High School, and earned All-State accolades as a quarterback for the Pensacola Tigers high school football team. He received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1964 to 1966. His arrival on the Florida campus coincided with that of another standout recruit, Steve Spurrier, who proceeded to become the starting quarterback in 1964, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. Stephenson remained a backup.
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Keiji Mutoh
Keiji Mutoh (武藤 敬司, Mutō Keiji?, born December 23, 1962) is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan. He is a former President of All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as being a full-time wrestler for the promotion since 2002. Mutoh is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, both in Japan and America.[citation needed]
Mutoh is credited as one of the first Japanese wrestlers to achieve a fan base outside of his native Japan in the United States. The Great Muta gimmick is one of the most influential gimmicks in puroresu, having been emulated by many wrestlers including Satoshi Kojima (The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (The Great Kazushi) and Atsushi Onita (The Great Nita). In addition, countless independent wrestlers have paid tribute to Muta through emulation and imitation.
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Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program. Nash has wrestled under several ring names, but is most notably known by his real name in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE, where he has also been billed as Diesel.
Between WWE, WCW, and TNA, Nash has won a total of 21 championships. He is a six-time world champion: a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WWF Champion. He was the longest-reigning WWF Champion of the 1990s, having held the title for 358 days. He has achieved notable success in the tag team division as well, being a twelve-time world tag team champion: a nine-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, two-time WWF World Tag Team Champion and one-time TNA World Tag Team Champion. He is also a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two-time TNA Legends Champion. In addition to championships, he won the 1998 WCW World War 3. Nash was a member of The Kliq, a group which included Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. He is also one of the three founding members of the New World Order (nWo), along with Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall.
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Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981), is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand under the ring name, Kofi Kingston. He and R-Truth are the current WWE Tag Team Champions. Since debuting with WWE, he has won the Intercontinental Championship three times, the United States Championship twice, the World Tag Team Championship once with CM Punk and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice, once with Evan Bourne and once with R-Truth.
He made his official wrestling debut in 2006, when he faced Tony Omega at Chaotic Wrestling on February 24th. He faced Evan Siks on June 4 for the PWF Mayhem Heavyweight Championship. He competed primarily in the New England area, including stints in National Wrestling Alliance – New England, Millennium Wrestling Federation, New England Championship Wrestling, the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, and Chaotic Wrestling.
In September 2006, he signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), a Georgia based developmental federation. He debuted in the new company, as Kofi Nahaje Kingston, in a dark match loss to Montel Vontavious Porter on September 21. For the rest of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, he appeared in DSW, as well as its Kentucky based sister promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was in a tag team dubbed the "Commonwealth Connection" with Harry Smith. In 2007, under the ring name "Kofi Nahaje Kingson", he had his first exposure to the main WWE roster, when he worked dark matches on March 5 and 26 before episodes of Raw against Charlie Haas and Trevor Murdoch, respectively. When he returned to the developmental federations, he shortened his original ring name to "Kofi Kingston" and continued to use both ring names throughout his duration there. He also worked live events, defeating Shelton Benjamin on May 5, and Val Venis on May 6.
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Konnan
Carlos Santiago Espada Moises (born January 6, 1964), also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper. Konnan is well known in Mexico due to his appearances on Mexican television, particularly with the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, and has in the past been described as "the Mexican Hulk Hogan", reflecting his mainstream popularity.
After serving in the United States Navy, Ashenoff began his professional wrestling career in Mexico, wrestling in both Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. In the latter, he also acted as a booker and the first AAA Americas Heavyweight Champion. From 1992 to 1993, he worked in the World Wrestling Federation as Max Moon, and in 1996, he began working full time for World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In WCW, he helped bring in other Mexican wrestlers to the promotion, as well as being a member of the Filthy Animals alliance. In 2002, he joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a part of two major alliances: 3Live Kru and The Latin American Xchange. He left the company in 2007 after filing a lawsuit against it, which was eventually resolved.
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Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968 in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and actor. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former five-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He is also known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (WWF/E), and for being the only Olympic gold medalist in the history of professional wrestling.
Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion. After graduating, he won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling. Kurt Angle is also one of only four people to complete a Grand Slam in amateur wrestling which is the junior nationals, the NCAAs, the World Championships and the Olympics. He was named the greatest shoot wrestler and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time by USA Wrestling.
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Laine Selwyn
Laine Selwyn (born May 16, 1981) is an American professional women's basketball player with Elitzur Ramla. A guard, who has played previously in the WNBA and professionally on multiple teams throughout Europe and Israel, she was a former standout for the University of Pittsburgh's women's basketball team from 1999 to 2003.
Selwyn, the daughter of Bill and Faye Selwyn, averaged 21.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, 6.3 assists per game, and 4.1 steals per game at Coral Springs High School in Florida. Selwyn was named the Miami Herald and Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a senior in 1998-99. She also was a USA Today All-U.S.A. Basketball honorable mention in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Selwyn earned 6A first team all-state honors in 1998-99 and second-team honors in 1997-98. As a senior, she was the runner-up for 6A Player of the Year honors. Selwyn was a four-time letter winner in basketball, but also earned one letter each in volleyball and softball.
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Lance Storm
Lance Evers (born April 3, 1969) known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler, currently appearing in the Ring of Honor promotion. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling. He runs a pro wrestling school the, Storm Wrestling Academy, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Lance Storm was trained by Ed Langley and Brad Young of the Hart Brothers Wrestling Camp at the Silver Dollar Action Centre in Calgary where he became friends with fellow student Chris Jericho. Jericho has stated that despite the name of the school, the only involvement any of the Hart brothers had in their training was a "thirty-minute cameo" by Keith Hart to collect the student's fees. Lance would later debut against Jericho in 1990 as Lance T. Storm. Early on, he mainly wrestled in Calgary but also spent time in Japan in Wrestling Association "R". Along with Jericho, Storm debuted in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1994, forming a tag team known as the Thrillseekers. After Jericho was injured, Storm continued to compete in singles competition for a few months, even winning the "Beat the Champ" TV Title. He then left SMW and moved on to a Winnipeg-based West Four Wrestling Alliance, where he teamed once again with Jericho.
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Lennie Friedman
Leonard Lebrecht Friedman (born October 13, 1976, in Livingston, New Jersey) is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent in the National Football League.
He played college football at Duke. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Friedman has also played for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns.
Friedman attended West Milford High School in West Milford, New Jersey, where he played football and was also co-captain on a track and field team that went undefeated all four years. In high school he also played in the Maccabi Youth Games.
At Duke University, Friedman was a three-year starter at left guard, and as a senior, he won first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors from the Sporting News. He earned a degree in psychology.
He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round (61st overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft. He saw no action in his rookie season as he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season.
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Lenny Krayzelburg
Lenny Krayzelburg (born September 28, 1975, as Leonid Krayzelburg; Ukrainian: Леонід Крайзельбург, Russian: Леонид Крайзельбург) is an American backstroke swimmer, and Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder. He swam in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. He won a total of 4 Olympic gold medals.
Krayzelburg is Jewish, and was born to Jewish parents in Odessa (then Soviet Union, now Ukraine). Krayzelburg and his family left the Soviet Union in 1989 for the United States. They settled in Los Angeles.
After their immigration, Krayzelburg's family suffered from financial difficulties. He had to commute by bus and on foot 45 minutes each way to swimming practice, and did not get home before 9:30 in the evening. In addition, Lenny had to cope with language problems, and to study English rapidly in order to understand his coaches' instructions. Thankfully he was aided by the extensive Russian community in Los Angeles, and managed to adapt quickly.
Lenny first attended Santa Monica College where he won both the 100 and 200-yard (180 m) backstroke junior college titles. His coach at Santa Monica recognized his talent and recommended him to Mark Schubert at the University of Southern California. Lenny transferred to USC. In 1995, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Three years later, he became the first swimmer since 1986 to sweep the backstroke events, 100 m & 200 m, in the World Championships.
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Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy. He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Among other accolades in professional wrestling, Luger is a three-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once; a record-tying five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who owns the record for consecutive days and most total days spent as champion; and the 1994 WWF Royal Rumble winner (with Bret Hart). Readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year 1993.
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Lou Carnesecca
Luigi P. "Lou" Carnesecca (born January 5, 1925 in New York City) is a retired American college basketball coach at St. John's University. He coached the men's basketball program to 526 wins and 200 losses over 24 seasons (1965–70, 1973–92). The colorful "Looie" (as he was popularly known by fans and by the media) reached the post-season in every season he coached the team, including a Final Four appearance in 1985. He was selected as the National Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1985 by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Carnesecca is widely known for his sense of humor and his signature sweaters. In November 2004, St. John's University officially dedicated and renamed the historic Alumni Hall to Carnesecca Arena.
Carnesecca graduated from St. John's in 1950. He also coached his high school alma mater, St. Ann's (now academic and athletic powerhouse Archbishop Molloy High School), where he was succeeded by Jack Curran. Carnesecca also coached the New York Nets of the defunct American Basketball Association, now the NBA's New Jersey Nets, in the early 1970s, when they were playing in Island Garden in West Hempstead, New York.
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Manabu Nakanishi
Manabu Nakanishi (中西 学, Nakanishi Manabu?, born January 22, 1967) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He currently works for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Nakanishi participated in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, representing Japan in Greco-Roman wrestling. He did not place in the tournament.
Nakanishi debuted for New Japan Pro Wrestling in October 1992. His in-ring style was very basic early in his career. After winning the Young Lions Cup in 1995, in order to hone his skills and bulk up, he went on an excursion to North America and joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW), under the name Kurasawa.
As Kurasawa in WCW, he was a member of the Stud Stable led by Colonel Robert Parker. He frequently teamed with Meng, with whom he feuded against Sting and Road Warrior Hawk. He broke the arm of Hawk using a seated armbar after their tag team match at Clash of the Champions XXXI, in which they lost. He was also known there for nearly defeating "Macho Man" Randy Savage. It was here that Nakanishi learned the infamous "Road Warrior Workout" from Hawk and Animal, who also taught this routine to Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki.
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Maria Kanellis
Maria Louise Kanellis (born February 25, 1982) is a singer-songwriter, actress, model, and professional wrestler, also known simply as Maria. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, and is working for Ring of Honor as the valet of real life boyfriend Mike Bennett.
Kanellis's career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004. In the same year, she placed fifth in the Raw Diva Search, but was later hired by WWE as a backstage interviewer. Kanellis began competing in the ring as a wrestler in 2005. She also posed for the April 2008 cover of Playboy magazine, which was incorporated into a storyline on Raw. She released her debut album Sevin Sins on April 13, 2010 on iTunes.
Kanellis was born in Ottawa, Illinois. She has two younger siblings; a brother named Bill and a sister Janny. Kanellis grew up with an interest in playing sports, particularly volleyball, basketball, and softball and graduated from Ottawa Township High School in 2000, before spending some time as a student at Northern Illinois University. Before her career in wrestling began, Kanellis regularly competed in beauty pageants.
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Marilyn Ramenofsky
Marilyn Ramenofsky (born August 20, 1946, in Phoenix, Arizona) was an American freestyle swimmer. She is currently a researcher at the University of California at Davis, studying the physiology and behavior of bird migration. She has previously done research at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Ramenofsky was named to the 1962, 1963, and 1964 All-America Women’s Amateur Athletic Union Swimming Teams.International Swimming Hall of Fame national director Buck Dawson wrote: "[Ramenofsky] was the first female to swim a perfect freestyle stroke."
Ramenofsky established the world record for the 400-meter freestyle three times in 1964, including the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, reducing the record to 4:39.5.
She also established the U.S. record in the 220-yard freestyle in 1964, at 2:17.3.
She won a silver medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, in the 400-meter freestyle, breaking the Olympic record with a time of 4:47.7.
At the 1961 Maccabiah Games she won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay and a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle. At the 1965 Maccabiah Games she won gold medals in both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyles.
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Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and a professional wrestler with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic. Since joining the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1996, he has become a one-time WWF European Champion and a two-time world champion, having held the ECW Championship in 2008, and the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011.
Henry was a weightlifter, and competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, where he placed tenth in the super heavyweight division. Three years later, at the 1995 Pan American Games, Henry won a silver medal in the super heavyweight division. The following year, he became a North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands (NACACI) champion. In 1996, Henry signed a ten-year contract with the WWF. Henry was trained by former Canadian professional wrestlers Stu and Bret Hart and Leo Burke. He made his television wrestling debut in September 1996. In January 1998, Henry joined the stable Nation of Domination. After the disbanding of the group, he acquired the moniker "Sexual Chocolate", which led him to participate in controversial angles.
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Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is a retired American swimmer. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, an achievement only surpassed by Michael Phelps who won eight golds at the 2008 Olympics.
Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic golds plus a silver and a bronze, five Pan American golds, 31 US Amateur Athletic Union titles and eight US National Collegiate Athletic Association titles. During those years, he set 33 world records. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1972.
Spitz was born to a Jewish family in Modesto, California, the first of three children of Arnold and Lenore Smith Spitz. When he was two years old, Spitz's family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he swam at Waikiki Beach every day. "You should have seen that little boy dash into the ocean. He'd run like he was trying to commit suicide." Lenore Spitz told a reporter for Time (April 12, 1968). At age six his family returned to Sacramento, California, and he began to compete at his local swim club. At age nine, he was training at Arden Hills Swim Club in Sacramento with Sherm Chavoor, the swimming coach who mentored him and six other Olympic medal winners. Before he was 10, Spitz held 17 national age-group records, and one world record. At 14 his family moved to Santa Clara so Spitz could train with George F. Haines of the Santa Clara Swim Club. From 1964 to 1968 Mark trained with Haines at SCSC and Santa Clara High School. During his four years there, Mark held national high school records in every stroke and in every distance[citation needed]. It was a remarkable and unprecedented achievement. In 1966 at age 16 he won the 100 meter butterfly at the National AAU Championships, the first of his 24 AAU titles. The following year Mark set his first world record at a small California meet in the 400 meter freestyle with a time of 4:10.60, and emerged on the world swimming stage.
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Marshall Goldberg
Marshall Goldberg (October 25, 1917 – April 3, 2006) was an American football halfback with the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League.
Goldberg was born in Elkins, West Virginia. He was a high school legend there, captaining his Elkins High School football, basketball, and track teams in 1935, and was elected All-State in each sport.
At the University of Pittsburgh, under coach Jock Sutherland, he led the Panthers to back-to-back national championships in 1936 and 1937. Goldberg's 1936 team won the Rose Bowl, and the 1937 Panthers earned the National Collegiate Championship.
He finished third in the 1937 Heisman Trophy voting, and was runner-up for the 1938 Heisman Trophy. He was also a two-time All-American in both 1937 and 1938, first as a half back and then as a full back. During his Pitt career he amassed 1,957 rushing yards, a school record that stood until 1974 when Tony Dorsett surpassed it.
After college he played in the National Football League for the Chicago Cardinals from 1939–43, interrupted by his service during World War II in the U.S. Navy, then again from 1946–48. The Cardinals won the 1947 NFL Championship and captured the Division title in 1948. Goldberg was named 2nd team all-pro once, in 1942.
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Marshall Holman
Marshall Holman (born September 29, 1954 in Medford, Oregon) is a American professional bowler primarily known for his flamboyant success on the PBA Tour throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Nike sponsored Holman.
Holman also served as a color analyst alongside Mike Durbin on several ESPN and ESPN2 bowling telecasts from 1996–2001. From 1998-99, he worked for CBS Sports and was teamed with Gary Seibel for telecasts when that network briefly showed PBA events.
Holman's last PBA title came in 1996 at the PBA Ebonite Classic. This came eight years after he had last won a title. In this event, he defeated Wayne Webb in what turned out to be a very emotional battle that came down to the final frames. The first bowler on the PBA to surpass $1.5 million in earnings, Holman won 22 titles (11th all-time) -- including two U.S. Opens and two Tournament of Champions titles. He was the youngest-ever winner in the Tournament of Champions, topping the field in the 1976 event when he was just 21 years old. He was named PBA Player of the Year in 1987, was a three-time winner of the George Young High Average award, and has earned nearly $1.7 million on tour.
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Marty Appel
Martin E. Appel (born 7 August 1948 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American public relations executive and author.
Appel graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 1970 with a degree in political science. He began his career in baseball while a student after writing to then-Yankee public relations chief Bob Fishel.
Appel began his tenure with the New York Yankees handling fan mail for Mickey Mantle. He was named PR Director of the team in 1973.
After resigning in 1977 and starting a sports management company, Appel joined World Team Tennis to do PR for the New York Apples, featuring Billie Jean King and Vitas Gerulaitis. When the league folded, he joined the staff of Bowie Kuhn. While serving as VP for Public Relations for WPIX, he won an Emmy as the executive producer of Yankee telecasts; he also produced pre-season football telecasts for the New York Giants and New York Jets. Appel has also worked for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and The Topps Company.
Appel has written 18 books, including a biography of King Kelly, and children's biographies of Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio. He ghost-written books for Eric Gregg, Larry King, Bowie Kuhn, Lee MacPhail, Thurman Munson, and Tom Seaver, and wrote a biography of Munson published in 2009. His 2012 book, Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss, was the first narrative history of the team since Frank Graham's 1943 publication, The New York Yankees. He has also contributed to a variety of publications, including Sports Collectors Digest, Yankees Magazine and Encyclopedia Americana.
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Marty Glickman
Martin "Marty" Glickman (August 14, 1917 – January 3, 2001) was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania.
Glickman was a member of the U. S. team in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, as a sprinter. He had been a track star at Syracuse University. Glickman traveled to Germany and spent two weeks practicing as part of the 400-yard relay team. However, the day before they were scheduled to compete, Glickman and teammate Sam Stoller, two American Jews, were replaced on the 4x100m relay team.
By Glickman’s own account, the last-minute switch was a straightforward case of anti-Semitism.Avery Brundage, chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, was an enthusiastic supporter of Hitler’s regime and denied that the Nazis followed anti-Semitic policies. Brundage and assistant U.S. Olympic track coach Dean Cromwell were members of America First, an isolationist political movement that attracted American Nazi sympathizers.
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Marv Albert
Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."
Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called the play-by-play of six Super Bowls, NBA Finals and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He has also called the Wimbledon Tennis Championships for TNT with Jim Courier and Mary Carillo. He also worked as a co-host and reporter for two World Series (1986 and 1988).
Albert currently works for TNT and CBS. He is TNT's lead NBA voice, calls NFL games for CBS, and also calls NCAA tournament action for CBS and Turner Sports.
Albert was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, where he went to Abraham Lincoln High School. While growing up, members of Albert's family owned a grocery store on Brighton Beach Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets known as Aufrichtig's. He then attended Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications from 1960 through 1963. He then graduated from New York University in 1965.
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Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy (born August 3, 1925) is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.
He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes (1973–1977), and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (1978–1982) and the Buffalo Bills (1986–1997), coaching the Bills to four consecutive American Football Conference Championships. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Levy's family emigrated from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father, a decorated World War I veteran, ran a small business on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA. He graduated from South Shore High School in Chicago, in 1943. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and spent the remainder of World War II in the military; Levy was discharged from the army shortly after the war ended. Though he was known to use historical examples to inspire his teams, Levy corrected those who used war and combat metaphors to describe football games by telling them that he actually fought in a war and that football and war were in no way comparable. Referring to the Super Bowl, he once said "This is not a must-win; World War II was a must-win".
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Matt Bernstein
Matt Bernstein (born December 26, 1982 in Scarsdale, New York) is a former American football standout at University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League after a stint in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions. Inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He has two brothers, Alex and Ben.
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Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Before signing with WWE, Hardy, with his brother Jeff, founded a wrestling organization called Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA). While there, Hardy held many championships including the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championship, which he held with Jeff. The promotion folded in October 1999 when they signed contracts with WWE. The Hardys gained notoriety in WWE's tag team division due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion.
Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a one-time world heavyweight champion, having won the ECW Championship in 2008. He also has won other singles championships, having held the Hardcore, European, Cruiserweight, and United States Championship on one occasion each. All totaled, Hardy has won 13 championships in WWE.
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Max Zaslofsky
Max "Slats" Zaslofsky (December 7, 1925 – October 15, 1985) was an American professional basketball player and coach.
Zaslofsky attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, and St. John's University. He was Jewish.
While playing for the Chicago Stags, Zaslofsky was named All-NBA First Team 1946–47 at the age of 21. He held the distinction of being the youngest player named such for near 60 years until he was surpassed by LeBron James (2005–06). The next season, 1947-48, he led the league in scoring. At 22 years, 121 days old, he was the youngest player to lead the league in scoring until 2010, when Kevin Durant broke his mark. In 1949–50 he led the league in free throw percentage.
After the Stags broke up, Zaslofsky joined the New York Knicks. In 1956 he ended his career as 3rd leading scorer all-time (up to that point), behind George Mikan and Joe Fulks. In addition to his 1946–47 All-NBA First Team honors, Zaslofsky was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1947–48, 1948–49, and 1949–50. He also played in the 1952 NBA All-Star Game.
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Mel Allen
Mel Allen (Hebrew name: Mordechai ben Yehuda Elya; February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions. Years after his death, he is still promoted as having been the "Voice of the New York Yankees." In his later years, he gained a second professional life as the first host of This Week in Baseball.
Allen was born Melvin Allen Israel in Birmingham, Alabama. (Biographer Stephen Borelli notes Allen added the middle name Avrom, to honor a grandfather of his with that name who had died.) The future sportscaster was educated as a lawyer, but a boyhood love for baseball led him to become first a sports columnist and then a radio announcer. He attended the University of Alabama where he was a member of Kappa Nu Fraternity as an undergraduate. He went on to earn a law degree from Alabama as well.
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Mike Epstein
Michael Peter Epstein (born April 4, 1943 in the Bronx, New York), nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and California Angels from 1966–1974.
The first baseman was noted as a strong power hitter who did not hit for a high batting average, though he walked (and was hit by pitches) so often that he finished with a respectable career .359 on base percentage.
Epstein was a member of the baseball and football teams at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles.
Epstein played baseball at the University of California-Berkeley. As a junior in 1963 he hit .375 and was offered a contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his father insisted he finish college.
A collegiate All-American in 1964, he was a member of the first U.S. Olympic team that year, and helped them win the gold medal.
In 1965, Epstein began his professional baseball career in the Baltimore Orioles organization and was dubbed "Superjew" by rival manager Rocky Bridges in the California League after Epstein led the league in batting and home runs that year. He was MVP of the California League that year for the Stockton Ports.
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Mike Rosenthal
Mike Rosenthal (born June 10, 1977 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently retired.
He was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Rosenthal is now a high school football coach at Austin High School in Austin, Texas. He also owns 1379 Sports with his wife, Lindsay.
In high school he was named USA Today All-America as a senior at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana. He also garnered All-America honors from Parade, SuperPrep, and Blue Chip Illustrated, earning top OL honors nationally by SuperPrep and ranking # 2 by Blue Chip. He was tabbed as Indiana's Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year as a senior.
He lettered three times in football, and twice in basketball.
At Notre Dame he started every game his junior and senior years (*Actually he started all four years), playing G as a junior and T as a senior. As a senior he was tabbed All-America by Walter Camp Foundation and a second-team All-America by Football News. He was also honorable mention All-America by Football News as a junior, and All-Independent 1st-team choice.
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Mitch Gaylord
Mitchell Jay "Mitch" Gaylord (born March 10, 1961) is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.
Gaylord was born in Van Nuys, California, son of Fred and Linda Gaylord. His family was Jewish. While attending UCLA, he won the All-Around in the 1983 and 1984 U.S. National Championships, and the 1984 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championship.
In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, Gaylord led the gold-medal-winning U.S. men's gymnastics team, becoming the first American gymnast to score a perfect 10.00 in the Olympics. He also won the silver medal in vault, the bronze in parallel bars and the bronze in the rings.
Gaylord appeared in several movies and TV shows. Most notably, he performed as a stunt double for Chris O'Donnell (as Robin) in the 1995 movie Batman Forever and starred in American Anthem opposite actress Janet Jones. He was also a frequent guest star on Hollywood Squares.
Gaylord is currently married to Valentina Agius and has two children with her. He was previously married to Deborah Driggs with whom he has three children.
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Moe Berg
Morris "Moe" Berg (March 2, 1902 – May 29, 1972) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Although he played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, Berg was never more than an average player, usually used as a backup catcher, and was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball" than for anything he accomplished in the game. Casey Stengel once described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball".
A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School, Berg spoke several languages and regularly read 10 newspapers a day. His reputation was fueled by his successful appearances as a contestant on the radio quiz show Information, Please! in which he answered questions about the derivation of words and names from Greek and Latin, historical events in Europe and the Far East, and ongoing international conferences.
As a spy working for the government of the United States, Berg traveled to Yugoslavia to gather intelligence on resistance groups the U.S. government was considering supporting. He was then sent on a mission to Italy, where he interviewed various physicists concerning the German nuclear program. After the war, Berg was occasionally employed by the OSS's successor, the Central Intelligence Agency, but, by the mid-1950s, was unemployed. He spent the last two decades of his life without work, living with various siblings.
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Nat Holman
Nat Holman (October 19, 1896 in New York, NY – February 12, 1995 in Bronx, New York) was one of the early pro basketball players and one of the game's most important innovators.
Known for his exceptional ball-handling and his accurate shooting, Holman was a star player at New York University.
He was also an important part of the Original Celtics (no relation to the Boston Celtics). Also a gifted passer and excellent floor leader, Holman has been a prototype to later playmakers.
Although he played pro basketball until 1930, he took over the head coaching position at the City College of New York in 1920. Known as Mr. Basketball, Holman guided CCNY to the so-called grand slam of college basketball, winning both the NCAA and NIT titles in 1950, a feat that has never been achieved since (and is no longer possible as both tournaments are now done concurrently). Holman compiled a 421–190 record in 37 seasons at CCNY, retiring in 1960.
Holman also founded Camp Scatico in 1921 and ran the camp until he sold it to his niece and her husband in 1964.
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Neal Walk
Neal Eugene Walk (born July 29, 1948) is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons during the late 1960s and 1970s. Walk played college basketball for the University of Florida, and still remains the Florida Gators' all-time rebounds leader. The Phoenix Suns picked Walk in the first round of the 1969 NBA Draft, and he played professionally for the Suns, the New Orleans Jazz, and the New York Knicks of the NBA.
Walk was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Miami Beach, Florida, with his parents at the age of 6. He attended Miami Beach High School, and played high school basketball for the Miami Beach Hi-Tides.
Walk received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Tommy Bartlett's Florida Gators men's basketball team for three seasons from 1966 to 1969. As a senior team captain, he led the Gators to the 1969 National Invitation Tournament—their first-ever post-season tournament. When Walk graduated from Florida, he was the Gators' all-time leading scorer, and still maintains the records for career rebounds (1,181) and average points per game (20.8).
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Norm Drucker
Norm Drucker (born July 4, 1920 in New York City) was a major influence in professional basketball officiating for over thirty-five years.
He refereed in the National Basketball Association from 1953 to 1969. In 1969, when the upstart American Basketball Association was raiding the NBA for talent, he, along with three other top NBA "lead" referees—Joe Gushue, Earl Strom and John Vanak—jumped to the ABA with multi-year contracts. As a result, professional officiating salaries dramatically increased.
In the ABA, Drucker officiated and also served as the league's Supervisor of Officials. With the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, Drucker returned to the NBA. He retired as an official in 1977 after having officiated in over 25 NBA and ABA championship-round games and in 3 NBA and 3 ABA all-star games.
In his 24-year career, Drucker was well-known for his even-handed officiating for visiting teams in an era when many NBA officials were criticized as "homers" - favoring the home team. On the court, he holds the distinction of being the only referee ever to eject Wilt Chamberlain from an NBA game, calling two technical fouls on Chamberlain on March 15, 1967.
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Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan (born April 21, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion. Following his departure from WWE, he spent nineteen months signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Jordan made his WWE TV debut on the May 31, 2003 episode of Velocity defeating Jamie Noble. On June 26, 2003, Jordan made his first SmackDown! appearance as a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden against then-villain John Cena. Although he did not win the match, he was impressive enough that when Cena attacked Jordan after the match was over, The Undertaker, with whom Cena was feuding, came to the ring and helped Jordan to his feet.
After being a fan favorite for several months, Jordan turned into a villain by joining John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)'s Cabinet and being appointed as his "Chief of Staff". This happened when he saved J.B.L. from an attack from The Undertaker. A few months after joining, Jordan began changing his look by growing out his hair. While a part of The Cabinet, Jordan, along with the Basham Brothers (who became the newly appointed "Co-Secretaries of Defense"), helped JBL manage to keep his WWE Championship for nine months by interfering in his title matches against Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, the face run of The Big Show, and The Undertaker, who was the first person to show Jordan respect.
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Ossie Schectman
Oscar B. "Ossie" Schectman (born May 30, 1919) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is credited with having scored the very first basket in the National Basketball Association (NBA), at that time the Basketball Association of America. He was born in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, United States.
Schectman began his playing career at Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, New York City.
He later played both guard and forward at Long Island University, then a powerhouse under coach Clair Bee. He was a member of the undefeated 1939 NIT and National Championship team. In 1941, he was named Converse first team All-America.
After graduating LIU, Schectman joined Eddie Gottlieb's Philadelphia Sphas in the American Basketball League. The Sphas had started as a barnstorming team (their nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association), but they joined the ABL in 1933 and thereafter, dominated the league. The Sphas won the league championship in his second season (1942–43), and the following year, he finished second in the league in scoring with 199 points (10.5 average).
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Paul Zimmerman
Paul Lionel Zimmerman (born October 23, 1932 in Philadelphia, U.S.) is the son of Charles S. Zimmerman and Rose Zimmerman. Zimmerman, also known to readers as "Dr. Z", is an American football sportswriter who wrote for the weekly magazine Sports Illustrated, as well as the magazine's website, SI.com. He is sometimes confused with Paul D. Zimmerman, a sportswriter who covered college football for the Los Angeles Times from 1931 to 1968.
Zimmerman suffered a stroke on November 22, 2008, which, so far, has left him unable to walk or to communicate. According to fellow SI writer Peter King's MMQB column, Zimmerman has also recently suffered two other strokes and is undergoing rehab in a New Jersey facility, at this time unable to speak and with right-sided hemiparesis.
Zimmerman graduated from Horace Mann School in the Bronx before becoming a college football player at Stanford and Columbia University, where he wrote for the Columbia Daily Spectator. An offensive lineman, he was a member of a United States Army football team while stationed in Germany, and later played minor league football in 1963 for the Westchester Crusaders of the Atlantic Coast Football League. Zimmerman began his formal journalism career at the New York Journal-American and the New York World-Telegram and Sun before moving on to become a regular at the New York Post in 1966. In addition to football, Zimmerman covered three Olympic Games for the Post, including the hostage crisis at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, Germany.
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Perry Saturn
Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
Satullo enlisted in the United States Army for four years at the age of seventeen, becoming an Army Airborne Ranger before eventually embarking on a career in professional wrestling.
Satullo began training at Killer Kowalski's school in Malden, Massachusetts around 1988, taking the ring name Saturn from the Roman god of the same name before later tweaking it to Perry Saturn. He debuted on October 27, 1990 in Waltham, Massachusetts, wrestling for the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). Satullo also wrestled in Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation as The Iron Horseman, a cowboy complete with black leather stetson and chaps. Satullo eventually won the IWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Satullo began wrestling for independent promotions throughout New England, as well as touring Japan with New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1993. In 1992 he worked as a jobber in WWF.
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Preston Robert Tisch
Preston Robert "Bob" Tisch (April 29, 1926 – November 15, 2005) was a Jewish American businessman who was the chairman and -- along with his brother Laurence Tisch -- was part owner of the Loews Corporation. Tisch was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn in 1926. On August 16, 1986, he was appointed Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, serving until February 1988.
In 1991, Tisch bought a half-stake in the New York Giants football team from Wellington Mara's nephew Tim, who had inherited the share from his father and Wellington's brother Jack upon his death and who was suffering from Hodgkin's disease which would eventually claim his life. Tisch held the share until he died on November 15, 2005 from brain cancer; Tisch's death followed Mara's three weeks earlier from lymphoma. His share of the Giants passed to his son Steve, who co-owns the team with Mara's son John.
Tisch received a BA degree in economics from the University of Michigan in 1948, and his wife Joan Tisch and his daughter also received degrees at the university. While in college Tisch was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu, a Jewish fraternity.
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Ralph Kaplowitz
Ralph Kaplowitz (May 18, 1919 – February 2, 2009) was an American basketball player. Kaplowitz played in the first two seasons of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), now known as the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was at the time of his death the oldest living person to have played for the New York Knicks.
Kaplowitz attended DeWitt Clinton High School and led his team to a PSAL championship. After graduating from Clinton, he attended New York University. He joined NYU's varsity team as a sophomore in 1939-40, was the team's second-leading scorer with 183 points, and was named to the Collier's Magazine All-America first team. In his junior year, Kaplowitz did lead NYU in scoring, and to a winning record of 13-6. At the start of his senior year he was named team captain, but was drafted into the U.S. Army as an aviation cadet. After his basketball career, Ralph went on to thrive in other athletics. He is noted as winning multiple club championships at Old Westbury Golf and Country Club.
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Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Bob Orton, Sr., father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle Barry O all competed in the professional wrestling industry.
Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) roster, Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month. He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where Orton held the OVW Hardcore Championship on two separate occasions.
After signing with WWF, Orton became a member of the stable Evolution, which quickly led to a WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, his first title with the company. Orton also acquired the moniker "The Legend Killer" during a storyline where he began disrespecting Hall of Famers and physically attacking veterans of the industry outside of appropriate restrictions. At age 24, Orton became the youngest person ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship. With this win, Orton departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began. In 2006, Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO. Together, Orton and Edge held the World Tag Team Championship. After the team disbanded, during mid-2007, Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night. Orton formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008, however, they would disband in 2010 with Orton returning to singles competition. Overall, Orton has won eleven total championships in WWE, including being a nine-time world champion, having won the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the WWE Championship six times. He is also the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble match.
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Raven (wrestler)
Scott Anthony Levy (born September 8, 1964), better known by his ring name Raven, is an American wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author, actor and professional wrestler currently working for different independent promotions. During his career he has held multiple championships across the world.
He is a three-time World Champion, having won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He also held the WCW United States Championship once, and is the record holder for most reigns as WWF/E Hardcore Champion with 26 reigns. He is the 2005 King of the Mountain winner at Slammiversary in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, being only the second person ever to win the annual event. Between WCW, TNA, WWE and ECW Levy has held 36 total championships. He also briefly wrestled for the Ring of Honor promotion in 2003.
Levy is also the innovator of numerous types of "gimmick" wrestling matches, such as Clockwork Orange House of Fun match, Raven's Rules match and Hangman's Horror match.
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Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics. After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As a coach, he won 938 games (a record at his retirement) and nine National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (surpassed only by Phil Jackson). As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials in the history of North American professional sports.
Auerbach is remembered as a pioneer of modern basketball, redefining basketball as a game dominated by team play and tough defense rather than individual feats and high scoring and introducing the fast break as a potent offensive weapon. He groomed many players who went on to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Additionally, Auerbach was vital in breaking down color barriers in the NBA. He made history by drafting the first African-American NBA player, Chuck Cooper in 1950, and introduced the first African-American starting five in 1964. Famous for his polarizing nature, he was well known for smoking a cigar when he thought a victory was assured, a habit that became, for many, "the ultimate symbol of victory" during his Boston tenure.
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Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman (August 10, 1920 – November 13, 1998) was an NBA basketball player and coach probably best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973, and was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1996, Holzman was named one of Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1920, to Jewish immigrant parents, as the son of a Romanian mother and Russian father. Holzman grew up in that borough's Ocean Hill-Brownsville neighborhood and played basketball for Franklin K. Lane High School in the mid-1930s. He attended the University of Baltimore and later the City College of New York, where he played for two years until graduation in 1942. Holzman joined the United States Navy in the same year, and played on the Norfolk, Virginia Naval Base team for two years.
Holzman was discharged from the Navy in 1945 and subsequently joined the NBL Rochester Royals, which won the NBL championship in Holzman's first season. Holzman was Rookie of the Year in 1944–45. In 1945–46 and 1947–48 he was on the NBL's first All League team; in the interim year he was on its second team.[1] Holzman stayed with the team through their move to the NBA and subsequent NBA championship in 1951. In 1953, Holzman left the Royals and joined the Milwaukee Hawks as a player-coach, eventually retiring as a player in 1954 but continuing as the team's head coach. During the 1956–1957 season, Holzman led the Hawks (then in St. Louis, Missouri) to 19 losses during their first 33 games, and was subsequently fired.
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Red Sarachek
Bernard "Red" Sarachek (born October 19, 1912, Bronx, New York; died November 14, 2005, Deerfield Beach, Florida) was a basketball coach at the Yeshiva University in New York City from 1940 to 1969 and a mentor of such famous coaches as Red Holzman of the New York Knicks and Lou Carnesecca of St. John's University. Yeshiva, under Sarachek, has been called "the birthplace of modern basketball" due to Sarachek's innovative ball-handling schemes.
Sarachek designed and implemented motion offenses, trapping defenses, plays to beat zone defenses and creative in-bound plays. His schemes were admired and copied by coaches around the country.
His story is featured in The First Basket, the first and most comprehensive documentary on the history of Jews and Basketball.
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Rey Mysterio
Rey Gutierrez Mysterio Jr. (born December 11, 1974) is a Mexican American professional wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment currently wrestling on the RAW Brand. In WWE, Gutierrez was trained by his uncle Rey Misterio, Sr. and wrestled early on in Mexico where he learned the Lucha Libre high flying style that has been his trademark.
Gutierrez originally worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) in Mexico, from 1992 to 1995. He wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1996 and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1996 to 2001, as Rey Misterio, Jr./Rey Mysterio, Jr. but dropped the "Junior" from his name when he began working for WWE in 2002.
Mysterio is known for having a high flying style, which helped kick-start the cruiserweight wrestling revolution in the United States in the late 1990s during his time in WCW. In WCW he won the WCW World Tag Team Championship three times, and the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship once with Billy Kidman as part of the Filthy Animals. In WWE, Mysterio is a three time world champion having held the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWE Championship once and is currently listed as the lightest world champion in WWE history. He has also held the WWE Tag Team Championship a record-tying four times, and the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice. He also held the WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Championship a record eight times (five times in WCW, three in WWE). All totaled, he has won 21 titles between WWE and WCW. Mysterio was the 21st person to win the WWE Triple Crown Championship, and was the winner of the 2006 Royal Rumble.
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Rhino (wrestler)
Terrance "Terry" Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino (also spelled Rhyno in WWE). He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is currently employed by Juggalo Championship Wrestling and Ring of Honor.
Gerin is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship (last champ in original ECW), and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once each. He is also a three-time WWF Hardcore Champion, a two-time (and final) ECW World Television Champion and a one-time United States Champion, which he won in the WWF during the Invasion storyline. He also has held several independent championships in his career as well.
Gerin trained as a wrestler at the Can-Am Wrestling School located in Windsor, Ontario under Scott D'Amore, who he later reunited with in TNA. He debuted in 1994 on the Detroit independent circuit under the ring name Terry Richards, and made an appearance as enhancement talent on an episode of WWF RAW in November 1995, losing to Henry O. Godwinn, As well as making an appearance on the August 5, 1995 episode of WCW Saturday Night in a losing effort against "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Gerin later adopted the ring name Rhino Richards and began wrestling in Canada, where he formed a stable known as "THUG Life" with Joe Legend, Zakk Wyld (Keith Assoun), Christian Cage, Bloody Bill Skullion, Brett Kimball, and Sexton Hardcastle (later named Edge). He had feuds with Beautiful Brian Fury and Alexis Machine which were part of HotSeat Productions.
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Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time with a professional career that spans 40 years. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and is noted for his lengthy and highly decorated tenures with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (now known as WWE). Flair is officially recognized by WWE, TNA and PWI as a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion (seven-time NWA Champion, seven-time WCW Champion and two-time WWF Champion) although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source—Flair considers himself a 21-time world champion.
In World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he also had two stints as a booker—in 1989–1990 and 1994. Flair also became the first and only man to have won the WWF Championship in a Royal Rumble match, when he accomplished this in the 1992 edition of the event. In 2012, Flair became the first ever double inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame, first inducted in 2008 for his individual career, and for a second time in 2012 as a member of the Four Horsemen. He is also an NWA Hall of Famer (class of 2008). Flair's hair styles and mannerisms are based on those of Buddy Rogers, who previously and famously used the "Nature Boy" gimmick in the 1950s and '60s. Coincidentally, Flair also followed Rogers in becoming the second man to win both the WWF and the NWA World Heavyweight Championships.
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Rick Rude
Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), in the 1980s and 1990s.
Among other accolades, Rude was a four-time world champion (three-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion), one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, and one-time WCW United States Champion.
The self-proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive", Rude was noted for his chiseled physique as well as being one of the greatest talkers in the history of professional wrestling. He is also notable for being a member of the original incarnation of D-Generation X, alongside Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Chyna.
Born in St. Peter, Minnesota, Rood attended Robbinsdale High School in Robbinsdale, Minnesota with Tom Zenk, Brady Boone, Nikita Koloff, Curt Hennig, John Nord, Joseph Laurinaitis and Barry Darsow, all of whom later became professional wrestlers.
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Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career.[citation needed] He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
In the NWA and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a twelve-time World Tag Team Champion (eight-time under the WCW banner,one-time (though unofficial) under the NWA banner, and three-time under the Mid-Atlantic banner), and a two-time Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion. In the WWF/E, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
While little is known about Steamboat's personal life, it is a known fact that he went to high school in New York. He was a two time New York State Wrestling qualifier.
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Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatowski (born December 18, 1970), better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (RVD), is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, and Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Szatkowski has held 22 championships between ECW, WWE and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. He is a former WWE champion, ECW champion and the TNA World Heavyweight champion once each. On the independent scene he has also won the World Heavyweight Championships for both American Wrestling Rampage and World Stars of Wrestling once each. He is the only man to achieve both WWE and ECW's version of the Triple Crown. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the ECW World Television Championship, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest.
Szatkowski grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield High School. Rob made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16 year old Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWE's Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD.
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Rod Blagojevich
Milorad Blagojevichi/bləˈɡɔɪ.əvɪtʃ/ (better known by the alias Rod R. Blagojevich (born December 10, 1956)) is a convicted felon and former American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago. He was elected governor in 2002, the first Democrat to win the office since Daniel Walker's victory 30 years earlier.
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Roddy Piper
Roderick "Roddy" George Toombs (born April 17, 1954), better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE. Although he is Canadian, due to his Scottish heritage, he was billed as coming from Glasgow in Scotland and was known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance music. He earned the nickname "Rowdy" by displaying his trademark "Scottish" rage, spontaneity and quick wit. Despite being a crowd favorite for his rockstar-like persona, he often played the villain. He was also nicknamed "Hot Rod". Never a world champion, he accumulated 34 championships in various promotions during his career. Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
Toombs was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended Windsor Park Collegiate. His father was an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while they lived in The Pas, Manitoba. After being expelled from junior high[citation needed] and having a falling out with his father, Piper hit the road and stayed in youth hostels wherever he could find them.
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Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948, in Atlanta, Georgia), nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. He played for the New York Yankees (1969, 1971–76) and Chicago White Sox (1978), and he was the manager of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League (2007). He was the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history.
He batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
In his 8-season career, Blomberg compiled a .293 batting average (391-for-1,333) with 52 home runs, 224 RBIs, 184 runs, 67 doubles, and 8 triples in 461 games. He added a .360 on base percentage and a .473 slugging average. For his career, he hit .304 against right-handers, and .304 with 2 out and runners in scoring position, as well as .325 when the score was tied.
Blomberg attended Druid Hills High School, earning four letters each in baseball, basketball, and track, and graduated in 1967. He was an all-star in baseball, football, and basketball. He is the only athlete ever chosen for the Parade All-America teams in football, basketball, and baseball.
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Ron Killings
Ronnie Aaron "Ron" Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on its Raw brand and is one half of the Tag Team Champions alongside Kofi Kingston. Since working for the company, he has also been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik. Killings has also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as K-Krush and later as Ron "The Truth" Killings, where he became the first African-American NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a title he held on two occasions, in addition to becoming a two time NWA World Tag Team Champion and a one time TNA World Tag Team Champion.
Jackie Crockett of the National Wrestling Alliance first tried to convince Killings to become a professional wrestler, but he was determined to focus on his music career. Killings spent two years working on his music career and then contacted Crockett once more and expressed an interest in becoming a wrestler. Crockett, by now the senior cameraman for World Championship Wrestling, took Killings to several WCW and Pro Wrestling Federation events, introducing him to wrestling personalities.
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Ron Mix
Ronald Jack Mix (born on March 10, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is a retired American football player. The offensive tackle is a member of the American Football League (AFL) All-Time Team and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mix attended the University of Southern California, and upon graduation played right tackle and guard for the AFL's Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (1960–1969) and the NFL Oakland Raiders (1971& 1972; taxi squad during 1972).
A graduate of the University of Southern California, where he was an All American in 1959, Mix was an original Los Angeles Charger in 1960. Mix was also a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity. He was elected the National Jewish College Athlete of the Year.
Because he had a Juris Doctor in Law degree, Mix was nicknamed "The Intellectual Assassin" for his physical play. Mix was called for a mere two holding penalties in ten years.
Mix, who was listed at 6' 5" and 270 pounds, was an early proponent of weightlifting to enhance athletic power. He was years ahead of the curve that soon at lineman and other football players taking up that practice to become better athletes. His power lifts included a military press above his head of 300 pounds, a clean and jerk above his head at 325 pounds, and a bench press of 425 pounds, all of the lifts considered to be exceptionally strong for that era of play.
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Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American former professional wrestler and American Football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling under his real name and in the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/E) under both his real name and the ring names Faarooq Asaad (sometimes spelled Asad) and Faarooq (sometimes spelled Farooq).
In WCW, he was a one time World Heavyweight Champion; as the first of two African Americans to win the title, he is recognized by WWE as the first Black world champion in professional wrestling history, followed by Booker T. He was also a one time World Tag Team Champion with Butch Reed and a one time United States Tag Team Champion with Big Josh. In the WWF, he was a three time Tag Team Champion with Bradshaw as one half of the Acolytes Protection Agency. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Simmons was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for four seasons during the 1980s. He played college football for Florida State University, and was recognized as an All-American. He played professionally for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits.
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Sage Rosenfels
Sage Rosenfels (born March 6, 1978) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He played college football at Iowa State before he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played with the Miami Dolphins from 2002–2005, the Houston Texans from 2006–2008, the Vikings in 2009, and the New York Giants in 2010. He spent portions of the 2011 season with the Giants and Dolphins. Through 2010, he had completed 351-of-562 passes for 4,156 yards and 30 touchdowns, and had a career 81.2 quarterback rating.
Rosenfels is Jewish, as is his father, and was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, a town of approximately 6,500. He was the fourth of five children, and as was the case with his siblings he was born at the family's home. His older sister Jaia, a high school runner and basketball player, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a traffic accident during her sophomore year at Wellesley College.
He attended Maquoketa Community High School, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and track, as well as a member of the National Honor Society.
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Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax ( /ˈkoʊfæks/; born Sanford Braun, December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1955–1966). Retiring at the peak of his career, in 1972 he became, at age 36 and 20 days, the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Koufax's career peaked with a run of six outstanding seasons from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis in his left elbow ended his career prematurely at age 30. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards by unanimous votes, making him the first 3-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win 3 times when the award was for all of baseball, not just one league. In each of his Cy Young seasons, Koufax won the pitcher's triple crown by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. Koufax's totals would also have led the American League in those seasons.
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Santino Marella
Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1979) is an Italian-Canadian professional wrestler,mixed martial artist and judoka, better known by his ring name Santino Marella. He is currently signed to WWE, competing on its Raw Brand, where he is the reigning United States Champion. He is a two-time Intercontinental Champion and former Tag Team Champion with Vladimir Kozlov.
In the United States, Carelli took wrestling classes at and worked for the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) a developmental territory for the national World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Upon joining OVW, Carelli was given the ring name Johnny Geo Basco. While there, he was involved in an infamous incident with Jim Cornette, the company's head booker and part-owner. After a storyline where he was supposed to act afraid of the Boogeyman but instead laughed, Cornette yelled at and slapped Carelli, leading to Cornette being removed from his position as booker of OVW by WWE.
Paul Heyman was appointed OVW booker to replace Cornette and changed Carelli's ring name from Johnny Geo Basco to Boris Alexiev, giving him a Russian shoot fighter gimmick. As Alexiev he made his debut on April 12, 2006 along with his manager and "comrade", Mr. Strongko. With his new gimmick he was booked to dominate opponents with stiff strikes and submission style wrestling, including a 10-second win over a wrestler named Dewey. He signed a developmental deal with WWE on August 11, 2006, and continued working in OVW.
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Sara DeCosta-Hayes
Sara DeCosta (born May 13, 1977) is an American ice hockey player from Warwick, Rhode Island, an alumna of Toll Gate High School. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
DeCosta was named by Brandeis University, a contemporary Jewish sports heroine.
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Sara Whalen
Sara Whalen Hess (born Sara Eve Whalen) was born on April 28, 1976, in Natick, Massachusetts. Whalen played for the United States Women's National Soccer Team from 1997 to 2000, and was a founding player of WUSA.
Whalen attended Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, New York. There she played varsity soccer, basketball, and track (as a sprinter). After high school, Whalen went to The University of Connecticut, where she was a defender and forward for their women's soccer team. While playing soccer for Connecticut, Whalen was a three-time All-American and was the 1997 NSCAA Division 1 National Player of the Year as well as being named to Soccer America's Collegiate Team of the Decade for the 1990s. Whalen scored both goals in the 1997 NCAA Final Four semifinal match against Notre Dame, as Connecticut won 2–1 to record one of the biggest upsets in NCAA women's soccer history by defeating the previously unbeaten Irish. Whalen was the 1995 and 1996 Big East Defensive Player of the Year, before playing striker her senior season where she recorded 21 goals and 22 assists to lead her team in scoring.
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Sarah Hughes
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985) is an American figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies singles.
Hughes was born in Great Neck, New York. Her father, John Hughes, is a Canadian of Irish descent and was the captain of the NCAA champion 1969–70 Cornell University ice hockey team. Her mother, Amy Pastarnack, is Jewish and is a breast cancer survivor. This led Sarah Hughes to become an advocate for breast cancer awareness. She appeared in a commercial for General Electric promoting breast cancer awareness and research. Hughes stated: "I always said that if I can get one person to get a mammogram, I've accomplished something." Among the other causes Hughes supports are Figure Skating in Harlem, which provides free ice skating lessons and academic tutoring for girls in the Harlem community in NYC. Hughes has supported this program for over ten years.
Sarah Hughes is the fourth of six children. One of her younger sisters, Emily, is also a figure skater and competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
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Satoshi Kojima
Satoshi Kojima (小島 聡, Kojima Satoshi?) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently in his fourth reign as one half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously. As a team, he and Hiroyoshi Tenzan became the first team to won G1 Climax Tag League and World's Strongest Tag Team League on the same year.
Like many Japanese wrestlers, Kojima has a background in Judo, but he chose not to continue the sport when he went to college. He got his start loading trucks for New Japan Pro Wrestling & after some months of persuasion finally convinced head trainer Animal Hamaguchi to accept him into the dojo.
Kojima entered the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in February 1991. He debuted as a wrestler on September 14 in a match against Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, who would later adopt the stage name of Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In 1994 he defeated Manabu Nakanishi in the Young Lions Cup finals, winning the tournament. In the end of that year he went to Europe, and returned to NJPW in January 1996. When he returned, he formed The Bull Powers with Nakanishi, who had returned from WCW. In May 1997 he defeated Riki Chōshū and Kensuke Sasaki with Nakanishi to become an IWGP Tag Team Champion for the first time. At the end of 1998 he joined nWo Japan, by Keiji Mutoh's leadership. Kojima and Tenzan (known together as Ten-Koji, a portmanteau of their last names) formed a tag team and ended up holding the IWGP Tag Team titles together twice.
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Saul Rogovin
Saul Walter Rogovin (October 10, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York – January 23, 1995, in New York City) was a professional baseball player.
Rogovin was a pitcher over parts of 8 seasons (1949–57), with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Phillies. For his major league career, he compiled a 48–48 record in 150 appearances, with a 4.06 ERA, 10 shutouts, and 388 strikeouts.
Rogovin attended Abraham Lincoln High School, where he played baseball as an infielder, winning the Public League title for his school when he hit a game-winning homer. Soon after graduation, he tried out for the Dodgers, but was not signed.
Rogovin then played with a Class D team in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where he was paid $60 a month, but the club soon folded. In 1941, he took a job as an assembly-line worker with Brewster Aircraft, and played with the plant team. Dolly Stark, a National League umpire, saw him and recommended him to the Giants' manager, Mel Ott.
At a tryout Ott was impressed with Rogovin's power, and signed him to a contract with Jersey City as an outfielder. After appearing in just two games, he was sold to Chattanooga of the Southern Association, where he played third base. Red Lucas, a coach there, suggested Rogovin try pitching. On the last day of the 1945 season he started and threw a four-hit shutout against the Birmingham Barons.
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Scott Goldblatt
Scott Goldblatt (born July 12, 1979, in Summit, New Jersey) is an American swimmer who specializes in the freestyle.
Raised in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Goldblatt first began swimming in the children’s pool at his local swim club, Willow Grove Swim Club in Scotch Plains. Then he swam for the Scotch Plains/Fanwood YMCA until he joined the Berkeley Swim Club under head coach Jim Wood. In 1995, at the age of 15, he qualified for his first National Championships and was named Rookie of the Meet. Two years later, in 1997, he broke into the World Top 50 rankings after ranking 46th in the 200 meter Freestyle. He was also named to the World University Games team, where he won both a gold and a silver medal.
Goldblatt attended the University of Texas and received a degree in Sport Management. During his first two years at Texas he was named All-America in five events and won two NCAA relay titles. During these years, he did not improve internationally, and subsequently fell from the World Rankings in the 200 meter Freestyle.
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Scott Hall
Scott Oliver Hall (born October 20, 1958) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ̶ now WWE) in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name. Since the late 2000s, Hall has become known for his much publicized battles with alcoholism and drug addiction, which he initially struggled with in the late 1990s during his time in WCW.
Hall began his career in 1984 in Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), before working in territories across Jim Crockett Promotions as part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In 1985, Hall moved to the American Wrestling Association (AWA), winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship once with Curt Hennig in January 1986. Following further stints in the NWA and the World Wrestling Council - where he would briefly hold the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship - Hall signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 1992. Hall would wrestle as Razor Ramon, a Latino-heel persona modeled after the characters of Tony Montana and Manny Ribera from the movie Scarface. While in the WWF, Hall would win the WWF Intercontinental Championship four times, before leaving for WCW in 1996.
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Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks (born 15 February 1983) is a Cayman-born fashion model. Ebanks has worked for high fashion brands Neiman Marcus and Ralph Lauren, and appeared in magazines such as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Vogue, and Glamour, but she is best known for her work with Victoria's Secret, as one of the brand's "Angels" from 2005 to early 2009.
Born of Native American, Irish and African descent to a Jamaican father and a Caymanian mother in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Ebanks was raised in a large family that included seven brothers. Her family, her mother in particular, encouraged her development through extracurricular programs. She moved to the United States and settled on Staten Island. She was accepted by Columbia University and New York University, but instead chose to pursue modeling. In 2000, at the age of 17, while walking through the turnstiles at Six Flags Great Adventure, Ebanks was scouted by an agent from Elite Model Management.
Ebanks made her debut in February 2001 at the fall show for Tuleh. After working for the likes of Catherine Malandrino, James Coviello, Abercrombie & Fitch, and DKNY, she signed a contract with Victoria's Secret in 2005.
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Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus (born August 27, 1948), better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling Federation. In the 1980s, an alternate version of the Sgt. Slaughter character was incorporated into the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line as well as its animated series and comic books.
Remus attended Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where he wrestled and played football.
Sgt. Slaughter held numerous regional titles early in his career and experienced his first major success in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) capturing the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Don Kernodle. During the late 1970s, Remus worked the American Wrestling Association (AWA) territory under a mask as Super Destroyer Mark II with managers Lord Alfred Hayes and Bobby Heenan.
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Shane Douglas
Troy Shane Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly in the World Wrestling Federation. Martin later worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Martin is former four time ECW World Heavyweight champion and one-time NWA World Heavyweight champion.
Martin was born one of six children, the son of a veteran of World War II, who died in 1991. He graduated cum laude from Bethany College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in history and political science. He is an alumnus of the Psi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. After earning his degrees, he was offered to join the Saba University School of Medicine but declined in order to continue wrestling.
Martin was trained by Dominic DeNucci in the Pittsburgh suburb of Freedom, Pennsylvania, alongside Mick Foley in the mid-1980s. He had been wrestling professionally to earn money since 1982. When he started, he used the character of Troy Orndorff, the fictional nephew of Paul Orndorff. In 1986, he wrestled Randy Savage at a WWF Superstars of Wrestling taping using his real name. He would also wrestle "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in the debut episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, once again using his real name. Later that year, he began wrestling as a fan favorite for the Universal Wrestling Federation using the name Shane Douglas, which was given to him by "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt ("Shane" coming from Martin's middle name, and "Douglas" from Michael Douglas, who at the time had just appeared in Wall Street). Douglas defeated Gilbert for the World Television Championship on August 3, 1987, but did not rise above mid-card status. Douglas soon lost the title on September 2 to Terry Taylor.
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Shawn Green
Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball player.
Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit 40 or more home runs three times, led the league in doubles, extra base hits, and total bases, won both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and set the Dodgers single-season record in home runs. Green was also in the top five in the league in home runs, RBIs, intentional walks, and MVP voting.
Green holds or is tied for the following major league records: most home runs in a game (4), most extra base hits in a game (5), most total bases in a game (19), most runs scored in a game (6), most home runs in two consecutive games (5), most home runs in three consecutive games (7), and most consecutive home runs (4). He hit his 4 home runs, 5 extra base hits, and 19 total bases against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. Green broke the record of 18 total bases (4 home runs and double) set by Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves (vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) in 1954.
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Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is a retired professional wrestler, and an American television host. He is currently signed to WWE, where he has served as an ambassador for the company since December 2010. Hickenbottom consistently wrestled for WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1988 until his first retirement in 1998, due to injury. He appeared in non-wrestling roles from 1998 to 2000, and resumed his in-ring career in 2002, retiring in 2010. He also hosts the show MacMillan River Adventures, airing on the Outdoor Channel.
Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling, now known as Universal Wrestling Federation, and American Wrestling Association (AWA). During his time with AWA, he performed in partnership with Marty Jannetty, as The Midnight Rockers; winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Hickenbottom and Jannetty briefly signed with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987, while in contract with AWA. They returned to AWA, only to go back to the WWF in 1988.
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Sheamus
Stephen Farrelly (Irish: Stíofán Ó Fearghaile) (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor, best known by his ring name Sheamus. He is signed with WWE and competes on the SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.
Prior to joining WWE, Farrelly was also a two-time International Heavyweight Champion during his tenure in Irish Whip Wrestling. He is a three-time World Champion, having held the WWE Championship on two occasions and is the current World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He also won the King of the Ring in 2010 and the Royal Rumble in 2012, as well as the WWE United States Championship once.
Farrelly was born in Cabra, Dublin and was raised within the city. His father, Martin, was an amateur bodybuilder. Farrelly speaks fluent Irish, having attended Scoil Caoimhin Primary and Secondary School, a Gaelscoil During his school years he sang in the Palestrina Choir until the age of thirteen, as part of which he appeared on the Late Late Show and Live at Three television programmes. He played Gaelic football for the Erin's Isle team where he was declared sports star of the month. He also played rugby for the National College of Ireland, where he gained a National Diploma.
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Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted as an assistant coach in amateur wrestling. He first spent time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he held the Southern Tag Team Championship four times. WWE then moved him to the main roster and put him into an alliance with Kurt Angle and Charlie Haas, known as Team Angle (and later the World's Greatest Tag Team). During his tenure with the company, he won the Intercontinental Championship three times, the United States Championship once, and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice with Haas. He currently wrestles for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is one half of the World Tag Team Champions with Charlie Haas.
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Shep Messing
Shep Norman Messing (born October 9, 1949 in The Bronx, New York) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster. He played seven seasons in the North American Soccer League and six in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He was also a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Messing, along with his brother Roy, attended high school at The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, New York. He began his collegiate soccer career at New York University. He graduated from Harvard University in 1972 after playing on the school's men's soccer team. He was a two-time second team All-American.
He joined the U.S. national team that played in the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia. He went on to play with the U.S. team at 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The U.S. went 0-2-1 in group play and failed to qualify for the second round. Messing manned the net in the U.S.'s third game of the games, a 7-0 loss to West Germany. After the Olympics, Messing received offers from teams in Mexico and Germany, but was invited to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL), where his teammates would eventually include Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia.
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Shirley Povich
Shirley Lewis Povich (July 15, 1905 – June 4, 1998) was an American sports columnist and reporter for the Washington Post.
Povich's parents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. Having grown up in coastal Bar Harbor, Maine (then known as Eden), far from a major league team, the first baseball game he ever saw was a game for which he wrote the game story.
Povich joined the Post as a reporter in 1923 during his second year as a Georgetown University law student, and in 1925 was named Editor of Sports. In 1933, he became a sports columnist, a responsibility that continued until his death, with only one interruption. In 1944, Povich took on the assignment of Washington Post war correspondent in the Pacific Theater. Following World War II, he returned to his sports desk. He was the sports editor for the Post for forty-one years.
He celebrated his retirement in 1973, but continued to write more than 500 pieces and cover the World Series for the Post. He would write about both the modern game and memories of years past. At the time of his death, he was one of few working writers who had covered Babe Ruth. In fact, his final column was in the Post the day after his death at age 92.
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Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy (born July 4, 1960) is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation. He is a six-time world champion: a two-time WWF Champion, two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion.
Eudy entered the wrestling industry after an encounter with Randy Savage and his brother Lanny Poffo. After being trained by Tojo Yamamoto, Eudy made his debut as he teamed with Austin Idol and wrestled the team of Nick Bockwinkel and Jerry Lawler. He then adopted the masked wrestler persona known as Lord Humongous. After competing mainly on the continental wrestling circuits (Alabama, Mississippi, Memphis, and Georgia), he captured several regional titles while there. He also competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged Tatsumi Fujinami for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship under the name Vicious Warrior, but was unable to win the title. Eudy then made a very brief stint in World Class Championship Wrestling, where he adopted one of his most notable ring names: Sid Vicious, which he took from the punk rock musician of the same name who played bass for the Sex Pistols.
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Sid Gordon
Sidney "Sid" Gordon (August 13, 1917 – June 17, 1975), known as "Sid," was a stocky, powerfully built American right-handed Major League Baseball outfielder, third baseman, and first baseman.
He had a 13-year career in MLB for the New York Giants (1941–43, 1946–49, and 1955), Boston Braves (1950–52), Milwaukee Braves (1953), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1954–55). Gordon was one of the Giants' most popular players. He played 13 years in the majors, batting .283, hitting 202 home runs, and batting in 805 runs. In 3 different years he homered at least once in every park in which he played. A slugger, he also had a great eye—he drew 731 walks, against only 356 strikeouts. He was a 2-time All-Star.
Harold Ribalow in his book The Jew in American Sports referred to Gordon as the "Solid Man."
Gordon was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, and was Jewish. His parents were Morris and Rose (née Meyerson) Gordon. Morris emigrated from Russia, and became a plumber and a coal dealer in the United States. Eventually, the family moved to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.
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Sid Luckman
Sidney Luckman, known as Sid Luckman, (November 21, 1916 – July 5, 1998) was an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1939 to 1950. During his 12 seasons with the Bears he led them to four NFL championships.
Luckman was the first modern T-formation quarterback and is considered the greatest long range passer of his time. He was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1943, and Pulitzer prize winning sports writer Ira Berkow wrote that Luckman was "the first great T-formation quarterback". Following his retirement from playing, Luckman continued his association with football by tutoring college coaches, focusing on the passing aspect of the game.
Luckman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, and in 1988 he was declared a joint winner of the Walter Camp Distinguished American Award.
Luckman was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Germany. His father sparked his interest in American football at age eight, by giving him a football to play with. He and his parents lived in a residence near Prospect Park and it was here as a youngster that Sid first started throwing the football around.
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Sidney Hertzberg
Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg (July 29, 1922 – July 24, 2005) was an American pro basketball player. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Woodmere, New York.
Hertzberg played for Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and at City College, where he was a teammate of longtime Knicks coach Red Holzman.
He was a member of the original New York Knickerbockers, playing for them in 1946/1947 and 1947/1948. The 5-foot-9 guard scored a team-high 14 points in the Knicks' first home game in 1946. He later became the leading scorer of the Boston Celtics in 1949/1950.
He later was a scout and assistant coach for the Knicks.
After ending his basketball career at the age of 28, Hertzberg went on to become a managing director of Bear Stearns, an investment banking and brokerage firm.
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Stan Fischler
Stan Fischler (born March 31, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York) is a hockey and New York City Subway historian, broadcaster, author and professor.
For his hockey knowledge, Fischler promotes himself as “The Hockey Maven” in both local and national circles. He can be seen aside Al Trautwig during MSG hockey intermissions for the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers on MSG and MSG Plus. He also provides general hockey analysis on MSG and writes columns for the network's website (MSG.com). In 2009, Fischler began hosting a feature, "Five For Fischler," on "Hockey Night Live!" which lists his Top Five in a random hockey topic.
In addition to broadcasting, Fischler has authored or co-authored more than 90 books on hockey or the NYC subway system, frequently co-writing with his wife Shirley. His books include: The Hockey Encyclopedia, Everybody's Hockey Book, Hockey Chronicle, The New NHL Encyclopedia, Cracked Ice: An Insider's Look at the NHL, and most recently MetroIce: A Century of Hockey in Greater New York, focusing on the Rangers, Islanders and Devils franchises. His most famous subway book is Uptown, Downtown.
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Steve McMichael
Stephen Douglas McMichael (born October 17, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and is currently the head coach of the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League. McMichael played college football for the University of Texas and was an All-American. He played for the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers, winning Super Bowl XX with the Bears. McMichael later became a professional wrestler, wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and becoming a member of the legendary Four Horsemen
Born in Houston, Texas, McMichael attended the University of Texas, where he played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1976 to 1979. As a senior in 1979, he was a consensus first-team All-American.
McMichael was drafted out of Texas in 1980 by the New England Patriots. He was acquired by the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 1981. He would become one of their starting defensive tackles and help lead them to a Super Bowl win in 1985. He had a streak of 101 games started until 1990, when his playing time was reduced. He led the Bears with 111⁄2 sacks in 1988. He had 108 tackles in 1989. McMichael was named to the NFC's Pro Bowl teams for the 1986 and 1987 seasons.
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Stevie Richards
Michael Manna (born October 9, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Manna currently works for Lucha Libre USA and previously worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and, briefly, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He has also made appearances for Ring Of Honor (ROH). Manna has held the WWE Hardcore Championship 22 times and was a two-time ECW World Tag Team Champion and a one time NWA National Heavyweight Champion.
Stevie Richards was trained at Iron Mike Sharpe's wrestling school in Brick Township, New Jersey after being discovered by Dan Haney of the World Wide Wrestling Alliance based out of Colmar/Hatfield, Pennsylvania.
On February 25, 1992, Richards participated in the first ever Eastern Championship Wrestling (Extreme eventually replaced the Eastern) match, as Steve Richards in a 20-minute time limit draw with Jimmy Jannetty. In 1995 Richards began to adopt the gimmicks of one Scott Levy (Scotty Flamingo, Scotty the body, Johnny Polo) he would score a win as Stevie Flamingo, the next week as Stevie the body he would score an upset victory over JT Smith then, the next week as Stevie Polo he would score his first loss to Tommy Dreamer, Richards irrate over the loss claimed that "he would produce the real Johnny Polo". The next week he would live up to his promise Levy appeared in a new gimmick as Raven. From that point on, Richards acted as a flunky for Raven in ECW, calling him "Boss". While teaming with Raven, Richards won the ECW World Tag Team Championship on two occasions.
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Summer Sanders
Summer Elisabeth Sanders (born October 13, 1972) is a sports commentator and reporter, TV show host, actress and retired Olympic gold medalist in swimming.
Sanders was born in Roseville, California and attended Cavitt Junior High School (just outside Roseville), Bishop Donahue High School (in West Virginia) and Oakmont High School there.
She first came to the attention of the swimming world in 1988 when, as a 15-year-old, she barely missed a spot on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. She won three gold medals at the 1990 Goodwill Games before embarking on her collegiate career at Stanford University. In two years at Stanford, she compiled six individual NCAA titles and four relay championships. Sanders earned back-to-back NCAA Swimmer of the Year awards and propelled Stanford to a national championship in 1992. She also played basketball.
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she won gold medals in the 200-meter butterfly and in the 400-meter medley relay. She also won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley and a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley. Her individual performances in Barcelona were identical to those a year earlier at the 1991 swimming and diving world championships in Perth, Australia. Retiring after the Barcelona Olympics, Sanders later attempted to make the 1996 Olympic team but failed to qualify.
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Suzyn Waldman
Suzyn Waldman (born (1946-09-07)September 7, 1946) is a sportscaster and former Broadway actress. Starting with the 2005 season, she has been the color commentator for New York Yankees baseball, working with John Sterling on radio broadcasts for WCBS-AM in New York City. She graduated from Simmons College with a degree in Economics.
Waldman was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Prior to her broadcasting career, Waldman worked for many years as an actress and singer in musical theatre. Her most notable role was as Aldonza in Man of La Mancha. Her rendition of "There Used To Be a Ballpark" appeared on the 1995 WMHT-TV documentary Local Heroes: Baseball on Capital Region Diamonds. Also, she has performed the National Anthem at many Yankee home games.
Waldman is noted for her early achievements in the male-dominated field of sports broadcasting. She is the third woman in Major League Baseball history to serve as a full-time color commentator on a regular basis. (Betty Caywood of the Kansas City Athletics served as a color commentator for a year in the 1960s, and Mary Shane served as a play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox in 1977.) In the mid-1990s, she was a play-by-play announcer for the Yankees' local TV broadcasts on WPIX, which made her the second woman to serve in that capacity on TV for a major league team. (Gayle Gardner was the first to do so in 1993 for the Colorado Rockies.)
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Taiyō Kea
Maunakea Mossman is an American professional wrestler, better known under his stage name Taiyō Kea (太陽ケア). Although he was born in Hawaii, he has spent nearly his entire career as a member of the Japan-based All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. He is the only wrestler to have held the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship and the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Mossman was a Hawaiian state amateur champion, and was scouted by Giant Baba during a trip to the islands. Debuting in 1994 as a junior heavyweight, Mossman was pushed immediately, winning the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title in 1997. He vacated the title in 1998, as he graduated up to the heavyweight division. Following Baba's death in 1999, Misawa inherited the role as the booker and chose to postpone Mossman's push. With the massive exodus of Misawa and all but two native talent to form Pro Wrestling Noah in 2000, Mossman was one of the few who chose to remain in All Japan Pro Wrestling, aiding in the rebuilding process along with Toshiaki Kawada, Masanobu Fuchi, Hiroshi Hase, Stan Hansen, the returning Genichiro Tenryu, Nobutaka Araya and Shigeo Okumura. In order to identify him more with the audience, Mossman was given the semi-Japanese name "Taiyō Kea" (from taiyo, sun, and the Polynesian word kea). Kea was pushed as a strong loyalist and won the AJPW World Tag Team Titles with Johnny Smith.
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Tal Brody
Tal Brody (Hebrew: טל ברודי; nicknamed Mr. Basketball; born August 30, 1943, in Trenton, New Jersey, United States) is an American-Israeli former basketball player, and current Goodwill Ambassador of Israel, who lives in Israel. Brody was drafted # 12 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, but chose to pass up an NBA career to instead play basketball in Israel. He played on national basketball teams of both the United States and Israel, and served in the armies of both countries.
A New Jersey All Star basketball player in high school, Brody led his team to an undefeated state championship. In college he was a high-scoring, slick-passing All American and All-Big Ten guard in 1965, while playing for the University of Illinois. That year, he was drafted 12th in the NBA draft. Before the NBA season started, he traveled to Israel where he led the U.S. basketball team to a gold medal in the 1965 Maccabiah Games. Convinced by Moshe Dayan and others to return to Israel to help elevate the country's basketball team and morale, he passed up his NBA career to instead play basketball in Israel, as the shooting guard and captain of the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team. He was voted Israeli Sportsman of the Year in 1967, and was a member of the European All Star Team.
wn.com/Tal_Brody -
Tamir Bloom
Dr. Tamir Bloom (born December 24, 1971, in New York City) is an American epee fencer.
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Bloom placed 31st in individual epee. He was a member of the U.S. épée team that finished 8th, after being eliminated by Italy in the quarterfinals, 45-44.
At the end of a busy 3rd year that cut into his training, Bloom took a break from medical school for the 1999–2000 academic year to focus on preparing for Sydney. But when a torn ACL caused him to miss the World Championships (where he could have qualified), he postponed an operation, wore a brace, and attempted to qualify by accumulating enough points in international tournaments. In May 2000, he won the Western Hemisphere Zonal qualification tournament in Buenos Aires, making the team in his final attempt to qualify for the Olympics.
At the 2000 Sydney Games, Bloom lost in the 2nd round of individual épée to Arnd Scmitt, the top-ranked épée fencer in the world. Bloom finished 29th.
Bloom won silver medals in the individual and team foil events at the 1995 Pan American Games.
wn.com/Tamir_Bloom -
Tank Abbott
David Lee Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former professional wrestler. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "street fighting". Abbott was the first fighter to regularly wear what would be known as traditional MMA gloves in the UFC.
Abbott was a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Abbott made his mixed martial arts debut in 1995 at UFC 6 Clash of the Titans in Casper, Wyoming. In his opening fight, he knocked out John Matua, who weighed 400 lb, in 18 seconds. Later that night he fought Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a rear naked choke. Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage. In his first 4 UFC tournament appearances, Abbott advanced at least 1 round in all of them. Around the same time the UFC began switching away from the tournament format, his fortunes declined, as he won only 2 of 5 bouts in '97-'98 before retiring from MMA.
wn.com/Tank_Abbott -
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley. Funk has appeared in the NWA, AWA, WWF/E, WCW, ECW, USWA, ROH, and TNA.
Funk held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once and ECW World Heavyweight Championship once (ECW awarded him the honorary lifetime title of ECW Champion due to his contributions to the promotion). In addition, he won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once, the IWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once (the reign was under Eastern Championship Wrestling name), the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship once. He is the only man to have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, the Hardcore Hall of Fame, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Funk was a primary subject of the documentary film Beyond the Mat. Funk is often noted for the longevity of his career, which has included multiple "retirement" matches.
wn.com/Terry_Funk -
The Miz
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, reality television star, media personality, and actor better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand. Mizanin first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: Back to New York, which first aired in 2001, and its spinoff series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He later entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition that would award the winner a WWE contract, and became the first runner-up. Mizanin has also made appearances on television shows including Battle of the Network Reality Stars, Fear Factor, Identity, Ghost Hunters, Dinner Impossible, Psych and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.
Mizanin trained and wrestled with Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling, where he became the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion. Mizanin was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), working in tag team matches and winning the tag team title, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, on one occasion.
wn.com/The_Miz -
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to WWE and is the company's most tenured competitor. Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation in October and, after shortening his name from Kane the Undertaker to simply The Undertaker, has remained with the company since.
The Undertaker has two contrasting personas. The first is the role of The Deadman, an undead, occult-like figure, which has consisted of many different styles. He debuted his original Deadman persona during his own on-camera debut at Survivor Series (1990). At this event, the Undertaker was clad as a Western mortician. Next, in October of 1998, the Undertaker appeared as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness (with similar apparel). Since WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker has appeared as a hybrid version of the Deadman character, using elements of the previous Deadman incarnations.
wn.com/The_Undertaker -
Thelma Eisen
Thelma Eisen [Tiby] (born May 11, 1922) is a former outfielder who played from 1944 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Thelma Eisen was among the top players in the early years of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A durable player, Eisen averaged 107 games appearances in each of her nine seasons in the league. An All-Star in 1946, she made the playoffs in seven out of nine possible seasons, including the champion team in 1944. Noted for her enthusiastic and great knowledge of the game, she excelled defensively at all three outfield positions, mainly at center field. Regarded as a disciplined hitter and a daring base runner, she posted a career .295 on-base percentage and utilized her stunning speed to snatch 674 stolen bases in 966 career-games. A fast and fine defensive outfielder, she often took away extra base hits from opponents, offering a variety of excellent catches over a substantial period of time. Additionally, she moved from one place to another constantly, playing with four different teams and cities, as the league switched players as needed to help teams to be competitive.
wn.com/Thelma_Eisen -
Tim Woods
George Burrell "Tim" Woodin (July 28, 1934 – November 30, 2002) was an American former professional wrestler. He was best known under his ring name Mr. Wrestling.
Woodin began his wrestling career at the age of 29 using the name "Tim Woods". He was then given the name "Mr. Wrestling" by Nebraska promotor Joe Dusek, and subsequently adopted both a white wrestling mask and white singlet to complete the character. Mr. Wrestling became a major superstar in the Georgia, Florida, Texas and Mid-Atlantic territories. He wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the northeast, at the upper end of the preliminary wrestlers. Starting in the Seventies, he would alternate between his masked persona as Mr. Wrestling and wrestling unmasked as Tim Woods, depending on the territory.
wn.com/Tim_Woods -
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin (born February 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). After leaving WWE after a nine year stint in 2010, Dreamer worked a year for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Among other accolades, he is a fourteen-time WWF/E Hardcore Champion and a two-time world champion, having won the ECW World Championship twice, and is the only man to have won this title in both the original company and in the WWE relaunch.
In addition to his most recent role, Dreamer is known for the time he spent in the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, of which he has been called the "heart and soul". Though he only held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once in his time with the company – for a total of about 30 minutes – he was regularly embroiled in the company's most visible angles on-screen and involved in the booking, some of the business decisions, and, like a number of other ECW wrestlers, was part of the day-to-day operations of the company off-screen. He is known as the "Innovator of violence."
wn.com/Tommy_Dreamer -
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969) is an American professional wrestler, wrestling executive, and actor better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Currently, Levesque works in the front office of WWE as the Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, and as Triple H appears on television as the (storyline) Chief Operating Officer, and part-time wrestler.
Levesque began his wrestling career in the International Wrestling Federation as Terra Ryzing before joining World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. After briefly using the Ryzing name, he changed his character to Jean-Paul Lévesque, a French-Canadian aristocrat which would be similar to his character Hunter Hearst Helmsley, that he used in his early years with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1995 onward. He later abbreviated his name to Triple H and adopted an alternative image in the D-Generation X (DX) stable. After the dissolution of DX, Triple H was pushed as a main event wrestler, winning several singles championships. As part of a storyline Triple H married Stephanie McMahon, who later became his real-life spouse. In 2003, Triple H formed another stable known as Evolution, and reformed DX with Shawn Michaels in 2006 and 2009. He is heavily involved in the writing process of WWE programming, and holds complete creative control over his television character's storylines, win/loss record, and championship reigns.
wn.com/Triple_H -
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen.
He worked for most of the major professional wrestling organizations in the United States: the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE). As of March 31st, 2012, Tully Blanchard was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen.
As the son of wrestling promoter and former American Wrestling Association star Joe Blanchard, Tully Blanchard was involved in professional wrestling at a very young age. He began selling programs and refreshments at the arenas at the age of ten, and worked as a referee when he was older. Blanchard attended West Texas State University, where he played American football, first as a quarterback and then as a defensive end, alongside fellow future wrestlers Tito Santana and Ted DiBiase.
wn.com/Tully_Blanchard -
Vic Hershkowitz
Vic Hershkowitz (15 October 1918 – 23 June 2008) was a dominant handball player who played from the early 1940s to the early 1960s. He won 23 amateur national titles. He was a New York City fireman. His accomplishments include winning forty national and international handball titles, including nine consecutive Three-Wall Singles Championships. He died 23 June 2008 in Plantation, Florida.
wn.com/Vic_Hershkowitz -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist countries. The Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation Front, or NLF), a lightly armed South Vietnamese communist-controlled common front, largely fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region. The Vietnam People's Army (North Vietnamese Army) engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large units into battle. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, and airstrikes.
The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. The North Vietnamese government and Viet Cong viewed the conflict as a colonial war, fought initially against France, backed by the U.S., and later against South Vietnam, which it regarded as a U.S. puppet state. American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned international borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. American involvement in the war peaked in 1968, at the time of the Tet Offensive. After this, U.S. ground forces were gradually withdrawn as part of a policy known as Vietnamization. Despite the Paris Peace Accords, signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued.
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Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon (born August 24, 1945) is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE. Upon acquiring World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), McMahon's WWE became the sole remaining major American professional wrestling promotion (until the national expansion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor).
As an on-camera character, he can appear on all WWE brands (though the majority of the time, he appears on Raw). McMahon plays a character known by the ring name Mr. McMahon, based on his real life persona. In the world of WWE, he is a two-time world champion, having won the WWF Championship and ECW World Championship. He was also the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble.
Vince is the husband of Linda McMahon, with whom he ran WWE from its establishment in 1980 until she resigned as the CEO in September 2009.
wn.com/Vince_McMahon -
Walter Blum
Walter "Mousey" Blum (born September 28, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York) is a retired Hall of Fame jockey.
A horse racing fan from boyhood, in his teens Blum began working as a racetrack hotwalker. Despite being blind in his right eye from the age of two, in 1953 he embarked on a career as a jockey, riding his first winner on July 29 at Saratoga Race Course. During the better part of his 22 year career Blum rode mainly at East Coast tracks from New Jersey to Florida and is one of only four jockeys to ever win six races on a single card at Monmouth Park. However, in the 1960s he rode seasonally at California tracks, notably winning the 1966 Santa Anita Derby, and he also dominated Chicago's summer racing circuit at Arlington Park.
On June 19, 1961, Walter Blum rode six winners on a single racecard at Monmouth Park Racetrack. He won more races in 1963 and 1964 than any other American jockey. He rode in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on two occasions, his best finish a fourth in both in 1967 aboard Reason to Hail. In the 1971 Belmont Stakes, he rode Pass Catcher to a victory that denied Canonero II the Triple Crown. His best known mounts were Hall of Famers Affectionately and Gun Bow with one of his most famous victories coming in the 1964 Woodward Stakes when he rode Gun Bow to a win over the legendary Kelso. In 1969 Blum was elected president of the Jockeys' Guild and served until 1974. He rode his last mount in 1975 then went to work as a racing official at Garden State Park and the Atlantic City racetracks. In 1978 he moved to Florida where he served as a state steward until retiring on December 30, 2004.
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Yael Averbuch
Yael Friedman Averbuch (born November 3, 1986, in New York City, New York) is an American soccer midfielder currently playing for WFC Rossiyanka in the Russian Championship and the Champions League. She previously played for Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash in WPS, also playing for the United States national team.
Averbuch's hometown is Montclair, New Jersey. Her younger sister is a midfielder for Stanford University.
wn.com/Yael_Averbuch -
Yoshihiro Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri (田尻 義博, Tajiri Yoshihiro?, born September 29, 1970), is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently working in Japan as TAJIRI.
Tajiri had originally wanted to become a kickboxer and trained in kickboxing, but after watching countless wrestling matches from Mexico, he entered the Animal Hamaguchi Wrestling gym and soon won its test match tournament. He debuted professionally in 1994 for Michinoku Pro Wrestling beating Akihiro Yonekawa and also wrestled for Wrestle Association-R. On 16 October 1994 Tajiri made his debut for IWA Japan under his real name. In 1996 he joined Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.
In 1996 he left CMLL and joined the hardcore wrestling promotion Big Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo. He debuted for BJW under the name Aquarius and beat Unicorn in his first match. On 19 July 1996 he beat Dr. Wagner Jr for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship and lost it to him on 27 July. On July 23, 1997 Tajiri would team up with Ryuji Yamakawa to win the vacant BJW Tag Team Championship and lost it to Gedo and Jado on December 22. The team would regain the titles eleven days later and lose it to Shadow Winger and Shadow WX. He beat Gedo to become the first BJW Junior Heavyweight Champion he would later be stripped of the title when he left the company.
wn.com/Yoshihiro_Tajiri -
Zack Ryder
Matt Cardona (born May 14, 1985), better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE and appearing on its Raw brand.
Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag team partner Brian Myers/Curt Hawkins on the independent circuit and initially in WWE, where they won the WWE Tag Team Championship. After the team split in 2009, Cardona was featured sparingly on WWE television. In 2011, Cardona used YouTube and Twitter to establish a niche fan following, which translated to a rise in status in WWE.
Cardona debuted with New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) in 2004, using the name Brett Matthews. By 2005 he began regularly teaming with Bryan Myers and the duo of Myers and Matthews went on to defeat the NYWC Tag Team Champions Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige by disqualification, for which titles do not change hands. At the next event on June 4 they won a rematch decisively to become Tag Team Champions. Later that month they were attacked by The Dead Presidents (Lo Lincoln and Boog Washington) to set up a feud where they eventually lost their titles against them in July. on August 27. On September 23 they were entered into a three way match with the champions but Team Tremendous (Dan Barry and Ken Scampi) ended up with the belts. After continuing to win matches they re-earned a match against Team Tremendous and won the titles for the second time on January 25, 2006. They held the titles until they faced the B.S. Xpress (Tony Burma & Mike Spinelli), who defeated them for the gold on March 26.
wn.com/Zack_Ryder
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WWE BILL GOLDBERG THE STREAK 1/2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 35:46
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
WWE Goldberg the Streak All rights to WWE Bill Goldberg, WWE, RAW, Smackdown, The Streak, WWE Classics, undertaker, shawn michaels, kane, the rock, hulk hogan, john cena
http://wn.com/WWE_BILL_GOLDBERG_THE_STREAK_1_2
The Best Exclusive Interview Bill Goldberg 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:44
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
http://wn.com/The_Best_Exclusive_Interview_Bill_Goldberg_2012
Proof that Bill Goldberg Isn't Human! (Hd Video)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:17
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
This video is the proof of the legend of the ring BILL GOLDBERG that he is not a human being!!!!!!!!! He is a man of steal!!!!!!!
http://wn.com/Proof_that_Bill_Goldberg_Isn't_Human!_Hd_Video
WWE-Goldberg VS Evoultion
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:55
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
Goldberg VS HHH And BATISTA AND ORTON
http://wn.com/WWE-Goldberg_VS_Evoultion
AJPW 30.08.2002 - Bill Goldberg vs Satoshi Kojima
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:22
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
All Japan Pro Wrestling Singles Match
http://wn.com/AJPW_30082002_Bill_Goldberg_vs_Satoshi_Kojima
Did Ryback DISRESPECT Bill Goldberg?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:19
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
Listen to the ENTIRE discussion: http:www.DonTonyKevinCastle.com From "The Don Tony and Kevin Castle Show," hosts Don Tony and Kevin Castle discuss a recent article on WWE.com where Ryback does not speak about Goldberg in glowing terms. This leads to a long debate about whether Ryback disrespected Goldberg. CC Photo Attributions: By Jtalledo at en.wikipedia Later versions were uploaded by Oakster at en.wikipedia. [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons CC Photo Attribution (Ryback): www.flickr.com
http://wn.com/Did_Ryback_DISRESPECT_Bill_Goldberg?
2003.01.19h-W1: Keiji Mutoh/Bill Goldberg vs. KroniK: Brian Adams/Bryan Clarke [DREAM TAG MATCH]*
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 30:59
- Updated: 07 Nov 2012
*lighting-fix applied. WRESTLE-1 in Tokyo Dome 2003 January 19 Attendance: 20000+ Tokyo, Japan -This is Brian Adams' last match as he suffered a spinal cord injury during this bout that required surgery which, sadly, forced Adams' into early retirement. *footage courtesy: SKY PerfecTV!
http://wn.com/20030119h-W1_Keiji_Mutoh_Bill_Goldberg_vs_KroniK_Brian_Adams_Bryan_Clarke_DREAM_TAG_MATCH_*
Bill Goldberg vs Raven - Monday Nitro - April 20, 1998 - HQ with Pre-Match hype
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:21
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
Bill Goldberg vs Raven - Monday Nitro - April 20, 1998 - HQ with Pre-Match hype
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg_vs_Raven_Monday_Nitro_April_20,_1998_HQ_with_Pre-Match_hype
Bill Goldberg Vs Tank Abbott - WCW Nitro (HQ)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:33
- Updated: 24 Nov 2012
Bill Goldberg Vs Tank Abbott - WCW Nitro (HQ)
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg_Vs_Tank_Abbott_WCW_Nitro_HQ
Bill Goldberg Interview at Andre Reed's Foundation Golf Outing (July 2012)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:34
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
ClassActSports.com
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg_Interview_at_Andre_Reed's_Foundation_Golf_Outing_July_2012
WWE '12 Community Showcase - Goldberg (Xbox 360)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:07
- Updated: 14 Nov 2012
WWE '12 Community Showcase: Goldberg (Xbox 360) Download Details: caws.smacktalks.org Facebook: facebook.com Twitter: twitter.com
http://wn.com/WWE_'12_Community_Showcase_Goldberg_Xbox_360
WCW Bill Goldberg vs Hulk Hogan
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:34
- Updated: 28 Oct 2012
http://wn.com/WCW_Bill_Goldberg_vs_Hulk_Hogan
swats bill goldberg day 7 on the protocol
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:08
- Updated: 19 Nov 2012
goldberg talks with mitch about the swats protocol and how it has changed his tranning sleeping and recovery and his pain
http://wn.com/swats_bill_goldberg_day_7_on_the_protocol
Goldberg 2012 talking about his return to WWE !!!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:59
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
great moments of bill goldberg
http://wn.com/Goldberg_2012_talking_about_his_return_to_WWE_!!!
WWE Bill Goldberg Career Highlights Ep.1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Updated: 24 Nov 2012
Goldberg wins his first WCW Championship
http://wn.com/WWE_Bill_Goldberg_Career_Highlights_Ep1
My All Time Favorite Wrestlers #5: Bill Goldberg
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:05
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
The Phenom of the WCW. Man what a beginning this guy had. Even better than WWF's Phenom, The Undertaker. Beasts are known to start out strong, dominant, no-selling, and with a limited moveset. Undertaker did it, Kane did it, Big Show did it twice (as The Giant in WCW, and again as "The Big Show" Paul Wight in the WWF) and Ryan"Ryback" Reeves is doing it now; it's how they get over fast. Undefeated streaks have been done countless times in the past too. Andre the Giant had a supposedly 15 year undefeated streak, Mr. Perfect had a long undefeated streak, Undertaker had a long undefeated streak, Tatanka had a long undefeated streak, but it's Goldberg's undefeated streak that every talks about. Goldberg had an intensity that made you believe he was really that badass. For a green as grass former NFL defensive tackle, he finished his stint in WCW's power plant training facility and exploded in the wrestling world. Nobody got over as quickly and effectively as Bill Goldberg did right out of the gates. He was pushed to the moon because the people were instantly drawn to his intensity, look and size. As he matured as a wrestler he brought in a lot of military style hand to hand combat moves into his moveset, something that is all but ignored by his critics who call him a 5-move superman. My only wish for Goldberg was to have seen him wrestle longer and mature in the way that Undertaker matured. Undertaker went from a moveset that consisted of choke hold after choke hold, walking ...
http://wn.com/My_All_Time_Favorite_Wrestlers_5_Bill_Goldberg
Should Ryback be BOOKED like Bill Goldberg?
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:57
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SHOW: solomonster.podbean.com twitter.com www.sescoops.com From "Solomonster Sounds Off," the Solomonster talks about an idea to get Antonio Cesaro over by having him feud with former tag partner Kassius Ohno. Photo Attributions By Jtalledo at en.wikipedia Later versions were uploaded by Oakster at en.wikipedia. [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons CC Photo Attribution (Ryback): www.flickr.com
http://wn.com/Should_Ryback_be_BOOKED_like_Bill_Goldberg?
swats Bill Goldberg start of day 1of his swats protocol
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 15:15
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
goldgerg talks to mitch ross about setting up his swats protocol and other things like .his nfl days big daddy goodridge concussions and more
http://wn.com/swats_Bill_Goldberg_start_of_day_1of_his_swats_protocol
Bill Goldberg Vs Brock Lesnar
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 25:05
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
Visita www.redzer.tv Todos los deportes online WWE, TNA, UFC, Strikeforce; Futbol, Box y Mucho mas.
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg_Vs_Brock_Lesnar
Why Ryback is no Bill Goldberg
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:31
- Updated: 18 Nov 2012
They're pretty close in size and weight according to WWE.com Goldberg is 6'4" 285 lbs and Ryback is 6'3" 291 lbs. I did find a few other numbers but they're pretty close in size. Music by Mitch Zorich
http://wn.com/Why_Ryback_is_no_Bill_Goldberg
Bill Goldberg - Impact Wrestling Entrance 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:00
- Updated: 25 Nov 2012
If you like it, please visit my Facebook Page: tinyurl.com Custom Entrance Video with Custom Theme by Chosta
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg_Impact_Wrestling_Entrance_2012
WWE '13: Goldberg vs Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton & Batista)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:38
- Updated: 26 Nov 2012
WWE '13: Goldberg vs Evolution (Triple H, Randy Orton & Batista) on Custom RAW Arena 2002 BYGAWD! It's GOLDBERG vs EVOLUTION (Handicap Match - 3 on 1) Hope you guys enjoyed this video. For more fantasy matches please post comments or tweet at me on twitter. Bill Goldberg is a downloaded CAW, you guys can find him in Community creations on XBOX. HOW TO CAW BILL GOLDBERG HOW TO CAW BATISTA HOW TO CREATE Batista How to Create Goldberg How to Create 2002 RAW Arena Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar W/Stone Cold Steve Austin as Special Referee - www.youtube.com Follow me on twitter: twitter.com Subscribe to my Second Channel: youtube.com
http://wn.com/WWE_'13_Goldberg_vs_Evolution_Triple_H,_Randy_Orton_Batista
Legends Of Wrestling,Bill Goldberg Tribute.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:38
- Updated: 23 Nov 2012
William Scott "Bill" Goldberg (born December 27, 1966) is a former professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is notable for his lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition. The official count is listed as 173-0, although some have disputed the legitimacy of that total. Goldberg is recognized by WWE as a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time World Heavyweight Champion, with both reigns represented by the Big Gold Belt. He was the first of four men to hold a version of the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, later followed by Chris Benoit, Booker T and Big Show. He is also recognized by WWE as a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart). Before he was a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a football player. After retiring from wrestling, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion EliteXC until its closure. As of 2010, he has been the host of Garage Mahal on the DIY Network.en.wikipedia.org
http://wn.com/Legends_Of_Wrestling,Bill_Goldberg_Tribute
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
25 Nov 2012
Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has held direct talks with the leader of the M23 rebels in Uganda, hours after a regional summit called on them to end their offensive in the east of the country. Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero, the political leader of the eastern DR Congo rebel group, said on Sunday he had an initial meeting with Kabila after the summit in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, ended on Saturday....(size: 20.0Kb)
photo: AP / Sang Tan
23 Nov 2012
RAFA Benitez takes charge of Chelsea for the first time on Sunday with a big decision to make over whether to restore striker Fernando Torres to the starting lineup against Premier League leader Manchester City. The Spain striker was dropped by Roberto Di Matteo for Tuesday's Champions League loss to Juventus, which proved to be the last straw for owner Roman Abramovich before firing the Italian and hiring Benitez. ... Fulham, Wigan vs. ... ....(size: 3.6Kb)
photo: AP / Mohammed Asad
24 Nov 2012
Cairo. President Mohamed Morsi insisted on Friday that Egypt is on the path to “freedom and democracy” after granting himself sweeping powers, which sparked clashes between his supporters and foes and raised concerns abroad. “Political stability, social stability and economic stability are what I want and that is what I am working for,” he told a gathering of fellow Islamists outside the presidential palace. ... “We need stability....(size: 4.8Kb)
photo: AP
26 Nov 2012
This town of 19,000 nestled in an idyllic mountain pass of impossibly green pastures and golden autumn trees is on the front lines of Turkey's rapidly escalating guerrilla war. In a struggle for autonomy as well as independent language and education rights, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has waged a low-grade conflict in Turkey for decades. ... 4 just as a Turkish army tank rolled by. ... "The violence is getting worse....(size: 8.8Kb)
The Washington Post
19 Nov 2012
Silver Spring blood drive Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Montgomery Chapter House, 2020 East West Hwy., Silver Spring. 800-733-2767. www.redcrossblood.org. Appointments recommended. Silver Spring blood drive Sunday, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Christ Congregational Church, 9525 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 800-733-2767. www.redcrossblood.org. ... Ballroom dance Free lessons with instructors Bill Goldberg and Ellen Moran, then practice what has been learned. ... $40....(size: 3.6Kb)
The Examiner
16 Nov 2012
Related topics 2012 WWE Survivor SeriesWWE Survivor SeriesecwMatt HardyLitatriple H
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On this day in 1996, ECW presented November to Remember. In the main event, Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer defeated Shane Douglas and Brian Lee. ... The main event saw Bill Goldberg defeat Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Thanks to PW Insider.com for those notes. ... 6. ... Contact Wes....(size: 7.0Kb)
The Washington Post
12 Nov 2012
“Building Blocks of Tai Chi” Thursdays at 11:15 a.m. Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center, 1000 Forest Glen Rd., Silver Spring. 240-777-8086. Registration required. Nature center park walk event Two 10K trail walks and a 5K option. Sponsored by Seneca Valley Sugarloafers Volksmarch Club. Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ... Ballroom dance Bill Goldberg and Ellen Moran offer instruction and then help participants practice the steps they learn. ... ....(size: 3.6Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
08 Nov 2012
This past weekend Brian Hobaugh won the BFGoodrich Hot Lap event at the 2012 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational driving his Wilwood equipped 1973 Camaro. ... The weather was beautiful; the field included the best Street Cars in the world being driven to their limits, and an enthusiastic crowd being pumped up by Chad from Bang Shift on the PA system, and Bill Goldberg the event TV host. ... All rights reserved....(size: 6.7Kb)
The Examiner
07 Nov 2012
Mitt Romney for President 9 Photos Just viewed View again Subscribe Advertisement Report: Bill Goldberg reaches new agreement with WWE Bill Goldberg signs deal with WWEEver since Bill Goldberg was last in the squared circle, people have hoped that he would return and wrestle again. ......(size: 4.0Kb)
North Jersey
03 Nov 2012
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bill Goldberg shoveling mud from the driveway of his home in Point Pleasant Beach on Thursday. ... Electrical power in most of the city is off. ... There is a mandatory curfew at 7 p.m. ... Once we clear up the debris, we will open the entire town," said Borough Administrator Bill Young, adding it’s possible that could happen as early as Sunday. ... until 7 a.m. ... in the St. ... ....(size: 20.5Kb)
Tulsa World
02 Nov 2012
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. - Bill Goldberg's first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. ... As for Goldberg, he said he had just completed a total renovation of his kitchen six months ago. ... Salt water was already starting to buckle the interior walls, leading Goldberg to fear he would have to gut the house down to the wooden frame and rebuild it from scratch....(size: 5.8Kb)
San Francisco Chronicle
02 Nov 2012
Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. -- Bill Goldberg's first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. His second was that life as he knew it had just been turned upside down - along with his refrigerator, freezer, and his kitchen and dining room furniture. ... Some were relieved to find only minor damage; others were wiped out. ... "It's absolutely mind-boggling. ... ....(size: 2.1Kb)
Denver Post
02 Nov 2012
Rescue workers, lower left, walk past homes wrecked by Hurricane Sandy on Thursday in Seaside Heights, N.J. ... (Mario Tama, Getty Images) POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. — Bill Goldberg's first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. ... Some were relieved to find only minor damage. Others were wiped out. ... "It's absolutely mind-boggling." ... All rights reserved. ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
The News & Observer
02 Nov 2012
... $30,000 - $50,000 $50,000 - $70,000 $70,000 - $100,000 $100,000 - $300,000 $300,000 - $500,000 $500,000 - $700,000 $700,000 - $1,000,000 $1,000,000 - $3,000,000 $3,000,000 - $5,000,000 $5,000,000 - $7,000,000 $7,000,000 - $10,000,000 Multimedia gallery Images Bill Goldberg shovels mud from the driveway of his home in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J....(size: 20.8Kb)
The Miami Herald
01 Nov 2012
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. --
Bill Goldberg's first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. ... As for Goldberg, he said he had just completed a total renovation of his kitchen six months ago. ... Salt water was already starting to buckle the interior walls, leading Goldberg to fear he would have to gut the house down to the wooden frame and rebuild it from scratch....(size: 3.9Kb)
The Washington Post
01 Nov 2012
— Bill Goldberg’s first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. ... There’s almost nobody here; it looks like tumbleweeds are rolling down the street.” As for Goldberg, he said he had just completed a total renovation of his kitchen six months ago....(size: 5.2Kb)
Seattle Post
01 Nov 2012
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. (AP) — Bill Goldberg's first reaction upon entering his flood-damaged home in this popular Jersey Shore resort community was unprintable. ... As for Goldberg, he said he had just completed a total renovation of his kitchen six months ago. ... Salt water was already starting to buckle the interior walls, leading Goldberg to fear he would have to gut the house down to the wooden frame and rebuild it from scratch. ... ....(size: 6.4Kb)
For other people named Bill Goldberg, see Bill Goldberg (disambiguation).
| Bill Goldberg | |
|---|---|
 Bill Goldberg visits USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) |
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| Born | William Scott Goldberg (1966-12-27) December 27, 1966 (age 45)[1] Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.[1][2] |
| Other names | Goldberg |
| Occupation | Football player/Wrestler/Actor |
| Years active | 1990–1995 (football player) 1997–2004 (wrestler) 1998–present (actor) |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
William Scott "Bill" Goldberg (born December 27, 1966) is a former professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[1][2] He is famous for his lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition)[3] The official count is listed as 173-0,[3][4][5] although some have disputed the legitimacy of that total.[6][7]
Goldberg is recognized by WWE as a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time World Heavyweight Champion, with both reigns represented by the Big Gold Belt. He was the first of four men to hold a version of the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, later followed by Chris Benoit, Booker T and Big Show.[8][9] He is also recognized by WWE as a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart).[10][11][12]
Before he was a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a football player. After retiring from wrestling, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion EliteXC until its closure. He is currently hosting the television show Garage Mahal on the DIY Network.
Football[link]
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| NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 11 / Pick: 302 | |||||||||
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| Bill Goldberg | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Bill Gold[13] Bill Goldberg[13] Goldberg[1][2][13] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1][4][14] |
| Billed weight | 285 lb (129 kg)[1][4] |
| Born | (1966-12-27) December 27, 1966 (age 45)[1][2][13] |
| Resides | Oceanside, California |
| Billed from | Dawsonville, Georgia (WCW) [15][16] Atlanta, Georgia[4] Parts Unknown[15][16] |
| Trained by | WCW Power Plant[1][4] |
| Debut | September 22, 1997[13] |
| Retired | March 14, 2004[13] |
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft.
He played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1990 NFL season, followed by a stint with the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. After being cut from the Falcons, in 1995 he was selected by the new expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft, but never played a game with the team.
Goldberg's NFL career ended when he tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis. He had hopes of returning to the league after rehabilitation but, due to his lack of success, wasn't considered a major asset. Goldberg has described playing in the NFL as "a mixed emotional experience" because, despite reaching the goal of simply playing in the NFL, he didn't obtain the level of achievement that he desired.[17]
Professional wrestling career[link]
World Championship Wrestling (1997–2001)[link]
Undefeated streak[link]
During the rehab following his NFL injury, Goldberg began power lifting and mixed martial arts training. Although not a fan of professional wrestling, he saw it as an alternative to his fledgling football career and began training at the WCW Power Plant.
On the September 22 edition of WCW Monday Nitro, Goldberg defeated Hugh Morrus in his debut match. Soon afterward, Goldberg's succession of wins saw him quickly advance up the card, and he was pushed as a singles wrestler. The newcomer captivated fans with his monstrous yet silent charisma, brute strength, and agility that saw him vault the ropes, perform high kicks and even the occasional backflip. Goldberg made his pay-per-view debut at Starrcade defeating Steve McMichael.[1][2] In early 1998, Goldberg defeated Brad Armstrong at SuperBrawl VIII and Perry Saturn at Spring Stampede in squash matches.[1][2] Around this time, WCW began counting Goldberg's consecutive wins on television as he continued to climb up the ranks. Goldberg's win over Saturn was his 74th consecutive without a loss, and the next night on Nitro he challenged Raven for the United States Heavyweight Championship that Raven had won the night before at Spring Stampede. Despite interference from Raven's Flock, Goldberg overpowered them all and defeated Raven for his seventy-fifth straight win and his first professional wrestling championship.[18] Two days later, on the April 22 edition of WCW Thunder, he made his first successful title defense against Mike Enos.[19] Goldberg then started a feud with Raven and The Flock. At Slamboree, he ended his feud with the Flock after a successful title defense against Saturn.[2] Goldberg would continue to make successful title defenses against Konnan at The Great American Bash and Curt Hennig.[2] By this time, he had adopted the catchphrase "Who's next?" in reference to his rapidly-expanding winning streak.[20]
Main event push and WCW World Heavyweight Champion[link]
As Goldberg was getting over as a main eventer, he continued to defend the United States Championship and was slowly becoming a contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that was held by nWo leader Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hogan eventually promised Goldberg a title match, which was to take place on the July 6, 1998 edition of Nitro. However, Hogan elected instead to make Goldberg earn it in a match with his stablemate Scott Hall which Goldberg won. Goldberg was able to defeat Hogan later in the evening to become a world champion. At Road Wild, Goldberg won a battle royal, consisting of New World Order (nWo) members.[1][2]
After Diamond Dallas Page became the number one contender for the WCW Title, Goldberg and Page began a feud with each other. At Halloween Havoc, the feud was settled after Goldberg defeated Page to retain the title.[1][2] At Starrcade, Goldberg's undefeated streak was ended at 173 victories when he lost his title to Kevin Nash after Scott Hall, disguised as a ringside security guard, made a run-in and shocked Goldberg with a taser gun.[1][2] Goldberg, however, avenged this act by facing Hall at Souled Out, in a Ladder Taser match. Goldberg won when he used the taser, which was hung high above the ring, requiring the ladder to obtain it.[1][2] At the same time, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) began mocking Goldberg with the character Gillberg, a perennial jobber who dressed similarly to Goldberg and mocked his signature entrance and mannerisms, but was small and scrawny.
At Spring Stampede, Goldberg gained his revenge against Nash after defeating him.[1][2] Then at Slamboree the following month, Goldberg was "injured" in an attack by Rick and Scott Steiner and took some time off to prepare for his movie debut in 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return alongside No Retreat, No Surrender film star Jean-Claude Van Damme.[2] He returned two months later and defeated Rick Steiner at Road Wild.[2][21] Goldberg then restarted his feud with Diamond Dallas Page also involving Page's allies, The Jersey Triad, which culminated in a match at Fall Brawl that Goldberg won.[2] After Goldberg settled his rivalry with Page, he began focusing on Sid Vicious and challenged him to a match to end Sid's winning streak.[2] The two feuded with each other, which culminated in a match at Halloween Havoc for Sid's U.S. Title. Goldberg defeated Sid via referee stoppage, and thus won his second United States Heavyweight Championship.[22] Later that night, he answered an open challenge from World Heavyweight Champion Sting and defeated him to win the championship.[1][2] On the next night's edition of Nitro, commissioner J.J. Dillon ruled that the match had not been sanctioned by WCW and that, therefore, Goldberg's victory was void.[2] The title was vacated and a 32-man tournament was held to determine a new champion, which started that night.[2] Goldberg entered the tournament and wrestled his first match against Bret Hart later that night, choosing also to defend his newly won U.S. Title in the match. Interference from Sid Vicious cost Goldberg the match and the title as well as his second official WCW loss.[2] Goldberg continued his rivalry with Vicious and defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Mayhem.[2]
Shortly thereafter, Goldberg joined forces with Hart, teaming with him to defeat Creative Control for the WCW World Tag Team Championship.[12] One week later, they lost the title to The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash). At Starrcade, Goldberg challenged Hart for the World Heavyweight Championship. In the course of the match, Goldberg delivered a stiff kick to Hart's head, legitimately giving him a concussion and tearing a muscle in his neck. After being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, Hart wrestled only three more matches and retired several months later. Despite that, Goldberg lost the match to Hart,[1][2] but Hart vacated the title the next night on Nitro, saying he did not want to win that way and granting Goldberg a rematch.[23] Goldberg was defeated again due to outside interference from the Outsiders, who began to beat on Goldberg with baseball bats.[23] In a swerve, Hart took one of the bats from The Outsiders and began beating on Goldberg himself, doing enough damage to score the pin and regain his championship.[2][23] After the match, Hall, Nash, Hart, and Jeff Jarrett announced the reformation of the nWo,[23] and gave Goldberg a new target for a feud. However, it would not last long.
Pursuit of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship[link]
Shortly after his title match loss, Goldberg was accidentally injured during a sequence where he chased the nWo limousine into the parking lot. A spot in the sequence called for Goldberg to pound on the windshield of the limousine with his hands. To ensure his safety, Goldberg had protective covering placed over his hands and the windshield glass was also covered with plastic. However, Goldberg got a little too overaggressive in his pounding, broke through the plastic covering the windshield, and severely injured his forearm when shards of the glass sliced it, causing him to miss the January 4, 2000 New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome show, where he was scheduled to face Manabu Nakanishi. After taking time off to recuperate, Goldberg returned to WCW on May 29, 2000 interfering in a match between Kevin Nash and the team of Tank Abbott and Rick Steiner on Nitro.[2] At The Great American Bash, Goldberg betrayed Nash during Nash's World Heavyweight Title match against Jeff Jarrett and turned heel for the first time in his career, aligning himself with The New Blood faction.[1][2] This did not last long, as Goldberg would again be lost to injury and miss time. As a result of this betrayal, Goldberg feuded with Nash and defeated him at Bash at the Beach, with help from fellow New Blood member Scott Steiner.[2] Goldberg participated in a triangle number one contender's match against Nash and Steiner at New Blood Rising, which Nash won.[2] Goldberg walked out of the match midway through while Nash had him ready for the Jackknife Powerbomb and swore at Vince Russo as he left the ring, turning face again. He then began a rivalry with Steiner, culminating in a no disqualification match at Fall Brawl which Goldberg lost.[2]
After his loss to Steiner Goldberg's rivalry with Russo accelerated and in October, having finally had enough, Russo gave Goldberg an ultimatum. If Goldberg was to lose another match at any point in time, unless he managed to duplicate his undefeated streak from 1997-98, his career would be over and he would be forced to retire from professional wrestling. Goldberg defeated KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) at Halloween Havoc in a handicap elimination match to begin his undefeated streak.[1][2] He started a feud with Lex Luger, who claimed to be the first wrestler to end both Goldberg's streak and career.[2] This culminated in a match at Mayhem, which Goldberg won.[2] They continued their rivalry and battled in a rematch at Starrcade.[1][2] Goldberg won the match, but after the match, he was attacked by Luger's partner Buff Bagwell.[1][2] Goldberg feuded with both Luger and Bagwell, who called themselves Totally Buff. His streak was broken at Sin when Goldberg, teaming with his Power Plant trainer Dwayne Bruce, lost to Totally Buff in a tag team no disqualification match after a "fan" maced him, enabling Totally Buff to pin him.[1][2] The storyline was intended to enable Goldberg to have shoulder surgery, but WCW was sold to the WWF in March 2001, while Goldberg was still recuperating. The WWF did not buy out Goldberg's contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW) as they had done with several other WCW employees, so he was not involved in the WWF "Invasion" angle. Goldberg instead remained under contract to Time Warner until May 2002, when he agreed on a contract buyout.[1][2]
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2003)[link]
Goldberg had suffered an arm injury during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in April 2002. In August 2002, he returned to the ring in Japan. He initially joined All Japan Pro Wrestling, defeating Satoshi Kojima and Taiyō Kea. He went on to defeat Rick Steiner in a match for the W-1 promotion, and teamed with Keiji Mutoh to defeat KroniK. His success in Japan led the WWF – now renamed World Wrestling Entertainment – to begin contract negotiations with him.[1]
World Wrestling Entertainment (2003–2004)[link]
Early feuds[link]
After leaving Japan, Goldberg signed a one year contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in March 2003, debuting in WWE on the March 31 edition of Raw, the night after WrestleMania XIX. Immediately, he began a feud with The Rock by spearing him.[1] Their rivalry intensified when The Rock held a segment entitled The Rock Concert, where he taunted Goldberg along with Gillberg. He defeated The Rock in his debut match at Backlash. The match was won by Goldberg following three spears and a Jackhammer.[24] Goldberg went undefeated over the subsequent half-year, defeating 3-Minute Warning in his first match on Raw.[1] Goldberg defeated Christian on the following edition of Raw in a steel cage match.[1]
Goldberg next feuded with Chris Jericho. During Jericho's first edition of the Highlight Reel, an interview show, where Goldberg was the guest, he complained that no one wanted Goldberg in WWE and continued to insult him in the following weeks. On May 12 on Raw, a mystery assailant attempted to run over Goldberg with a limousine. A week later, Co-Raw General Manager, Stone Cold Steve Austin, interrogated several Raw superstars to find out who was driving the car. One of the interrogatees was Lance Storm, who admitted that he was the assailant. Austin forced Storm into a match with Goldberg, who defeated Storm. After the match, Goldberg forced Storm to admit that Jericho was the superstar who conspired Storm into running him over. On May 26, Goldberg was once again a guest on the Highlight Reel. Jericho expressed jealousy towards Goldberg's success in WCW and felt that since joining WWE, he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in his career and all that was left was to defeat Goldberg and challenged him to a match. At Bad Blood, Goldberg settled the score with Jericho and defeated him.[1]
World Heavyweight Champion[link]
Goldberg entered a rivalry with Triple H, challenging him for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam in the second Elimination Chamber match in WWE; after squashing and eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Jericho, he was pinned by Triple H after Ric Flair threw a sledgehammer inside the Chamber. Triple H proceeded to attack Goldberg with the sledgehammer and as a result, Triple H retained the title.[25] Goldberg continued his feud with Triple H and finally defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven, after agreeing to put his career on the line.[26][27] The next night on Raw, Goldberg successfully retained the championship against Chris Jericho. A week later, Triple H issued a $100,000 bounty to anybody who could take Goldberg out of the game. Steven Richards, Mark Henry, La Résistance and Tommy Dreamer all attempted to collect the bounty but were unsuccessful. On October 20, Batista collected the bounty after he interfered in Goldberg's title defense against Shawn Michaels on Raw and attacked Goldberg, placing a folding chair around Goldberg's ankle and jumping off the middle rope onto the chair, shattering his ankle. Furious, Goldberg demanded a match against Batista. Triple H, however, got involved in the match between Goldberg and Batista trying to cripple Goldberg, but Goldberg fought back and speared Triple H before attacking Batista with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series, Goldberg retained his championship against Triple H despite interference from Evolution.[28]
On November 17, Goldberg faced Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista in a Handicap match on Raw but was pinned following an RKO, a Batista Bomb and finally a Pedigree. After the match, Kane unexpectedly came out to seemingly assist Goldberg after Evolution continued their assault on him following the match. After scaring off Evolution however, he turned on Goldberg and chokeslammed him. The following week, Kane attacked Goldberg again while he was defending his championship against Triple H in a rematch from Survivor Series and later that night, expressed his desire to face Goldberg for the title. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that Goldberg would be defending his championship against both Kane and Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon. Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to face and defeat Kane, Batista, and Orton in a six-man tag team match. On December 8 on Raw, Goldberg faced Kane in a Lumberjack match which ended in a disqualification when Evolution and Mark Henry entered the ring and assaulted Goldberg. At Armageddon, Goldberg ultimately lost the title when Triple H pinned him after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane.[29]
Feud with Brock Lesnar and departure[link]
During the Royal Rumble in 2004, he crossed paths with then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar when the latter interrupted Goldberg during a backstage interview. While Goldberg was in the midst of dominating the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar interfered in the match and hit Goldberg with the F-5. With his attention turned on Lesnar, Kurt Angle eliminated a distracted Goldberg from behind.[1] Goldberg vowed revenge on Lesnar and after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a No DQ match, he declared Brock Lesnar his next victim. On February 2, Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Austin. Smackdown! General Manager Paul Heyman appeared on Raw and, along with Vince McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to back off in his vendetta against Brock Lesnar which resulted in Goldberg spearing Heyman and accidentally spearing Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar at the event and, after several insults by Brock Lesnar, entered the ring and executed a Jackhammer on him. Goldberg was then detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Brock Lesnar the WWE Championship.[30] This led to a match between the two being scheduled for WrestleMania XX with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar and thus gave largely negative reactions through the performance. After Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar, both men were given a Stone Cold Stunner by Austin on their way out.
Mixed martial arts[link]
On July 22, 2006, Goldberg served as color commentator in mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion World Fighting Alliance (WFA) King of the Streets pay-per-view in Los Angeles, California. When asked whether he was interested in becoming a mixed martial artist, Goldberg stated, "I'd love to, especially if I was 21 or even 29, but these guys are so far ahead of me in terms of experience. I never say never, though. But I don’t see myself stopping my movies, my shows, my commentating, or being a dad to do that". On June 7, 2007 Bill Goldberg was also adding Color Commentary to K-1 Dynamite.
Goldberg became a color commentator for the EliteXC organization during their inaugural event. The event, EliteXC Destiny, was broadcast live on Showtime, on February 10, 2007. He has continued in this role through all of EliteXC's showcase and combined cards, including Dynamite!! USA, Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, EliteXC: Renegade, and EliteXC: Street Certified.
Other media[link]
Goldberg began acting while working for WCW in 1999. His appearance in Universal Soldier: The Return corresponded with him being featured in the music video.[31][32] He was a special guest star on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. On the show he showed the contestants his various power moves yet also how to hit the opponent with a steel chair. He also spent three seasons as host of the Speed Channel show Bullrun.
In 2005, Goldberg also starred in a Happy Madison produced movie, The Longest Yard, as an inmate, along with fellow wrestlers Kevin Nash, The Great Khali, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, as well as actors Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Burt Reynolds. In the same year he was also the host of The History Channel documentary series "'Auto-Maniac" and later starred in the movie Santa's Slay where he plays a homicidal Santa Clause who goes on a killing spree on Christmas.
In March 2010, Goldberg appeared on the ninth season of Donald Trump's reality series The Celebrity Apprentice and was eliminated in the sixth episode.[citation needed]
In September 2010, Goldberg joined forces with Louis Gregory, CEO of Uncle Louie Music Group and Uncle Louie Management when Bill placed "Uncle Louie" on Team Goldberg.[33]
Personal life[link]
Goldberg's mother, Ethel, is a classical violinist, while his father, Jed, a graduate of Harvard University, was an obstetrician and gynecologist.[citation needed] They divorced, and Jed died in late 2006.[citation needed] In addition to playing the violin, Ethel breeds flowers, and once succeeded in creating an award-winning hybrid orchid which she named after Goldberg.[citation needed]Bill is also proud of his Jewish religion and became well known for his Jewish ethnicity during his wrestling career.[34][35] Goldberg's Jewish ancestors came from Russia and Romania. His Romanian grandfather, Marcel, emigrated from Bucharest and came to America through Ellis Island.[36] His other great-grandfather, Willie, was an immigrant from Russia.
Goldberg was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a bar mitzvah at Temple Israel[37] and graduated from Tulsa Edison High School.[38] He acquired a love for football early in life and was a bouncer at age 16.[17]
On April 10, 2005, Goldberg married Wanda Ferraton, a stunt double whom he met while filming Santa's Slay, as stated in that movie's audio commentary. The couple have one son together named Gage Goldberg.[39][40]
Goldberg is an animal welfare advocate and an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) spokesman, and has addressed the United States Congress in order to raise awareness of illegal animal fighting.[41] Every year, Goldberg also plays golf in the Jimmy V Golf Classic and visits with children in local hospitals who are undergoing cancer treatment.
Goldberg co-owns and operates the "Extreme Power Gym" Muay Thai and Amateur boxing training facility in Oceanside, California. He also owns over 25 vintage cars,[42] including a Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible, Shelby Cobra 427, and a Mustang Boss 429 "Lawman" (one of the two cars used in the Vietnam War to entertain the U.S. Army).
Goldberg has a long scar on the right side of his torso from a tear suffered during a college football game that required surgery to repair. He also acquired a scar on his right forearm from an altercation in WCW which kept him out of action for quite some time due to the surgery needed to fix.[43] He has a large tribal tattoo on his left upper shoulder and a skull on his right biceps.
Filmography[link]
Film[link]
Television[link]
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Jesse Ventura Story | Luger | |
| Universal Soldier: The Return | Romeo | ||
| 2000 | Ready to Rumble | Himself | |
| 2003 | Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Mr. Smith | |
| 2005 | The Longest Yard | Battle | |
| The Kid & I | Himself | ||
| Santa's Slay | Santa Claus | ||
| 2007 | Half Past Dead 2 | William Burke | |
| 2010 | Kill Speed | Big Bad John | |
| Minkow | Sax | ||
| Holly, Jingles and Clyde 3D | Gus | ||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | The Love Boat: The Next Wave | Lou "The Pariah" Maguire | Episode: "Captain Courageous" |
| 1999 | Dennis Miller Live | Himself | |
| Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends | Episode: "Wrestling" | ||
| E! True Hollywood Story | Episode: "Hulk Hogan" | ||
| 2000 | The Daily Show | ||
| The Man Show | Episode: "Holiday Show 2" | ||
| 2002 | Yes, Dear | Big Guy | Episode: "Walk Like a Man" |
| Family Guy | Angry bus passenger | Episode: "Family Guy Viewer Mail 1" | |
| Arliss | Episode: "In with the New" | ||
| Kim Possible | Pain King | Episode: "Pain King vs. Cleopatra" | |
| 2003 | HBO First Look | Episode: "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" | |
| Punk'd | Himself | ||
| 2004 | Monster Garage | Episode: "Box-Truck Wrestling Ring" | |
| 2005 | Modern Marvels | Episode: "Private Collections" | |
| Desperate Housewives | Inmate | Episode: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" | |
| Biker Build-Off | Host | ||
| Automaniac | |||
| The Contender | Episode: "Who's Playing The Game?" | ||
| 2006 | Pros vs. Joes | Episodes: "Can You PVJ Champ?" and "Can You Cover Jerry Rice?" | |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Cupid | Episode: "Loophole" |
| 2007–2010 | Bullrun | Host | |
| 2008 | Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling | Himself | Episode: "In-Ring Psychology" |
| 2009 | Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? | ||
| The Rise and Fall of WCW | |||
| 2010 | The Celebrity Apprentice | ||
| Garage Mahal |
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- Jackhammer (Delayed vertical suplex powerslam pin)[1][44]
- Spear
- Signature moves
- Ankle lock[45][46]
- Belly to belly suplex[47][48][49]
- Big boot[50][51][52]
- Clothesline
- Crucifix armbar[48][53][54][55][56]
- Dragon screw[57]
- Dropkick[54][58][59]
- Fireman's carry slam[54]
- Full nelson slam[60]
- Hook kick[61]
- Kneebar[49][50][58][62][61][63][64]
- Multiple military press variations, sometimes preceded by a single arm choke lifted into a[65]
- Multiple powerslam variations
- Pumphandle into either a slam,[60][79] a fallaway slam[63][75][80] or a suplex[45][81]
- Shoulder block[52][54][77]
- Snap swinging neckbreaker[56][77][82][83][84]
- Superkick[1][72][54][85][86]
- Underhook suplex[72][51][52][77][78]
- Entrance themes
- "Twisted" (WCW; 1997)
- "Invasion" by Christian Poulet and Jean-Yves Rigo[89] (WCW/WWE September 22, 1997–March 2001,March 31, 2003–April 21, 2003)
- "Crush 'Em" by Megadeth[89][90] (WCW; 1999)
- "Invasion (Remix V1)" by Jim Johnston (WWE; Backlash 2003)
- "Invasion (Remix V2)" by Jim Johnston[89] (WWE; May 5, 2003–March 14, 2004)
Championships and accomplishments[link]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998)[91]
- PWI Rookie of the Year (1998)[92]
- PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998[93]
- PWI ranked him #75 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003[94]
1 ^ Goldberg became the fifth man to win the Triple Crown along with Bret Hart as they both won on the same day.
See also[link]
- List of select Jewish football players
- List of select Jewish professional wrestlers
- List of multi-sport athletes
Footnotes[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Bill Goldberg's OWOW Profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/b/bill-goldberg.html. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj "Bill Goldberg's Accelerator profile". Accelerator's Wrestling Rollercoaster. http://www.accelerator3359.com/Wrestling/bios/goldberg.html. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ a b Conner, Floyd (2000). "Gridiron Grapplers". Football's Most Wanted (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-57488-309-1. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2j_Fr_2FiwYC&pg=PT45&dq=%22Bill+Goldberg%22+%22winning+streak%22&hl=en&ei=OnemTr62IMGZ8QOn3vnDDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Bill%20Goldberg%22%20%22winning%20streak%22&f=false. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "WWE alumni profile". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/goldberg/. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
- ^ Goldberg, Bill; Goldberg, Steve (2000). I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero (1st ed. ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. pp. 56. ISBN 0-609-60780-4. "From my first appearance on TV, I won 173 straight matches before suffering my first loss a year and three months later."
- ^ Jericho, Chris; Peter Thomas Fornatale (2008). A Lion's Tale: Around The World In Spandex. London: Orion Books. p. 369. ISBN 978-0-7528-8446-2. "One week he'd be 42-0 and seven days later he'd be 58-0."
- ^ Bryan Alvarez & R.D. Reynolds. The Death Of WCW. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-55022-661-4.
- ^ a b "Goldberg's first WCW World Heavyweight Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wcwchampionship/30445411027.
- ^ a b "Goldberg's first World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/3044541441.
- ^ a b "Goldberg's first WCW United States Heavyweight Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541115.
- ^ a b "Goldberg's second WCW United States Heavyweight Championship reign". http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541121111.
- ^ a b c "=WCW World Tag Team Championship history". http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-t.html. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bill Goldberg's Cagematch profile". http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=658.
- ^ "Biography". Billgoldberg.com. http://www.billgoldberg.com/bio.html. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Road Wild report on August 8, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998082p.htm.
- ^ a b "WCW Nitro report on February 22, 1999". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999023m.htm.
- ^ a b Eye to Eye With Goldberg IGN (March 16, 1999). Retrieved on 8-27-11.
- ^ "Goldberg's first United States Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541115. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ "WCW Thunder – Wednesday, 04/22/98". DDT Digest. http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998043t.htm. Retrieved March 21, 2008.
- ^ Davies, Ross (2002). Bill Goldberg (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-8239-3495-9.
- ^ "Road Wild 1999 results". Wrestling Supercards and Tournaments. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wcw/roadwild.html#99. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Goldberg's second United States Championship reign". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/3044541121111. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "WCW Monday Nitro – December 20, 1999". DDT Digest. http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999123m.htm. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Goldberg defeats The Rock". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/history/backlash2003/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Triple H vs. Goldberg vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Nash vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho in the Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080224050633/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam07/history/2003/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Triple H vs. Goldberg for the World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/unforgiven/history/2003/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Goldberg's first World Heavyweight Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on April 7, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070407105509/www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/3044541441. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg def. Triple H to retain". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/2003/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Goldberg vs. Triple H vs. Kane in a No Disqualification Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/history/2003/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ "Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/history/2004/mainevent/. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ Fin Martin and Antohy Evans (August 2003). "Know their Roles". Power Slam Magazine (Lancaster, Lancashire, England: SW Publishing LTD): pp. 26–31. 109.
- ^ Forman, Ross "Exclusive interview", BillGoldberg.com
- ^ Vaccaro, Chris R. (2010-11-02). "Louis Gregory Teams Up with Goldberg – Sachem, NY Patch". Sachem.patch.com. http://sachem.patch.com/articles/louis-gregory-teams-up-with-goldberg. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
- ^ Handler, Judd "The Hebrew Hulk", San Diego Jewish Journal
- ^ Reilly, Rick "Wrestling with Their Son's Career", Sports Illustrated
- ^ Bill Goldberg, Steve Goldberg (2000) I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero, (Crown Publishers) Page 160–161
- ^ Paul Farhi, "Goldberg: A David in Goliath's Shoes", Washington Post, December 9, 1999.
- ^ Crevar, Alex "Goldberg Rules the Ring", University of Georgia
- ^ Template:Sons name
- ^ "IGN Interview: Bullrun's Bill Goldberg". IGN. March 13, 2007. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/772/772346p1.html. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ Kurtzman, Daniels "Jewish pro-wrestling star goes to the mat for animals", Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- ^ "The Hebrew Hulk". San Diego Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080615030624/http://www.sdjewishjournal.com/stories/cover_may05.html. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
- ^ I'm Next: The Goldberg Autobiography
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on September 29, 1997". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1997095m.htm.
- ^ a b "SuperBrawl VIII report on February 22, 19998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998024p.htm.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on April 20, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998043m.htm.
- ^ "WCW Thunder report on April 22, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998043t.htm.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling (1998-03-26). "Jerry Flynn vs Goldberg". WCW Thunder.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-04-22). "Mark Enos vs Goldberg". WCW Thunder.
- ^ a b c World Championship Wrestling (1998-02-20). "Fit Finlay vs Goldberg". WCW Thunder.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling (1999-09-12). "DDP vs Goldberg". WCW Fall Brawl.
- ^ a b c d World Championship Wrestling (1999-04-11). "Kevin Nash vs Goldberg". WCW Spring Stampede.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on January 25, 1999". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999014m.htm.
- ^ a b c d e World Championship Wrestling (1999-02-21). "Goldberg Vs Bam Bam Bigelow". WCW SuperBrawl IX.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1999-03-22). "Hardcore Hak vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b JPW (2003-01-19). "KroniK vs. Keiji Mutoh & Goldberg". AJPW.
- ^ "WCW Saturday Night – Saturday, 05/16/98". May 16, 1998. http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998053s.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling (1997-12-28). "Steve "Mongo" McMichael vs Goldberg". WCW Starrcade.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling (1998-12-27). "Kevin Nash Vs. Goldberg (c)". WCW Starrcade.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling (1998-03-19). "Wayne Bloom vs Goldberg". WCW Thunder.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling (1998-04-20). "Raven vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1997-09-22). "Hugh Morrus Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b c World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-04-14). "Kenny Kaos vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-09-14). "Sting Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b World Wrestling Entertainment (2003-11-10). "Batista vs Goldberg". WWE RAW.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1998-03-02). "Sickboy vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on March 2, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998031m.htm.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on March 16, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998033m.htm.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (1999-02-22). "Scott Steiner Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1997-10-20). "Riggs vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (2000-06-19). "Horace Hogan vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b c d World Championship Wrestling (1999-07-26). "Bill Goldberg vs. Curt Hennig /w the West Texas Rednecks". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ "WCW Saturday Night report on February 7, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998022s.htm.
- ^ "WCW Saturday Night report on February 21, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998024s.htm.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-06-08). "Chavo Guerrero Jr. Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (1998-02-02). "Mark Starr Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b c d World Championship Wrestling (1998-10-25). "DDP Vs. Goldberg". WCW Halloween Havoc.
- ^ a b "WCW Nitro report on October 26, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998104m.htm.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (2000-11-20). "Goldberg attacks Mike Sanders". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling TNT (2000-11-13). "Goldberg Vs. The Boogie Knights". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ "WCW Thunder report on March 19, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998033t.htm.
- ^ "Mailce at the Palace report on April 2, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/h0000058.htm.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on April 27, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998044m.htm.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1998-07-27). "Brian Adams Vs. Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b World Championship Wrestling, TNT (1999-12-06). "Jeff Jarrett vs Goldberg; Lumberjack Match with Roddy Piper a special referee". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ "WCW Thunder report on October 1, 1998". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1998094t.htm.
- ^ World Championship Wrestling (1999-10-24). "Sting vs Goldberg". WCW Halloween Havoc.
- ^ a b c World Championship Wrestling (2000-07-24). "Booker vs Goldberg". WCW Monday Nitro.
- ^ a b c "Entrance themes". http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=658&view=themes#themes.
- ^ "WCW Nitro report on August 2, 1999". http://www.ddtdigest.com/updates/1999081m.htm.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Inspirational Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiinsp.htm. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Rookie of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiroty.htm. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – 1998". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50098.htm. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. http://web.archive.org/web/20110707054220/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
References[link]
- Goldberg, Bill and Goldberg, Steve (2000) I'm Next: The Strange Journey of America's Most Unlikely Superhero, ISBN 0-609-60780-4
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bill Goldberg |
- Official website
- WWE Alumni profile
- Bill Goldberg at the Internet Movie Database
- Goldberg's "Jackhammer Java" Signature Coffee
- Bill Goldberg at MySpace
- Goldberg Biography at J-Grit: The Internet Index of Tough Jews
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Goldberg, Bill |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Professional wrestler; actor; American football player |
| Date of birth | 1966-12-27 |
| Place of birth | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Bill_Goldberg
Related pages:
http://it.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://es.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://ru.wn.com/Голдберг, Билл
http://nl.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://pt.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://pl.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://fr.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://de.wn.com/Bill Goldberg
http://hi.wn.com/बिल गोल्डबर्ग
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Goldberg
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Satoshi Kojima | |
|---|---|
 Kojima in November 2011. |
|
| Ring name(s) | Satoshi Kojima The Great Koji The Great Kosuke Joe-Joe Lee Lion Satoshi |
| Billed height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 112 kg (250 lb)[1] |
| Born | (1970-09-14) September 14, 1970 (age 41)[1] Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
| Trained by | Animal Hamaguchi[1] Kensuke Sasaki Hiroshi Hase NJPW Dojo[1] |
| Debut | July 16, 1991[1] |
Satoshi Kojima (小島 聡, Kojima Satoshi?) is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling.[1] He is currently in his fourth reign as one half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions. As a singles wrestler, he was the first wrestler to hold NJPW's IWGP Heavyweight Championship and All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Championship simultaneously. As a team, he and Hiroyoshi Tenzan became the first team to won G1 Climax Tag League and World's Strongest Tag Team League on the same year.
Contents |
Before Wrestling[link]
Like many Japanese wrestlers, Kojima has a background in Judo, but he chose not to continue the sport when he went to college. He got his start loading trucks for New Japan Pro Wrestling & after some months of persuasion finally convinced head trainer Animal Hamaguchi to accept him into the dojo.
Career[link]
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1991–2002)[link]
Kojima entered the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo in February 1991. He debuted as a wrestler on September 14 in a match against Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, who would later adopt the stage name of Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In 1994 he defeated Manabu Nakanishi in the Young Lions Cup finals, winning the tournament. In the end of that year he went to Europe, and returned to NJPW in January 1996. When he returned, he formed The Bull Powers with Nakanishi, who had returned from WCW. In May 1997 he defeated Riki Chōshū and Kensuke Sasaki with Nakanishi to become an IWGP Tag Team Champion for the first time. At the end of 1998 he joined nWo Japan, by Keiji Mutoh's leadership. Kojima and Tenzan (known together as Ten-Koji, a portmanteau of their last names) formed a tag team and ended up holding the IWGP Tag Team titles together twice.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2010)[link]
In January 2002, in opposition to Antonio Inoki focusing the IWGP title on unreliable shoot style wrestlers such as Kazuyuki Fujita and Tadao Yasuda, Kojima left NJPW with his mentor Keiji Mutoh, and joined All Japan Pro Wrestling where he was finally able to receive the push of a top star. He held both of the company's tag team titles, the AJPW Double Cup Tag Team Championship twice. On February 16, 2005, he won the Triple Crown, AJPW's unified heavyweight championship from Toshiaki Kawada. Only four days later he won NJPW's heavyweight championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, from his former tag team partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a cross-promotional double title match. On May 14, 2005, Tenzan won the IWGP title back, but not the Triple Crown.[2]
Upon joining AJPW, Kojima began to use the Great Koji (copying The Great Muta) and Great Kosuke (copying The Great Sasuke) personas for special matches.
On July 3, 2006 Kojima lost the Triple Crown to Taiyō Kea. Three days later it was revealed that Kojima would return to New Japan to compete in the 2006 G-1 Climax, where he would go to lose in the finals against former tag team partner and rival Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
In October 2006 it was announced that TenKoji would reform for the upcoming World's Strongest Tag Team League tournament. On December 2, 2006 the reformed TenKoji won the Real World Tag League defeating Kohei Suwama and RO'Z in the finals when Kojima used a lariat on RO'Z. The duo next faced Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome. They lost when Chono forced Tenzan to submit.
In July 2007, Kojima shocked the All-Japan Army when he betrayed them and joined the Voodoo Murders, where he was quickly made the group's co-leader along with TARU. Soon after joining, Kojima and TARU won the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championships from Toshiaki Kawada and Taiyō Kea. Kojima left the group in 2008 after returning from injury to side with his sworn friend Hiroyoshi Tenzan and to feud with the alliance of Great Bash Heel (Tenzan's former group) and the VooDoo Murders.
In 2008, Tenzan and Kojima became the first tag team to ever win G1 Climax Tag League and Real World Tag League in the same year. Later he started his 1st stable named F4 (Friend Fight Fan and Future) with young proteges YAMATO and KAI. A 4th member in ZODIAC joined later in 2009. On September 26, 2009 a few days after his 39th birthday Kojima lifted the All-Japan Triple Crown off of Yoshihiro Takayama, returning the titles to All-Japan and winning them for the 2nd time. He lost the title on March 21, 2010 to Ryota Hama.[3]
Kojima's AJPW page was taken down soon before he agreed to compete in New Japan Pro Wrestling's 20th annual G1 Climax. It's reported that he was plagued with an arm injury that required surgery and needed time off to heal. AJPW then refused to discuss resigning Kojima until he was healthy. It's been reported Kojima was not pleased with this and began entertaining other possibilities.
Return to New Japan (2010–present)[link]
Kojima returned to New Japan in August 2010 in order to take part in the 2010 G1 Climax tournament. His return match took place on August 6, 2010, when he teamed up with El Samurai in a tag team match, where they were defeated by Hirooki Goto and Ryusuke Taguchi.[4] In the round robin stage of the tournament Kojima won five out his seven matches and won his block to advance to the finals, where, on August 15, he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win G1 Climax.[5] On October 11 Kojima defeated Togi Makabe to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the second time.[6] On December 11 Kojima made his first successful defense of the title, defeating Shinsuke Nakamura.[7] On December 14 Kojima announced that he was starting his own stable, tentatively named Kojima Office, and named Taichi, who had accompanied him to the ring for his Nakamura match, its first member.[8] Kojima turned heel on December 23, when he hit his number one contender Hiroshi Tanahashi with a lariat after a match, where he and Kota Ibushi had defeated Tanahashi and Prince Devitt.[9] On January 4, 2011, at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, Kojima lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Tanahashi.[10][11] On January 30 Kojima defeated Togi Makabe to earn a rematch with Tanahashi.[12] Meanwhile, the newly renamed Kojima Army expanded to include TAKA Michinoku and NOSAWA Rongai, who in turn used his connections to get MVP to also join the group.[13][14] Kojima received his rematch for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on February 20, but was again defeated by Tanahashi.[15] After Kojima was defeated by Togi Makabe on May 3, Taichi and TAKA Michinoku turned on him and named the returning Minoru Suzuki as their new leader, while Kojima himself formed a new partnership with Makabe and MVP, who left the stable after Suzuki took over.[16][17][18] On July 18, Suzuki defeated Kojima in a singles match.[19] The two had a rematch on August 1 during the first day of the 2011 G1 Climax, where Kojima managed to pick up the win.[20] Kojima managed to win five more matches in the tournament, but a loss to former partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan on the final day eliminated him fron the running for a spot in the finals.[21] After the tournament Kojima was sidelined indefinitely with an eye injury suffered during the match with Tenzan.[22] On September 19, it was announced that Kojima had signed a contract with New Japan to become an official member of the promotion's roster. Kojima then announced that he would make his return on October 10 and challenged former partner Hiroyoshi Tenzan to be his opponent that day.[23] Kojima would end up defeating Tenzan in his return match.[24] In the 2011 G1 Climax Tag League, Kojima teamed with Togi Makabe as the "Beast Combination".[25] After picking up three wins and one loss in their first four matches, Kojima and Makabe were defeated by the Billion Powers (Hirooki Goto and Hiroshi Tanahashi) on November 4, causing them to narrowly miss advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.[26] Kojima and Tenzan faced each other yet again on November 12 in a match, which was won by Tenzan. Afterwards, the former tag team partners came together to fend off an attack from CHAOS.[27] Ten-Koji wrestled their return match as a tag team on December 4, defeating CHAOS members Hideo Saito and Takashi Iizuka.[28] On January 4, 2012, at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, Kojima and Tenzan defeated Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the third time.[29] On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2012, Kojima and Tenzan lost the title to Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano in their third defense.[30]
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves[31]
- CCD – Cozy Crush Dynamite (Over the shoulder reverse piledriver)[1]
- Koji Cutter (Three-quarter facelock bulldog, sometimes from the top rope)[1]
- Lariat[1]
- Rydeen bomb – innovated
- Signature moves
- Arm trap neckbreaker
- Bakayaro Elbow (Diving elbow drop)[1]
- Brainbuster
- Koji MAX (Modified seated armbar)
- Lifting DDT
- Moonsault – 1990s
- Pumphandle sitout powerbomb
- Rapid knife–edged chops to a cornered opponent
- Roaring elbow
- Running elbow smash
- Senton
- Sitout double underhook powerbomb
- Sitout scoop slam piledriver
- Slingshot crossbody
- Entrance themes
- "Crush Dynamite" – NJP Unit (NJPW)
- "Ride Hover" – NJP Unit / nWo (NJPW)
- "Rush!!" – Production theme (NJPW / AJPW)
- "Stylus" – Production theme (AJPW)
Championships and accomplishments[link]
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shiryu
- AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Taiyō Kea (1), Kaz Hayashi (1), and TARU (1)
- Champion's Carnival (2003)
- World's Strongest Tag Team League – with Taiyō Kea (2002), Kaz Hayashi (2003), and Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2006, 2008)
- January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal Winner (2003) [32]
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[2][6]
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Hiroyoshi Tenzan (3), and Manabu Nakanishi (1)
- Super Grade Tag League/G1 Climax Tag League – with Keiji Mutoh (1998),[33] and Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2001, 2008)
- G1 Climax (2010)[5]
- Young Lion Cup (1994)[34]
- Fighting Spirit Award (2001)[35]
- Tag Team Best Bout (2000) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata on October 9[36]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #3 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2005
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Fighting Spirit Award (2010)[38]
- Most Valuable Player (2005)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Tag Team of the Year (2001) with Hiroyoshi Tenzan
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Satoshi Kojima" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/data/detail_profile.php?f=065. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ a b Staff, Powerslam. "Power Slam". Looking at: NJPW at the Dome (SW Publishing LTD): pp. 22–23. 132.
- ^ Lefort, Kieran (2010-03-21). "All Japan Sumo Hall report 3-21 - New Triple Crown champion". Figure Four Weekly/Wrestling Observer Newsletter. http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/12711/. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 8/6/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-08-06. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=1836. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ a b "(Results) New Japan, 8/15/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-08-15. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=1973. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ a b "(Results) New Japan, 10/11/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-10-11. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2154. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 12/11/10 & Liger wins another title in USA". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-12-11. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2408. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
- ^ "小島「棚橋選手は一番負けたくないし、一番負けてはいけない相手」/「レッスルキングダムV」囲み会見（1）" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. 2010-12-14. http://www.njpw.co.jp/news/detail.php?nid=4829. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 12/23/10". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-12-23. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2472. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "レッスルキングダムⅤ ｉｎ 東京ドーム" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=132. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ Caldwell, James (2011-01-04). "NJPW News: New Japan announces U.S. tour dates in 2011, new IWGP Hvt. champion determined in Tokyo Dome Show main event". Pro Wrestling Torch. http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/Other_News_4/article_46512.shtml. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 1/30/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-01-30. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2546. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ "小島軍（仮）座談会で小島の本性が暴かれる!? 週刊プロレス3月2日号(vol.1566)は2月16日(水)発売" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. 2011-02-15. http://www.njpw.co.jp/news/detail.php?nid=5216. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ "NOSAWA: MVP is coming to New Japan". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-01-31. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2551. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ "The New Beginning" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. 2011-02-20. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=142. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ^ "レスリングどんたく 2011" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=173. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 5/3/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-05-03. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2776. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 5/15/11 (USA)". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-05-15. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2833. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ "New Japan Soul 2011" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=303. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 8/1/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-08-01. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3037. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
- ^ "ブシロード Presents G1 Climax XXI ～The Invincible Fighter～" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. 2011-08-14. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=322. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ "8/22 card announced, 8/30 card changed; Kojima injured". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-08-17. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3112. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 9/19/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-09-19. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3169. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ "Destruction '11" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=412. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ^ "G1 Tag League 2011 teams announced!". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-09-21. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3179. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 11/4/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-11-04. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3235. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 11/12/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-11-12. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3246. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ "New Japan Alive 2011" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=481. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
- ^ "NJPW 40th anniversary Tour. レッスルキングダムⅥ in 東京ドーム" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=470. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
- ^ "【NJPW 40th anniversary レスリングどんたく 2012" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. 2012-05-03. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=543. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
- ^ Profile at Shining Road, AJPW fansite
- ^ http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/alljap/ajtourn.htm
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: New Japan G-1 (Grade-1) Climax Tag Tournament Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 374. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: New Japan Young Lions Cup Tournament Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 375. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ "2001 New Japan Awards". Strong Style Spirit. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/2001-awards.html. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ "2000 New Japan Awards". Strong Style Spirit. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/2000-awards.html. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ "Major League Wrestling". onlineworldofwrestling.com. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/mlw/. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ "2010 Tokyo Sports awards – New Japan involvement". Strong Style Spirit. 2010-12-09. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2343. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
External links[link]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kojima, Satoshi |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Japanese professional wrestler |
| Date of birth | September 14, 1970 |
| Place of birth | Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Satoshi_Kojima
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Satoshi Kojima
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Kojima
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009) |
| Keiji Mutoh | |
|---|---|
 Keiji Mutoh in 2008 |
|
| Ring name(s) | Keiji Mutoh[1] The Great Muta[1] Space Lone Wolf[1] Kokushi-Muso[1] Kokushi[1] White Ninja[1] Super Ninja[1] Black Ninja[1] Super Black Ninja[1] Viet Cong Ming[1] |
| Billed height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] |
| Billed weight | 105 kg (230 lb)[2] |
| Born | (1962-12-23) December 23, 1962 (age 49)[1] Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi |
| Billed from | The Land of the Rising Sun (Tokyo, Japan) |
| Trained by | Hiro Matsuda[1] |
| Debut | October 5, 1984[1] |
Keiji Mutoh (武藤 敬司, Mutō Keiji?, born December 23, 1962)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler who first gained international fame in the National Wrestling Alliance. He is mostly known for his work as The Great Muta in New Japan Pro Wrestling during the 1990s, but he has also competed in United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Taiwan. He is a former President of All Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as being a full-time wrestler for the promotion since 2002. Mutoh is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, both in Japan and America.[citation needed]
Mutoh is credited as one of the first Japanese wrestlers to achieve a fan base outside of his native Japan in the United States. The Great Muta gimmick is one of the most influential gimmicks in puroresu, having been emulated by many wrestlers including Satoshi Kojima (The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (The Great Kazushi) and Atsushi Onita (The Great Nita). In addition, countless independent wrestlers have paid tribute to Muta through emulation and imitation.
Mutoh is one of two wrestlers to hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the AJPW Triple Crown Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (the other being Shinya Hashimoto). He is also famous for taking part in what is generally considered to be the bloodiest professional wrestling match of all time against Hiroshi Hase, leading to the creation of the "Muta Scale."[3]
Contents |
Career[link]
Early years (1984–1989)[link]
Mutoh was an amateur wrestler and competed in numerous Judo competitions prior to being trained by Hiro Matsuda in the New Japan Pro Wrestling Academy. He debuted on October 5, 1984 against Masahiro Chono. Mutoh's initial NJPW run was largely uneventful, the only noteworthy event being a six day IWGP Tag Team Championship reign with Shiro Koshinaka. He also wrestled for a short time under the moniker "Space Lone Wolf", a space-age type character that was briefly revived in 2005 by NOSAWA Rongai.
In the mid-1980s, Mutoh was sent on a learning excursion to the United States for seasoning. He wrestled briefly in World Class Championship Wrestling under his ring name at the time The Super Ninja, and had a very short lived feud with Kevin Von Erich before departing the organization.
In 1988, Mutoh went on another excursion, this time in Puerto Rico. It was in Puerto Rico he formed The Three Musketeers with Chono and Shinya Hashimoto. He wrestled only one match in New Japan on July 29, before returning to Puerto Rico. But after runs in Puerto Rico and his return to the United States in Florida, Mutoh's personality and ring skills earned him a high billing in the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was dubbed The Great Muta.
National Wrestling Alliance (1989-1990)[link]
Muta first appeared in the NWA on the March 18, 1989 edition of World Championship Wrestling. His manager Gary Hart introduced him as the son of the Great Kabuki, whom Gary Hart also had managed years earlier. Muta would feud with stars like Lex Luger, Ric Flair, and especially Sting, from whom he would capture the NWA World Television Championship on September 3, 1989. He eventually lost the championship to Arn Anderson on January 2, 1990 (aired on the January 13, 1990 edition of NWA Power Hour), and some time after the Clash of the Champions on February 6, Mutoh eventually returned to New Japan, going between his real name and his Muta gimmick as he pleased.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990–2009, 2012)[link]
Mutoh quickly rose in rank since returning to New Japan in March 1990, establishing his long-time friendship and rivalry with Masahiro Chono and winning his second IWGP Tag Team Title alongside him. He eventually lost it on November 1 to another long-time rival in his Great Muta gimmick, Hiroshi Hase, and his partner Kensuke Sasaki. In 1991, Mutoh and Chono, along with Shinya Hashimoto, cemented their status as the next generation of New Japan, surpassing Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Riki Chōshū, after the finals of the first G1 Climax tournament. In an epic thirty-minute match, Mutoh was bested by Chono and, together with Hashimoto, the three celebrated in the ring, then afterwards they were labeled the Three Musketeers of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
1992 saw Chono repeat his success in the G1 Climax (winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the process); just four days later, Mutoh, donning his Muta persona, beat Japanese legend Riki Chōshū for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, marking his first reign. On December 14, Muta faced Hiroshi Hase in a famous match where Hase used a foreign object to beat at Muta's forehead, payback for their previous encounters. Muta bladed and cut very deeply into his forehead. As a result of this, Muta bled profusely for the rest of the match, and to this day he still bears scars from where he sliced.
For a short time in 1993, after beating Chono in a title versus title match at Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome (known in North America as WCW/New Japan Supershow III), Mutoh held both the NWA and IWGP championships at the same time (being one of only two men ever to do so along with Tatsumi Fujinami); the unification was short-lived, as Barry Windham beat him a month later for the NWA World title at SuperBrawl III. As IWGP champion, Mutoh had a variety of challengers in title matches and exhibitions, including Hulk Hogan, Sting, The Great Kabuki, and his fellow members of the Three Musketeers, Chono and Hashimoto, before finally losing the title on September 20, 1993 to Hashimoto. Following this title loss and a match with Hogan against the Hellraisers (the team of Hawk Warrior and Kensuke Sasaki as Power Warrior), Mutoh returned to fighting primarily under his real name, reviving the Muta name for certain matches, such as a special match with Antonio Inoki during his retirement countdown. During this time, Mutoh created a team with Hiroshi Hase, working their way up the ranks against the likes of the Steiner Brothers to challenge the Hellraisers in November 1994 and capturing the IWGP Tag Team championship—his third tag title.
While having the Tag Team title around his waist was fine, Mutoh had further ambitions: beating the man who took his title, Shinya Hashimoto; by now the IWGP champion for nearly a year. His second title reign came on May 3, 1995—a year and two days after Hashimoto won the championship from Tatsumi Fujinami. After winning the IWGP title, Mutoh and Hase vacated the Tag Team titles so Mutoh could focus on his Heavyweight title. Afterwards, Mutoh went on to win the 1995 G1 Climax, beating Hashimoto in the finals. Mutoh held the IWGP title throughout the rest of the year, leading New Japan in the opening battles of the feud with Nobuhiko Takada and the UWF-i army before losing his title to Takada on January 4, 1996 at the Tokyo Dome. The latter half of 1996 had Mutoh pitted against Chono's Ookami Gundan—or Wolf Army, which eventually blossomed into a war with the Chono-led nWo Japan. In the process, Mutoh began teasing at a possible turn to the side of the nWo, proclaiming himself to be the true successor to Antonio Inoki's legacy, and "accidentally" attacking his own partners in the middle of a match.
During this period, Mutoh underwent a long slump in big matches, losing not only to members of the nWo, but fellow New Japan wrestlers such as Hashimoto; and many times the turn was teased. Mutoh even going so far as to wear an nWo shirt and then proclaim days later that he refuses to join Chono's army. Mutoh further raised confusion by playing both sides of the feud; fighting as a member of New Japan under his real name, and using the Great Muta name as a member of nWo Japan, before turning to his Muta gimmick full-time for several months in 1997. The full turn came in September 1997, when Mutoh, after teasing a turn on his nWo teammates, double-crossed Sasaki and Kazuo Yamazaki, sealing away the Muta name and formally joining nWo Japan as himself. Almost immediately following this, he and Chono dominated the tag team scene in NJPW, defeating Yamazaki and Sasaki for their second IWGP tag title reign as a duo, and spray-painting the plates of the belts black as a show of disrespect for the championship's legacy.
They eventually would be forced to vacate the title in May 1998, when Mutoh injured his knees, as his years of using the moonsault press were finally catching up to him. During this time, he took a hiatus from action, returning just before the 1998 G1 Climax (from which he was eliminated by Genichiro Tenryu in the first round). Despite his return, Mutoh was plagued by this nagging injury, fighting through his pain throughout the rest of 1998 and much of 1999; even winning his third IWGP Heavyweight title from one of Chono's right-hand men, Scott Norton. Towards the end of 1998, Mutoh took the leadership of nWo Japan, after Chono suffered a neck injury and was out of action, turning the nWo into a face stable, which Chono didn't like. Mutoh feuded with Chono for the name of the nWo, which evolved into a war between the nWo, led by Mutoh, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Satoshi Kojima and Chono's new Team 2000 unit, with himself, Don Frye, Super J, and others from the old generation of the nWo. By the end of 1999, Mutoh lost the IWGP Championship to Tenryu. The war between Chono and Mutoh was lost by Mutoh by January 2000, brought about by his decisive loss to Chono on January 4. Mutoh took an extended hiatus to rehabilitate his damaged knees after that, focusing instead on one last run in America for World Championship Wrestling alongside Vampiro. Due to the bad booking and the decline of WCW in its last years, however, Mutoh could not recapture the previous popularity he had in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After leaving WCW, a no-compete clause in his WCW contract prevented him competing in the World Wrestling Federation.
Going back on hiatus, it seemed as if Mutoh reached a confusing crossroads in his career; however, he chose to completely change his image, shaving his head bald (he had a pronounced receding hairline throughout much of 2000), growing out a goatee, and aligning himself with a fellow NJPW wrestler who had gone overseas for an extended period of time, Shinjiro Otani. The two returned to New Japan on January 4, 2001 at Wrestling World 2001, making short work of Manabu Nakanishi and Jushin Liger. In his first singles match after returning to New Japan on March 18, 2001, Mutoh debuted his new trademark move, the Shining Wizard. Since its creation, it has become an extremely popular move on both sides of the Pacific, used by Mutoh's allies, rivals, and fans of his work. Together with Don Frye, Otani and Mutoh created a new stable which later came to be known as BATT (Bad Ass Translate Trading).[2] Added to their ranks were Taiyō Kea of All Japan Pro Wrestling and Jinsei Shinzaki of Michinoku Pro; later added was Hiroshi Hase, now a member of All Japan with Kea. 2001 proved to be Mutoh's year of renewal besides the formation of a new unit, as he challenged, and defeated, Tenryu for All Japan's coveted Triple Crown. In addition, Mutoh captured more gold in the form of All Japan's Double Cup tag titles and IWGP Tag Team Championship in the summer and fall of 2001, both with Taiyō Kea—giving Mutoh a total of six belts at one time.
On January 4, 2008, at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, under the Muta persona, he defeated Hirooki Goto. On April 27, 2008, Mutoh beat Shinsuke Nakamura to win his fourth IWGP Heavyweight Championship, this was his second appearance in 2008 for NJPW and hadn't held the title for eight years and four months prior to the win. Mutoh went on to defend the IWGP championship against Manabu Nakanishi, Togi Makabe and Goto and at New Japan's Destruction show on October 13, he defended the title against Shinsuke Nakamura in a rematch and retained following a Frankensteiner.[4]
On January 4, 2009, Mutoh put the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome against his former student Hiroshi Tanahashi. Mutoh lost the match, when Tanahashi used his signature High Fly Low twice to get the pin.[5] After the match, Mutoh said backstage that he had passed Tanahashi his sash after doing his best for over half a year to raise the worth of the title, and suggested that he will withdraw and leave New Japan to move their company forward.[5]
On January 4, 2012, Mutoh made a return to New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Tetsuya Naitō in a singles match.[6]
All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–present)[link]
On January 11, 2002, following the end of a year long cross-promotional angle with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Keiji Mutoh shocked the Japanese wrestling world by defecting to All-Japan as a full-time competitor, taking Satoshi Kojima and Kendo Kashin with him. At the Nippon Budokan on July 20, Mutoh wrestled as three different characters on the card: Kokushi Muso defeating Kaz Hayashi on the second match, himself in the mid-card, and in the second-to-last match, he defeated Kojima, under his "Great Koji" persona, as The Great Muta. On September 30, during an All Japan 30th Anniversary party at the famed Tokyo City Hotel, Mokoto Baba officially announced Mutoh's appointment as the new president of All Japan, transferring all of the Baba family stock to him.[2] Despite this position, however, Mutoh has not stopped wrestling full-time for All Japan, and lead his supporters in feuds with the Voodoo Murders. On December 27, 2003, Mutoh made a return to the United States, wrestling for the Ring of Honor promotion as part of an interpromotional All Japan vs. ROH card, which hosted a series of "dream" matches. In the main event, Mutoh reverted to his Great Muta persona and teamed with Arashi to defeat Prophecy members Christopher Daniels and Dan Maff.
He made his European debut on January 12, 2007, wrestling for Real Quality Wrestling at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, England, where he defeated RQW Heavyweight Champion Martin Stone in a non-title match. Mutoh recently won the 2007 Champion's Carnival, competing in Block A and finishing with 6 points total; Mutoh defeated Toshiaki Kawada in the finals on March 30, 2007.
In March 2007, while Mutoh was in Orlando, Florida in order to establish a working agreement between All Japan and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), he made an appearance for the company, under his Great Muta gimmick, at the Destination X pay-per-view, in a segment with Christian Cage.[7] In February 2009 Mutoh was featured in multiple interview segments, taped in Japan, where he spoke of his student Akira Raijin, who had just began working for TNA.[8]
On September 29, 2008, wrestling as The Great Muta, he defeated Suwama to capture the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. He is only the second wrestler, after Satoshi Kojima, to hold the Triple Crown Championship and the IWGP Championship at the same time.
On March 14, 2009, Mutoh defended his AJPW Triple Crown Championship against Yoshihiro Takayama. He bloodied him severely, as is his trademark, and even used the shining wizard to his opponent on the barricade. During the course of the match, however, his mask was ripped off, and he was bleeding profusely. Towards the end of the match, Takayama dominated Muta, but Muta reversed a kick into a Dragon Screw, and attempted to use the Asian Mist against him, but Takayama blocked it, and performed an Everest Suplex Pin on Muta, and won the match. Muta subsequently walked away in shock of what had happened.
On January 30, 2010, Mutoh, under his Great Muta gimmick, made a special appearance for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in Los Angeles, California, during the WrestleReunion 4 weekend, teaming up with KAI in a match, where they defeated the team of Joey Ryan and Scott Lost.[9]
In April 2010 Mutoh went through a reconstructive knee surgery that would keep him out of the ring for the rest of the year. Mutoh made his return on September 10, 2010, when he faced Masakatsu Funaki in a special return match.[10]
On June 7, 2011, Mutoh announced his resignation as the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He will remain in the promotion as an active wrestler and a member of the Supervisory Board.[11] Mutoh's decision stemmed from a real-life incident where Yoshikazu Taru assaulted Nobukazu Hirai backstage at an All Japan Pro Wrestling show, which led to Hirai suffering a stroke after competing in a match. Mutoh took the blame for the incident, which led to All Japan suspending not only Taru, but also Kazuhiko Masada, Masayuki Kono and Minoru Tanaka who were present when the attack took place.[12]
After being on the midcard and without a big feud for most of 2011, Mutoh became the main challenger for NOAH's Jun Akiyama, who had won the Triple Crown Championship from Suwama, and after Akiyama defended the title successfully 2 times (against Taiyō Kea and Takao Ōmori), Akiyama challenged Mutoh to a match that took place in March 2012, which Mutoh eventually lost.
On April 6, 2012 it was announced that Mutoh will be coming to The United States to wrestle for Pro Wrestling Syndicate on June 1 in Rahway, New Jersey.
Alter-egos[link]
- Great Muta, which he has wrestled as often throughout his career, switching back and forth between this character and his real name. Great Muta is a mysterious gimmick where he spits green or red mist and plays mind games to distract his opponents. Muta was originally billed as the son of Japanese wrestler Great Kabuki who used a similar gimmick. The two are not related in real life. Originally he wore face paint, which was later exchanged for a mask after he shaved his head. The Great Muta gimmick is the gimmick most fans of the United States know Mutoh for, as he wrestled as The Great Muta throughout the late '80s and early '90s for the NWA, and in his later stints in WCW with it.
- Kokushi-Muso, a gimmick used only for a few shows. It is a play off of Jinsei Shinzaki's monk character known as Hakushi. Hakushi means "White Angel" while "Kokushi" means "Black Angel".
- White Ninja, was used early in his career in New Japan Pro Wrestling and in Florida Championship Wrestling.
- Super Black Ninja, was used in World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas and also was used in the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.
- Space Lone Wolf, was used briefly in New Japan and the UWF.
Other media[link]
Mutoh has appeared in a vast number of media appearances in Japan, including commercials as well as being interviewed for Bloodstained Memoirs, a wrestling documentary.[13]
In 1995, Mutoh starred in the Japanese thriller Dragon Blue, as Ryusaki, a suave detective, who joins forces with a beautiful young spiritualist, played by Hiroko Tanaka, to solve a bizarre case of killings from a mystical sea creature.
In 2004, he played the role of Harold Sakata in the movie Rikidōzan, a film based on the real-life story of a wrestler who would eventually be known as the "Father of Puroresu"; Harold Sakata took Rikidozan under his wing and introduced him into the world of professional wrestling.
In 2006, he appeared as a guest star in the Japanese historical drama series Saiyūki, playing a village headman who is helped by Son Gokū played by Shingo Katori.
According to Masahiro Chono, Shinya Hashimoto, and himself, Mutoh, as a wrestler, grew up in the United States. He describes the United States as his soul-homeland. He often praises American wrestling-fans, as like "they are not just onlookers, but also match-producers".
In wrestling[link]
- Finishing moves
- Moonsault, often preceded by a rib breaker[1][2]
- Muta Lock[1] – innovated
- Shining Wizard[2] – Innovated
- Signature moves
- Bridging grounded double chickenwing[14]
- Cross armbar[1]
- Cradle piledriver[1]
- Multiple Dragon screw variations:[1]
- Dragon Neck Screw (Rope hung snap swinging neckbreaker)[1]
- Leg whip (Mutoh is known to perform this move in various situations, including off the mat apron, and while the opponent is on the top turnbuckle, or tangled in the ropes)
- Dragon suplex[1]
- Figure four leglock[1]
- Flashing Elbow (Running twisting elbow drop)[1]
- Frankensteiner, sometimes from the top rope[1]
- Handspring back elbow[1]
- Leaping lariat[1]
- Leg hook reverse STO
- Low-angle dropkick to an opponent's knees[1]
- Multiple Asian mist variations[1]
- Green Mist – Muta's most common mist, which obscures the opponent's vision
- Red Mist – This mist is purported to burn rather than blind
- Black Mist – An even more powerful mist which is purported to severely blind an opponent for a prolonged period of time
- Blue Mist – This mist is used to send an opponent to sleep
- Yellow Mist – This mist is purported to paralyze the opponent
- Rib breaker[1]
- Space Rolling Elbow (Cartwheel into a back elbow to a cornered opponent, often followed by a one-handed bulldog)[1]
- Triangle choke[1]
- Entrance themes
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- "Champion At Heart" (1984–1986)
- "The Final Countdown" by Europe (1986–1988) – as Space Lone Wolf
- "Hold Out" (1990–1995, 2011–2012)
- "MUTA" (1990–1995) – as The Great Muta
- "Triumph" (1995–1997, January 4, 2012)
- "Great Muta Concerto" (1995–1999) – as The Great Muta
- "nWo Triumph" (1997–2000)
- "Skyscraper" (2000) – as The Great Muta
- "Outbreak" (2000–2002)
- "Kokushi Muso" (2001–2002) – as Kokushi Muso
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- "Trans Magic" (2002–2009)
- "Kokushi Drama" (2002–2005) – as Kokushi Muso
- "Praise Bloom" (2002–2006) – as The Great Muta
- "Kingly Way" by China Blue (2005–present) – as Kokushi Muso
- "MUTA 2006" (2006–2009) – as The Great Muta
- "Symbol" (2009–present)
- "Unknown Title" (2010–present) - as The Great Muta
- World Championship Wrestling
- "Luminous Forces I" - Jon Keliehor/Orlando Kimber - Bruton Music Library - BRR 18 - East Meets West (1989–1990)
- "Kimi Ga Yo" (Starrcade 1990)
- "Pacific Zone (sample)" (American PPV broadcast of Starrcade 1991 in Tokyo Dome, 1991)
- "War Lords" (Clash Of The Champions XV: Knocksville U.S.A., 1991)
- "Tokyo Takeaway" (1992–2000)
- "Take It" by Insane Clown Posse (2000)
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
Championships and accomplishments[link]
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[1][2]
- AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Taiyō Kea (1), Arashi (1), Joe Doering (1), Masakatsu Funaki (1) and KENSO (1)
- F–1 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kannazaki1[18]
- Champion's Carnival (2002, 2004, 2007)[1]
- Giant Baba Six Man Cup (2002) – with George Hines and Kaz Hayashi [19]
- January 2 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal Winner (2011)
- January 3 Korakuen Hall Junior Heavyweight Battle Royal Winner (2011)
- World's Strongest Tag Team League – with Taiyō Kea (2001), Joe Doering (2007) and Masakatsu Funaki (2009)[1]
- New Japan Pro Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[2][20]
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Hiroshi Hase (2), Masahiro Chono (2), Shiro Koshinaka (1) and Taiyō Kea (1)[1]
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[1]
- Greatest 18 Championship (1 time)[21]
- G1 Climax (1995)[22]
- Super Grade Tag League/G1 Climax Tag League – with Hiroshi Hase (1993, 1994), Masahiro Chono (1997), Satoshi Kojima (1998) and Scott Norton (1999)[23]
- MVP Award (2001)[24]
- Singles Best Bout (2001) vs. Yuji Nagata on August 12[24]
- Tag Team Best Bout (2001) with Hiroshi Hase vs. Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata on October 8[24]
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Match of the Year (1999) with Genichiro Tenryu on May 3, 1999 [27]
- Match of the Year (2011) with Kenta Kobashi vs. Takashi Iizuka and Toru Yano, All Together, August 27[28]
- Performance Award (1998) [27]
- Rookie of the Year (1986) [29]
- Special Award (1989) [29]
- Tag Team of the Year (1990) with Masahiro Chono [27]
- Tag Team of the Year (2005) with Akebono [30]
- Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1999, 2001, 2008) [27][30]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (2001) Shining Wizard
- Match of the Year (2001) vs. Genichiro Tenryu on June 8, Tokyo, Japan
- Most Improved Wrestler (2001)
- Wrestler of the Year (2001)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1999)
1Championship not officially recognized by All Japan Pro Wrestling.
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq "Great Muta profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/g/great-muta.html. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h PWI Staff (October 2004). "Pro Wrestling llustrated 500 - 2004 :33 Keiji Muto". Pro Wrestling Illustrated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, USA: Sports and Entertainment publications LLC): p. 24. December 2004.
- ^ Mancuso, Ryan (2006-09-11). "Complete Playbook: The Great Muta Vol. 2 Revenge of Muta Commercial Tape". 411mania. http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/video_reviews/44204. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Results New Japan, 10/13/08". Strong Style Spirit. 2009-10-13. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=88. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ a b "Results New Japan, 1/4/09". Strong Style Spirit. 2009-01-04. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=302. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- ^ "NJPW 40th anniversary Tour. レッスルキングダムⅥ in 東京ドーム" (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling. http://www.njpw.co.jp/match/detail_result.php?e=470. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
- ^ Sokol, Chris (2007-03-12). "Samoa Joe denied at Destination X". Slam! Sports. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/03/12/3736821.html. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ Martin, Adam (2009-02-06). "Impact Results - 2/5/09". WrestleView. http://www.wrestleview.com/news2009/1233911336.php. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ "Kurt Russellreunion". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. 2010-01-30. http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/results/2010/show0109.html. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
- ^ Gerweck, Steve (2010-04-20). "Update on The Great Muta". WrestleView. http://wrestleview.com/viewnews.php?id=1271781859. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
- ^ "All Japan: Keiji Muto tritt als Präsident zurück". Purolove. 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. http://www.webcitation.org/5zGMFrlFw. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "武藤敬司が社長を辞任 暴行事件の責任取り＝全日本プロレス" (in Japanese). Sports Navi. 2011-06-07. http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/fight/headlines/20110607-00000013-spnavi-fight.html. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Bloodstained Memoirs Official Site
- ^ National Wrestling Alliance (1989-12-13). "The Great Muta Vs. Sting". NWA Starrcade '89.
- ^ "Gary Hart profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/g/gary-hart.html. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
- ^ Matt Mackinder (January 17, 2008). "Sir Oliver Humperdink recalls career of yesteryear". SLAM! Wrestling. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/05/12/4175841.html. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ^ "House of Humperdink". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/h/house-of-humperdink.html. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ "2010 results". Purolove. http://www.purolove.com/ajpw/results/results10.php. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
- ^ http://www.purolove.com/ajpw/profiles/keijimuto.php
- ^ "I.W.G.P. Heavyweight Title History". Wrestling-Titles. http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-h.html. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
- ^ "The Greatest 18 Club Title". Wrestling-Titles. http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/18club.html. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: New Japan G-1 (Grade-1) Climax Tournament Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 375. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). "Japan: New Japan G-1 (Grade-1) Climax Tag Tournament Champions". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 374. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b c "2001 New Japan Awards". Strong Style Spirit. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/2001-awards.html. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ "PWI 500". Cagematch. http://www.cagematch.de/?id=97&nr=82#2002. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ^ a b c d http://www.puroresu.com/awards/1990s.html
- ^ "(Results) New Japan, 12/14/11". Strong Style Spirit. 2011-12-14. http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3318. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
- ^ a b http://www.puroresu.com/awards/1980s.html
- ^ a b http://www.puroresu.com/awards/2000s.html
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Keiji Mutoh |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mutoh, Keiji |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Japanese professional wrestler |
| Date of birth | December 23, 1962 |
| Place of birth | Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Keiji_Mutoh
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Keiji Mutō
http://de.wn.com/Keiji Mutoh
http://it.wn.com/Keiji Muto
http://es.wn.com/Keiji Mutō
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiji_Mutoh
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For the professional wrestler, see Bryan Clark.
|
|
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009) |
Professor Bryan Campbell Clarke FRS, born in 1932, is a British geneticist. He is professor emeritus of genetics at the University of Nottingham. Clarke is particularly noted for his work on apostatic selection and other forms of frequency-dependent selection, and work on polymorphism in snails, much of it done during the 1960s. Later, he studied molecular evolution. He made the case for natural selection as an important factor in the maintenance of molecular variation, and in driving evolutionary changes in molecules through time. In doing so, he questioned the over-riding importance of random genetic drift advocated by King, Jukes, and Kimura. With Dr. JJ Murray Jnr (University of Virginia), he carried out an extensive series of studies on speciation in land snails of the genus Partula inhabiting the volcanic islands of the Eastern Pacific. These studies illuminated the genetic changes that take place during the origin of species.
Clarke was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1982, awarded the Linnean Medal for Zoology and elected a Foreign member of the American Philosophical Society in 2003.He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004. He was one of thirteen recipients of the Darwin-Wallace Medal in 2008; this award is given every 50 years by the Linnean Society of London. He was awarded the Darwin Medal of the Royal Society in 2010 for 'for his original and influential contributions to our understanding of the genetic basis of evolution'. [1]
Professor Clarke has recently established the Frozen Ark project to preserve the DNA of endangered species worldwide.
References[link]
- ^ "The Darwin Medal (1890)". The Royal Society. http://royalsociety.org/Darwin-Medal/. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Clarke, Bryan |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1932 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
 |
This article about a British scientist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This article about a geneticist or evolutionary biologist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
http://wn.com/Bryan_Clarke
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Clarke
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| David Abbott | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1965-04-26) April 26, 1965 (age 47) Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Tank |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg; 18 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Super Heavyweight (no limit) Heavyweight (265 lb) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Huntington Beach, California[1] |
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 14 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
David Lee Abbott (born April 26, 1965) is an American mixed martial arts fighter and former professional wrestler. He has described his fighting style, which he developed brawling in the bars and streets of Huntington Beach, California, as "street fighting". Abbott was the first fighter to regularly wear what would be known as traditional MMA gloves in the UFC.
Contents |
Mixed martial arts career (1995–1998)[link]
Abbott was a frequent participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Abbott made his mixed martial arts debut in 1995 at UFC 6 Clash of the Titans in Casper, Wyoming. In his opening fight, he knocked out John Matua, who weighed 400 lb, in 18 seconds.[2] Later that night he fought Oleg Taktarov for over 17 minutes before succumbing to a rear naked choke.[3] [1] Both men collapsed in exhaustion after the fight, and Taktarov had to be carried out of the cage.[3] In his first 4 UFC tournament appearances, Abbott advanced at least 1 round in all of them. Around the same time the UFC began switching away from the tournament format, his fortunes declined, as he won only 2 of 5 bouts in '97-'98 before retiring from MMA.
Acting career[link]
In 1997, Abbott appeared as a UFC fighter in the TV show Friends,[4] defeating Jon Favreau's character, the billionaire Pete Becker, who was dating Monica at the time.
Professional wrestling career (1999–2001)[link]
Abbott worked as a professional wrestler with World Championship Wrestling (WCW);[5] initially he was brought in as an opponent for Goldberg,[5] on the understanding he was a "legitimate" fighter—who could render any opponent unconscious with a single punch, which became his wrestling finisher, 'The Phantom Right'—and could boost Goldberg's reputation. This feud, however, never developed.
Mere days prior to the Souled Out pay-per-view in 2000, WCW head writer Vince Russo was given the responsibility of booking a match to crown a new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. This came at the news that both WCW Champion Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett, two of the company's top performers, were injured and could not participate at the event. To the dismay of company officials, Russo suggested having the mid-card Abbott win the Championship albeit only to hold it briefly. The scenario would not take place, and Russo was consequently released from WCW while other bookers composed the Souled Out card. Abbott instead faced Jerry Flynn, a legitimate black belt in taekwondo and defeated him at the pay-per-view.
He was then featured in segments with the boy band parody stable, 3 Count as their "biggest fan".[6] He began feuding with the stable after they would not let him join the band; the feud ended when Abbott was released from WCW.[6]
Mixed martial arts career (2003 - present)[link]
Abbott waged an unsuccessful UFC comeback in the mid 2000's, losing fights to Frank Mir, Kimo Leopoldo and Wesley "Cabbage" Correira. He later defeated Cabbage by K.O. in a rematch. Abbott would lose several more matches in regional shows.
In February 2008, he had a first round knockout loss to Kimbo Slice at Elite XC's Street Certified event.[1]
His next fight against Mike Bourke on February 13, 2009 at The Selland Arena in Fresno, California—was a part of the Valentine's Eve Massacre Event. Abbott knocked out Bourke in the first round and secured a victory for the first time in nearly four years.
Nickname[link]
Abbott claims his nickname of “Tank” was given to him by UFC officials after the character of “Tank Murdock“ from the 1978 Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way but Loose.
Championships and accomplishments[link]
Mixed martial arts[link]
Amateur wrestling[link]
- NJCAA All American
Mixed martial arts record[link]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 10 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 6 |
| By submission | 3 | 6 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 10–14 |  Mike Bourke |
KO (punch) | War Gods/Ken Shamrock: Valentine's Eve Massacre | 02009-02-13February 13, 2009 | 1 | 0:29 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Loss | 9–14 |  Kimbo Slice |
KO (punches) | EliteXC: Street Certified | 02008-02-16February 16, 2008 | 1 | 0:43 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 9–13 |  Gary Turner |
TKO (punches) | Cage Rage 21 | 02007-04-21April 21, 2007 | 1 | 2:27 | London, England | |
| Loss | 9-12 | Paul Buentello |
KO (punch) | Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello | 02006-10-07October 7, 2006 | 1 | 0:43 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Loss | 9–11 |  Hidehiko Yoshida |
Submission (gi choke) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 02005-08-28August 28, 2005 | 1 | 7:40 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 9–10 | Wesley Correira |
KO (punch) | Rumble on the Rock 7 | 02005-05-05May 5, 2005 | 1 | 1:23 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 8–10 | Wesley Correira |
TKO (cut) | UFC 45 | 02003-11-21November 21, 2003 | 1 | 2:14 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 8–9 | Kimo Leopoldo |
Submission (arm triangle choke) | UFC 43 | 02003-06-06June 6, 2003 | 1 | 1:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 8–8 | Frank Mir |
Submission (Omoplata & toe hold) | UFC 41 | 02003-02-28February 28, 2003 | 1 | 0:46 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 8–7 |  Pedro Rizzo |
KO (punch) | UFC Brazil | 01998-10-16October 16, 1998 | 1 | 8:07 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–6 | Hugo Duarte |
TKO (punches) | UFC 17 | 01998-05-15May 15, 1998 | 1 | 0:43 | Mobile, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 7–6 | Yoji Anjo |
Decision | UFC Japan | 01997-12-21December 21, 1997 | 1 | 15:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 6–6 | Maurice Smith |
Submission (strikes) | UFC 15 | 01997-10-17October 17, 1997 | 1 | 8:08 | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, United States | For UFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 6–5 | Vitor Belfort |
TKO (punches) | UFC 13 | 01997-05-30May 30, 1997 | 1 | 0:52 | Augusta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Don Frye |
Submission (rear naked choke) | UU 96 | 01996-12-12December 12, 1996 | 1 | 1:22 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 6–3 | Steve Nelmark |
KO (punch) | UU 96 | 01996-12-12December 12, 1996 | 1 | 1:03 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Win | 5–3 | Cal Worsham |
Submission (punches) | UU 96 | 01996-12-12December 12, 1996 | 1 | 2:51 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Scott Ferrozzo |
Decision (unanimous) | UFC 11 | 01996-09-20September 20, 1996 | 1 | 15:00 | Augusta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 4–2 | Sam Adkins |
Submission (forearm choke) | UFC 11 | 01996-09-20September 20, 1996 | 1 | 2:06 | Augusta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Dan Severn |
Decision (unanimous) | UU 95 | 01995-12-16December 16, 1995 | 1 | 18:00 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Steve Jennum |
Submission (neck crank) | UU 95 | 01995-12-16December 16, 1995 | 1 | 1:14 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 2–1 |  Oleg Taktarov |
Submission (rear naked choke) | UFC 6 | 01995-07-14July 14, 1995 | 1 | 17:47 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Paul Varelans |
TKO (punches) | UFC 6 | 01995-07-14July 14, 1995 | 1 | 1:53 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | John Matua |
KO (punches) | UFC 6 | 01995-07-14July 14, 1995 | 1 | 0:18 | Casper, Wyoming, United States |
References[link]
- ^ a b Woods, Michael (February 19, 2008). "Abbott not ready to call it quits just yet". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=3251964. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ Tank Abbott's Terrifying Debut Featured in 'Ultimate Ultimate Knockouts'
- ^ a b http://www.411mania.com/MMA/video_reviews/54573/History-of-the-UFC:-UFC-VI---Clash-of-the-Titans.htm
- ^ Friends episode "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion" at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Tank Abbott Speaks On His WCW Career, UFC Return, & More
- ^ a b "The Hurricane". SLAM! Wrestling. June 13, 2005. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/hurricane.html. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- ^ http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=856
Further reading[link]
- Boone, Matt (February 13, 2003). "Tank Abbott Speaks On His WCW Career, UFC Return, & More". WrestleZone Radio. http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003/articles/1045115235.php.
External links[link]
- Professional MMA record for Tank Abbott from Sherdog
- Professional wrestling record for Tank Abbott from The Internet Wrestling Database
- Tank Abbott at the Internet Movie Database
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Abbott, Tank |
| Alternative names | Abbott, David |
| Short description | Mixed martial artist and professional wrestler |
| Date of birth | April 26, 1965 |
| Place of birth | Huntington Beach, California, U.S. |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Tank_Abbott
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/David L. Abbott
http://pt.wn.com/Tank Abbott
http://de.wn.com/Tank Abbott
http://it.wn.com/Tank Abbott
http://es.wn.com/Tank Abbott
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Abbott
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
