Australia men's national basketball team

History.

Pre-1970s.

Australia debuted on the international stage at the 1956 Summer Olympic Games held in Melbourne. Australia did not fare well in the competition, defeating only two sides, (Singapore and Thailand), and finishing 12th. The seeds were sown for Australia to become a regular team in international events.  After not qualifying for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Australia returned to compete at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. The Australians improved on their position in Melbourne, to be ranked ninth at the completion of the games. After failing in their bid to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the Australians were left in international isolation.

1970–80s.

They did not play again in a major international tournament until 1970, when the team qualified for the FIBA World Championship for the first time. The team finished in 12th place, with their sole victory coming over the United Arab Republic.  The 1972 Munich Olympic Games was a changing of the guard for the Australians. Lindsay Gaze made his coaching debut, after playing at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Australia again finished ninth, but close defeats to Czechoslovakia and Spain left the team close to advancing to the second round. Eddie Palubinskas was the holder of the second highest scoring average of the tournament.  At the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Eddie Palubinskas finished as the top overall scorer, and set three Olympic scoring records, including the most points scored in a single Olympics to that time, with 269 points. The Boomers defeated Mexico, 120–117, in an overtime game, and defeated Japan, 117–79, as they moved to the second round of the tournament for the first time, on their way to an eighth-place finish.  In 1978, the Boomers headed to the Philippines for the 1978 FIBA World Championship. Australia played their most successful tournament to that time, defeating Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines (twice), and playing eventual gold medallist Yugoslavia, losing 105–101. The Boomers advanced to the semi-final round, and placed seventh.  In the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the Boomers played their best Olympic tournament to that date, equalling their 1976 finish of eighth place. The Boomers defeated eventual silver medallist Italy, 84–77, in the preliminary round, but due to a three-way tie with Italy and Cuba, the team failed to advance to the final round, despite 5 wins and 2 losses.  Two years later, the 1982 FIBA World Championship was held in Colombia. The Australians finished in fifth place.  The Boomers were captained at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games by Phil Smyth, and introduced coach Lindsay Gaze’s 19-year-old son, Andrew Gaze, to the world stage. Australia advanced to the second round, following victories over Brazil and West Germany. A loss to Italy, and a 16-point win over Egypt, left the Boomers in a must-win situation against Spain, to advance to the medal round. Spain went up big early in the first half, but the Boomers fought back, ultimately losing by a score of 101–93, ending their medal hopes with an Olympic best seventh-place finish.  Following the 1984 Olympics, Adrian Hurley took over as team coach from Lindsay Gaze.  The 1986 FIBA World Championship was a bit disappointing for Australia. Losses to Uruguay, Angola, and the Soviet Union during group play kept the Boomers from advancing, and the team finished 17th. Due to a FIBA rule allowing one naturalised player per squad at the World Championship, American born point guard Cal Bruton made his Boomers debut at the age of 32.  In 1987, the Boomers faced a home series against the Soviet Union (known as the Wang Superchallenge) and although they lost all 6 games, the team, with all players drawn from the NBL other than Australian Institute of Sport attendee, 6'10" (208 cm) centre / power forward Mark Bradtke who was making his debut for the Boomers as a 17 year old (Bradtke would make his NBL debut in 1988 with the Adelaide 36ers).  Motivated by the 1986 FIBA World Championship, Australia showed up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with quite possibly its most talented roster to that date. Captained by Phil Smyth, the team included Andrew Gaze, Damian Keogh, Darryl Pearce, Ray Borner, and future Chicago Bulls triple NBA Championship winning centre, 7'2" (218 cm) Luc Longley who was attending the University of New Mexico. The Boomers breezed through the first round, losing only to gold medallist Soviet Union and silver medallist Yugoslavia. Finishing third place in their group, Australia advanced to the quarter finals, where they defeated Spain in a closely fought game, by a score of 77–74, sending the Boomers to their first ever semi-finals. They were beaten by Yugoslavia in the semi-final, and then lost to the United States (including future NBA Hall of Fame player David Robinson), who ended Australia’s dream run with a 78–49 victory in the bronze-medal playoff. Despite the disappointing loss, the Boomers’ fourth-place finish was their best ever result at an Olympic Games (or World Championship) and solidified their status as a rising team.

1990s: Gaze, Heal and Longley.

Australia flew off to Buenos Aires for the 1990 FIBA World Championship. Led by Andrew Gaze’s 24.3 points per game, fourth most in the tournament, the team defeated China, Brazil and Argentina (twice) on their way to a respectable seventh-place finish.  At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, the Boomers looked to prove their fourth-place run at Seoul was no fluke. In the first Summer Olympic Games since the Soviet Union’s dissolution, and the first that FIBA allowed professional basketball players to play in, Australia played to a respectable 4–4 record and sixth place. The 1992 Olympics saw the return of NBA center Luc Longley for the Boomers.  Prior to the 1992 Olympics, the Boomers played in a 3-game home series against a visiting "All-Star" team headlined by NBA and NCAA college basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Boomers won the series 2–1 including attracting a then Australian basketball record 15,000 fans to the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne. The Boomers also played in the 1992 NBL All-Star Game at the AIS Arena in Canberra against the "USA Stars" (made up of import players in the NBL) which was played on 4 July and was promoted as the "Independence Day Challenge". The Boomers won the game 149–132 with Andrew Gaze scoring 43 points.  At the 1994 FIBA World Championship at Toronto, Andrew Gaze starred for the Boomers, leading the tournament with an average of 23.9 points per game. In victories over Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Cuba, Gaze scored 34, 31, and 30 points, respectively. Australia finished with a 5–3 record, and finished the tournament in fifth place. This was Phil Smyth’s last World Championship appearance as a player.  Smyth, the teams long-time captain and point guard would play one last time for the Boomers in March 1995 in Game 4 of a 5-game series against the touring Magic Johnson All-Stars in front of a packed house (12,000) at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The Boomers lost in both Adelaide and Brisbane and were ultimately swept 5–0 by the All-Stars (who included former NBA stars Magic Johnson and Mark Aguirre), they pushed the visitors all the way in Game 3 at the National Tennis Centre, while Games 4 (Sydney) and 5 (Perth Entertainment Centre) went into overtime. The series however saw the Boomers without 4 of their usual starting 5 with only Andrew Vlahov who captained the side playing all 5 games. Missing for the Boomers were Andrew Gaze (playing in Greece), Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke and Luc Longley who was playing for the Chicago Bulls.  The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games were another solid showing for Australia. Led by Andrew Gaze, and featuring Shane Heal, the team rolled through the early competition, losing only to eventual silver medallist Yugoslavia, and scoring over 100 points in every other preliminary game. In the quarterfinals, the Boomers played a hard fought game against Croatia. The game came down to the wire, as forward Tony Ronaldson hit a 3-pointer to win the game, and advance Australia to the semi-finals. There they met the United States, who were powered by a roster of professional NBA players, and the Boomers were defeated 101–73. Lithuania would defeat Australia in the bronze medal game, and the Boomers equalled their 1988 fourth-place finish.  Just prior to the 1996 Olympics, the Boomers played the USA in a warm up game. The game, played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, was won 118–77 by the USA, though Heal topped all scorers with 28 points including hitting 8 of 12 three pointers. Heal had a running battle with NBA superstar Charles Barkley during the game with the two almost coming to blows at one point, though they hugged in mutual respect on-court after the game.  Following their exciting run at Atlanta, the Boomers showed up in Greece, for the 1998 FIBA World Championship with high hopes. Shane Heal and Andrew Gaze both finished among the top five scorers, with averages of 17.0 and 16.9 points per game, respectively; but a loss to the United States knocked Australia out of medal contention. The Boomers finished the tournament respectably with wins over Canada and Brazil, and walked away with ninth place.

2000s: Sydney Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Bogut.

The 2000 Summer Olympic Games projected to be an extremely exciting affair for the Boomers, as they played as host in Sydney. Despite losses in both of their first two games, Australia recovered nicely, and won their next four games over Russia, Angola, and Spain, to propel them into the quarter finals, where they defeated Italy. But Australia’s first basketball medal was not to be, as France won the semi final match, and Lithuania captured the bronze medal game. Although their goal of medalling was not achieved, the Boomers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about, on their way to a fourth-place finish.  After failing to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the Boomers came into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games hungry for victory. Captained by Shane Heal, and featuring future NBA Draft first pick Andrew Bogut in his international debut, Australia fought hard on their way to a ninth-place finish.  In early 2006, Australia entered the first ever Commonwealth Games basketball competition in their home city of Melbourne and went through the tournament undefeated to claim the gold medal. Later in 2006 at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, Australia was led in scoring by Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, and Jason Smith. Despite their efforts, the Boomers failed to qualify for the playoff rounds, and finished tied for ninth place.  The Boomers entered the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with one of their more talented rosters to date, which included Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, Captain Matthew Nielsen, and Patty Mills, in his international debut. Despite his youth, Mills had a hot hand, scoring over 20 points on several occasions, and leading the team with an average of 14.2 points per game. Australia made the quarter finals, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish.

2010s: Additional NBA players.

The Boomers qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and placed 10th overall. In 2011, Melbourne-born number one NBA draft pick Kyrie Irving considered declaring his international allegiance to Australia in order to compete in the 2012 Olympics, but eventually opted to wait for international selection for the United States.  Despite Irving declining the offer to represent his country of birth, the Boomers entered the 2012 London Olympic Games with arguably their most talented roster since 2000, though they were missing their star centre Andrew Bogut, who was out with a broken ankle. Australia made the quarter finals with a 3–2 win-loss record, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish again.  Following the London Olympics, Brett Brown announced his decision to step down as Boomers head coach, citing his desire to spend more time with his family in the United States. As of December 2012, Basketball Australia was yet to announce his replacement, although one of his assistants, dual National Basketball League championship winning coach with the New Zealand Breakers, Andrej Lemanis, was one of the favourites to win the job.  On 24 April 2013, Lemanis was announced as the new head coach of the Boomers.  By winning the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, Australia qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Australia was drawn into Group D, alongside Lithuania, Slovenia, Angola, Mexico, and South Korea. After suffering an opening round 90-80 loss to Slovenia, Australia bounced back, stringing together three consecutive wins over South Korea, Lithuania and Mexico, the first time in 16 years that Australia had won 3 consecutive matches at the FIBA World Cup. However, in their next match Australia suffered a 91–83 loss to Angola, which came despite leading by 15 points in the middle of the third quarter. This result, combined with Lithuania's 67-64 win over Slovenia, meant that Australia finished third in their group, qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament. Because Australia would finish third by losing, and that finishing third would benefit Australia more than finishing second, combined with the absences of fit key players Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles led to allegations that Australia deliberately lost their game against Angola in order to finish third in their group, and as a result, avoid the United States until the semi-finals, with Slovenian basketballer Goran Dragić posting "Basketball is a beautiful sport, there is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs Angola!! @FIBA should do something about that!" on Twitter. However, these claims were denied by Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis. On 26 November 2014, Australia was cleared of tanking by FIBA.  Australia met World No. 7 Turkey in the knockout stage of the tournament. Australia suffered a 65-64 loss to Turkey, ending their World Cup campaign, meaning that for the 11th World Cup, Australia would return home empty handed.  Leading into the 2016 Rio Olympics, Australia saw a surge in locals being drafted into the NBA. Along with former number 1 NBA draft pick Andrew Bogut, Dante Exum was taken with the fifth pick in the 2014 NBA draft and Ben Simmons was selected with the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, adding to already established Australian NBA players in Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes. Forward Thon Maker was also drafted with the 10th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Despite Exum, Maker and Simmons electing not to compete in the 2016 Olympics, the Australians equaled their best ever performance by reaching the semifinals and losing their bronze medal playoff with Spain by one point.

2017: Move into Asian basketball.

In August 2015, FIBA announced Australia would be joining the Asian basketball zone for future tournaments, starting with the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. The Boomers were victorious in their inaugural Asia Cup appearance and turned their attention to 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Asian opposition. In July 2018, during the 3rd quarter of their game against the Philippines for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Asia), Filipino player Roger Pogoy hit Chris Goulding with a hard foul causing teammate Daniel Kickert to retaliate with an elbow strike which sparked a full-scale brawl between the Australians and the Filipinos. Suspensions and fines were handed off to those involved including players from both teams, Filipino coaches and the referees for failing to control the game.

Records.

Andrew Gaze holds the record for most appearances with the Boomers at 297 international games. Gaze also holds the record for the most points scored by a Boomer.  The Australian National Basketball Team defeated the United States Team 98-94 in Melbourne, 24 August 2019, for the first time.

Tournament history.

"A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia"

FIBA World Cup.

NB: This competition was known as the FIBA World Championship through the 2010 edition.

Team.

Current roster.

Roster for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.

Die australische Basketballnationalmannschaft der Herren, in Australien meist Boomers genannt, repräsentiert Australien bei internationalen Basketballwettbewerben. Als stärkste Mannschaft Ozeaniens ist sie seit Anfang der 1970er Jahre regelmäßiger Teilnehmer an Weltmeisterschaften und Olympischen Spielen sowie Seriensieger der Ozeanienmeisterschaft.


Name.

The river's name is presumed to be Brythonic Celtic meaning 'river where oak trees grow' due to the banks of the lower Dart being covered in ancient woods of native oak. The Cornish word for oak is "derow"; alternatively the word for water is "dowr", the probable source of other British hydronyms such as Derwent Water. Bray notes in 1832 that the name was occasionally spelled 'Darant'.

Watercourse.

The river begins as two separate branches (the East Dart and West Dart), which join at Dartmeet. The paths along these rivers offer very attractive walking, and there are several small waterfalls. The rivers are crossed by a number of clapper bridges, notably at the hamlet of Postbridge.  After leaving the moor, the Dart flows southwards past Buckfast Abbey and through the towns of Buckfastleigh, Dartington and Totnes. At Totnes, where there is a seventeenth-century weir (rebuilt in the 1960s), it becomes tidal, and there are no bridges below the town.  A passenger ferry operates across the river from the village of Dittisham to a point adjacent to the Greenway Estate. Formerly the home of the late crime writer Agatha Christie, this has stunning views across the river, and the house and gardens are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public.  The Dart estuary is a large ria and is popular for sailing. The village of Kingswear and town of Dartmouth are on the east and west sides of the estuary, and are linked by two vehicle ferries and a passenger ferry. The Kingswear Regatta is held each year. The deep water port of Dartmouth is a sheltered haven.  The entrance to the river from the sea is a rocky entrance with cliffs either side. On the East side Kingswear Castle sits very close to the water's edge, and on the west side Dartmouth Castle is built on a rocky promontory at sea level. The castles once operated a defensive chain across the estuary, which was raised at dusk to destroy enemy ships attempting to attack the harbour. The remains of the operating mechanisms for the chain are still visible in Dartmouth castle.

Crossings.

The flooded ria that forms the lower reaches of the Dart, with its deep water and steeply sloping valley sides, is a considerable barrier to crossing traffic. There are no bridges below Totnes.  At the mouth of the river, it separates the communities of Dartmouth and Kingswear. There have been proposals to bridge the river here, but these have come to nothing. Instead the two places are linked by, in order going upstream, the Lower Ferry, Passenger Ferry and Higher Ferry. The Lower and Higher ferries both carry vehicles, the Higher one linking the A379 road.  Some upstream of Dartmouth, the Greenway Ferry carries pedestrians across the river from the village of Dittisham to Greenway Quay.  A further upstream is Totnes, where the river is spanned by two road bridges, a railway bridge and a footbridge over. Totnes Bridge is the nearest bridge to the sea and is a road bridge built in 1826-28 by Charles Fowler. Some upstream is Brutus Bridge, constructed in 1982 as part of a road traffic-relief scheme and carrying the concurrent A385 and A381 roads. A further upstream, the railway bridge carries the National Rail Exeter to Plymouth line over the river. Immediately upstream of the railway bridge is a footbridge, built in 1993 to provide access to the terminus of the South Devon Railway.

Navigation.

The lower section of the River Dart forms Dartmouth Harbour, a deep water natural harbour with a long history of maritime usage. In modern times, the port's commercial activity has declined, but it is still a busy port for local fishing vessels and a wide variety of yachts and other private boats. Several local companies specialise in shipbuilding and repairs to small tonnage craft.  Dartmouth is also the home of the Britannia Royal Naval College and as a result is routinely visited by sizeable naval ships. Smaller naval tenders are often seen carrying out training exercises in the harbour and river. Large cruise ships are occasional visitors, with the largest visitor to date being the MV "Royal Princess" (30,277 GT).  Upstream, the Dart is navigable to seagoing vessels as far as the weir in Totnes. The river almost dries out for below Totnes at spring tide low water, but vessels drawing up to can proceed to Totnes from one and a half hours after low water. Above the weir, the river is navigable only to small craft such as kayaks and canoes.  Several companies operate trips on the river, including Dart Pleasure Craft Limited, who also trade as "River Link" and operate the Passenger Ferry between Dartmouth and Kingswear. These include cruises from Dartmouth to Totnes, which can be combined with journeys on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway and an open top bus between Totnes and Paignton to create a circular trip.  The harbour and port are popular leisure boating locations, and several marinas and boat yards are located on the river. The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta takes place annually over three days at the end of August.

Canoeing and kayaking.

The upper reaches of Dartmoor, especially those on the Dart, are a focal point for whitewater kayakers and canoeists. The best known sections of the river are: Sections of the East and West Dart above Dartmeet, as well as the Webburn are also paddled when conditions permit. This is somewhat controversial, as riparian landowners and those responsible for local fisheries maintain that the East and West Dart should not be paddled.  The lower reaches of the Dart, including the estuary are suitable for flat water touring.

Angling.

Angling is very popular in the Dart Valley. The West Dart is notable ground for salmon spawning redds.

Literature and folklore.

The River Dart is the source of much folklore on Dartmoor, where it is traditionally respected and feared - the waters have a tendency to rise without notice following heavy rainfall on the moors above, adding to the dangers of its rapids and powerful currents. This gave rise to the couplet:  The 1951 non-fiction book "The River Dart" by Ruth Manning-Sanders centres on the river and its history.  The English poet Alice Oswald wrote the 48-page poem "Dart" (2002), which was awarded the T. S. Eliot Prize for 2002. The poem's voice is that of the River Dart, which Oswald adapted from three years of recorded conversations and research with people who inhabit the communities along the river.  Outdoor bloggers Two Blondes Walking wrote a children's book in 2015 about the River Dart. 'Dart the River' tells the story of the River Dart from its source high on Dartmoor to the sea at Dartmouth and was illustrated by Ali Marshall.

External links.

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The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth.

Der River Dart ist ein Fluss in der Grafschaft Devon im Südwesten Englands. Er entspringt hoch im Dartmoor und mündet bei Dartmouth in den Ärmelkanal. Das Flusstal und seine Umgebung sind von großer landschaftlicher Schönheit. Königin Victoria nannte ihn den "englischen Rhein".


Life.

Andronikos Asen was the son of Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen III and Irene, who was the sister of Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. His father and mother escaped to Byzantine territory during the uprising of Ivaylo in 1280. After Michael Kantakouzenos' death in 1316, Andronikos II gave Andronikos Asen the position of "epitropos" of the small Byzantine province in the south-eastern part of the Morea.  Kantakouzenos had already managed to consolidate the province, and enjoyed some success against the Frankish Principality of Achaea in the north. Asen continued in the same line, and taking advantage of internal strife in Achaea, he conquered much territory in the central Morea. In 1320, he took the castles of Akova, Polyphengos, Karytaina and Saint George in Skorta, and defeated a Frankish army near the latter fort in September.  He was an ancestor of later Byzantine emperors, as his granddaughter, Helena, married John V Palaiologos, whose descendants later became Byzantine emperors.

Family.

Andronikos married a certain Tarchaneiotissa, whose first name is not known. She was a daughter of "protostrator" Michael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes and his wife Maria Doukaina Komnene Palaiologina Branaina.  The last names of her mother indicate descent from the families Doukas, Komnenos and Palaiologos who each produced several Byzantine Emperors. Her last name however indicates being a member of the Branas family which produced military leaders like Alexios Branas and Theodore Branas, but whose genealogy is poorly recorded.  They had at least four children:

Andronikos Asen (? - 1322?) was the "epitropos" ("steward, overseer") of the Byzantine province of the Morea between 1316 and 1322.

Andronikos Asanes († um 1355) war der zweite Sohn des nach Konstantinopel geflohenen Bulgarenzaren Iwan Assen III. und dessen Gemahlin Irene Palaiologina, einer Tochter des byzantinischen Kaisers Michael VIII. Dukas Komnenos Palaiologos.


History.

Olimpia was founded as a baseball club on June 12, 1912, by Héctor Pineda Ugarte, Carlos Bram, Arturo Bram, Enrique Buik, Santiago Buik, Miguel Sanchez, Samuel Inestrosa Gómez, and Ramón Field. In 1917, it also became a football team.  Olimpia is the most successful football team in Honduras, having won 31 domestic league titles since it was founded in 1912, the latest being the 2019–20 Apertura & Clausura season. It has also represented the Honduran football association in international club competitions more than any other team by far. They are the only Honduran club that has won the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice, first in 1972 and again in 1988. Olimpia is also the first team to win the Domestic Cup, known as "Copa Presidente," in 2015.

Amateur era.

In 1957, CD Olimpia won the national championship of Honduras for the first time. They repeated as champions in 1958 and 1959. The national crown was not awarded in 1960, but they won it again in 1961, 1963, and 1964. In 1964–65, the final season of the amateur era, Olimpia claimed a seventh championship, beating Escualo 2–0.  Players like "Furia" Solis, Rolin Castillo, Ricardo "Chendo" Rodriguez were stars during these seasons.

National League.

The professional National League began in 1965, with Platense winning the first tournament. Olimpia was runner-up, finishing with 26 points to Platense's 27. Things were different the following year, as Mario Griffin Cubas was appointed head coach. In the 1966–67 season, he led "Los Leones" to 14 victories in 18 matches, winning the title six points clear of Marathon (29–23). Olimpia won the title again in 1967–68, again finishing two games clear of Marathon (27–22).  They relinquished the title to Motagua in 1968–69, but in 1969–70 stormed through the league undefeated, winning their third title in four years (43–35 ahead of Motagua). After losing a championship playoff to Motagua in 1970–71, "Los Leones" regained the crown in 1971–72. That championship was the product of the efforts of Rigoberto 'Chula' Gomez, Jorge Urquía, and Tonin Mendoza.  It would take 6 years for Olimpia to be crowned again. That came in 1977, under the management of Carlos Cruz Carranza. That year, they faced Real España in a championship final. The first match ended in a scoreless draw, but in the second match the old powers prevailed 2–0. Goals were scored by Uruguayan Walter Chávez and René Enamorado.  It was during the 1980s that Olimpia emerged as the dominant team in Honduras, winning five championships in ten years—1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989–90. Three more championships came in the 1990s—1992–93, 1995–96, and 1996–97. That 1996–97 championship was the final one before the short season was adopted.

Short tournament.

Olimpia qualified for the playoffs in each of the first two seasons under the new format, but was eliminated each time. They entered the 1998–99 season determined to overcome those defeats (although the 1998–99 season, played from January–May 1998, took on the format of an Apertura, it was officially known as season 1998–99). Olimpia topped the table in the regular season, then beat Platense and Victoria to reach the championship finals. On July 17, Denilson Costa scored the only goal of a two-legged tie with Real Espana, bringing the title home to Olimpia once again.  Olimpia reached the finals of both Apertura 1999 and Clausura 2000, but on each occasion was defeated by Motagua on penalties. In Apertura 2000, however, they were dominant, finishing 10 points clear of Motagua at the top of the regular season table. Edwin Pavón was the manager, and the team was keyed by Danilo Tosello, Wilmer Velásquez and Alex Pineda Chacón. In the postseason, they reached the finals and played out a classic two-legged tie with Platense. In the first leg, played at Platense's home stadium in Puerto Cortes, Olimpia came away with a vital 1–0 victory. Alex Pineda Chacón scored the winner in the 85th minute. In the return leg, Rony Morales scored to even the tie for Platense, but Danilo Tosello's extra time penalty brought home another championship for "Los Leones".  The Platense rivalry built, as Platense avenged the loss by beating Olimpia in Clausura 2001. Olimpia answered by winning another title in Apertura 2002, and in thrilling style. With the tie level 2–2 after 180 minutes of action, the championship drifted into extra time. Milton Palacios won the championship for Olimpia by rising above the crowd to head home the winning goal.  Clausura 2004 was the start of a new phase in the already fierce rivalry between Olimpia and CD Marathón, as the teams would meet in the finals four seasons in a row to determine the championship of Honduras. The first round went to Olimpia, which won the title 2–1 on aggregate. Marathón came back to win Apertura 2004 in the same style, but Olimpia answered by winning Clausura 2005 3–2 on aggregate. "Los Leones" won it again in Apertura 2005, overcoming a 2–1 loss at Marathón to win the championship in extra time.  Clausura 2006 completed the most glorious run in Olimpia's history; they beat Victoria 4–3 on aggregate to complete their first threepeat (three wins). It was an achievement celebrated wildly as the.  Other titles followed in Clausura 2008 (beating the old rivals Marathón), Clausura 2009 (in extra time over Real Espana), and Clausura 2010 (over Motagua). However, the next era of glory began in Apertura 2011. That was the season that Danilo Tosello, who had played for Olimpia from 1999 to 2007, returned as manager. In Tosello's first season as manager, he led them to a convincing 3–0 aggregate victory over Real Espana in the championship round. They repeated as champions in Clausura 2012, beating Marathón 1–0 on aggregate. Then, finally, in Apertura 2012, still under Tosello's guidance, Olimpia defeated Victoria 4–0 to complete a second.  Tosello stepped down after the season, but Olimpia's run of dominance continued. They won a fourth consecutive championship in Clausura 2013; after losing 1–0 to Real Sociedad in the first leg, they won 2–0 at home to claim the crown.  Olimpia's quest for an unprecedented fifth straight crown ended in Apertura 2013, but they did beat Marathón 4–2 on penalties in Clausura 2014 to hoist a fifth title in six years. They also beat Motagua to win Clausura 2015, and Real Sociedad to win Clausura 2016.

International success.

In 1973, Olimpia won their first CONCACAF Champions' Cup by defeating SV Robinhood of Suriname in San Pedro Sula by a score of 1–0 after tying the first leg at zero in Tegucigalpa. Before reaching the final, Olimpia managed to eliminate Mexico's Club Toluca. The club won their second CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1988 when they defeated Defence Force in the final match of the tournament. Before that, Olimpia managed to defeat and eliminate Mexican champions Cruz Azul by a score of 2–1 in a historic match that took place in the Estadio Azteca. To this day, Olimpia remains the only Central American club to have defeated a Mexican team in that stadium. In the semi-finals, Olimpia defeated LD Alajuelense in the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto after they tied the home game in Tegucigalpa.  In January 2001, Olimpia beat the Mexican teams of Toluca and Pachuca. The team, managed by Edwin Pavón triumphed over Toluca with a goal from Robert Lima, 3 goals from Denilson Costa, and one from Alex Pineda Chacon. The lineup for that match was: Donaldo González, Gerson Vásquez, Robert Lima, Samuel Caballero, Nerlin Membreño, Christian Santamaría, Arnold Cruz, Danilo Tosello, José Luis Pineda, Alex Pineda, Denilson Costa, Carlos Paez, and Elmer Marín.  In 2017, Olimpia earned the inaugural Scotiabank CONCACAF League title. Olimpia, which lifted its first CONCACAF trophy since the 1988. The Honduran power, however, captured the inaugural SCL title Thursday, overcoming host Santos de Guapiles 4–1 on penalty kicks at Nacional stadium of Costa Rica, after their two-legged final ended 1–1 on aggregate. Both sides won 1–0 on the road.  Michael Chirinos’ goal in the 21st minute at the Estadio Nacional was the lifeline Olimpia needed in order to lift its first CONCACAF trophy since the 1988 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. As a result, Olimpia maintained its record of being the only team to compete in the first 10 SCCL editions. They did not qualify for the 2019 SCCL.

Olimpia's logos.

For the 2005–06 tournament, the team modified its logo. It is similar to the previous one, it now has 4 stars in the red side. Each star is said to represent 5 Championships. In 2012, the Honduran club Olimpia celebrates 100 years of life. To celebrate the centenary launched a redesigned shield, same as according to the institution symbolizes the winning attitude of its history.

Supporters.

Olimpia has a strong fan base throughout Honduras, even in cities that have a team in the Honduran first division. As a result, it is the most popular team in the country.  The club's barra brava is La Ultra Fiel. La Ultra Fiel particularly has a fierce rivalry with neighboring club Motagua and their barra brava known as "Los Revolucionarios" or short "La Revo".

Club rivalries.

Clásico Nacional.

El Clásico Nacional (The National Classic) is a Honduran National derby played between C.D. Olimpia and Marathon. The derby receives the "national" adjective more because of a geographic matter (Olimpia is from Tegucigalpa and Marathón is from San Pedro Sula, the biggest cities of the country) than for a football or rivalry matter. Olimpia won its first national title in September 1928. At that time C.D. Olimpia (representing the central zone of the country) won a final series of three matches against Marathon, champion of the northern league. Following this result, a big rivalry began between these two teams.  The Clasico Capitalino (Capital's Classic) is played between C.D.Olimpia and C.D. Motagua. Their matches are also known as the Clasico Local (Local Classic). There is a huge rivalry between the clubs and their fans; ("La Ultra Fiel" [of Olimpia] and "La Revo" [of Motagua]). Some people claim that this is the real National Derby because Olimpia and Motagua are the first and second Honduran teams with more titles. Additionally, matches between Olimpia and Marathon do not generate the same expectations and polemics as matches between Olimpia and Motagua do.

Clásico Moderno (Honduras).

El Clásico Moderno (The Modern Derby) also referred by some as the Clasico Moderno Hondureño is a Honduran football match played at least 4 times a year in the Honduran Liga Nacional and consists of two teams, C.D. Olimpia and Real España.

Reserve team.

Olimpia has a reserve team named Olimpia Reservas that currently plays in Liga de Ascenso de Honduras. This is where young players can improve their skills before they can be ready to play in the top division. Like all the other reserves teams in Liga de Ascenso, Olimpia Reservas can't be promoted to the higher level even if they win the championship.

Achievements.

Domestic  International

Current squad.

"As of 1 January 2020"

Retired numbers.

11 – Wilmer Velásquez, Forward (1991–95, 1996–98, 1999–01, 2002–09)

Club records.

Top goalscorers.

"As of 10 August 2014." "Players in bold are still present in club."

Club Deportivo Olimpia, commonly referred to as Olimpia, is a professional Honduran football club based in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán. The club is the nation's most successful team both in the domestic league and in international club competitions.

Der Club Olimpia Deportivo ist ein Fußballverein aus Tegucigalpa, der Hauptstadt von Honduras. Der Verein wurde 1912 als Baseballverein gegründet und betreibt seit 1927 auch den Fußballsport, dieser Tage der einzige Daseinszweck von Olimpia. Bereits 1928 gewann der Verein seinen ersten Wettbewerb und wurde seither zum Rekordmeister des Landes. International fand Olimpia Beachtung durch seine beiden Triumphe in der Concacaf Champions League in den Jahren 1972 und 1988 – der bislang einzige honduranische Verein der hier zu reüssieren vermochte. Wegen seiner weißen Spielkleidung wird auf den Verein auch oft als "los Merengues" („die Baisers“) und "los Albos" („die Weißen“) Bezug genommen.


Plot.

The story of the rise of politician Willie Stark from a rural county seat to the governor's mansion is depicted in the film. He goes into politics, railing against the corruptly run county government, but loses his race for county treasurer, in the face of unfair obstacles placed by the local machine. Stark teaches himself law, and as a lawyer, continues to fight the local establishment, championing the local people and gaining popularity. He eventually rises to become a candidate for governor, narrowly losing his first race, then winning on his second attempt. Along the way he loses his innocence and becomes as corrupt as the politicians he once fought against. As he rises, Stark philanders and gets involved with many women, taking his PR man/journalist Jack Burden's own girlfriend, Anne Stanton, as his mistress.  Stark's son Tommy drinks to deal with his feelings about his father, eventually crashes his car, injuring himself and killing his female passenger. When Stark bullies Tommy into playing a football game, Tommy becomes paralyzed after a brutal hit.  Stark, who had always dealt with those who got in his way by any means, begins to see his world start to unravel and he discovers that not everyone can be bought off.  The story has a complex series of relationships. All is seen through the eyes of the journalist, Jack Burden, who admires Stark and even when disillusioned still sticks by him. Stark's campaign assistant, Sadie is clearly in love with Stark and wants him to leave his wife, Lucy. When Stark's reputation is brought into disrepute by Judge Stanton (Anne's uncle), he seeks to blacken the judge's name. When Jack finds evidence of the judge's possible wrongdoing, a quarter century earlier, he hides it from Stark. Anne gives the evidence to Stark, who uses it against her uncle, who immediately commits suicide. Anne seems to forgive Stark, but her brother, Adam, the surgeon who helped save Tommy's life after the car crash, cannot. After Stark wins an impeachment investigation, Adam assassinates Stark. The doctor in turn is shot down by Sugar Boy, Stark's fawning assistant. Having lost their respect for him, Jack and Anne agree to find a way to destroy Stark's reputation just as he dies.

Production.

Rossen originally offered the starring role to John Wayne, who found the proposed film script unpatriotic and indignantly refused the part. Crawford, who eventually took the role, won the 1949 Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out Wayne, who had been nominated for his role in "Sands of Iwo Jima".  The film was shot at various locations in California using local residents, something that was fairly unknown for Hollywood at the time. The old San Joaquin County courthouse in Stockton, built in 1898 and demolished about a dozen years after the film's release, was featured prominently.  Paul Tatara, a film reviewer for CNN, describes the film as "one of those pictures that was saved in the editing". Al Clark did the original cut but had trouble putting all the footage that Robert Rossen had shot into a coherent narrative. Robert Parrish was brought onboard by Rossen and Columbia Studios head, Harry Cohn, to see what he could do. Since Rossen had a hard time cutting anything he shot, after several weeks of tinkering and cutting, the movie was still over 250 minutes long. Cohn was prepared to release it in this version after one more preview, but this threw Rossen into a panic, so Rossen came up with a novel solution. Rossen told Parrish to "[s]elect what you consider to be the center of each scene, put the film in the synch machine and wind down a hundred feet before and a hundred feet after, and chop it off, regardless of what's going on. Cut through dialogue, music, anything. Then, when you're finished, we'll run the picture and see what we've got". When Parrish was done with what Rossen had suggested, they were left with a 109-minute movie that was more compelling to watch. After "All the King's Men" won its Academy Award for Best Picture, Harry Cohn repeatedly gave Parrish credit for saving the film, even though Parrish only did what Rossen told him to do. The editing gambit gives the film a memorably jagged urgency that's unique for a studio-era film. Although Clark is credited as the "Film Editor" (with Parrish being credited as "Editorial Advisor"), both Clark and Parrish received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing.

Reception.

Critical response.

When the film was released, it received wide acclaim. Film critic Bosley Crowther lauded the film and its direction in his review, writing, "Robert Rossen has written and directed, as well as personally produced, a rip-roaring film of the same title... We have carefully used that descriptive as the tag for this new Columbia film because a quality of turbulence and vitality is the one that it most fully demonstrates... In short, Mr. Rossen has assembled in this starkly unprettified film a piece of pictorial journalism that is remarkable for its brilliant parts." Critic William Brogdon, writing for "Variety" magazine, was also complimentary and praised Broderick Crawford's work, "As the rural Abe Lincoln, springing up from the soil to make himself a great man by using the opinionless, follow-the-leader instinct of the more common voter, Broderick Crawford does a standout performance. Given a meaty part, his histrionic bent wraps it up for a great personal success adding much to the many worthwhile aspects of the drama."

Noir analysis.

Film historian Spencer Selby calls the film "[A] hard-hitting noir adaptation of Warren's eloquent novel".  Joe Goldberg, film historian and former story editor for Paramount Pictures, wrote about the content of the plot and its noirish fatalistic conclusion, "The plot makes sense, the dialogue is memorable, the story arises from the passions and ideas of the characters. It deals with graft, corruption, love, drink and betrayal, and the subversion of idealism by power, and it might even make someone angry... The story moves toward its conclusion with the dark inevitability of film noir."

Accolades.

In 2001, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive preserved "All the King's Men" in 2000. To date, it is the last Best Picture winner to be based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Academy Awards 1949.

"All the King's Men" received seven Academy Awards nominations, winning three.

References.

Bibliography.

Silver, Alain and James Ursini (editors). "Film Noir: Reader 2". "All the King's Men" film noir themes discussed in essay, "Violence and the Bitch Goddess" by Stephen Farber, pgs. 54-55 (1974). Proscenium Publishers, Inc., New York (July 2003). Second Limelight Edition..

All the King's Men is a 1949 American film noir written, produced, and directed by Robert Rossen. It is based on the 1946 Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name. The film stars Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge, and Joanne Dru. The plot focuses on the rise and fall of the ambitious and ruthless politician, Willie Stark (Crawford) in the American South. Though a fictional character, Stark strongly resembles Louisiana governor Huey Long.

Der Mann, der herrschen wollte (Originaltitel: "All the King’s Men") ist ein in Schwarzweiß gedrehter US-amerikanischer Spielfilm von Robert Rossen aus dem Jahr 1949. Der Film entstand nach dem Roman "Das Spiel der Macht" von Robert Penn Warren, der dafür den Pulitzer-Preis erhielt.


Early life and education.

Coles was born on December 15, 1786, at Enniscorthy, a plantation in central Virginia's Albemarle County on the Hardware River, a tributary of the James River. He was the youngest male among ten surviving children of John Coles (1745–1808) and Rebecca Tucker (1750–1826). Young Coles' earliest teachers were prominent lawyer Wilson Cary Nicholas and Mr. (probably Rev.) White who lived by Dyer's Store. After a term at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, Coles transferred to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  While at William and Mary, Coles was strongly influenced by the enlightenment ideals taught by the Rt. Rev. James Madison (first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia and President of the College). The teacher and cleric considered slavery morally indefensible, but a problem without a clear solution. Young Coles determined not to be a slaveholder and not to live where slavery was accepted. However, he kept these views from his father, whose illness (and that of his elder brother) caused Coles to end his formal education in the summer of 1807, for fear that his father would substitute other property for slaves when writing his last will and testament. His bachelor uncles in Norfolk, Travis and John Tucker, had freed slaves when such had become legal in Virginia, and Coles' father John noted that some of the slaves freed by Travis (a devout Methodist) were now living in near starvation. Keeping quiet ensured that Coles would inherit slaves, thus providing him with the opportunity to give freedom.  When his father died in 1808, Coles received 12 slaves and a 782-acre plantation on the Rockfish River in Nelson County, Virginia, subject to a mortgage. After John Coles' estate was settled on Christmas Eve, 1808, Edward Coles revealed his emancipation plans to his family, to great consternation. As he sorted through the challenges posed by family resistance and Virginia law (which since 1806 required freed slaves to leave the state within a year, and had also increased restrictions on already free blacks), Coles abandoned his earliest plan to free his slaves in Virginia. He went to Kentucky in the summer of 1809 to investigate a land claim of his uncle Travis Tucker, but came home without plans to move to that new state (which allowed slavery).  Coles placed his plantation for sale in December, 1809, despite the collapsed real estate market during the depression of 1807, and began to plan for a move to the Northwest Territory (where slavery had been at least technically abolished in 1787). However, for years he received no reasonable offers, and so continued to operate it through an overseer. Coles turned down offers to exchange his slaves for other property, but honored the requests of his family and neighbors to keep his plans secret from his slaves.

Family.

The Coles family was one of the First Families of Virginia. His great-grandfather, Walter Coles, had been a customs officer in Ireland who moved to what became Richmond, Virginia, and made his fortune as a merchant. His grandfather John had been one of the petitioners requesting for Richmond to be recognized as a new town, and he continued to develop the family's business and social ties through marriage to the youngest daughter of Quaker merchant Isaac Winston. Edward Coles's father, John, or John II, developed Enniscorthy from a hunting camp into a profitable farm, and continued the family's business and social success.  Edward Coles's maternal grandfather was born in Bermuda, and related to Virginia jurist St. George Tucker. His mother's maternal ancestors were among the "first & most respectable settlers at old Jamestown."  Edward's elder brother, Isaac A. Coles, served as private secretary to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison during their administrations. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation was nearby in Albemarle County. Furthermore, the wife of James Madison, Dolley Payne Todd Madison, was Coles's first cousin, and Coles became a frequent guest at their Montpelier plantation also nearby. James Monroe owned Ash Lawn-Highland plantation on the other side of Green Mountain for 24 years (until forced to sell it in 1825 due to financial problems), and offered young Coles use of his library, although the relationship with this family was more distant since Monroe split his time at Oak Hill plantation in Loudoun County.  Isaac managed and ultimately inherited Enniscorthy, subject to a life estate held by his mother, who died in 1826. His brother Walter had drawn his share of the inheritance early and managed Woodville plantation for many years before his father's death. John Coles III built a mansion called Estouteville on his inherited portion, and Tucker Coles built Tallwood plantation on the upper acres that he inherited—both married daughters of Sir Peyton Skipwith, the only baronet in Virginia. Their sister Rebecca became the second wife of South Carolina planter Richard Singleton, with whom she had five children. Her sister Elizabeth (Betsy) never married. Mary Coles married Robert Carter and moved to his nearby Redlands plantation. Their sister Emily married Richmond lawyer John Rutherfoord, who owned Tuckahoe plantation in Goochland County and later served as acting governor of Virginia (1841–42). Their son John Coles Rutherfoord witnessed the Civil War's devastation, and his grandson W.A.R. Goodwin became an Episcopal minister and helped found Colonial Williamsburg. Their sister Callie (Sarah) married Andrew Stevenson, who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives as well as American minister to the United Kingdom.

Career.

Service in the White House.

Some months after taking office as President, James Madison invited Coles to become his private secretary. His brother Isaac had been performing those duties, as well as delicate courier tasks (particularly with France in the days leading up to the War of 1812). However, Isaac Coles, perhaps inappropriately acting out his earlier military career dreams, beat up Maryland representative Roger Nelson and, after a critical Congressional report concerning the incident, was forced to submit his resignation on December 29, 1809. Neighbor James Monroe (soon to become Secretary of State) convinced Edward Coles to accept that secretarial position, and Coles served from January 1810 to March 1815, despite intervals of ill-health.  Coles' term as presidential secretary delayed his plans to free his slaves. However, Coles developed a good relationship with Madison, with whom he would often speak with "perfect candor", and formed a lasting admiration for the president. While Madison's secretary, Coles initiated private correspondence with Thomas Jefferson over the issue of slavery, as discussed below. Coles gained political experience as Madison's assistant, served as his primary emissary to Congress, and managed much of the patronage flowing from the 162-employee executive branch. Among other duties, Coles hand-copied the president's official correspondence for the national archives.  Coles met John Adams during a tour of north-eastern states in 1811. Along with Benjamin Rush, Coles worked to diminish tensions and rewarm relations between Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Coles also spent considerable time in Philadelphia receiving medical treatment from Dr. Physick, among others, as well as began a long friendship with Nicholas Biddle, who became controversial as a banker and anti-slavery advocate. As the War of 1812 ended, Coles resigned due to continued ill health in February, 1815.  Upon recovering in June, Coles and his 40-year-old mulatto slave and coachman, Ralph Crawford, toured the Northwest Territory in search of land Coles could purchase and develop as a home for himself and a place for the slaves he still proposed to free. Coles wrote letters to President Madison and to relatives expressing dissatisfaction with the high land prices in Ohio, then with squatters, real estate speculators and fraudulent businessmen as he travelled further west into the Indiana (and what became the Illinois) Territory. In the Missouri Territory Coles bought some land for investment, before finally embarking in St. Louis on a keel boat for his trip down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, from where Coles ultimately sailed home to Virginia.  Coles was delayed again in fulfilling his covenant with freedom by a diplomatic trip to Russia (1816–1817) at President Madison's request, to resolve a diplomatic incident concerning the Russian consul's arrest in Philadelphia for raping a maid. After successfully completing his mission in St. Petersburg, Coles toured Brussels, Paris and England. While in England, Coles met ambassador John Quincy Adams and social reformer Morris Birkbeck. Coles extolled such enthusiasm about Illinois that Birkbeck bought land, moved and established a settlement. Upon his return, Coles wrote a paper comparing slavery and Russian serfdom, so if an ulterior motive for the diplomatic assignment was dissuading Coles from his manumission plan, it failed. Moreover, Coles wrote about (and long remembered) the pervasive bribery and unethical business practices he encountered in Russia.

Correspondence with Jefferson.

In 1814 Coles wrote a letter to his Albemarle County neighbor Thomas Jefferson, asking the former President to again embark on a campaign of emancipation and publicly work for an end to slavery in Virginia. Jefferson's response has become a signal document in the study of Jefferson's troubling and complex relationship with the institution of slavery. At age 71 and generally retired from politics and because Virginia law did not allow for emancipation of slaves, Jefferson declined Cole's request, advising his young friend and associate to stay in Virginia to help in the long-term demise of slavery. Coles’ disappointment is clear in his return letter of September 26, 1814.

Illinois.

In the fall of 1817, Coles sold his plantation to his eldest brother Walter, having declined James Monroe's request that he continue as the new President's private secretary. Instead, Coles embarked on a second reconnaissance mission to the Northwest Territories (1818). He bought land in the American Bottom in Illinois Territory. Coles also participated in the Illinois Constitutional Convention at Kaskaskia, Illinois after Indiana became a state. Coles worked with Baptist John Mason Peck, Methodist Peter Cartwright, Quaker James Lemen, and publisher Hooper Warren to successfully oppose a faction that wanted to legitimize slavery in the new territory's constitution.  Coles then returned to Virginia, planning to display his deep moral objections to slavery and finally manumit the slaves he inherited from his father after leaving the Commonwealth. In late March 1819, having collected the final payment from Walter, Edward Coles was ready to move to the Illinois Territory. President Monroe had appointed him Register of Lands for the new territory, with an office at Edwardsville.  Coles sent his trusted slave (and travel companion during his previous Northwest Territory trips) Ralph Crawford with wagons and 16 other slaves (total 6 adults and 11 children) ahead on the Great Wagon Road north to Pennsylvania. To the derision of many family and friends, Coles had let the slaves ride on ahead, none of them knowing his plans to free them at that time. Coles traveled separately. They met at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, where the party boarded a pair of flatboats and began a water-bound journey: floating on the Monongahela River north to Pittsburgh, then west along the Ohio River toward Illinois. Coles selected a point west of Pittsburgh to announce to his slaves their immediate freedom and also his plan to provide land to each head of a family. Coles captured the scene in an autobiographical piece written some 25 years later. Decades later, the river emancipation became the subject of a mural in the first floor (south hall) of the Illinois State Capitol.  The Coles party arrived in Edwardsville, early in May 1819, and Coles began his service as Register of Lands. He also completed the manumission process by purchasing land so as to give each freed head of family. Coles also provided employment and other ongoing support for those he had freed. As Register through 1822, Coles mediated and untangled complicated land disputes, thus earning a reputation for fairness and honesty.

Term as Illinois Governor.

Coles ran for governor in the election of 1822. To his great surprise, he won the election by a very tight margin, defeating Chief Justice Joseph Phillips (an ally of Judge Jesse Thomas and prominent slavery advocate in his own right who eventually returned to Kentucky), Associate Justice Thomas C. Browne (the eventual candidate of the Ninian Edwards faction) and militia commander James B. Moore. Coles had left Illinois on election day believing he had lost, and received the news of his victory while in Virginia recovering from bilious fever. He accordingly cleared up his land office accounts in Washington, D.C. and returned to Illinois. Madison sent him a package containing a pedometer, and a note, "As you are about to assume new motives to walk in a straight path, and with measured steps, I wish you to accept the little article enclosed, as a type of the course I am sure you will pursue, and as a token of the affection I have so long cherished for you."  Coles’ inaugural address included a clear call for the end of slavery in Illinois and revision of the Black Code, as well as advocated internal improvements (especially a canal link to the Great Lakes) and aid to agriculture and education. Slavery was a very important topic at the time, because that first state constitution only permitted current practices using slave labor in the salines (salt evaporation factories) through 1825. A proslavery faction had hoped to eliminate the first constitution's anti-slavery clause and transform Illinois into a slave state like Missouri. Coles’ bold call for an end to slavery stiffened their resolve and led to a rancorous legislative effort which began with the Shaw-Hansen Affair (concerning whether to seat a pro-slavery candidate backed by voters who came from Missouri, or his anti-slavery opponent). Governor Edward Coles led the opposition to a bill approving a referendum to hold another constitutional convention, recognizing it as a dishonest attempt to more clearly legalize slavery in the state. After the bill passed, Coles committed his total pay as governor ($4000) to defeat the referendum, and led a committee of anti-slavery citizens, religious leaders, and legislators (who committed another $1000). The aristocratic, awkward Virginian and his allies then dispelled a plethora of false economic arguments spread by slavery proponents, while in the aftermath of the Panic of 1819 keeping secret their printing help from much-reviled Philadelphians (Nicholas Biddle and Roberts Vaux). The 18-month political struggle used committees in each county as well as traveling preachers.  On August 2, 1824, Illinois voters rejected the pro-slavery convention referendum (as well as re-elected anti-slavery U.S. representative Daniel Pope Cook). However, by year's end pro-slavery legislators refused to approve Coles' appointment of his anti-slavery friend Morris Birkbeck as secretary of state. Furthermore, lieutenant governor Adolphus Hubbard attempted to wrest the governorship away from Coles during his trip to Virginia in late 1825, causing additional confusion, although Hubbard also lost the gubernatorial election the next year to Ninian Edwards (the state Constitution also included a provision modelled on Virginia's which precluded governors from running for reelection). Finally, a lawsuit that political opponents in Madison County, Illinois brought against Coles for failing to pay a slave tax on his freed slaves years earlier took several more years, including shenanigans by pro-slavery judge Samuel McRoberts, before the Illinois Supreme Court ruled such payment unnecessary. Coles' valedictory speech as governor in December 1826 reminded legislators of his previous speeches urging them to abolish slavery and its remnants (especially heritability) in the new state, as well as to finance a canal to the Great Lakes watershed and a penitentiary.  After his term as governor expired, Coles returned briefly to Virginia, where his mother had died that spring. Coles then returned to his farm outside of Edwardsville. He focused on agricultural and business pursuits, between continued trips to Virginia and Philadelphia to visit family and friends and to search for a wife. His friend Daniel Pope Cook was defeated by a proslavery opponent in 1826, and legislators had selected their pro-slavery speaker John McLean to fill unexpired U.S. Senate terms in 1824 and 1829 (voters ultimately electing Elias Kent Kane and John McCracken Robinson to those seats). Coles made his last run for public office in 1831. As candidate for Congress, running against eight candidates including pro-slavery Democrats Joseph Duncan (allied with Treasury Secretary William H. Crawford) and Sidney Breese (a Jacksonian Democrat), Coles polled a distant third. He had been out of public view for some years, and refused to align himself with any political party. Instead, Coles campaigned on his successful term as governor, proclaimed his association with the founding fathers, and criticized the Jacksonian platform. Still, Coles felt devastated by the political defeat, and moved back east. Nonetheless, in 1835, Illinois legislators authorized Coles to sell bonds to finance his canal project, but since they also refused to back the bonds with state credit, sales proved slow.

Back to Virginia.

Worried about his unmarried status and increasing partisanship, Coles decided to leave Illinois shortly after his election loss. He made another trip to Virginia, which was involved in its own debate over slavery after Nat Turner's rebellion. After Turner's execution, Coles wrote Thomas Jefferson Randolph urging emancipation and colonization to prevent further disasters, stressing that slavery restricted Virginia's economic development. At year's end, while visiting James and Dolley Madison at Montpelier, Madison confided in Coles his wish to manumit his own slaves and asked Coles about his experiences as he tried to find the right way to accomplish this while still providing for Dolley as his widow. However, Madison died in 1836 without freeing any of his slaves which were left in a will to his wife Dolley.

Later life in Philadelphia.

Coles moved to Philadelphia in 1832, gratified by its active social and intellectual life, as well as slavery's absence. At age 46, Coles married prominent socialite Sally Logan Roberts (1809 to 1883) on November 28, 1833. The couple had three children: Mary Coles, Edward Coles, Jr., and Roberts Coles. Sally Coles inherited significant property upon her father's death, but it (and much of Coles' own fortune) was devastated by the Panic of 1837. Furthermore, his family's renovated Enniscorthy plantation burned down in 1839, and his elder brother Isaac only survived the disasters by two years. Coles's last public appointment was in 1841, when he served on a committee investigating the U.S. Bank, which ultimately led to the resignation of his friend Nicholas Biddle. Coles unsuccessfully sought political appointments from his Virginia classmates who had become high federal officials, John Tyler and Winfield Scott. Still, rental income from real estate investments (widely spread geographically) kept the growing family financially comfortable. Coles and his young family travelled often to visit his extended family and properties in Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as Illinois and later Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey.  However, Coles never resumed his political career, uncomfortable with the new party system. Nonetheless, he rejoiced when Abraham Lincoln, whom he remembered as a young Illinois lawyer, was elected President. The elderly ex-governor briefly met the newly elected president on his journey to Washington. Coles had also publicly taken exception to Senator Stephen A. Douglas' characterization of slavery's history in Illinois during the Kansas-Nebraska debate of 1854.  Coles turned to history during his later years. He was recognized as one of the few remaining men with close personal knowledge of both Madison and Jefferson, and burnished their reputations as champions of the republican ideals that had also motivated Coles during his entire life. Coles had lobbied both Jefferson and Madison (and later Thomas Jefferson Randolph) to free their slaves. Coles was surprised when Madison failed to do so, only later learning that lawyer Robert Taylor had persuaded the former President to leave emancipation instructions for his widow, whose father had gone bankrupt after freeing his slaves many years earlier. Dolley, with other personal economic priorities (especially a son addicted to gambling), freed no slaves upon her death in 1849. Coles also wrote about the Northwest Ordinance. However, most of Coles' own papers from Illinois were destroyed in a fire in 1852 while his friend John Mason Peck was writing a history of the new state. Coles also assisted Virginia historians William Cabell Rives and Hugh Blair Grigsby, and New Yorker Henry S. Randall. To his father's great disappointment, Roberts Coles returned to Virginia in 1860, where he became a slaveowner (buying a plantation from a relative) and engaged to Jennie Fairfax of Richmond. After the Civil War began, he enlisted in the Green Mountain Greys and was elected captain. Roberts Coles died (as did the other Confederate captain) during the Battle of Roanoke Island, February 8, 1862.

Death.

Coles died, aged eighty one years, in his home (1303 Spruce Street in Philadelphia) on July 7, 1868. While devastated by his younger son's death fighting for the Confederates, Coles lived to see slavery abolished through President Lincoln's issuing the Emancipation Proclamation as well as ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Coles also lived to see his elder son and namesake, Edward Coles, Jr., marry Elizabeth (Bessie) Mason Campbell, relative of anti-slavery founding father George Mason (descendant of his younger brother Thomson Mason) on February 25, 1868. Edward Coles Jr. became a prominent lawyer in Philadelphia, and a long-time vestry member of Christ Church, which still displays a plaque honoring his service on the south wall inside the nave.  The Coles family grave at Woodlands Cemetery in west Philadelphia includes the final resting places of the former governor, his wife Sally, as well as their three children. His daughter Mary Coles (who never married) and Caroline Sanford founded the Church Training school for Deaconesses in Philadelphia in 1891, and served as its president as well as a faculty member. The school generally graduated 7 to 10 pupils per year (the highest number in residence was 30 in 1912-13), which were in great demand and served not only in hospitals and parishes in Pennsylvania, but throughout the United States and missions abroad. In 1895 Mary Coles secured the re-interment of her brother Roberts from the family cemetery at Enniscorthy. Edward Jr. and Bessie Coles were also buried at the new family gravesite.

Legacy.

Coles was among the very few slaveholders who manumitted his slaves entirely as a testament to the republican ethos that was at the heart of the American Revolution and enlightenment. He is also noteworthy for his attempts to pressure Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson Randolph to work to end of slavery in Virginia and for James Madison to free his slaves.  Coles County, Illinois was named for him, and more recently an elementary school on the south side of Chicago. During his lifetime, the Illinois legislature named the county seat of then-huge Pike County, Coles Grove, but the town disappeared and its physical location may now be in Calhoun County.  The Governor Coles State Memorial is located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Illinois Human Rights Commission also offers a scholarship to law students in honor of the former Governor.

Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was a planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, as a young man Coles was a neighbor and associate of presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, as well as secretary to President James Madison (1810 to 1815).

Edward Coles (* 15. Dezember 1786 im Albemarle County, Virginia; † 7. Juli 1868 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) war ein US-amerikanischer Politiker (Demokratisch-Republikanische Partei) und von 1822 bis 1826 der zweite Gouverneur des Bundesstaates Illinois.


Early years.

Carlisle was born August 5, 1937 in the village of Bolans, Antigua. He received his early schooling at Bolans Public School, before moving to the United Kingdom to continue his education at Northampton College of Advanced Technology. He then took a Bachelor's degree in dentistry at the University of Dundee. In 1991, he graduated from the American School of Laser Dentistry.

Dental career.

Carlisle practised in both Antigua and Britain. Upon his return to Antigua in 1981 he went into private practice, the fourth dentist on the island. However, he built up his private practice and also undertook work as a dental officer in the public service.  With help from the ex-prime minister, Vere Bird, one of his patients, who offered the position of Governor-General to him, he assisted with the development of a Fluoride programme for children, and assisted the ex prime minister institute a free dental service. He is a member of the International Society of Laser Dentists and the British Dental Association.

Military career.

Carlisle was in the British Royal Air Force from 1961 to 1966. He was also commissioned in the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force between 1983 and 1993. As Governor-General he was automatically appointed as Commander of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force.

Political career.

Carlisle involved himself in the local community. He was Chairman of the National Parks Authority, which he ran before he was nominated by the then prime minister as Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda. As Governor-General Sir James was the representative of the Queen, the country's head of state. As Governor-General, Carlisle held the following positions:

Personal life.

Carlisle is married to Emma Carlisle, who during her period as wife to the Governor-General became involved in raising funds from commercial sponsors for indigenous persons in her homeland.  Carlisle is a Seventh-day Adventist. As such he did not carry out official duties on the Sabbath or serve alcohol to guests at official functions. This was a source of some controversy, by his own admission.

Sir James Beethoven Carlisle, GCMG (born August 5, 1937) is a dentist and the former Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda. Selected by Vere Cornwall Bird (the country's first prime minister), his term ended in June 2007, after 16 years in office.

Sir James Beethoven Carlisle GCMG (* 5. August 1937 in Bolans (Antigua)) ist ein antiguanischer Politiker und ehemaliger Generalgouverneur von Antigua und Barbuda.


Early life.

Ernest Wild was one of eight brothers of whom Frank was the eldest. The family came from Skelton, North Yorkshire, close to Marton, birthplace of Captain James Cook, to whom the family claimed relationship, Mrs Wild having been born Mary Cook, but no positive connection has been established. Ernest followed Frank into the Navy in 1894 and remained in service for 20 years before joining the Ross Sea party.

Ross Sea party, 1914–17.

Wild sailed to Antarctica on SY Aurora in December 1914, under the command of Captain Aeneas Mackintosh. Among the expedition's members was Ernest Joyce, the only member of the party with significant experience of Antarctic conditions. The party's mission was to lay depots on the Great Ice Barrier, to support a group led by Shackleton which would be crossing the continent from the Weddell Sea. The Ross Sea party's base was established at Cape Evans in McMurdo Sound, and the expedition ship "Aurora" was anchored there.  Wild maintained a diary during his stay and at times he felt predisposed to write, penning paragraph after paragraph describing what had gone on over the previous few days, or weeks. At other times he would hardly make a diary entry for a month, apart from a very brief note with no more than a sentence or two to mention one feature of his day. He seemed to have the ability to look at the lighter side of life, even after struggling all day hauling a heavy sledge, or lying in the tent eking out diminishing food rations, or when he had severe frost-bite in his toes, and even when he was in a life-threatening situation. Wild was very direct in what he wrote and was not afraid to say what he thought, particularly in regard to Mackintosh.  After participating in the first season's hasty depot-laying journey in January–March 1915, Wild suffered severe frostbite resulting in the amputation of part of a toe and the top of an ear. At this time Mackintosh wrote:  "On one occasion when I woke up this morning I found poor Wild rubbing his bare feet in an attempt to bring his big toe round which has ‘gone’. He is always suffering from one or the other of his feet. But he takes it philosophically and is very amusing when he gets up to say ‘It’s the left foot now, presently it may have been the right’. He says he has scarcely any feeling in them for the past 24 hours. I felt them and gave them a bit of a rub. Indeed they were cold."  On 7 May 1915 "Aurora", still holding most of the shore party's equipment and stores, was blown out to sea during a gale and was unable to return. Subsequently, Wild and Ernest Joyce showed considerable resourcefulness in fabricating clothes and equipment from materials left over from Scott's Terra Nova expedition (which had used this base 1910–13). As a morale booster, for the diehard smokers in the party Wild concocted a mixture ("Hut Point Mixture") of tea, coffee, sawdust, sennegrass and dried herbs. In the straitened circumstances in which he party found itself Wild was a universally popular figure – "a cheerful, willing soul" according to Mackintosh.  On the 1915–16 depot-laying journey two three-man teams made the long march from "Rocky Mountain depot" at 80°S to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. Wild was initially teamed with Mackintosh and Arnold Spencer-Smith, the party's Chaplain and photographer. Ernest Joyce, Richard W Richards and Victor Hayward formed the other team. As the two parties moved south, conditions worsened and the men's physical condition weakened. Eventually the two groups combined into a single unit. Close to the glacier Spencer-Smith collapsed, and thereafter had to be carried on the sledge. After the last depot had been laid Mackintosh became lame and unable to pull, and the entire team, including Wild, developed scurvy. On 25 January 1916, just before the final depot was laid, Wild wrote: "Just 12 months today since we left the ship. It is the longest time I have been off a ship for over 20 years."  The stricken party, having fulfilled all its depot-laying duties, struggled back towards its base in awful weather, Wild nursing Spencer-Smith who had become helpless. He died before the base was reached. The remaining five reached the safety of Hut Point and slowly recovered their strength. On 8 May 1916 Mackintosh and Hayward risked walking on the sea ice in an attempt to reach Cape Evans, but disappeared during a blizzard and were never seen again. Joyce, Richards and Wild had walked up to the top of a small hill to watch the two men head north, and Wild's final diary comment on their departure was: "If the other two get lost, I shall be sorry we humped them back here over the barrier. However, let’s hope they get there alright." Wild and the other survivors were rescued in January 1917.

Afterwards.

In 1917 Wild returned to naval duty on HMS "Pembroke", later transferring to HMS "Biarritz". He died on 10 March 1918 in the Royal Naval Hospital, Malta, after contracting typhoid. He is buried in the Commonwealth War Grave Commission's plot in the Kalkara Naval Cemetery (also known as the (Capuccini Naval Cemetery). In 1923 he was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for his efforts to save the lives of Mackintosh and Spencer-Smith. An unassuming man, he published no diaries or records of his Antarctic experiences. Alexander Stevens, who had been chief scientist on the Ross Sea party, paid him this tribute: "There are some things that have great value but no glitter. Consistent...long-suffering, patient, industrious, good-humoured, unswervingly loyal, he made an enormous contribution to our well-being".

Henry Ernest Wild AM (10 August 1879 – 10 March 1918), known as Ernest Wild, was a British Royal Naval seaman and Antarctic explorer, a younger brother of Frank Wild. Unlike his more renowned brother, who went south on five occasions, Ernest Wild made only a single trip to the Antarctic, as a member of the Ross Sea party in support of Sir Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. He was one of the group of ten who were stranded ashore when the expedition's ship was blown from its moorings in a gale and were forced to improvise in order to survive. He played a full part in the party's main depot-laying journey, 1915–16, and in recognition of his efforts to save the lives of two comrades on that journey, he was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal. Having survived the expedition, he died while on active service with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Sea in March 1918.

Henry Ernest Wild (* 1879; † 10. März 1918), bekannt als Ernest Wild, war ein britischer Seemann der Royal Navy und Antarktisforscher. Im Gegensatz zu seinem berühmteren älteren Bruder Frank, der fünf Mal in die Antarktis ging, machte Ernest Wild nur eine einzige Expedition mit, nämlich die Expedition Endurance 1914 bis 1917 als Mitglied der unterstützenden Ross Sea Party. In Anerkennung seiner Pflichttreue auf dieser Expedition wurde er posthum mit der Albert Medal für Lebensrettung ausgezeichnet.


Professional wrestling career.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Debut and first excursion (1984–1987).

Muto was a judo black belt with experience in many national competitions prior to being trained by Hiro Matsuda in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Dojo. He debuted on October 5, 1984, against Masahiro Chono. In 1985, Muto was sent on his first learning excursion to

IWGP Tag Team Champion (1987–1988).

In March 1987, Muto won the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Shiro Koshinaka, before losing the titles to Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada six days later. In the summer of 1987, Muto took part in the NOW vs. NEW feud, in which he aligned himself with Antonio Inoki and his group, teaming with the likes of Inoki, Seiji Sakaguchi, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Kantaro Hoshino, and battling the likes of Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu, Akira Maeda, Kengo Kimura, and Super Strong Machine.

Excursion to Puerto Rico and Texas (1988–1989).

In January 1988, Muto went on another excursion, this time in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council (WWC) under his new ring name, "The Super Black Ninja". He feuded with Miguel Perez Jr., with whom he lost a hair vs. hair match to that April. It was in Puerto Rico he formed The Three Musketeers

World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990).

Muto first appeared as "The Great Muta" in the NWA's World Championship Wrestling territory on the March 18, 1989, edition of "Saturday Night", although announcer Jim Ross pronounced the name as "The Great Muto". His manager Gary Hart introduced him as the son of the Great Kabuki, whom Gary Hart also had managed years earlier. He wrestled his first match

Return to NJPW.

Rise to prominence (1990–1992).

Muto quickly rose in the ranks upon returning to New Japan in March 1990. He made his in-ring return to NJPW on April 27 by teaming with Masahiro Chono to defeat Shinya Hashimoto and Masa Saito to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship, marking Muto's second reign with the title. He and Chono would hold the titles for over six months, before finally losing them to Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki on November 1. During this time, Muto also entered the Kyushu

IWGP Heavyweight Champion (1992–1996).

On August 16, Muto, donned his Great Muta persona to beat Japanese legend Riki Choshu to win the Greatest 18 Club Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first time, thus winning the first world championship of his professional wrestling career. He successfully defended both titles against Shinya Hashimoto on September 23 and then retired the Greatest 18 Club Championship to focus on defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He successfully defended the title against Scott Norton on October 18 and Sting on November 22. On December 14, Muta faced Hiroshi Hase in a winning effort in a famous match where Hase used a foreign object to beat at Muta's forehead, as payback

nWo Japan (1996–2000).

The latter half of 1996 had Muto pitted against Masahiro Chono's Ookami Gundan, which eventually blossomed into a war with the Chono-led nWo Japan. In the process, Muto 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, Muto underwent a long slump in big matches, losing not only to members of the nWo, but fellow New Japan wrestlers including Power Warrior at Wrestling World on January 4, 1997, and Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on June 5. The turn was teased many times. Muto would even wear an nWo shirt only to

Bad Ass Translate Trading (2001–2002).

After a planned tag team match with FMW's Hayabusa for Wrestling World 2001 was cancelled due to Hayabusa's injury to both his elbows that required reconstructive surgery, it seemed as if Muto 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, making short work of Manabu Nakanishi and Jushin Liger. Shortly after, Muto also began appearing for All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he debuted at King's Road New Century by defeating Taiyō Kea. On March 18, Muto debuted his new trademark move, the "Shining Wizard" to defeat Kazunari Murakami. Since its creation, it has become an extremely popular move on both sides of the Pacific, used by Muto's allies, rivals, and fans of his work. Muto would frequently begin appearing in both New Japan and All Japan, which led to Muto creating a new stable with Don Frye and Shinjiro Otani which later came to be known as BATT (Bad Ass Translate Trading). Added to their ranks were Taiyō Kea of All Japan Pro Wrestling and Jinsei Shinzaki of Michinoku Pro Wrestling. Muto defeated AJPW's veteran Toshiaki Kawada in a dream match at Champion Carnival One Night

Return to WCW.

Sporadic appearances (1990–1999).

Meanwhile, in World Championship Wrestling, it was announced on Clash of the Champions XIII that The Great Muta would be returning at Starrcade '90 to team with Mr. Saito. Less than a month later Muto teamed with Saito in the Pat O'Connor Memorial Tag-Team Tournament at Starrcade. The duo defeated The New Zealand Militia in the quarterfinals, then Victor Zangiev and Salmon Hasimikov (representing the USSR) in the semi-finals. Muta and Saito were defeated by then US Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers in the finals.  Muta continued to make sporadic appearances within WCW during 1991 while wrestling regularly in New Japan. He was shown in attendance at WrestleWar 91, and then defeated old rival Sting at the combined New Japan/WCW Starrcade event on March 21, 1991, in Tokyo, Japan. Muto was entered into a match with United States Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger to determine the Number One Contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On June 12 at Clash of the Champions XV, Muta was pinned by Luger to

Dark Carnival (2000).

After suffering a knee injury in early 2000, Muto took a hiatus from NJPW and returned to WCW in mid-2000 to team with Vampiro. Due to the bad booking and the decline of WCW in its last years, however, Muto could not recapture the previous popularity he had in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He returned to television on the July 11, 2000, episode of WCW Thunder and teamed with The Jung Dragons against Three Count and Tank Abbott. A week later he appeared on Nitro, defeating Vampiro in the quarterfinals of the United States Heavyweight Championship tournament. Later that night he was pinned by Mike Awesome in the semifinals. He won the WCW World Tag-Team Championship with Vampiro at New Blood Rising against KroniK. They lost it the next night on Nitro against the team of Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera. His last WCW match came at a house show on September 23, 2000, in Lubbock, TX against Sting.  After leaving WCW, a no-compete clause in his WCW contract prevented him from competing in the World Wrestling Federation.

All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion (2002–2003).

On January 11, 2002, following the end of a year-long cross-promotional "angle" with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Keiji Muto shocked the Japanese wrestling world by defecting to All-Japan as a full-time competitor, taking Satoshi Kojima and Kendo Kashin with him. In his first match as an AJPW contracted wrestler, Muto and Taiyo Kea successfully defended the World Tag Team Championship against Mike Barton and Jim Steele on January 14. Muto would then lose the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship to Toshiaki Kawada on February 24. In April, Muto participated in the 2002 Champion Carnival, where he lost only two matches in his block while winning the rest of his matches and thus advancing to the knockout stage on April 10, where he defeated Satoshi Kojima in the semi-final and Mike Barton in the final to win the tournament. Three days later, at Grand Champion Carnival, Muto faced Genichiro Tenryu in a match for the vacant Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship after Kawada was forced to vacate the title due to injury. Muto lost the match. The following

Various feuds and title reigns (2003–2008).

Shortly after his title loss, Muto entered the 2003 Champion Carnival, defeating John Tenta in the quarter-final but lost to Arashi in the semi-final. On June 8, Muto teamed with Arashi to participate in a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, which they won by defeating Gigantes and The Gladiator in the semi-final and Jimmy Yang and Satoshi Kojima in the final. On July 13, Muto failed to become the #1 contender for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship by losing to Toshiaki Kawada. After successfully defending the tag team titles, Muto and Arashi entered the Real World Tag League but they failed to advance in the tournament. On December 27, Muto made a return to the United States, wrestling for the Ring of Honor

Dual world champion (2008–2009).

Muto had won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in NJPW earlier in 2008 and successfully defended the title in All Japan against Hirooki Goto at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 5. On September 29, Muto wrestled as The Great Muta as he defeated Suwama to capture the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship for the third time, becoming only the second wrestler, after Satoshi Kojima, to hold the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the same time. Muta successfully defended the title against Minoru Suzuki at Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 6. Muto closed out the year with an unsuccessful stint in the 2008 Real World Tag League alongside Ryota Hama.  In 2009, Muto took part in a tournament for the vacant All Asia Tag Team Championship by teaming with Kaz Hayashi, defeating Ryota Hama and Shuji

World Tag Team Champion (2010–2011).

The 2009 Real World Tag League win earned Muto and Masakatsu Funaki, a title match for the World Tag Team Championship against Minoru Suzuki and Taiyo Kea on January 3, 2010, which Muto and Funaki won. On January 30, Muto, 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. On March 9, Muto and Funaki were forced to vacate the titles due to Muto going through a reconstructive knee surgery that kept him out of the ring for the rest of the year. Muto returned to All Japan as Great Muta

Final years and departure (2011–2013).

On June 7, 2011, Muto announced his resignation as the president of All Japan Pro Wrestling, remaining in the promotion as an active wrestler and a member of the Supervisory Board. Muto'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. Muto 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. After being on the midcard and without a big feud

Sporadic appearances in NJPW.

2004–2005.

Muto returned to NJPW as a member of the All Japan roster at Wrestling World on January 4, 2004, to team with Bob Sapp to defeat

2007–2009.

He then appeared at Wrestle Kingdom I in 2007 where he reunited with former partner and rival Masahiro Chono to defeat Tencozy in a "Super Dream Tag match" pitting NJPW and AJPW wrestlers together.  On January 4, 2008, at Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome, under the Great Muta persona, he defeated Hirooki Goto. On April 27, Muto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win his fourth IWGP Heavyweight Championship, this was his second appearance in 2008 for NJPW and he had not held the title for eight years and four months prior to the win. After retaining

2012–2014.

On January 4, 2012, Muto made a return to New Japan at Wrestle Kingdom VI in Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Tetsuya Naito in a singles match. A year later at Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome, Muto teamed with Shinjiro Otani, a replacement for an injured Daichi Hashimoto, in a tag team match, where

2019.

Muto, in his Great Muta persona, was the last entrant in the ROH/NJPW Rumble

2020.

On February 19, 2020 Muto made an appearance at the Tiger Hattori Retirement Show, appearing alongside fellow NJPW alumni Riki Choshu, The Great Kabuki, and Hiroshi Hase.

Wrestle-1 (2013–2020).

On July 10, 2013, Muto announced the foundation of a promotion named Wrestle-1, bringing over many of the former wrestlers of All Japan Pro-Wrestling that left in June. At the promotion's inaugural event on September 8, Muto teamed with Bob Sapp in a main event tag team match, where they defeated René Duprée and Zodiac. During Wrestle-1's second show on September 15, Muto made his first Japanese appearance as The Great Muta in two years, when he and Tajiri defeated Duprée and Zodiac

Professional wrestling style and persona.

Muto frequently wrestled under two ring names: the first as Keiji Muto and the second, The Great Muta. Muto innovated

Other media.

Muto has appeared in a vast number of media appearances in Japan, including many commercials and films. Muto was interviewed for wrestling documentary "Bloodstained Memoirs".  In 1995, Muto starred in the Japanese thriller "Yajuu Densetsu: Dragon Blue", as Ryusaki, a suave detective who joins forces with a beautiful young spiritualist named Mazuki (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

Personal life.

In 1992, Muto married his wife, Hisae Ashida. Together they have two children, a son (born 1996) and a daughter, Airi (born 2000), who is an actress and has made an appearance for Wrestle-1.  Outside of Pro-Wrestling, Muto also owns a Sushi restaurant called "Dining 610" (焼肉Dining 610) which was inspired by Mutoh's early "Space Lone Wolf" gimmick. It is also worth noting that the numbers 610 (which were featured on Lone Wolf's entrance attire) means "Muto".

Muto is credited as one of the first Japanese wrestlers to achieve a fan base outside of his native Japan. "The Great Muta" gimmick is one of the most influential gimmicks in puroresu, having been emulated by many wrestlers including Satoshi Kojima (as The Great Koji), Kazushi Miyamoto (as The Great Kazushi), Atsushi Onita (as The Great Nita), and Seiya Sanada (as The Great Sanada). In addition, countless other wrestlers have paid tribute to Muta through emulation and imitation.

Keiji Mutoh (jap., "Mutōh Keiji"; * 23. Dezember 1962 in Fujiyoshida, Präfektur Yamanashi, Japan) ist ein japanischer Wrestler, Wrestling-Promoter und Vorsitzender des Wrestlingverbandes All Japan Pro Wrestling, kurz AJPW.