Fred Clarke

Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.
Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise history, Clarke was the player-manager for four of them. He and fellow Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Vic Willis led Pittsburgh to a victory over Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 World Series. Clarke batted over .300 in 11 different seasons. His 35-game hitting streak in 1895 was the second-longest in Major League history at the time. For six years, Clarke held the Major League record for wins by a manager.
Early life and career.
Fred Clarke was born on a farm near Winterset, Iowa. At age two, his family moved as part of a covered wagon caravan from Iowa to Kansas before relocating to Des Moines, Iowa, five years later. As a child in Des Moines, Clarke sold newspapers for the Iowa State Register where his boss was future Baseball Hall of Fame member, Ed Barrow. In 1892, a professional team in Hastings, Nebraska sent a railroad ticket to Des Moines semiprofessional player Byron McKibbon, but McKibbon backed out and gave the ticket to Clarke instead. Clarke impressed the Hastings team and he signed his first professional contract. He was in the Southern League at age 21 and played for teams in Montgomery, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia.
Clarke was discovered in the minor leagues by Louisville part-owner, Barney Dreyfuss, and joined the Colonels in 1894. In his first game, he collected five hits in five at bats which is still a Major League record. In his second season, he asserted himself with a batting average of .347, 191 hits and 96 runs, which were all best on the team by far. In 1897, Clarke took over managerial duties while only 24 years old. As a player, he hit a career-high .390. Only the best average of Willie Keeler's career stopped Clarke from winning his only batting title. (For many years, Clarke's 1897 average was listed as .406, but further research led most official sources, including MLB.com, to list it at .390.) Despite Clarke's excellent hitting and the presence of fellow Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Rube Waddell, the team struggled for several years. While in Louisville, Clarke was teamed up with pitcher Chick Fraser. Clarke and Fraser became brothers-in-law when they married sisters. When the Colonels folded, Barney Dreyfuss became the owner of the Pittsburgh franchise and tapped Clarke, Wagner, Waddell, Deacon Phillippe, and others to accompany him.
Pittsburgh.
In 1900, Clarke joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager, roles he would embrace until his retirement in 1915. was arguably the best hitting season of Clarke's career as he led the Major Leagues in slugging average and OPS and led the National League in doubles. He finished second only to his teammate, Honus Wagner, for the National League batting title. In the first World Series, Clarke hit .265 but Boston's Cy Young and Bill Dinneen outpitched Pittsburgh overall and won the series in eight games.
In the 1909 World Series, Clarke batted only .211 but hit both of Pittsburgh's home runs and had more home runs and RBI than any player on either team. Clarke also set a record for most walks for one player in a World Series game with four in Game 7.
On August 23, 1910, Clarke recorded four assists from the outfield in one game, tying a Major League record. The following season, his last as a regular player, 38-year-old Clarke made 10 putouts in left field in one game on April 25, 1911. Clarke played just 12 more games after 1911, the last three as the oldest active player in the majors.
Clarke finished his career with a .312 batting average and is seventh on the all-time triples list with 220. He led his team to four National League pennants (1901, 1902, 1903 and 1909) and one World Series championship (1909). The 1902 Pirates lost only 36 games under Clarke's guidance, tying a modern-era record. In , Clarke passed Cap Anson and Frank Selee, giving him the Major League record for wins by a manager. Clarke's record, in turn, was broken by John McGraw in . In addition to the four pennants and one World Series, Clarke managed Pittsburgh to five second-place seasons, three third-place seasons, and two 100-win seasons.
After his playing days.
After his managing days ended in 1915, Clarke returned to his "Little Pirate Ranch" near Winfield, Kansas, which he had purchased with a down payment during his first year in the majors. He made a considerable fortune when oil was discovered on his property. In 1924, he bought a minority stake in the Pirates and was named the team's vice president. He was also allowed to sit in the dugout during games, making him manager Bill McKechnie's bench coach in all but name. The Pirates won the World Series the following year.
During the 1926 season, several players felt that Clarke was trying to undermine McKechnie and become manager once again. When slumping veteran (and eventual Hall of Famer) Max Carey—one of only two members of the 1909 world champions still on the team—got word that Clarke tried to pressure McKechnie into benching him, Carey demanded that Clarke be removed from the bench. He was supported by the other member of the 1909 team who was still on the roster, Babe Adams, as well as another veteran, Carson Bigbee. McKechnie initially appeared to side with Carey, Adams and Bigbee, but was forced to recant rather than risk appearing to criticize the front office. A resolution calling for Clarke's removal from the bench only garnered the support of three other players. Ownership struck fast and hard; on August 13, the Pirates released Adams and Bigbee, and waived Carey. They finished 84–69, third in the league behind the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, and McKechnie lost his job.
Fred Clarke was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 as one of the first to be elected by the Old-Timers Committee. He was one of 24 original inductees into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1951. Clarke remained active and seemingly indestructible into his 70s. In 1947, while fishing in northern Minnesota, he and his wife were thrown into icy northern Minnesota waters by a storm, but he was back out fishing the next day. Soon after, he was nearly shot accidentally while quail hunting. He then survived a gas furnace explosion in his basement. While in Winfield he started the Winfield Country Club that is still in operation to this day. Fred Clarke died in Winfield at age 87.


Leisel Jones

Leisel Marie Jones, OAM (born 30 August 1985) is an Australian former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medallist. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold-medal-winning Australian team in the women's 4×100-metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold medallist for 100-metre breaststroke in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
On 17 March 2012, Jones earned selection to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic games. There, she won her ninth Olympic medal, a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay.
Jones is noted for employing a classic breaststroke technique, typified by a slow but deeper stroke cycle and also by her slow starts. Along with South African champion Penny Heyns, she is regarded as one of the greatest breaststroke swimmers ever.
Personal.
While at Southern Cross Catholic College, Jones used to train at the Redcliffe club in Scarborough, Queensland, and was coached by Ken Wood. Her training partners included fellow Australian team members, Geoff Huegill and Jessicah Schipper. After her disappointing campaign in Athens, Jones moved to train at the Fortitude Valley Pool in Brisbane, Australia, alongside Libby Lenton, under Swiss-born coach Stephan Widmar at the Commercial Swimming Club. Following the move, Jones began to speak openly about the depression and self-esteem issues that had plagued her following her being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. The successes that followed endeared her to an Australian public that had been critical of her attitude following her failure to capture individual gold in Athens. Some, including Dawn Fraser, believed Jones had acted immaturely and ungratefully, particularly in her indifferent displays of emotion during post-race interviews and medal ceremonies.
In 2009, Jones became the new face of the World Animal Protection Australia & New Zealand anti-whaling campaign.
Jones confirmed her retirement from swimming in November 2012. She planned to begin a university degree in psychology in 2013.
In 2015, Jones published an autobiography titled "Body Lengths".
Career.
Jones was selected for the Australian team at just 14 years of age, qualifying in the 100-metre breaststroke by winning the event at the Australian Championships in May 2000 in Sydney, ending the international career of former world champion Samantha Riley.
2000 Olympics.
Jones swam a personal best in the final at the Sydney Olympics to claim an unexpected silver medal behind American Megan Quann. She also combined with Dyana Calub, Petria Thomas and Susie O'Neill in the 4×100-metre medley relay to win silver, again behind the Americans. Jones left school aged 15 to concentrate on swimming.
At the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Jones was now one of the established swimmers and expected to win medals. She finished second to China's Luo Xuejuan. The competition also marked her international debut in the 200-metre breaststroke, where she came fourth place (2:25.46). She also collected a gold in the medley relay alongside Calub, Thomas and Sarah Ryan, the first time that the US women had been beaten at world or Olympic level in this event, excluding the systemically doped East German and Chinese teams.
In 2002, Jones claimed her first titles on the international arena, claiming the breaststroke double at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Australia also won the medley relay.
In 2003, Jones set an Australian record in the 200-metre individual medley earlier in the year, in an experimental event. Later at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, she started setting a world record in the semifinals of the 100-metre breaststroke (1:06.37). However, she succumbed to nerves in the final and came third, with Luo again winning the event. She also achieved a silver in the 200-metre breaststroke in Barcelona, behind Amanda Beard in (2:24.33). She collected a bronze in the medley relay.
In the month leading up to the Athens Olympics, Jones set a world record (2:22.96) in the 200-metre breaststroke in a meet in Brisbane, Australia. This led to high expectations of an even better performance in Athens, as Jones had not been rested prior to swimming the world record. However, it was reclaimed by Beard at the US Olympic trials only a few days later.
2004 Olympics.
In Athens, Jones was again the quickest qualifier of the 100-metre breaststroke, after setting an Olympic record (1:06.78) in the semifinals, which was almost two seconds clear of the then second fastest swimmer in the event's history, Amanda Beard. However, in the final race she finished in the bronze position. In the 200-metre breaststroke, she attempted to take an attacking approach, but faded in the last 50 metres and was pipped to the wall by Amanda Beard, winning silver. Australia went on to win the 4×100-metre medley relay, giving Jones her first Olympic gold.
Jones' world record in the 100-metre breaststroke was broken at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada by Jessica Hardy of the United States in 1:06.20, again in the semifinal. However, this time the expectations turned to Hardy and Jones turned the tables and beat her to the wall, breaking through for her first win at world or Olympic level. She also broke the world record for the 200-metre breaststroke (2:21.72), on 29 July 2005. In the process she won the gold medal, leaving her rivals more than six metres behind. For her efforts she was named by "Swimming World magazine" as the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 2005.
The changes which occurred in 2005 continued to pay off at the Australian Commonwealth Games Swimming Trials in early 2006 where Jones broke her personal best time in the 50-metre breaststroke (30.85) and took 1.18 seconds off her previous world record in the 200-metre breaststroke (2.20:54). On Day 5 of the Australian Nationals Jones swam a world record in the 100-metre breaststroke final. Jones won the Australian championship in a time of 1:05.71 which lowered the previous mark by 0.49 of a second.
Jones completed a clean sweep of the breaststroke events (50-, 100- and 200-metre) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games—the only time this has been achieved in the breaststroke events in the games' history. In the butterfly events (50-, 100- and 200-metre) at the 2002 Manchester Games, Petria Thomas was the first swimmer in Commonwealth Games history to complete a clean sweep. The 50-metre events were introduced at the Manchester Games. In the 50-metre breaststroke, an event she had only recently begun competing in, she defeated the reigning world champion and world record-holder Jade Edmistone. She later won another gold in the 200-metre breaststroke and completed the sweep with the gold medal in the 100-metre in a world record time of 1:05.09 – an effort that saw her own world record reduced 0.62 of a second and was declared "Beamonesque" by aquatics journalist Craig Lord, a reference to Bob Beamon's legendary long jump at the Mexico City Olympics. A fourth gold medal in world record time in the 4×100-metre medley relay with Sophie Edington, Jessicah Schipper and Libby Lenton rounded off her Commonwealth Games.
In 2007, she competed in the World Championships and won the 100-metre breaststroke, 200-metre breaststroke, and 4×100-metre medley relay, setting a world record in the relay. She also won silver in the 50-metre breaststroke. She then left Brisbane and Widmer to move to Melbourne to train under Rohan Taylor, so that she could live with her fiancé Marty Pask, an Australian rules footballer with the Western Bulldogs. Her dissolution of a successful partnership raised eyebrows and many questioned whether putting her personal life ahead of a proven competitive formula would backfire in the pool.
In early 2008, she won the breaststroke double at the 2008 Australian Swimming Championships to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
Although missing the World Short Course Championships in Manchester due to the preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics she broke her own world record over 100-metre breaststroke (SC) in 1:03.72 at the Telstra Grand Prix in Canberra.
2008 Olympics.
Jones won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 100-metre breaststroke, touching the line a full body length ahead of her rival. Her time of 1:05.17 was 1.66 seconds faster than the American silver medalist Rebecca Soni. While she was the favorite to win in the 200-metre breaststroke, she was beaten by Soni, who won gold in world record time. Jones took the silver. She also won a gold medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay, with the Australian team breaking the previous world record by three seconds.
Jones was awarded the Telstra Swimmer Of The Year award as part of the year's international all-star team, in Sydney in October 2008.
At the World Cup meeting at Berlin, Germany, Jones set world records in the 100- and 200-metre breaststroke (short course). Jones had a low-key year and opted out of the 2009 World Championships.
2012 Olympics.
Jones confirmed that she was aiming for the 2012 Olympics in London and competed at the Pan Pacific Championships and the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Jones confirmed her place on these teams by winning the 50-, 100- and 200-metre breaststroke at the 2010 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships.
At the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, in 2010 Jones collected three silver medals and a bronze. She competed in the 50-metre breaststroke (bronze) 100-metre breaststroke (silver), 200-metre breaststroke (silver), and the 4×100-metre medley relay (silver) events. In all four of events, she was behind the Americans; in the 50-metre she was behind Jessica Hardy and fellow Australian Leiston Pickett, and in the 100- and 200-metre she finished behind Rebecca Soni.
After earning selection to compete at the 2012 London Olympics, Jones became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympic games. Together with Emily Seebohm, Alicia Coutts and Melanie Schlanger, she won a silver medal for Australia in the 4×100-metre medley relay.
Retirement.
Jones confirmed her retirement from swimming on 16 November 2012.
In 2015, Jones appeared in the Australian version of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series)". She was, however, voted off the show in the first week.
In January 2016, Jones graduated from the Nutrition Coach course at the Australian Institute of Fitness. She believes she is "so much more informed now" than when she was swimming in terms of good nutrition.


John Bonk

John Bonk (born August 27, 1950 in Stoney Creek, Ontario) is a former all-star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The four-time All-Star played from 1973 to 1985 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Bonk won the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 1984. He also won the 60th Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1972 and the 72nd Grey Cup with Winnipeg in 1984.
In 2008, John was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.


Nolan Richardson

Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and led the Razorbacks to three Final Fours. Elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, Richardson coached teams to winning a Division I Basketball National Championship, an NIT championship, and a Junior College National Championship, making him the only coach to win all three championships. During his 22 seasons of coaching in NCAA Division I, Richardson made a post-season tournament appearance 20 times.
Early life.
Richardson was born in El Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Texas, United States to Nolan Richardson Sr. and Clareast Richardson. Clareast died from a mysterious disease in 1944, leaving behind three children: Shirley, age 5, Nolan Jr., three, and Helen, six months. Eventually they moved in with the children's grandmother, Rose Richardson or Ol' Mama. Ol' Mama had a profound impact on Nolan by helping instill the drive and determination to succeed. Nolan's father would visit, but often did not live with the family, battling alcoholism for much of his adult life.
Nolan Richardson played college basketball at Eastern Arizona Junior College during the 1959-1960 season. He then returned home to play for Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso), playing his junior and senior years under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins for the Miners.
Coaching career.
Early years.
Richardson began his coaching career at Bowie High School in El Paso, Texas. He coached at Bowie for ten years then moved to Western Texas Junior College for three seasons, posting a record there of 101-13. In 1980-81, his third and last season at Western Texas, he led the team to a 37-0 record and the 1980 National Junior College championship in his third and last season with the team.
University of Tulsa.
Richardson was the head coach at Tulsa from 1981 to 1985, leading Tulsa to the NIT championship in 1981. This was the first time an African American coach won an NIT championship. Richardson is credited with bringing the Tulsa program to national prominence when hired in 1981, and led the school to season conference championships in 1984 and 1985 and conference tournament titles in 1982 and 1984 to go with the previously mentioned 1981 NIT championship. Richardson had a .763 winning percentage at Tulsa, and became the first coach in NCAA history to win 50 games in his first two seasons. While coaching at Tulsa, Richardson became known for wearing an assortment of polka dot ties. This trademark eventually led Tulsa students to don polka dots during home games.
University of Arkansas.
In 1985, Richardson became the head coach at the University of Arkansas after Eddie Sutton left for Kentucky. Richardson became the first African-American coach at a major university in the South, and the first African-American head coach of a men's program in the Southwest Conference. He inherited a team and program that was used to Sutton's halfcourt-oriented, walk-it-up-the-court style. Richardson's frenetic, up-tempo system was new to Arkansas, and many fans questioned his coaching style after finishing 12-16 his first season. However, by year two he had Arkansas back in the post-season with an NIT berth. By year three, he had Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs would make the tournament in 13 of the next 15 seasons. In all, Arkansas under Richardson enjoyed 15 post-season appearances during the 17 seasons of his tenure.
He led Arkansas to three Final Fours—losing to Duke in the semifinals in 1990, winning the National Championship in 1994 against Duke, and losing in the Championship game to UCLA in 1995. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 1994. Richardson's Arkansas teams averaged 27 wins per season during the 1990s, and they were the winningest team of the decade until 1997. The Razorbacks' 270 wins from 1990 to 1999 were more than all but four programs in the NCAA. Nolan's Arkansas teams won at least 20 games 12 times, as well as four 30-win seasons during his 17 years.
His teams typically played an up-tempo game with intense pressure defense - a style that was known as "40 Minutes of Hell." In 2012, his coaching philosophy was featured in the documentary "40 Minutes of Hell" on ESPN as part of the network's "SEC" "Storied "series". "Richardson is the winningest basketball coach in Arkansas history, compiling a 389-169 () record in 17 seasons. He is the only head coach to win a Junior College National Championship, the NIT Championship, and the NCAA Championship. Richardson is also among an elite group including Roy Williams, Denny Crum, Jim Boeheim, and Tubby Smith as the only head coaches to win 365 games in 15 seasons or fewer.
University of Arkansas controversy.
While at Arkansas, Richardson frequently spoke out about the negative stereotypes that he and other black coaches faced. His most controversial statement occurred in a post-game press conference in February 2002, when he spoke out against the athletic administration at the University of Arkansas. He claimed that he was being mistreated because of his race, and challenged Athletic Director Frank Broyles to ruffle feathers by declaring, "If they go ahead and pay me my money, they can take my job tomorrow." Shortly thereafter, Arkansas dismissed Richardson as head coach. In December 2002, Richardson filed a lawsuit against the university, the Board of Trustees, and the Razorback Foundation, citing a racially discriminatory environment; the lawsuit was dismissed in July 2004.
Richardson's former long-time assistant, Mike Anderson, was hired as Arkansas' head coach in March 2011. Anderson led Arkansas to three NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons as head coach. Richardson attended numerous Arkansas home games during Anderson's tenure. On March 26, 2019, Anderson was terminated as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks after a lackluster 2018-19 season and was replaced by former Nevada head coach Eric Musselman.
Nolan Richardson Court.
On March 28, 2019, two days after the termination of Nolan Richardson's protege Mike Anderson, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the court in Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena in honor of Nolan Richardson and his contributions to the University of Arkansas, state of Arkansas, and the United States of America. The honor became official in the wake of growing public support to honor Richardson in this way, including a resolution proposed during the 2019 regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly.
International.
From 2005 to 2007, Richardson, (who speaks fluent Spanish) served as the head coach of the Panama national team. In March 2007, Richardson was named as the head coach of the Mexico national basketball team.
WNBA.
In the middle of 2009, Richardson was named as head coach and general manager of a prospective WNBA expansion team in Tulsa. While it seemed unusual to hire a coach before securing an actual berth in the league, the investors behind the expansion effort claimed this proved they were serious about wanting a team. On October 20, 2009, the Tulsa group bought the Detroit Shock and moved it to Tulsa as the Tulsa Shock. It was Richardson's first time as a professional head coach, as well as his first time coaching women.
Richardson's tenure with the Shock was far from successful. His first season ended before it began when key players who had led the Shock to three WNBA titles opted, for various reasons, not to make the move to Tulsa. This forced Richardson to try to build the team around disgraced Olympic track star Marion Jones, who hadn't played a meaningful basketball game since her college days 13 years earlier. The players also found it difficult to adjust to Richardson's frenetic style. A lack of continuity plagued the team as well; all of the players who had come from Detroit had left the team by the middle of the season, and Richardson seemingly juggled the roster on a game-by-game basis. The final result was a dreadful 6-28 record, last in the league. Richardson tried to rebuild the team by coaxing Sheryl Swoopes out of retirement, but after a 1-10 start, Richardson resigned on July 8, 2011.
Head coaching record.
College.

†Richardson was replaced by interim coach Mike Anderson before the end of the season.


Bill Wilhelm

Billy Wilhelm (June 11, 1929 – December 24, 2010) was an American college baseball coach who was the head coach of the Clemson Tigers from 1958 to 1993. In his 36 seasons as head coach, Wilhelm had a record of 1,161–536–10. Before coming to Clemson, Wilhelm played several seasons of minor league baseball and served one season as an assistant baseball coach at North Carolina.
Playing career.
Wilhelm played two seasons of college baseball at NC State, and he signed a professional contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1950, splitting that season between the Goldsboro Cardinals and the Allentown Cardinals. Wilhelm then spent two years out of baseball from 1951 to 1952, when he served in the United States Army in the Korean War.
In 1953, Wilhelm returned from military service and had his most successful minor league season. In 96 games with the Paducah Chiefs of the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League, he batted .291 and hit 14 home runs. After the 1954 season, which he split between the Columbus Cardinals and the Allentown Cardinals, Wilhelm left the Cardinals organization.
Wilhelm played the 1955 and 1956 seasons in the Milwaukee Braves system, advancing as high as the Double-A Atlanta Crackers. He played his final season of professional baseball in summer 1957, with the Greensboro Patriots of the Boston Red Sox organization.
He appeared in a total of 401 minor league games, hitting .212 with 21 home runs.
Coaching career.
Prior to his final season of professional baseball in summer 1957, Wilhelm had served as an assistant baseball coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels in spring 1957. In September 1957, Wilhelm accepted the head coaching position at Clemson.
In his first two seasons, Wilhelm led the program to two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships and its first two College World Series appearances, in 1958 and 1959. In the next 13 season (1960–1972), however, Clemson made only one NCAA Tournament appearance, in 1967.
With the start of the ACC Tournament era in 1973, Wilhelm began a stretch of 11 regular season conference championships in 13 seasons (through 1985), including seven consecutive from 1973–1979. This 13-season period included three College World Series appearances, in 1976, 1977, and 1980.
From 1986–1993, the final eight seasons of Wilhelm's head coaching career, Clemson won three regular season conference championships (1988, 1991, 1992), three conference tournament championships (1989, 1991, and 1993), and one College World Series appearance (1991).
Wilhelm's teams had winning records in each of his 36 seasons, and he won a total of 17 ACC Regular Season Championships and seven ACC Tournament Championships, both ACC coaching records, as of the end of the 2012 season. He also appeared in six College World Series. He coached 27 players who went on to play Major League Baseball.
Head coaching record.
The following is a table of Wilhelm's yearly records as an NCAA head baseball coach.
Death and posthumous awards.
Wilhelm died at the age of 81 on December 24, 2010, in Seneca, South Carolina. Following his death, he was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
References.


Owen Moran

Owen Moran (born 4 October 1884 in Birmingham, England – died 17 March 1949) was an English boxer. Known as "The Fearless", Moran is recognized by some historians as a former world bantamweight champion. During his career, Moran knocked out former lightweight king Battling Nelson and also fought boxing greats Jim Driscoll, Packey McFarland, Abe Attell, Ad Wolgast, Frankie Neil and George Dixon. Moran retired in 1916 with over 100 fights. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.


Dick Eve

Richmond Cavill "Dick" Eve (19 March 1901 – 13 March 1970) was an Australian diver who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the plain high diving and finished fifth in the 3 metre springboard event. He was the first Australian Olympic diver to win a gold medal. His brother was Australian sports administrator Jim Eve.


Busher Jackson

Ralph Harvey Jackson (January 17, 1911June 25, 1966) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Jackson played 15 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons between 1929 and 1944 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans, and Boston Bruins. He was a member of the Maple Leafs' famed Kid Line with Joe Primeau and Charlie Conacher, one of the early NHL's dominant scoring trios. Jackson led the league in scoring in 1931–32 and was a member of Toronto's 1932 Stanley Cup championship team. He was named to five NHL All-Star Teams and played in three benefit All-Star Games, including the Ace Bailey Benefit Game, the first All-Star contest in NHL history.
Off the ice, Jackson was well-known for his high-spending lifestyle and drinking habit that prompted his trade from Toronto to New York in 1939. He was remembered as one of hockey's tragic figures following his retirement, as he struggled with alcoholism and financial difficulty. In the 1960s, Jackson was a figure of controversy within the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee, as the Hall used his lifestyle and personal problems to block his induction. He finally earned a place in the Hall of Fame in 1971, five years after his death. Jackson is also an honoured member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, which he was inducted into in 1975. He was the brother of fellow NHL player Art Jackson.
Playing career.
Junior.
Jackson grew up in Toronto, playing his youth hockey at "Poverty Pond" in the city's east side before playing at the Ravina Rink where he was discovered by Frank Selke, the assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Selke signed Jackson to a contract and assigned him to the Toronto Marlboros in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA)'s junior league for the 1927–28 season. Jackson scored four goals in four regular season games that season, and though the Marlboros were considered a favourite to win the Memorial Cup, the team was defeated in the Eastern final by the Ottawa Gunners. He returned to the team for the 1928–29 season, scoring 10 goals and 14 points in 9 regular season games. He then led the OHA playoffs with seven goals and nine points as the Marlboros won the OHA championship. Jackson was a leading offensive player for Toronto in the 1929 Memorial Cup playdowns, scoring 15 goals and 25 points in 13 games. The Marlboros reached the final, defeating the Elmwood Millionaires in a best-of-three series to win the franchise's first Memorial Cup championship.
Toronto Maple Leafs.
Joining the Maple Leafs for the 1929–30 season, the 18-year-old Jackson was the youngest player in the National Hockey League (NHL). In his league debut against the Montreal Canadiens, Jackson knocked over his idol Howie Morenz with a bodycheck. Assessing the youngster's potential following the hit, Morenz offered, "you'll do." Jackson appeared in 31 games for the Leafs, scoring 12 goals and adding 6 assists. He missed some time due to injury, during which he earned his nickname from the team's trainer, Tim Daly. According to Jackson: "Daly asked me to carry sticks for him. I told him I wasn't a stick boy, I was a hockey player. So he said I was nothing but a fresh busher [a term for someone who had just been called up from the minors] and the name stuck."
During his first season, Jackson was placed on a line with two other young players. Charlie Conacher, a teammate of his with the Marlboros, played right wing and Joe Primeau was their centre. The trio formed what became known as the "Kid Line," one of the early NHL's most famous scoring trios. Primeau was the line's playmaker, whose passes set up both Conacher and Jackson's goal-scoring ability.
Following a 31-point season in 1930–31, Jackson led the NHL in scoring with 53 points in 1931–32. At 21 years, 3 months old, he became the youngest scoring champion in NHL history, a record he would hold until 1980–81, when it was broken by Wayne Gretzky. Jackson's 28 goals that season was the most he would score in his career, and he was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team for the first time of his career. He added five goals in the 1932 playoffs, including one of Toronto's six in the deciding game of the 1932 Stanley Cup Final, a 6–4 victory over the New York Rangers that clinched Toronto's first Stanley Cup championship since 1922.
The Kid Line remained Toronto's top offensive threat for several years; Jackson, Conacher and Primeau were the team's top three scorers for four consecutive seasons between 1932 and 1935. Following his league-leading season, Jackson led Toronto offensively in 1932–33 with 44 points. On November 20, 1934, Jackson set an NHL record when he became the first player in NHL history to score four goals in a period, notching four markers in the third period of a 5–2 victory over the St. Louis Eagles. The record has not been surpassed through 2019, though eleven players have matched it. He was named to three additional All-Star Teams during this time, placed on the second team in 1932–33 and on the first team in both 1933–34 and 1934–35. Additionally, Jackson played in the Ace Bailey Benefit Game on February 14, 1934. Held in support of injured teammate Ace Bailey, it was the first all-star game in NHL history. Jackson scored two goals for the Maple Leafs in a 7–3 victory over the NHL All-Stars.
Following four consecutive 20-goal seasons, Jackson slipped to 11 goals in 1935–36. The Kid Line was finally broken up. While they remained consistent offensive performers, they lacked defensive ability and opposing teams began to find success playing their own top scoring lines against the trio. Primeau subsequently retired in 1936 in favour of his business interests. Despite the break-up, Jackson scored 21 goals and 40 points in 1936–37 to earn his fourth and final appearance on the First All-Star Team.
Prior to the start of the 1937–38 season, Jackson played with the NHL All-Stars in the Howie Morenz Memorial Game, the NHL's second benefit all-star contest. In regular league play, his offence entered a decline as he scored 34 points that season, then 27 in 1938–39.
Following the season, the Maple Leafs traded him to the New York Americans along with Jimmy Fowler, Murray Armstrong, Doc Romnes and Buzz Boll in exchange for Sweeney Schriner on May 18, 1939. The five-for-one deal was unprecedented in NHL history at that time.
New York and Boston.
Prior to his first season in New York, Jackson played in his third benefit all-star game, the Babe Siebert Memorial Game, on October 29, 1939. He represented the NHL All-Stars in a 5–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. In NHL play, he posted 12 goals and 20 points for the Americans, then improved to 26 points in 1940–41. He was unable to come to terms with team manager Red Dutton on a new contract for the 1941–42 season however, and did not join the team at the start of the season. The impasse lasted for half the season, until Dutton sold Jackson's rights to the Boston Bruins for $7,500 on January 4, 1942.
Joining the Bruins gave Jackson the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother Art. He played only 26 games that season due to his holdout, just over half of an NHL season of 48 games, scoring 12 points. Though he played the left wing throughout his career, the Bruins switched him part-time to defence when they lost players to injury or the Second World War. He scored 34 points in 1942–43, and his 19 goals was Jackson's highest total in six seasons. The Bruins reached the 1943 Stanley Cup Final by defeating Montreal, but lost the series to the Detroit Red Wings in four straight games. Jackson's playoff overtime goal on March 25, 1943, at the Forum would turn out to be the last Boston playoff overtime goal in Montreal until 1992. Jackson played a final season in 1943–44, after which he announced his retirement as a player following a 15-year career.
Personal life.
A handsome man with even features, Jackson lived the lifestyle of a Hollywood actor during his playing career, spending money freely, driving fast cars, and attending posh parties. Maple Leafs' owner Conn Smythe unsuccessfully tried to convince Jackson to save his money for the future, even offering to match his player's savings dollar for dollar. Jackson's habits, particularly his drinking, ultimately played a role in his trade away from Toronto. Jackson's lifestyle came crashing down following his retirement as a player, as he no longer had the money to fund his pursuits. He unsuccessfully tried to overcome his alcoholism, lost two marriages to divorce, struggled to hold a job, and it was said that he could be found outside Maple Leaf Gardens trying to sell broken sticks of Maple Leaf players to try to make some money. He emerged as one of hockey's tragic figures.
Jackson suffered a series of injuries and ailments in his later years. In 1958, he broke his neck after falling down a flight of stairs. His recovery took 18 months and cost him mobility in his right hand. Two months after his release, Jackson returned to hospital with a bout of jaundice. He was hospitalized again in 1962 following an epileptic seizure.
As Jackson's health failed, he became the focus of a controversy within the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee. Though he was considered one of hockey's greatest left wingers and was famed for his attacking style of play and backhand shot, Jackson's personal problems led Hall chairman Conn Smythe to blacklist him from entry. Though Primeau and Conacher had gained induction, Jackson died on June 25, 1966, without being given the same honour. It would be another five years until the remainder of the selection committee finally overruled Smythe and posthumously inducted Jackson into the Hall of Fame in 1971. Smythe quit the committee in protest, while Jackson's son Kim accepted the honour on his father's behalf. In 1975, Jackson was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and "The Hockey News" ranked him 55th in its 1997 book, "The Top 100 NHL players of All-Time".


Garney Henley

Garney Henley (born December 21, 1935) is an American former professional football player, who played in the Canadian Football League.
College career.
He attended Huron College in South Dakota, playing as a running back from 1956 to 1959. At Huron University, Henley was also recognised as a Dean's List honours student. In 1959, Henley broke a First Team NAIA All-America, scoring 394 points and recording over 4,000 rushing yards.
CFL career.
Henley was drafted in 1960 by the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the 15th round (173rd overall), but was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Ontario, Canada. Following this trade, Henley embarked on a 16-year career (1960 to 1975) within the CFL. In his early Tiger-Cat career, Henley was used mostly as a defensive back. In his later years with the Tiger-Cats, he played more commonly as a receiver.
As a defensive back, Henley intercepted 59 passes for 916 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was selected as an All Star nine times. Following Henley's transition into an offensive player, he was an All Star for the 10th time in 1972 as a wide receiver. Henley won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in 1972 in which the Tiger-Cats won the Grey Cup at their home field, Ivor Wynne Stadium, in Hamilton, Ontario.
He played in 7 Grey Cup games, winning 4: the 51st Grey Cup of 1963, the 53rd Grey Cup of 1965 (the so-called 'Wind Bowl'), the 55th Grey Cup of 1967 when Saskatchewan was beaten 24-1, and the 60th Grey Cup of 1972, losing 3: the 49th Grey Cup of 1961, the 50th Grey Cup of 1962, and the 52nd Grey Cup of 1964.
Post-football career.
While still playing football in Hamilton, Henley was hired at the University of Guelph by athletic director, Bill Mitchell. Henley served as the assistant athletic director, advisor to the football team and taught in the Physical Education program. He also took over the Gryphon Basketball program. Despite several winless seasons, Henley gradually developed the program into a highly competitive side. This culminated in 1973-74, when Henley coached the team to its first CIAU national championship.
Following his playing days, Henley became the athletic director and coach at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and Brock University in Ontario. From 1989 to 1993, Henley was hired as defence coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As coach, he made another appearance in the Grey Cup in 1989, losing to Saskatchewan in the final minutes. He also served as the Director of Football Operations for the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1995–1996. His teams had a combined 6–30 record. In 1996, Henley moved back to his home state of South Dakota after 36 years in Canada. He finished his career as an athletic director at his alma mater, Huron University. After Huron University closed, Henley became General Manager for Professional Transportation Inc., transporting railroad engineers and conductors. He retired in 2013.
Henley's footballing career was celebrated when he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1979, the University of Guelph Athletics Hall of Fame on October 4, 1985, the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Henley was voted the sixth greatest CFL player in a poll conducted by Canadian Sports network TSN in 2006.


Edwin Henderson

Edwin Bancroft Henderson (November 24, 1883 – February 3, 1977), was an American educator and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) pioneer. The "Father of Black Basketball," introduced basketball to African Americans in Washington, D.C. in 1904, and was Washington's first male African American physical education teacher (and possibly the first in the country). From 1926 until his retirement in 1954, Henderson served as director of health and physical education for Washington D.C.'s black schools. An athlete and team player rather than a star, Henderson both taught physical education to African Americans and organized athletic activities in Washington, D.C. and Fairfax County, Virginia, where his grandmother lived and where he returned with his wife in 1910 to raise their family. A prolific letter writer both to newspapers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and Alabama (where he spent many of his last years), Henderson also helped organize the Fairfax County branch of the NAACP and twice served as President of the Virginia NAACP in the 1950s.
Early and family life.
Henderson was born in southwest Washington, D.C. on November 24, 1883. His father, William Henderson, was a day laborer and his mother Louisa taught him to read at an early age. He often reminisced about Al Jolson having been one of his playmates, as well as how he watched racial segregation grow in Washington after the turn of the century, particularly during the Woodrow Wilson administration. His grandmother Eliza Thomas Henderson had a small store in Washington, but in 1882 (the year before his birth) had moved to Falls Church, Virginia and bought a house at 121 S. Washington Street. Henderson became familiar with that area too, spending summers there and sometimes assisting at that store. The family farm, bought about a decade later, had once been part of Camp Alger. Henderson graduated from Dunbar High School, then the Miner Normal School (now known as University of the District of Columbia) in 1904.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University, a master's degree from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in athletic training from Central Chiropractic College in Kansas City, Missouri. Henderson became the first black man to receive a National Honor Fellowship in the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Shortly before his retirement from the D.C. Schools at age 70, Henderson also received an Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater, Howard University.
He married Mary Ellen (Nellie) Meriwether Henderson (1886-1976), also a teacher and civil rights advocate, as well as active with the Girl Scouts and League of Women Voters. They moved to Falls Church, Virginia in 1910 shortly after their marriage, and both helped at the Henderson family store. They lived at 307 South Maple Street (originally 307 W. Fairfax Street) for decades; Edwin Henderson also took the colored streetcar line across the Potomac River to his job with the D.C. Public Schools. They also had a summer home at Highland Beach on Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, Maryland. The Hendersons remained married for 63 years until her death (almost a year before his demise), and were survived by both their sons: Dr. James H. M. Henderson (who became director of Tuskegee's Carver Research Foundation), Dr. Edwin M. Henderson (who became a dentist in the District of Columbia).
Career.
Upon graduating as a teacher in 1904, Henderson taught (and later directed) physical education in the D.C. public schools for five decades. During his first three summer breaks, he attended summer sessions at Harvard University to study medicine or health and physical education. There, Henderson also learned the then-new game of basketball, which he introduced to other young black men at the 12th Street (Colored) YMCA upon returning to Washington, D.C. Soon, they were playing teams from Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. His D.C. teams (Howard University adopted the 12th street team as its first varsity basketball team) won the national basketball championships in 1909 and 1910.
From those early years through the 1950s, Henderson also played and coached basketball, as well as refereed football and baseball contests and occasionally sparred in the boxing ring. He helped organize the first all-black amateur athletic association, the Interscholastic Athletic Association (1906), the Washington, D.C. Public School Athletic League (1906) and the Eastern Board of Officials (1905) (a training center that, for decades was the go-to pool for highly qualified African American referees). Henderson taught and influenced perhaps hundreds of thousands of Washington area schoolchildren in basketball, including Duke Ellington and Charles Drew.
From 1926 until 1954, Henderson directed physical education for African American children in the segregated Washington, D.C. school system. He used sports to combat truancy, as well as instill character, forming teams in each fifth and sixth grade classroom. In 1943 his contributions were recognized by his being named to the National Council on Physical Fitness and the subcommittee on colleges and schools of the National Committee on Physical Fitness. Henderson retired shortly after the "Brown v. Board of Education" decision made segregated schooling obsolete, so the position evaporated, but he was made a fellow of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
During World War II, Henderson helped train Army recruits. In the 1940s, Henderson also advocated for civil rights, including for interracial athletic competitions. Among the battles he fought in the 1940s was picketing the Uline Arena (originally a hockey venue and later called the "Washington Coliseum"), because the Uline would not allow African Americans and Whites to compete against each other. After hearing the AAU Golden Gloves Boxing competitions were to be held at the Uline, Henderson encouraged picketing until Eugene Meyer, publisher of the Washington Post, withdraw his support for holding the event there. Efforts by Henderson and Meyer ultimately led to the AAU allowing integrated boxing in the District of Columbia.
Henderson wrote several seminal books about African American participation in sports, including his landmark work, "The Negro In Sports" (Washington, DC: Associated Publishers, Inc., 1939). In 1910–1913, Henderson co-authored an annual handbook published by the Spalding sports company, entitled, "Official Handbook of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Middle Atlantic States", which chronicled the birth of organized sports among African Americans along the Eastern seaboard. This publication, which included photographs of African American teams that competed against each other, was the first of its kind. Henderson also contributed regularly through the National Negro Press Association, including such pioneering magazines as "The Messenger" and "Crisis". In 1963 he collaborated with "Sports" magazine to publish "The Black Athlete--Emergence and Arrival" as part of their International Library of Negro Life and History. His last contribution, sponsored by the Phelps-Stokes Fund, was entitled "The Black American in Sports".
Beyond athletics, Henderson and his wife, Nellie Henderson, also an educator, fought against segregation discrimination in housing and education. Five years after they moved to Virginia, in 1915, the Falls Church town council passed an ordinance to create segregated districts within the town. Dr. Henderson, Joseph Tinner and seven other community members, formed the Colored Citizens Protective League, and started a letter writing campaign to address the council and this ordinance. Dr. Henderson and his wife, Mary Ellen, were members of the NAACP, in Washington, D.C., so, they also wrote a letter to W. E. B. Du Bois asking permission to start a NAACP chapter in Falls Church, Virginia. The NAACP headquarters advised that the organization had no rural branches. However, they were given permission to operate as a standing committee under the authority of the NAACP; thus formed the Fairfax County branch in 1918. Ironically, although the Hendersons won that initial town council ordinance spat, the council then ceded the Seven Corners area back to Fairfax County (because, Henderson said, "in those days Negroes were Republican"), but decades later unsuccessfully tried to annex it back, after it had become Fairfax County's largest single source of revenue.
Dr. Henderson also twice served as President of the NAACP's Virginia Council, from 1955 to 1958, the height of Massive Resistance declared by Virginia's political boss (and U.S. Senator) Harry F. Byrd, Sr. after the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education. In addition to the portions of the Stanley Plan that sought to maintain racial segregation in schools (and that were declared unconstitutional by a three-judge federal panel as well as by the Virginia Supreme Court on January 19, 1959), Virginia Governors Thomas B. Stanley and later J. Lindsay Almond and the Virginia Assembly attempted to harass and dismantle the NAACP in the Commonwealth during Henderson's presidency.
E. B. Henderson also wrote many letters to the editor, especially after his retirement, to local newspapers in Washington, D.C. and Virginia. He claimed to have had more than 3,000 letters published in over a dozen newspapers. The majority of the letters concerned race relations and sought equality for African Americans in the United States as well as the local Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Today, the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation and the Washington Post co-sponsor a "Dear Editor" contest to secondary school aged students in Northern Virginia in his honor.
Death and legacy.
Henderson died of cancer in 1977, at age 93, at his son's home in Tuskegee, Alabama. He survived his beloved wife of 63 years by one year. They were both cremated and their ashes interred in Woodlawn Cemetery (Washington, D.C.). They were survived by their sons, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as by his sister, Mrs. Annie H. Briggs of Falls Church, Virginia. His papers are held at Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.
During his lifetime, Henderson received some recognition, apart from an elaborate sendoff from his Second Baptist Church of Falls Church when he left for Alabama in 1965. The Fairfax County Council on Human Relations, where he had served as program chairman, gave him a testimonial in 1960. His Falls Church/Fairfax County NAACP branch also celebrated its 50th anniversary shortly before his departure. In 1972, Black Sports magazine cited Henderson as "one of the foremost black Americans of all time." In 1973, Henderson was elected Honorary President of the North American Society for Sport History. In 1974, along with Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Bill Russell and Althea Gibson, he became an inaugural member of the Black Athletes Hall of Fame.
The honors continued posthumously. In 1982, Fairfax County dedicated its Providence Recreation Center in Edwin Henderson's honor. In 1985, the City of Tuskegee named a park for E.B. Henderson. In 2002, the City of Falls Church named the Falls Church Community Center gymnasium in his honor. In 2005, the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School was named after Henderson's wife, because of her multi-years fight to bring equality to educational facilities in Fairfax County Public Schools and in Virginia.
In 1999, the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation erected a pink granite (trondhjemite) archway memorializing the founders of the Colored Citizens Protective League (CCPL) which eventually became the NAACP's first rural branch.
Since 1993, the Annual Tinner Blues Festival has taken place on the second Saturday of June in Falls Church's Cherry Hill Park. Many national and area blues musicians play at the event, which also recognizes the late Piedmont Blues guitarist/singer John Jackson, who made his home in Northern Virginia.
In 2013, Henderson was inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2018, the Library of Virginia honored Henderson as one of its Strong Men and Women.


Lew Jenkins

Lew Jenkins (December 4, 1916 – October 30, 1981) was an American boxer and Lightweight Champion of the World. He was born in Milburn, Texas and was raised during the Great Depression. He began fighting in carnivals and later continued his boxing in the US Coast Guard. He was an exceptionally powerful puncher and 51 of his 73 wins were by knockout. His managers included Benny Woodhall, Frank Bachman, Hymie Kaplan, and Willie Ketchum and his trainer was Charley Rose.
His punching power was legendary, and so was his drinking, carousing, and penchant for high-speed motorcycles. "The two toughest opponents I had were Jack Daniels and Harley Davidson," Lew Jenkins stated.
Jenkins took the World Lightweight Championship on May 10, 1940 in a third-round TKO against Lou Ambers at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Early life.
Verlin E. Jenkins was born on December 4, 1916 in Milburn, Texas to Artie James and Minnie Lee, formerly Minnie Lee White. He was the third of four children and had two older and one younger sisters. He started professional boxing around 1935 in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but by 1938 was boxing regularly in Dallas. The biggest fights of his early career took place after he moved to New York in 1939.
Professional career highlights.
Jenkins defeated Lew Feldman on April 8, 1938 in a ten-round split decision at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. Oddly, the Dallas crowd booed loudly after the decision of the judges and referees for Jenkins, the Texas native.
Win over Mike Belloise, November 1939.
On November 21, 1939, Jenkins scored a seventh-round technical knockout against Mike Belloise, a former World Featherweight Champion, before a crowd of 12,000 at the Bronx's New York Coliseum. Belloise was unable to answer the call of the bell for the eighth round due to the severe punishment he had taken to the body in the sixth and seventh rounds. It was later confirmed that Belloise suffered a broken rib from the bout.
On January 24, 1940, Jenkins convincingly defeated Cuban boxer Chino Alvarez in a knockout only around fifteen seconds into the first round at the Sportatorium in Dallas. Jenkins landed only two or three punches and the rowdy Dallas crowd booed when the ten count was completed, with several climbing into the ring. The victory was Jenkin's ninth straight with six by knockouts. Jenkins sudden rise to prominence as a serious World Lightweight contender was not unprecedented, as he had been fighting professionally at least five years, but the quality of his opposition had increased dramatically in the last two years as many newspapers noted. When he defeated Tippy Larkin in a first-round knockout at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1940, he was finally scheduled for a World Lightweight Title bout with reigning champion Lou Ambers. In the impressive win over Larkin, Jenkins started cautiously, then flicked a few straight lefts. After Jenkins blasted with both hands, and in "2:41 of the first round Larkin was left flailing around in his own corner and down for the count."
Taking the World Lightweight Championship, May 1940.
Jenkins defeated Lou Ambers in New York City on May 10, 1940 to become World Lightweight Champion. Ambers was down for a count of five in the first, briefly down again from a left in the second, and was down in the third before the referee stopped the bout when Jenkins landed a final solid right to Ambers' jaw.
After winning the World Lightweight Championship from Ambers, Jenkins lost his boxing discipline and spent time carousing at night and buying expensive automobiles. He drank recklessly, sometimes before bouts, and crashed several motorcycles and cars.
On March 8, 1940, Jenkins scored a first-round knockout of Tippy Larkin in a non-title bout at New York's Madison Square Garden before a crowd of 11,542. "Tearing out with the bell, the slugger from the Southwest (Jenkins) took command immediately. He threw both fists without a stop, finally connecting with a series of solid lefts and rights and Larkin dropped in his corner." The knockout occurred at the end of the first, 2:41 into the round. Jenkins had scored five straight knockouts in his most recent New York fights. A noteworthy opponent, Larkin would take the World Light Welterweight Championship in 1946.
On September 16, 1940, Jenkins managed to win a decision against Bob Montgomery in a non-title, ten-round decision, before a crowd of 12,900 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Jenkins was down in the third round for a count of nine. The United Press gave Jenkins five rounds to four for Montgomery, though ring officials gave Jenkins a somewhat wider margin. Montgomery would twice hold the NYSAC World Lightweight Championship in May 1943 and November 1944.
World Lightweight Championship defense, November 1940.
On November 22, 1940, Jenkins successfully defended his World Lightweight Title against Pete Lello in a second-round knockout at New York's Madison Square Garden before a largely hostile audience of around 11,000. Jenkins knocked Lello down four times in the second, usually with strong blows to the jaw and at least twice for counts of nine. He said after the bout that he had little memory of the bout after his first knockdown in the second. Lello had formerly knocked out Jenkins in a close bout that ended in an early seventh round victory in Chicago on March 24, 1939.
Losing the World Lightweight Championship, December 1941.
On December 19, 1941 Jenkins lost his World Lightweight Title against Sammy Angott before a crowd of 11,343 at New York's Madison Square Garden. Fighting with a neck injury he may have received from motorcycle and car crashes, he was outpointed over 15 rounds. From then on he lost a significant percentage of his remaining bouts, though often against quality competition.
On September 30, 1949, Jenkins defeated Eddie Giosa in a ten-round unanimous decision at the Arena in Philadelphia. He had Giosa down for a count of eight in the second from a left hook, then put him to the mat again with a right to the head. He had Giosa down again in the tenth with a left hook to the head for a count of eight, though the fight continued and was determined by a points decision. Both men fought at 139 in the welterweight range. He had formerly lost to Giosa on May 2, 1949, in a fairly close split decision at the same location. The May victory was Giosa's fourth straight win.
Military career.
Jenkins served in the Coast Guard in World War II, where he participated in troop deployment, and found himself in the thick of battle during the Allied invasions of North Africa and the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France. He re-enlisted in the infantry at the outbreak of America's involvement in the Korean War around 1950 and was awarded the Silver Star for saving several men from enemy fire.
Boxing comeback.
He attempted a comeback after World War II, but was unable to regain his status as a top lightweight and welterweight. He retired from boxing in 1950. In 2003, Jenkins made the Ring Magazine's list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.
Jenkins died October 30, 1981 at the Oakland Naval Regional Medical Center after a long illness. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Boxing achievements and honors.
<br>
Jenkins was admitted to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1977, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983 and in 1999, the International Boxing Hall of Fame.


Earl Lunsford

Earl Lunsford (October 19, 1933 – September 3, 2008), known as the "Earthquake", was a fullback for the Calgary Stampeders and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
College football.
Lunsford played during college at with Oklahoma A&M.
Calgary.
Lunsford was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League in 1956, but instead began his six-year career in the Canadian Football League that year with the Calgary Stampeders. His time in Calgary was interrupted for 2 seasons, 1957 to 1958, while serving in the United States military. He played 5 more seasons for the Stamps, from 1959 to 1963.
Lunsford rushed for over 1,000 yards 5 times, leading the West Division with 1,343 yards in 1960. During his best season, 1961, he led the entire CFL with a whopping 1,794 yards, which made him known as the first running back in professional sports to rush for a mile in one season. He was an All West all star in 1960 and All Canadian in 1961. That year, Calgary finished with a mediocre 7-9 record, but defeated the Edmonton Eskimos in the Western conference semi-final. However, they lost the Western conference final to the eventual Grey Cup winner, the Bud Grant-led Winnipeg Blue Bombers. His best game was on September 3, 1962, in Calgary, when he scored 5 rushing touchdowns, still a Stampeder record.
In his career, he rushed 1199 times for 6994 yards, a 5.8 yard average, and 55 touchdowns, with his longest run being 85 yards. He is the Stampeder all-time rushing leader with 55 touchdowns and 28 100-yard games and is second among Stampeders for all-time rushing yards.
Earl Lunsford had his own theme song "Earl The Pearl of Calgary".
General manager.
After his playing career, Lunsford became General Manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1968–1982) and the Calgary Stampeders (1985–1987).
Post-football honors.
For his outstanding years as a dominant running back, Lunsford was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Death.
He died September 3, 2008, aged 74, of Alzheimer's disease at his Texas home. He is survived by his wife Margot, children Brenda and Lamar, and three grandchildren.


Barry Littlefield

Barak Thomas "Barry" Littlefield (June 16, 1871 – June 14, 1936 is an American-born Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.
From a Canadian mother, he was born in Preakness in what is now Wayne, New Jersey, where his American father Charles Stuart Littlefield (1833–1915), was employed by Milton Holbrook Sanford's Preakness Stables. His father worked as a jockey in Toronto and is also an inductee of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame who won the first ever edition of the Queen's Plate in 1860 and again in 1862 and as a trainer, won the 1885 Preakness Stakes. His brother, Fred Littlefield, was a jockey who won the 1888 Preakness Stakes. Nicknamed Barry, his father named him after a close friend, Major Barak G. Thomas, a lawyer and American Civil War officer who established Dixiana Farm in Lexington, Kentucky in 1887 where he bred such horses as United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee Domino and owned the 1893 Leading sire in North America, Himyar.
Between 1902 and 1917, Barry Littlefield trained for the highly successful racing stable owned by the Waterloo, Ontario distilling magnate, Joseph E. Seagram. Littlefield was a multiple winner of every top Canadian flat race of his era including five editions of the country's most prestigious event, the King's Plate (Queen's Plate).
After retiring from racing, Barry Littlefield returned to be near family members in his native New Jersey where he died in 1936. In 2000, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.


Rogelio Onofre

Rogelio Onofre (born 12 December 1939) is a Filipino sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Early life and education.
Onofre was born on 12 December 1939 in the then town of Tarlac in the province of Tarlac but grew up in Dagupan, Pangasinan. According to his own account, Onofre often competed and win in local athletic races in his hometown of Dagupan barefooted prior to entering high school. He also competed in races in neighboring Binmaley as well in regional private schools athletics meets. In 1963, Onofre was given a Fulbright scholarship enabling him to pursue studies in Colorado and Los Angeles in the United States.
Career.
Onofre initially competed in men's high jump in regional private school meets and was scouted by coaches of the Philippine athletics team becoming a candidate of for the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo. He shifted to 100 and 200-meter runs since he felt he did inadequate in high jump and he eventually secured a berth in the men's 4x100-meter relay squad with Remigio Vista, Isaac Gomez and Claro Pellosis; all gold medalists in the 1958 Games. Onofre competing in the 4x100-meter relay won a gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. A year after the games, he secured a Fulbright scholarship which enabled him to train and study in the United States. Onofre along with Vista, William Moderno, Arnulfo Valles took part 4x100-meter relay at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok where they settled for bronze. His last major competition was the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where he competed in men's 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles; failing to progress from the preliminaries.
Post-retirement.
After retiring from athletics, Onofre settled in the United States living in San Francisco by 2021. He also has a granddaughter; Zion Corales Nelson who became an athlete like himself, who won a silver in the women's 4x100 meter relay in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. In 2021, he was inducted to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.


Jack Butterfield (ice hockey)

John Arlington "Jack" Butterfield (August 1, 1919 – October 16, 2010) was a professional ice hockey administrator and the president of the American Hockey League, serving the longest tenure of any AHL executive (28 years, from 1966 to 1994). After his retirement as president, he served as the AHL's Chairman of the Board until his death and continued to oversee the creation of the annual regular-season schedules for the league. He was born in Regina, Saskatchewan.
History.
After leaving the University of Alberta and being wounded in action while serving as a Wellington bomber pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II, and before serving as a league official, Butterfield worked for his uncle Eddie Shore's New Haven Eagles and Springfield Indians teams as a public relations executive and trainer. He subsequently held management positions in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the United States Hockey League before returning to the Indians, serving as a rink manager and trainer before rising to become the team's general manager. He was the general manager when the Indians won three consecutive Calder Cup championships in 1960, 1961 and 1962, a feat as yet unmatched in the AHL.
Upon becoming AHL President in 1966, Butterfield was instrumental in establishing the AHL as the primary minor league for the National Hockey League through restructuring of the basic affiliation agreement with the NHL. This agreement would help the league survive when expansion and the World Hockey Association came into being, and Butterfield's acumen became respected enough so that his views were sought by the NHL Rules Committee. He was responsible for moving the league offices to the Springfield area, where they remain to this day.
Butterfield guided the AHL through the difficult '70s, helping the league survive several rounds of NHL expansion and the appearance and disappearance of the WHA.
Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 in the Builders' category, Butterfield twice won the James C. Hendy Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding executive (1971, 1984) and the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy in 1985 for service to hockey in the United States. He was further honored by having the award for the most valuable player in the AHL playoffs named after him in 1984 and being named as one of the inaugural members of the AHL's Hall of Fame in 2006. Butterfield was also the first recipient of the Thomas Ebright Memorial Award in 1998 for outstanding contributions to the AHL.
"The American Hockey League would not exist today were it not for the efforts of Jack Butterfield during his tenure as president. He is a hockey legend and his contributions will forever be honored by the AHL," according to AHL President David Andrews.
Butterfield remained active in the community in retirement, serving on the board of the Springfield Shriner’s Hospital and as vice-chairman of the local March of Dimes. He died in Springfield, Massachusetts, on October 16, 2010.


Walter Jones (American football)

Walter Jones Jr. (born January 19, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Born in Alabama, he played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.
Jones played his entire professional career with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was a seven-time All-Pro selection and eventual NFL 2000s All-Decade Team honoree. Starting in each of his 180 games in Seattle, the Seahawks attempted more than 5,500 passes with Jones on the field, while Jones gave up a total of only 23 quarterback sacks, and was penalized for holding just nine times. On February 1, 2014, Jones was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His son, Walterious Jones, played almost one full season at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota in 2018.
College career.
Jones attended Holmes Community College for two seasons, where he was named Mississippi Junior College Player of the Year by the "Jackson Clarion-Ledger" in 1994. Then 6′5″ () and , Jones played both offensive tackle and tight end. He allowed one sack in two seasons.
After transferring to Florida State University, Jones played for coach Bobby Bowden's Seminoles teams in 1995 and 1996. He had to redshirt the 1995 season. As a junior in 1996, Jones started 11 games and the Sugar Bowl for the Seminoles and allowed one sack, subsequently earning second-team All-ACC honors. He decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 1997 NFL Draft.
Professional career.
Jones was drafted by the Seahawks sixth overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He started every game in which he played, beginning with his rookie season. Jones was a member of the 2005 Seahawks team that lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2006, Jones topped the list of the 101 best NFL players by the Sporting News.
Jones was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and seven-time All-Pro. Jones was perhaps the best at his position in the NFL during the early part of the decade, exemplified by being voted to the NFL's 2000s All Decade Team. From 1998 through 2000, he helped Ricky Watters achieve three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Seahawks and, later, paved the way for Shaun Alexander's NFL record-setting success.
Walter Jones was recognized by John Madden as the best player in the NFL in 2004 in a broadcast. Madden recognized Jones in numerous broadcasts as the best left tackle in the NFL and possibly one of the best of all time.
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached.
On Thanksgiving 2008, Walter Jones succumbed to a knee injury playing against the Cowboys in his 180th and final game. The injury required microfracture surgery to repair and immediately ended his season. Jones tried to play again in 2009 but was unsuccessful. On October 28, 2009, Jones was placed on injured reserve by the Seahawks. In a press conference the same day, Jones stated his intention to play in 2010. On April 29, 2010, Jones announced on his Twitter account that he would retire.
The Seahawks announced the retirement of his number, 71, and governor Christine Gregoire declared April 30 to be "Walter Jones Day" in the state of Washington.
On December 5, 2010, in a game versus the Carolina Panthers, in front of a crowd of over 66,000, the Seahawks honored the career of Jones by retiring his #71 jersey. This was only the second player number (#80 Steve Largent was the first) to be retired by the Seahawks (they have also retired #12 in honor of the fans).
On January 8, 2011, Jones lifted the 12th Man flag at Qwest Field before the Seahawks' wild card matchup against the New Orleans Saints. The 7–9 Seahawks went on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Saints 41–36.
On February 2, 2014, Jones served as the Seahawks' honorary captain at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, prior to their 43-8 victory over the Broncos. This coincided with his election onto the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also helped former Giant and fellow Hall of Famer Michael Strahan toss the coin to end the pregame ceremonies.


Steve Atwater

Stephen Dennis Atwater (born October 28, 1966) is an American former professional football player who spent most of his career playing free safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion. Atwater was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 1, 2020.
Early life.
Atwater attended Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri and was the school's top athlete. He was also the only player ever to win a Super Bowl out of that school. Atwater was selected all-conference and league Most Valuable Player as an option style quarterback. He credits his coach there, Mike Russell, as serving as a mentor for him both as a football player and becoming an exemplary citizen. Atwater also is sixth on Lutheran North's all-time passing yards in a season with 1,097 yards in his junior year.
College.
Atwater signed with the University of Arkansas, where he was moved from quarterback to safety. He was named to the All-Southwest Conference team three times and named as an All-American twice. Atwater finished as the Razorbacks' all-time leader in interceptions with 14.
Helping Atwater's stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the East-West Shrine Game, where he logged two interceptions. He was also named defensive most valuable player in the 1989 East-West Shrine Game.
He still holds the school record with 14 interceptions in his career.
In 1994, Atwater was named to the Razorback All-Century Team and the All-Decade Team for the 1980s. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1998.
Professional career.
Atwater was drafted out of the University of Arkansas by the Broncos with the 20th pick in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. The Broncos began the draft with the 13th overall pick and were hoping to upgrade their defense which had ranked 27th (out of a possible 28) against the run the previous year. Knowing that Atwater would be available in the later parts of the first round, the Broncos traded down to the 20th overall pick owned by the Cleveland Browns who selected Eric Metcalf with Denver's 13th overall pick.
New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips employed Atwater close to the line of scrimmage in order to fortify Denver's run defense and he led the team in tackles, finishing with 129 tackles his rookie season. Denver's defense jumped 20 spots to finish 7th against the run and tied for 3rd best in yards per carry with a 3.7-yard average. That same year, Atwater finished 2nd to the Kansas City Chiefs' Derrick Thomas in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. The additions of rookies Atwater and Bobby Humphrey, along with key free agent signings, helped Denver rebound from 8–8 in 1988 to AFC Super Bowl representative in 1989.
Atwater's second season marked the first of seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections (1990–96), tied for most in franchise history. Over his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, second-most in franchise history. Early in his career, Atwater teamed with fellow Broncos safety Dennis Smith to form one of the best safety tandems of their generation. Both would later be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame. During his 10-year career in Denver, Atwater started in 155 games, tying him for seventh in franchise history for games started. He also started in 14 post-season games.
One of Atwater's career highlights happened on September 17, 1990, during a Monday Night Football telecast from Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. As Kansas City Chiefs massive 260 lbs. running back Christian Okoye came through a hole in the line of scrimmage, he was met by Atwater. The resulting collision stopped Okoye in his tracks, with Atwater standing over him, taunting the proclaimed "Nigerian Nightmare", while he lay on the ground stunned. His coach Mike Shanahan stated "That's the hit people will remember him for."
In Super Bowl XXXII, he posted one of the better performances by a safety in a Super Bowl and one of the greatest games of his career. In that game, he is credited with six solo tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. His presence near the line of scrimmage kept the Green Bay Packers' running game in check. His sack and forced fumble resulted in three critical points in the second quarter when the Broncos offense had stalled without star running back Terrell Davis. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 24 and Green Bay had the ball on 3rd down & 8. Atwater knocked down a critical pass on a blitz where the receiver was left wide open, forcing the Packers to punt. Then on Green Bay's final drive, Atwater's vicious hit (which nearly knocked out three players, including Atwater, Packers Wide receiver Robert Brooks, and his teammate, Broncos Cornerback Randy Hilliard) with less than a minute remaining left the Packers in 4th and 6 situation without any remaining timeouts, due to NFL rules regarding injuries to players in the final two minutes of a game. Many argued that Atwater should have been the MVP of the game and the ensuing article in "The Sporting News" pictured Atwater and noted the impact of his hits on the game.
Super Bowl XXXII was Atwater's last great game, and 1997 his last great season. In 1998, he was relegated to only playing on 1st and 2nd downs and replaced on 3rd downs. Nevertheless, because of the viewership of the Super Bowl from the previous year, he was voted as an AFC Pro Bowl starter for an eighth and final time. Following the Pro Bowl voting, the "Denver Post" noted that Atwater's selection to the Pro Bowl was due to his play in the previous year's Super Bowl. Denver went on to win the Super Bowl for a second straight year, marking Super Bowl XXXIII as Atwater's final game with the Broncos.
Atwater left the Broncos following the 1998 season, signing with the New York Jets as a free agent for his final season in 1999. Atwater played for the New York Jets for one season and became a free agent. He called Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, asking him if he could retire as a Bronco. He signed a one-day ceremonial contract with the Broncos before announcing his retirement from football. He thanked several of his coaches, stating "I bleed orange and will always bleed orange and blue." At the time of his retirement, he played in 155 consecutive games with the Broncos. Bowlen called Atwater one of the Broncos' "greatest players".
Legacy.
Atwater was inducted to the Broncos' Ring of Fame in 2005. In 2017, Atwater was hired as both an insider for the Broncos' website as well as fan development manager.
Atwater was among 27 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012. He was one of four previously eligible candidates that made it to the semifinals for the first time. Atwater also made the finalist list for the 2016 and 2020 classes.
After 16 years, Steve Atwater was selected to the 2020 Hall of Fame class on February 1, 2020.


Ching Johnson

Ivan Wilfred "Ching" Johnson (December 7, 1897 – June 17, 1979) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and New York Americans in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an original member of the Rangers and was part of two Stanley Cup championship winning teams. He was named to the NHL's post-season all-star team four times and played in the Ace Bailey Benefit Game, the first all-star game in league history.
A veteran of World War I, Johnson did not begin playing competitive hockey until he was in his 20s and was nearly 30 when he first broke into the NHL. Regarded as one of the hardest bodycheckers to ever play the game, he was a fan favourite and went on to play 436 games with the Rangers and Americans before spending his final seasons in the minor leagues as a player, coach and official. Johnson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958, and is also a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Early life.
Johnson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on December 7, 1898. He was an accomplished football and lacrosse player in his youth. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 and fought for three years in the trenches of France as part of a mortar outfit. Johnson returned to Winnipeg following the war and worked for an electric light company. He first played competitive hockey in 1919 when he joined the Winnipeg Monarchs of the Winnipeg Senior Hockey League. He played two seasons with the Monarchs before moving to Eveleth, Minnesota where he joined the local team to play three seasons in the United States Amateur Hockey Association (USAHA). On the Eveleth team he was a teammate of his younger brother Adrian "Ade" Johnson who played at left wing. He then played three seasons in Minneapolis, concluding in 1925–26 with the Minneapolis Millers. He was named a league all-star on defence in both 1924 and 1926.
First nicknamed "Ivan the Terrible", Johnson later earned the nickname "Ching" when fans of the defencemen would shout "Ching, Ching Chinaman" to support him. Though he was of Irish descent, he was called "Chinaman", then "Chink" and finally "Ching" as he was considered to have an Asian looking face. His physical style of defence made him immensely popular with fans, and he was often seen with a wide grin any time he made or received contact during a game.
National Hockey League career.
It was from Minneapolis that Johnson was recruited, along with his defensive partner Taffy Abel, to play for the newly formed New York Rangers. Offered the position at the age of 28, Johnson insisted on a three-year contract as he believed it would be the only one he would get. He made his NHL debut in the Rangers opening game on November 16, 1926 in a 1–0 victory over the Montreal Maroons. A rugged and physical defenceman, Johnson appeared in only 27 of the Rangers' 44 games as he suffered a broken collar bone early in the season, but still finished second on the Rangers with 66 penalties in minutes. In 1927–28, his total of 146 penalty minutes led the team and was second in the NHL to Eddie Shore's 165. He added a career high 10 goals, and helped the Rangers win their first Stanley Cup. Additionally, he was voted by the fans as the most valuable player of either New York team.
Johnson was lost to the Rangers early in the 1928–29 season when he suffered a broken ankle during a December game against the Maroons. A couple days after his injury, he had to be rescued when a fire threatened the Montreal hospital at which he was convalescing. Johnson missed virtually the entire regular season with the injury, but returned in time for the 1929 playoffs, and was credited with improving the Rangers' play as they reached the final against the Boston Bruins.
His contract having expired following the season, Johnson was a hold-out when the Rangers opened their training camp prior to the 1929–30 NHL season as the team was reluctant to meet his demands for increased pay. When the impasse dragged into November, he threatened to quit the game altogether before finally agreeing to a new three-year deal. He appeared in 30 games for the Rangers that season, but again missed significant time, this time suffering a broken jaw. Again, Johnson returned in time for the playoffs, but was forced to wear a steel mask to protect his face.
Johnson remained healthy in 1930–31, appearing in 44 games and was named to the league's Second All-Star Team on defence. In addition to being named to the First All-Star Team in 1931–32, Johnson finished just one vote behind Howie Morenz for the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He was again named to the First All-Star Team in 1932–33 and led the Rangers to their second Stanley Cup; his defensive play was credited as being key to the team's success.
In 1933–34, Johnson earned his fourth consecutive post-season all-star nod, on the second team. He also participated in the first all-star game in NHL history as the league held a benefit game to raise money for Toronto's Ace Bailey, whose career had been ended by a violent hit early in the season. Johnson contemplated retirement following that season as he again found himself in a dispute with the Rangers on a new contract, but signed prior to the season's start. His season was again reduced by injury in 1934–35 but he returned in time for the playoffs.
Prior to the 1936–37 season, the Rangers signed Johnson to serve as the defensive coach while he continued to play. He appeared in 35 games but scored no points. Seeing little playing time, and having an offer to coach a minor league team, Johnson requested that the Rangers give him his outright release following the season. Believing that he had become too slow to play, the team agreed. He subsequently signed with the New York Americans, with whom he played one final NHL season in 1937–38.
Post-NHL career.
At age 40, Johnson returned to the Minneapolis Millers as a player-coach for the 1938–39 season. He quickly became the American Hockey Association's most popular star as large crowds attended games he participated in, and was named an AHA all-star in 1939. He served in the dual role for two years before resigning in 1940. Johnson then coached for a time in California, before returning east to coach the Washington Lions of the American Hockey League. He also served as an official in the Eastern Hockey League. During one game in 1944 in which he was working as a linesman, Johnson forgot he was no longer playing and threw a bodycheck on a player. When asked after the game about the incident, he stated it was "instinct" that led him to throw the hit.
In recognition of his career, Johnson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1958. He was also inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994, and is an honoured member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. The latter hall named him to province's all-century second all-star team.
After leaving hockey, Johnson worked construction in Washington, D.C., and later retired to the nearby community of Silver Spring, Maryland. He and his wife Ellen had two children: Geraldine and James. He had four grandchildren and one great-grandchild at the time of his death in 1979.