Southeastern Conference Baseball Player of the Year

The Southeastern Conference Player of the Year is a baseball award given to the Southeastern Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1993 season, with both pitchers and position players eligible. After the 2003 season, the Southeastern Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year award was created to honor the most outstanding pitcher. It is selected by the league's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.
The award has been shared once, by Stephen Head of Ole Miss and Jon Zeringue of LSU in 2004. Only one player has won the award twice—Matt LaPorta of Florida in 2005 and 2007. LSU has the most all-time winners, with six. One SEC member has yet to have a winner: 2012 arrival Missouri.


Suresh Babu

Suresh Babu (10 February 1953 – 19 February 2011) was an Indian long jumper from Kerala who had held the national titles in the long, triple, and high jump events, in addition to the decathlon. Suresh Babu dominated the scene between 1972 and 1979, winning national titles in the jumps and decathlon and at the same time picking his event for laurels on the international arena. He was one of the athletes to win medals in two events in successive Asian Games, the bronze in the decathlon in the Tehran Asian Games in 1974 and a gold in the long jump in the Bangkok Asian Games, 1978.
Babu died on 19 February 2011 in Ranchi while attending the 2011 National Games of India.
Early life.
Born in Kollam in Kerala on 10 February 1953, Suresh Babu was a science graduate who was good in athletics. He excelled as an athlete in Infant Jesus High School and the Fatima Mata College in Kollam. His first appearance at the national level was as a junior at Jalandhar in 1969. Three years later he won the national championship in high jump, a title he was to claim for six more years. Switching from one pit to another, he won the national championship in long jump during the years 1974, 1977 and 1979 and the triple jump in 1974, 1976 and 1978. In between he strayed over to the ten card event of decathlon and imposed himself on the national scene in the championships held in 1974, 1975 and 1978.
International career.
The Munich Olympics of 1972 he had his first exposure of international athletics, but it was in the Tehran Asian Games in 1974 he won his first medal. This was a Bronze in the decathlon. He won Gold medal in the Asian Championships at Seoul the following year. In between he was the captain of the Indian University's athletics team during the World Universities Games at Moscow in 1973.
Suresh Babu led the Indian athletics team to the 1978 Commonwealth Games at Edmonton in Canada and won a Bronze medal for long jump. He then went on to win the Gold medal at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, His winning effort of 7.85 metres was far short of T. C. Yohannan's 8.07 metres of the earlier Games. His next target was the 1979 Asian Athletics Meet in Tokyo where he won a Silver medal, During his seven years as an active athlete Suresh Babu also won medals for India at competitions in Ceylon, Lahore and the Philippines and was the captain of the Indian team for the World Athletics Meet at Montreal in 1979.
In retirement from athletics.
Suresh was employed as a Sports Officer with Kerala Sports Council, Suresh Babu had earlier served as Special Officer for Sports and Games, on the Kerala State Electricity Board. He was a member of the Technical Committee of the All India Electricity Sports Control Board and a coach at the Sports Authority of India (Southern Centre) in Bangalore. He was the State Supervisor of SAI for Kerala and Lakshadweep.


Tombi Devi

Khumujam Tombi Devi is an Indian judoka, who represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She participated in the 48 kg category, but lost to Portugal's Ana Hormigo in the preliminary round.


John Fishel

John Alan Fishel (born November 8, 1962 in Fullerton, California) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder who played for the Houston Astros in 1988.
Prior to playing professionally, he attended Cal State Fullerton, with whom he won the 1984 College World Series Most Outstanding Player as a junior outfielder.
He was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the eighth round of the 1981 draft, but he chose not to sign. In 1984, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 19th round of the draft, but again, he did not sign. Finally, when he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the ninth round of the 1985 draft by the Astros, he did sign.
In 1985, he began his professional career with the Auburn Astros, with whom he hit .261 with nine home runs and 42 RBI in 268 at-bats. He played for the Osceola Astros in 1986, hitting .269 with 12 home runs, 83 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 490 at-bats. With the Columbus Astros in 1987, he hit .276 with 24 home runs and 88 RBI in 457 at-bats.
Fishel began the 1988 season with the Tucson Toros in 1988, and he hit .261 with 18 home runs and 68 RBI in 360 at-bats with them. On July 14, he made his big league debut, against pitcher Bruce Ruffin of the Philadelphia Phillies. Pinch-hitting for pitcher Mike Scott, Fishel grounded out in his first and only at-bat of the game. Overall, he would hit .231 in 26 big league at-bats in his only season in the majors. He appeared in 19 major league games, hitting one home run with two RBI. The home run was perhaps the biggest highlight of his big league career. It was against pitcher Steve Peters of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 3. He played his final big league game on October 2.
Although his big league career was done, his professional career was not. On January 10, 1989, Fishel was traded by the Astros with minor leaguers Mike Hook and Pedro DeLeon to the Yankees for Rick Rhoden. He played for the Columbus Clippers in both 1989 and 1990, which was his final professional season. In 1989, he hit .218 with six home runs and 31 RBI, and in 1990 he hit .200 with three home runs and 21 RBI.
Overall, Fishel hit .231 with 72 home runs and 333 RBI in his six-year minor league career.
External links.
, or Retrosheet, or John Fishel at SABR (Baseball BioProject), or Pura Pelota {Venezuelan Winter League)


Jerry Azumah

Jerry Azumah ( ; born September 1, 1977) is a former American football cornerback who played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of New Hampshire, and was selected by the Bears in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
Early years.
Azumah is the first-generation American son of Theophilus and Bertha Azumah, natives of Ghana. Azumah was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. At an early age, he played for the Worcester Vikings Pop Warner football team. Azumah attended Saint Peter-Marian High School receiving football honors as a Central Massachusetts and Shriners All-Star.
Collegiate years.
Azumah attended the University of New Hampshire where he was a four-year starter on offense for Chip Kelly. He was an All-American tailback. At the time, Azumah was the only player in Division I-AA history to have four seasons of 1000+ rushing yards.
In 1999, Azumah was the first recipient of the Jim Urquhart Student-Athlete of the Year Award. This annual award is bestowed upon UNH senior student-athletes who excel both in athletic competition and the classroom, in addition to possessing sportsmanship, great character and passion for sports.
During Azumah's senior year he was elected, by unanimous vote, All-American and All-Atlantic 10 Conference while shattering conference and school season records with 22 touchdowns and 2,195 rushing yards. He also won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA football.
In his college playing career, Azumah set the Division I-AA career rushing record with 6,193 yards. He also set the Division I-AA record with 8,276 career all-purpose yards. In 2005 Azumah was inducted into the New Hampshire Wildcats Athletic Council Hall of Fame.
NFL career.
Azumah was selected by the Chicago Bears as the 147th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft out of the University of New Hampshire. In Azumah's first year with the Chicago Bears, he won the prestigious Brian Piccolo Award. This award is given to a Chicago Bear by his teammates. Brian Piccolo played four seasons as a running back for the Chicago Bears from 1965–1968. Piccolo died from cancer in 1970 when he was just 26 years old. The Chicago Bears created the Brian Piccolo award to honor a teammate's courage, loyalty, teamwork and dedication.
Azumah, who was a running back in college, continued to make the transition into an NFL defensive back. As his NFL experience grew, he also saw time on special teams and special situations on defense. In 2001 Azumah was given a contract extension. On January 19, 2002, during the divisional playoff game versus the Philadelphia Eagles, Azumah intercepted then quarterback Donovan McNabb and returned the ball 39 yards for a touchdown. That was the last touchdown scored in old Soldier Field.
His best season came in 2003 when he led the league in kickoff returns with a twenty-nine-yard average and two touchdowns. In 2004, Azumah was selected to represent the NFC in the NFL Pro Bowl as a kick returner. In that game Azumah broke the record for return yards with 228. He also recovered a fumble.
For Azumah's career, he appeared in 105 games with 48 starts. He had 384 tackles, 10 interceptions, 29 pass defense, 6.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles and one recovery. Azumah retired in March 2006.
Post NFL career.
Azumah has been seen on the Chicago Bears post game coverage and commentary on WFLD-TV, Fox Chicago and appeared weekly on Fox Chicago's Good Day Chicago. Azumah started his television broadcasting career on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2006 as a post game analyst and feature reporter. Azumah also worked for ESPN 1000 radio in Chicago in 2010.
Philanthropic activity.
Azumah became a board member of the University of New Hampshire Foundation in 2001. The Foundation builds private support for the University of New Hampshire. In the summer of 2003, Azumah donated a six-figure gift to the Foundation which was directed to the University's athletic department. The Jerry Azumah Performance Center was a direct result of Azumah's gift. At age 25, Azumah became the youngest UNH alumnus to give a gift over $100,000.
In 2004 Azumah started the Azumah Student Assistance Program (ASAP). ASAP is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization and provides scholarships for disadvantaged students that attend private, secondary education. The program helps students in both Massachusetts and Illinois.
As a retired member of the Chicago Bears Football Club, Azumah joined the Board of Directors of Bears Care in 2006, the philanthropic arm of the Chicago Bears. Bears Care was founded in 1989 and supports youth athletics, education, medical research and treatment programs for breast and ovarian cancer.
Personal life.
Azumah has two children (Santiago and Valentino) with his fiancée Bianca. The Azumah family currently resides in Chicago, IL.


Christie Welsh

Christie Welsh (born February 27, 1981) is an American former soccer player who played as a forward. She previously played for the New York Power of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) as well as the Los Angeles Sol, Saint Louis Athletica, and Washington Freedom of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She is also a former member of the United States women's national soccer team.
Early life.
Born in Massapequa Park, New York, Welsh attended Massapequa High School on Long Island in Massapequa, New York. She was a two-time Parade All-American and a 1999 NSCAA All-American. Welsh was the 1998 Gatorade Circle of Champions National High School Girls' Soccer Player of the Year. She led Massapequa to the 1997 New York State Championship. Welsh played club soccer with the Northport Cow Harbor Piranha where she won two national titles.
Penn State University.
Welsh attended Penn State University and ended her collegiate career as one of the most decorated athletes in the school's history. In her freshman campaign, Welsh piloted the Lions to their first ever Final Four, led the team and was tied nationally for goals scored (27), and earned Penn State's first College Cup all-tournament honor.
Her junior year, Welsh's received the Hermann Trophy, the sport's most prestigious award given to the nation's top player. She was also honored with the 2001 Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year award. She finished her career amassing four NSCAA All-America honors, three consecutive Soccer America Collegiate MVP's, and three Big Ten Player of the Year honors. She is still the Big Ten's leading scorer and was part of four Big Ten title teams and two College Cup squads during her time at Penn State. Welsh ended her collegiate career at Penn State with 82 goals and 52 assists plus 27 game-winning goals which are all Big 10 records.
Playing career.
New York Power.
Welsh was drafted second overall by the New York Power of the now-defunct WUSA professional league. She scored six goals in 12 games during her rookie season.
Los Angeles Sol & Saint Louis Athletica.
In 2009, Welsh was selected with the 5th pick of the second round (12th overall) by the Los Angeles Sol in the WPS General Player Draft. She appeared in three games for Los Angeles before being traded to the Saint Louis Athletica on May 9, 2009. She finished the 2009 season with three goals in 11 games for St. Louis.
Washington Freedom.
Welsh was acquired by the Washington Freedom before the start of the 2010 season.
D.C. United.
After the Freedom was moved to Florida under new ownership for the 2011 season, Welsh joined D.C. United Women originally as an assistant coach, but has attained a second role as a substitute forward.
International.
Welsh debuted for the United States women's national soccer team in 2000. Welsh scored 11 goals in 15 games for the United States in her first significant season with the full national team. She scored 10 goals faster than any other player in American soccer history. In 2004, Welsh was a member of the U.S. Olympic Residency Training Camp. In 2005, Welsh won the Golden Boot Award as top scorer in the prestigious Algarve Cup tournament with five goals, including the game-winning goal in the championship match against Germany.
Coaching career.
Welsh is currently an assistant coach at University of Oregon. She previously served as a volunteer assistant coach for Penn State from 2004–2006 and Wisconsin in 2011. She is also head coach and director of the U16 FC Bucks Revolution club team.


USL Most Valuable Player

The Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL) Most Valuable Player is an annual award of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL), the highest tier professional basketball league in Ukraine, given since the 2008–09 season, to the league's most valuable player in the regular season.


Sumrai Tete

Sumrai Tete (born 15 November 1979) is a member of the India women's national field hockey team. She played with the team when it won the Gold at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games.
In the year 2017, she was honoured with the prestigious Dhyan Chand Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for her achievements and contribution to Field hockey in India.
She is the brand ambassador of Hockey in her state Jharkhand. The Chief Minister Raghubar Das also announced that she will be training the State level hockey players.


BBC Sports Team of the Year Award

The BBC Sports Team of the Year Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. Currently, the award is given "[f]or the team in an individual sport or sporting discipline that has achieved the most notable performance in the calendar year to date. The team should have significant UK interest or involvement". From 2012 the award's recipient is decided by an expert panel selected by the BBC. For some years before 2012 a panel of over 30 sporting journalists, each of whom voted for their top two choices and followed a defined set of voting criteria. Before that, the winner of the Team of the Year Award has been chosen by public vote and picked by listeners of Radio 5 Live.
The Team of the Year Award was first presented in 1960, six years after the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award was introduced. The first recipient of the award was the Cooper Formula One Racing team. The England national rugby union team and the Ryder Cup team have won the award the most times; both teams have won five times and have shared the award on one of those occasions. Liverpool F.C. have won the award four times. The award has been shared on two occasions—by the British women's 4 x 400 m relay team and the British Ryder Cup team in 1969, and by the England national rugby union team and the British men's 4 x 400 m relay team in 1991. Teams have varied greatly in size. The smallest winning team has been two members; the figure skating duo of Torvill and Dean in 1982 and 1983, and the Olympic men's coxless rowing pair of Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent in 1992 and 1996. The largest winning team was in 2012; the British representatives at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Six nations have been represented by the award winning team. Teams representing Great Britain have won the award the most times, having had twenty-three recipients, three of which shared the award. Excluding the 2000 British Olympic and Paralympic teams, which fielded competitors in many Paralympic and Olympic sports, the remainder of the winning teams have represented 15 sporting disciplines. Although dominated by teams from England or representing Great Britain, the award has been won twice by Scottish teams; Celtic in 1967, after they became the first British football club to win the European Cup, and the 1990 Grand Slam winning Scotland rugby union squad.
Football has had the highest representation among the winners, with 14 recipients. The most recent award was presented in 2020 to Liverpool F.C..
By nation.
This table lists the total number of awards won by nations that the teams have represented.
By sport.
This table lists the total number of awards won by the teams sporting discipline.


Amit Kumar Dahiya

Amit Kumar Dahiya (born 15 December 1993) is an Indian wrestler who represented India at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. He was the youngest wrestler ever to represent India at the Olympics while also being the youngest athlete of the 2012 Indian Olympic delegation.
In the recently concluded Pro Wrestling League’s players’ auction, he has been bought by Olive Global, a technology firm, and will be part of Haryana Hammers wrestling team.
Life and family.
Dahiya hails from Nahri village of Sonepat district, Haryana. He comes from a modest background with his father Narender Dahiya employed as a small-scale farmer. He has two brothers Sanju Dahiya and Dushyant Dahiya
Amit started wrestling in second grade at the age of seven, defeating a seventh grade student during a casual match in school. Seeing immense potential, his teachers and his family were encouraged to send him for proper training. He was admitted in the akhara of Hansrajji, at that time used only for recreation.
After seeing his talent, wrestling coach and former Asian and Commonwealth Games medallist Satpal Singh took him in his Delhi's wrestling training centre at Chhatrasal Stadium, Delhi.
Career.
2012 Asian Wrestling Championships.
In the opening round of the men's 55 kg freestyle category, Amit faced Ruslan Seksenbaev of Kazakhstan and beat him 3:0. In the next round, Amit's opponent was Yasuhiro Inaba of Japan, losing to him 0:5.
With the Japanese grappler reaching the final round, Amit was able to compete in the repechage round. In the first repechage round, his opponent was Alvin Lobriguito of the Philippines whom he beat 3:1 to qualify for the bronze medal bout. Amit was able to win the bronze medal, beating Altinbek Alimbaev of Kyrgyzstan 3:0.
2013 World Wrestling Championships.
In Budapest, Amit won the silver medal n the 55 kg category before losing to the Iranian Hassan Rahimi in the gold medal bout.
In the first round, Amit faced Yasuhiro Inaba of Japan, whom he lost to in the Asian Wrestling Championships the previous year but was able to exact revenge and beat him 4:1. His second round opponent was Zoheir Elquaraque of France whom he beat 4:0. In the quarter-finals, he was up against Angel Escobedo of the USA whom he overcame 4:0 easily. To qualify for the gold medal bout, he was up against Sezer Akguel of Turkey whom he was able to beat 4:0 easily.
2013 Asian Wrestling Championships.
In the tournament in New Delhi, Amit won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 55 kg category, beating Yang Kyong-il of South Korea by 1–0, 5–2 in the gold medal bout. After first round bye, he defeated Rassul Kaliyev of Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, and Japanese grappler Fumitaka Morishita in the semi-finals.
2014 Commonwealth Games.
Amit won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 57 kg category, beating Ebikweminomo Welson of Nigeria with a thumping 6-2.
In the Round of 16, Amit faced Jean Guyliane Bandoo of Mauritius and won 5:0. His next opponent in the quarter-final round was Bokang Masunyane of South Africa whom he beat 4:0 comfortably. To qualify for the gold medal match, he faced Azhar Hussain from Pakistan in the semi-finals whom he beat easily 4:0.
2014 Asian Games.
Amit Kumar unfortunately couldn't repeat his Commonwealth Games feat. He crashed out of the tournament in the first round itself, losing 1:3 to Fumitaka Morishita of Japan.


Richie Lucas

Richard John Lucas (born April 15, 1938) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University from 1957 to 1959 and professionally in the American Football League (AFL) with the Buffalo Bills from 1960 to 1961 and the Denver Broncos in 1962.
Lucas was born in Glassport, Pennsylvania. He is of Russian descent. Nicknamed "Riverboat Richie" due to his gambling instincts when calling plays, Lucas won the Maxwell Award and was runner-up to LSU's Billy Cannon for the Heisman Trophy in 1959.
Lucas was a first round pick in both the 1960 NFL draft and the 1960 American Football League draft. Lucas signed with the Buffalo Bills of the newly-formed AFL, making him officially the franchise's first player. There he played quarterback, halfback, defensive back and kick returner for two seasons. He was obtained by the AFL's Denver Broncos following the 1962 equalization draft, but never played for the Broncos.
Lucas returned to Penn State following his pro football career, serving as assistant athletic director until 1998. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.


Best Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award

The Best Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award was an annual award honoring the achievements of an athlete from the world of action sports. It was first awarded as part of the ESPY Awards in the 2002 ceremony. The Best Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award trophy, created by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan, was presented to the action sports athlete adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year. Balloting for the award was undertaken by a panel of experts who composed the ESPN Select Nominating Committee. Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.
The inaugural winner of the Best Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award was American snowboarder Kelly Clark at the 2002 edition. During 2001 and 2002, she won seven major worldwide snowboarding competitions, which included the gold medal in the women's halfpipe at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and first place at the Winter X Games. Clark became the first female snowboarder to be nominated for, and hence to win, an ESPY Award. Americans won both times the accolade was given out with fellow snowboarder Shaun White being voted the only male winner of the award at the 2003 ceremony. The Best Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award was by gender in 2004, since which year Best Female Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award and the Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award have been presented.


Mal Whitfield

Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the 1948 gold medal team in the 4 × 400 meters relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze). After his competitive career, he worked for forty-seven years as a coach, goodwill ambassador, and athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Service.
Early life.
Whitfield was born in Bay City, Texas. He moved to the Watts district of Los Angeles when he was four; at that age, his father died, and his mother died when he was 12, after which he was raised by his older sister. He sneaked into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the 1932 Summer Olympic Games, where he watched Eddie Tolan defeat Ralph Metcalfe in the 100 meter race, an event that spurred his own Olympic goals.
Whitfield joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. After World War II, he remained in the military, but also enrolled at Ohio State University. In the early 1950s, he also served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, flying 27 combat missions as a tail gunner. Under the coaching of Larry Snyder, he won the NCAA title while at Ohio State in the 800 m in 1948 and 880 yd in 1949. After leaving the university, he won the AAU title from 1949 to 1951 at 800 m, in 1953 and 1954 at 880 yd and in 1952 at 400 m. He also won the 800 m at the 1951 Pan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Olympic career.
At the 1948 Olympics in London, Whitfield won the 800 m and was a member of the winning 4 × 400 m relay team. He also earned a bronze medal in the 400 m. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, he repeated his 800 m victory. He also earned a silver medal as a member of United Statese 4 × 400 m relay team. He set a world record at 880 yd of 1:49.2 in 1950 and dropped it to 1:48.6 in 1952. In 1954, Whitfield became the first black athlete to win the James E. Sullivan Award, given annually by the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU) to the outstanding amateur athlete in the country. Whitfield narrowly missed making the 1956 Olympic team while a student at California State University, Los Angeles, and he retired from track competition shortly thereafter.
Sports ambassador.
After graduating, he worked for the United States Department of State and the United States Information Service, conducting sports clinics in Africa.
In his 47 years in Africa, Whitfield trained and gave consultation to dozens of athletes who represented their countries as Olympians and All-Africa Games champions. He coached in 20 countries and lived in Kenya, Uganda and Egypt. Whitfield also arranged sports scholarships for over 5,000 African athletes to study in the United States. During his career as a diplomat, he traveled to over 132 countries and played a key role in training and developing African athletes. United States President Ronald Reagan wrote of him: "Whether flying combat missions over Korea, or winning gold medal after gold medal at the Olympics, or serving as an ambassador of goodwill among the young athletes of Africa, you have given your all. This country is proud of you, and grateful to you." Shortly after his retirement from government service in 1989, Whitfield was invited to the Oval Office, where President George H. W. Bush recognized his service to the nation and the world.
Awards.
In 1954, Whitfield won the James E. Sullivan Award for amateur athletics. Whitfield was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974, and Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1978. Among track and field athletes, only Jesse Owens had been inducted before him.
Memoir.
Whitfield wrote the book "Learning to Run", which was translated into French. His memoir was published by his foundation and titled "Beyond the Finish Line".
Personal life.
He was married to Nola Whitfield. He was also the father of Nyna Konishi, Lonnie Whitfield, CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield and accomplished high jumper Ed Wright. In 1989 Whitfield founded the Mal Whitfield Foundation for the promotion of sports, academics, and culture. The foundation has distributed 5,000 athletic scholarships.
Whitfield died at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospice center in Washington, D.C. on the night of November 19, 2015, aged 91.


Archie Amerson

Archie J. Amerson (born August 24, 1974) is an American former professional Canadian football running back and slotback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1997 to 2004, appearing in 122 regular season games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one regular season game for the Toronto Argonauts. In 1999, he was part of the Tiger-Cats team that won the 87th Grey Cup. He missed the entire 2005 season due to injury and was released by the Tiger-Cats afterwards. At the time of his release, Amerson was one of the most prolific receivers in Tiger-Cats history, ranking third in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, fifth in kickoff return yards, and sixth in touchdowns.
Amerson played high school football at Samuel F.B. Morse High School in San Diego, California. He went on to play college football for the Dixie State Rebels of Dixie State College from 1993 to 1994 and was named a junior college All-American each year. He then played for the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University from 1995 to 1996. In Amerson's senior year of 1996, he won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA (now FCS) football.
High school career.
Amerson played high school football at Samuel F. B. Morse High School in San Diego as both a running back and defensive back. In 1991, Amerson primarily played as a cornerback. Although officially designated the backup running back for Morse that year, he never carried the ball. Amerson's role sharply shifted as a senior in 1992 when the coaching staff played him as the team's lead running back in addition to his role on defense. In October, Amerson rushed for 197 yards and four touchdowns in a 48–0 win over Patrick Henry High School. Amerson's strong game against Patrick Henry saw his role on the team increase as he ran for 675 yards and 13 touchdowns over a three-week period. He finished his only season as a running back for Morse with 1,475 rushing yards to lead his section. Amerson was designated the offensive player of the year in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) after Morse won the CIF San Diego section championship. While in high school, Amerson also played Little League Baseball for the Skyline Pirates. He made California District 42's All-Star team in 1992.
College career.
In 1993 and 1994, Amerson attended Dixie State College, now the four-year Dixie State University, and played for the Dixie State Rebels, now the Trailblazers. He rushed for over 3,000 yards with the Rebels and led the nation among junior college running backs in 1994, recording 1,691 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named to the junior college All-America team in both years with the Rebels. In December 1994, Amerson was suspended from playing in the Dixie Rotary Bowl after being arrested in connection with a "brawl". After the 1994 season, Amerson transferred to Northern Arizona University with hopes of playing on defense. His plans were halted by an injury to Northern Arizona's starting halfback. Amerson was forced to remain a running back and continued successfully at that position, rushing for 1,117 yards with 12 touchdowns in 1995.
Amerson had an All-American season in 1996, rushing for 2,079 yards on 333 carries with 25 touchdowns. He recorded a career-high 289 rushing yards in a September game against the Portland State Vikings. On October 5, Amerson scored seven rushing touchdowns against the Weber State Wildcats. This earned him multiple Division I-AA records, including most touchdowns, most rushing touchdowns, and most points scored with 42 points. Amerson received the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA football. He was later inducted into the Northern Arizona University Athletics Hall of Fame, and Northern Arizona retired his jersey (number 9) in honor of his college career.
Professional career.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
1997 season.
Amerson was eligible for the 1997 NFL Draft but went unselected. Instead, he played professionally in the CFL, initially being signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team placed Amerson on their practice squad to start the season, but he was forced into action after Ted Long suffered a groin injury. Amerson started in his first career appearance against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, catching his first career touchdown pass in the 18–33 loss. While the Tiger-Cats continued to struggle during the game and dropped to a 0–3 record, Amerson's performance was praised, with "The Hamilton Spectator" calling him "the quickest back ever". He followed his first game with a breakout performance against the heavily–favored Toronto Argonauts, running for 100 yards on 18 carries. By the end of August, Amerson led the Tiger-Cats' offense with 298 rushing yards, 12th most in the CFL despite not playing in the first two games. After being briefly sidelined with a foot injury, Amerson returned to a starting role and rushed for 139 yards against the Calgary Stampeders in late September. He finished the season with 1,044 combined rushing and receiving yards along with five touchdowns over 15 games. Amerson struggled with ball security throughout the season, recording six fumbles. The Tiger-Cats nominated Amerson as top rookie in the CFL.
1998 season.
During the offseason, the Tiger-Cats signed running back Ron Williams. Williams was known for power running and was described as a "210-pound battering ram" by "The Hamilton Spectator". The presence of Williams allowed the Tiger-Cats to develop Amerson further as a receiving back, and the team further experimented by designing plays where Amerson lined up as a slotback and using him as a kick returner. He went on to catch 65 passes for 750 yards and five touchdowns in addition to rushing for 703 yards and three touchdowns. Amerson immediately established himself as a viable receiving option in the season opener against Calgary when he caught six passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. In late July, Amerson caught a short pass and ran 74 yards for a touchdown against the Stampeders. The play was described as "the Ticats' biggest play so far this season" by Larry Sicinski of "The Hamilton Spectator". Amerson remained effective on the ground, rushing for 114 yards in an early August game against the Edmonton Eskimos, but he continued to struggle with fumbles throughout the season.
In a mid-August victory over the Eskimos, Amerson threw the first touchdown pass of his career to wide receiver Andrew Grigg after lining up as a running back. In the same game, he caught a career-long 89-yard touchdown pass. By September, Amerson was considered a potential nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. Toward the end of the season, the Tiger-Cats began to use Williams and Amerson in distinct roles, with Williams performing most of the ground work while Amerson acted as a receiver. Amerson finished the season sixth in the league in all-purpose yardage. The Tiger-Cats lost to the Stampeders in the 86th Grey Cup. In the final quarter of the Grey Cup, Amerson caught a short pass and ran for a 47-yard completion to set up a touchdown. During the play, he dodged two Stampeders defenders (Darryl Hall and Alondra Johnson), causing them to collide. Both Stampeders players were injured on the play, with Johnson losing consciousness.
1999 season.
Amerson became a free agent after the 1998 season but expressed a strong desire to continue playing for the Tiger-Cats. Hamilton re-signed Amerson to a one-year contract worth approximately $50,000 in late March with a team option for an additional year. Amerson spent time practicing as a punt returner during training camp despite not having returned a punt since high school. In the regular season opener, Amerson returned a punt 42 yards to set up a touchdown drive. In the second game of the season, Amerson suffered a knee injury which forced him to miss several games. He returned in mid-August, catching a touchdown in his first game back against the Montreal Alouettes. In a September rematch against the Alouettes, Amerson caught a career-high eight receptions.
Amerson's role as a rusher was greatly reduced in 1999, both due to his early knee injury and the returning Williams, who developed into the team's featured power back. Amerson's only significant rushing play was a career-high 70-yard touchdown run in late September. After Amerson re-injured his knee in October, Tony Akins received his first start in which he recorded 257 receiving yards. After Akins' first game, head coach Ron Lancaster told the media that Amerson would primarily be used as a kick returner going forward, with Akins remaining in the lineup even after Amerson returned. Despite this, Amerson continued to see time as both a receiver and punt returner upon his return later that month. He finished the season with 47 receptions for 700 yards and five touchdowns through 13 games played. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Calgary Stampeders 32–21 in the 87th Grey Cup, making Amerson a Grey Cup champion.
2000 season.
In 2000, Amerson was used heavily as a receiver and kick returner, recording 70 receptions for 1,198 receiving yards and six touchdowns as well as 948 return yards over 51 kick returns, all career-highs at the time. In a July game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Amerson caught a 74-yard touchdown pass in the eventual 40–34 win. He followed this up with five catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns the next month when the Tiger-Cats played the Roughriders again. Following this, Amerson was named player of the week and described by "The Hamilton Spectator" as both halves of "Hamilton's one-two punch". In September, Amerson caught a 75-yard touchdown pass to help the Tiger-Cats defeat the Alouettes 15–9.
While Amerson had his best season as a receiver through September, he was criticized for his play toward the end of the season. "The Hamilton Spectator" described him as "slumping" in October while pointing out his poor yardage per punt return (6.8 yards). The "Calgary Herald" stated that Amerson had "disappeared" over a seven-week period when he caught only 25 passes for 302 yards and no touchdowns, statistics far below those he had set earlier in the season. Despite the slump, Amerson finished with career-high receptions (70), receiving yards (1,166), and touchdowns (six) while finishing second in the CFL for all-purpose yards (2,407). The Tiger-Cats lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22–20 in the East Division semi-final. Amerson scored a touchdown for the Tiger-Cats, but he later lost 16 yards on a crucial pitch play with 90 seconds left on the game clock. After the failed run, the Blue Bombers received the ball back and kicked a field goal to win the game.
Toronto Argonauts.
Amerson again became a free agent after the 2000 season. Rather than pursue Amerson, the Tiger-Cats elected to sign fullback Duane Forde. The signing represented a shift from a receiving back to a running back who primarily blocks. In May 2001, Amerson signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Argonauts. The Argonauts expected to use Amerson as a running back, slotback, and return specialist. Head coach Mike Clemons stated that he expected Amerson to break records with the Argonauts, but Amerson's time with the team was short. In the first game of the season, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss several games. During this time, receiver and return specialist Greg Hill became increasingly involved in the offense and began to fill the multi-purpose role originally expected of Amerson. The Argonauts dropped Amerson from the active roster and offered him a position on the practice squad in late July. In late August, the Tiger-Cats re-signed Amerson. Clemons later told the media he had been discussing the possibility of re-signing Amerson with other members of the coaching staff when the Tiger-Cats acquired Amerson.
Return to the Tiger-Cats.
2001 season.
Immediately after signing with the Tiger-Cats, Amerson played in the Labour Day Classic against Toronto, catching a touchdown pass and returning a punt for 24 yards. While the Tiger-Cats initially expected to use Amerson more in the rushing game than they had in the past, the team returned to using him as a receiving back by the end of September due to weaknesses in the offensive line. As the season progressed, Troy Davis emerged as the Tiger-Cats' starting running back and leading rusher while Amerson was used as a receiving back. After missing a game in early October due to bruised ribs, Amerson was effective as a receiver for the rest of the month, finishing with three touchdowns in the last two games of October. Due to a coaching decision to rest Davis prior to the playoffs, Amerson started in the final game of the regular season against the BC Lions.
According to "The Province", the Tiger-Cats "rode Amerson's coattails" on their way to a 24–14 win against the Alouettes in the Eastern Semi-Final. He finished with 250 all-purpose yards, a receiving touchdown, and a punt return touchdown. His 94-yard punt return touchdown set a team record. Amerson received widespread praise for his performance in the game, and "The Hamilton Spectator" described him as the "Ticat hero who almost got away". The Tiger-Cats lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Final the following week. Amerson's most significant play of the East Final was a "leaping" catch in the third-quarter, but it was called back due to an offensive holding penalty.
2002 season.
After Mike Morreale left the Tiger-Cats in free agency, the team moved Amerson to the slotback position. The change of position placed him consistently on the starting roster for the first time in his career. Amerson's first receiving touchdown of the season tied a July game against the Stampeders, which the Tiger-Cats later won 34–31 in overtime. Two weeks later, he caught nine passes for 221 yards against the Ottawa Renegades. By the beginning of August, Amerson had emerged as "the top of the pile of Hamilton Tiger-Cats receivers" (ahead of Hall of Famer Darren Flutie) and was second in the league for receiving yardage. After an injury to starting running back Troy Davis in September, the Tiger-Cats utilized Amerson both as their starting slotback and backup running back, as they lacked a third-string running back. The majority of his production continued to come as a slotback. He recorded 147 receiving yards in the first game after being listed as a running back on the roster, including a touchdown catch in overtime to win 35–28 against the Montreal Alouettes.
In early October, Amerson missed a game with a leg injury but returned the following week to catch two touchdowns against the Argonauts. Amerson finished the season with 970 yards on 61 catches with six touchdowns. The Tiger-Cats did not make the playoffs after losing in the final week of the season.
2003 season.
Amerson was re-signed by the Tiger-Cats in January 2003 to a deal that involved "substantially more" than the $45,000 he received the previous season. The Tiger-Cats lost several receivers to retirement or trades, and Amerson was one of only two starting receivers left on the team from the previous year. Through the first half of the season, the Tiger-Cats receivers struggled. Amerson led the team in receiving yards, but he often was double-covered by opposing teams and struggled to get open. Amerson was also criticized for dropping passes in important situations. He recorded 960 receiving yards and four touchdowns during the regular season. The Tiger-Cats finished the season with a 1–17 record amid controversy after the owners of the team failed to pay players, including Amerson. While the CFL took over the team and paid players their full salaries as recorded with the league, Amerson reportedly lost $40,000 in expected salary due to a portion of his contract being unregistered with the league.
2004 season.
During the offseason, Amerson remained in Canada for the first time during his career to train with incoming receivers' coach Paul LaPolice. The Tiger-Cats receivers, including Amerson, started the season more successfully than the previous year. Through the first three games, Amerson was ninth in the CFL in receiving yards with 224 yards on eight catches. Amerson caught 47 passes for 894 yards and five touchdowns through fourteen regular season games. In October, an injury forced Amerson to undergo surgery to repair the torn cartilage in his knee. He returned in the Tiger-Cats' semi-final loss to the Argonauts.
Retirement.
Prior to the 2005 season, Amerson signed a two-year contract extension with the Tiger-Cats, and he was expected to feature heavily among their receivers. Shortly before the start of training camp, Amerson experienced nerve issues in his left leg which prevented him from running. While the prognosis was initially optimistic, the media considered his season to be "compromised" by the start of the regular season. The source of the injury was a herniated disk which pressed against nerves and caused muscle atrophy throughout Amerson's left leg. Amerson remained out for the entire season and was released by the team on January 31, 2006. As of his retirement, Amerson was one of the most prolific receivers in Tiger-Cats history, ranking third in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, fifth in kickoff return yards, and sixth in touchdowns.
Personal life.
Amerson is the son of Archie Amerson Sr., who played minor league baseball for teams associated with the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. He was born in San Diego, California, where he returned in the offseason during his CFL career. Amerson's brother, Andrew, played college football for Cal State Northridge and Troy State. Andrew Amerson briefly signed with the Toronto Argonauts but did not play in any games.
After retiring from football, Amerson taught classes at a gym owned by his father in San Diego. In August 2006, he ran a summer camp for children interested in football. The camp was affiliated with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.


Ray Van Cleef

Ray Van Cleef (c. 1911 - May 26, 1964) was an American baseball player, artist's model, magazine editor and columnist.
Life.
Van Cleef was born circa 1911. He took up weightlifting in Siegmund Klein's gym. He played college baseball at Rutgers University, where he won the College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award in 1950.
Van Cleef was an artist's model. He was "once in demand by sculptors as a model for Grecian gods." He may have been the original small scale model for Prometheus, a sculpture designed by Paul Manship in Rockefeller Center, even though Leonardo Nole is often credited as the only model.
Van Cleef was the owner of a gym in San Jose, California. He trained the New York Giants, a baseball team in New York City. He also trained Olympic weightlifters, and he organized weightlifting competitions like the Santa Clara Valley Invitational Tournament in 1963.
Van Cleef was an associate editor at "Strength & Health", for which he wrote a column called "Strong Men Around the World". In his columns, he wrote about wrist-wrestling competitions and walkathons.
Van Cleef resided in San Jose, California with his wife Virginia and their two daughters, Lois and Martha. He died of a heart attack on May 26, 1964, at age 53.


Clinton Portis

Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the University of Miami. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Portis was best known for being the starting running back for the Washington Redskins for seven seasons, in which he gained an average of 81.2 yards rushing per game, for which a select panel of celebrities included him as one of the 80 Greatest Redskins.
College career.
Portis enrolled in the University of Miami, where he played for the Miami Hurricanes football team. He considered going to the University of South Carolina but a fight that he had at Gainesville High School resulted in his scholarship being taken away. He became just the second true freshman to start at running back since the 1975 season. Portis set a school freshman record with five 100-yard performances, and led the team with 838 yards and eight touchdowns on 143 carries (5.9 avg.) in 10 games. He also caught four passes for 44 yards (11.0 avg.) and 2 touchdowns. When Portis was still a relative unknown, Lee Corso singled out Portis's performance during a defeat by Florida State for hustling and never giving up, saying "that kid can play for me any time".
Portis' sophomore season was not as successful as he lost his job to James Jackson and rushed for 485 yards and two touchdowns on 77 carries (6.3 avg.) in eight games. He also added 103 yards on five receptions (20.6 avg.).
However, Portis bounced back in 2001 as the Hurricanes won the National Championship and Portis had his best season rushing for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns on 220 carries (5.5 avg.). He also added 125 receiving yards. In the Rose Bowl against Nebraska, Portis ran for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also had a long touchdown reception called back on a holding call.
Clinton was inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014 at a ceremony in Miami.
Track and field.
Portis was also a standout track athlete for the Gainesville High School track team. He was timed at 10.6 seconds in the 100 meters. He was member of the varsity track team. He took part in the state record 4 x 100 meter relay team, that finished with a time of 40.8 seconds. He also posted a personal bests of 2.01 meters in the high jump, and 6.91 meters in the long jump.
He also ran track and field for the University of Miami, where he won the state championship in the 4x400-meter relay. He also recorded personal best of 6.93 seconds in the 60 meters and 21.82 seconds in the 200 meters.
Professional career.
2002 NFL Draft.
Portis was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Denver Broncos.
Portis rushed for over 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Broncos, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in that span. The latter is an NFL record for a running back's first two seasons. On December 15, 2002, Portis became the youngest player (21 years, 105 days) to score 4 touchdowns in a game in a 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He has the most single game fantasy point total, with 55.4. The very next season on December 7, 2003, Portis became the youngest player (22 years, 97 days) to score 5 touchdowns in a game in a 45-27 victory, which also happened against Kansas City.
's NFL off-season, Clinton Portis held at least 18 Broncos franchise records, including:
Trade.
Before the 2004 season, the Broncos traded Portis to the Redskins for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft which the Broncos used to select Tatum Bell (and Bell wore Portis's number 26 in Denver). The Redskins signed Portis to an eight-year contract worth $50.5 million. At that time, there were criticisms regarding the trade, namely that shut-down corners like Bailey were hard to come by and that adding a second-round pick for Portis was too much and one-sided. Critics also felt that Portis was simply a product of the Broncos' O-line scheme, and would not have much success in Washington, which was usually suited to more physical, power runners (such as Stephen Davis or John Riggins).
Washington Redskins.
In the 2004 season, he had to adjust to coach Joe Gibbs' style of running, which consists of mostly power running. Despite taking his first Redskins carry 64 yards for a TD in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was a somewhat rough adjustment for Portis because Denver's running style consisted of stretch runs and runs to the outside. The adjustment was made rougher by an offensive line that was depleted mainly due to injuries. He finished 2004 with 1,315 yards for a 3.8 yard rushing average. He had an especially tough time finding the end zone, finishing with eight total touchdowns (5 rushing, 2 receiving, and one passing).
However, Portis bounced back in the 2005 season. Although Gibbs still ran a power style of football, he implemented more outside running plays into the Redskins rushing attack to better suit Portis' style of running. Portis had a much better season, proving that he can run inside as well as to the outside and was a better pass-blocker. Although he did not get into the end zone until the fifth game of the season, he finished strong and had 12 total touchdowns (11 rushing and one passing). On a 14-yard run against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 1, 2006, he broke the Redskins' franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards and tied the most 100+ yard games in a season (5). He ended the game with 112 rushing yards. By rushing for 1,516 yards, he became only the third runner in league history to reach 1,500 yards in three of his first four seasons.
Portis demonstrated his speed during the 2006 Redskins training camp, running a 4.26 second 40-yard dash. Shortly following that, on August 13, 2006, Portis suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the first quarter of a Week 1 pre-season game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Keiwan Ratliff following a Bengals interception. After the injury, Portis said: "I don't know why myself or any other player of my caliber should be playing in the preseason." He added, "I think for the last four years I've done enough to show the world I'm going to be ready for the season."
There was no immediate indication from the Redskins as to when Portis might return to active playing status. However, he returned early into the Redskins' "Monday Night Football" game against the Minnesota Vikings, where he gained 39 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. The Redskins lost 19-16, the clock expiring as Redskins kicker John Hall missed wide left on a field goal. Portis rebounded in following weeks with 16 carries for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Houston Texans, and 27 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Nagged by injuries all season, Portis suffered another setback in the first quarter of the Redskins' November 12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Portis left the game with a hand injury and was replaced by backup Ladell Betts. X-rays revealed that Portis broke his right hand during the game. He was operated on and placed on the Redskins' Injured Reserve list three days later, on November 15.
Redskins agreed to guarantee Portis' 2008-2009 and a large portion of his 2010 base salaries in March. This would equal up to $15 million in guarantees. Portis, also got a $9.32 million "signing bonus" upon restructuring.
During his career with the Washington Redskins, Portis made several appearances in TV commercials for Easterns Automotive Group, a local car dealership group on the DC and Baltimore areas, alongside Jason Campbell, Antwaan Randle El and Chris Cooley.
2008.
In 2008, Portis fell just short of what would have been his fourth 1500 yard rushing season in seven years, finishing with 1487 yards and an average of 4.3 yards per carry. His season was highlighted by a five-week stretch in which Portis gained nearly 700 yards, ending in an October 26 victory over the Detroit Lions. During this span Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson as the only players in NFL history to rush for at least 120 yards in five consecutive games twice in a career (Portis first did it over two seasons with four games with Denver in 2003 and one game with Washington in 2004). Portis led the NFL in rushing as late as November 23 before nagging injuries and limited playing time slowed him down; he gained only 281 yards in his final five games as the Redskins lost four of five to miss the playoffs. Despite this, he was selected to the Pro Bowl over DeAngelo Williams, despite Williams having better stats at the end of the season.
Some controversy was caused on December 9, 2008 when Clinton Portis made negative statements about Redskins coach Jim Zorn in his weekly appearance on WTEM-AM radio, criticizing Zorn for giving inconsistent messages and sarcastically calling him a "genius." Portis was still smarting from his lack of playing time in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when he was removed from the game after the first series of the second half.
 In the offseason, Portis stated that he tried to forge a better relationship with Zorn, but admitted that he did not have the rapport that he shared with former head coach Joe Gibbs, which he classified as a "great relationship," and stated that Gibbs was "one of the best men as far as guidance, or the way he lives his life, an example of a true champion."
2009.
During a Week 9 game versus the Atlanta Falcons, Portis suffered a concussion. The hit caused Portis to lose consciousness and leave the game. Portis missed four consecutive games with concussion-like symptoms. Portis went to see a specialist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 1, 2009. It was reported that on December 8, Portis was officially placed on injured reserve. It took four months for him to gain clearance to play again.
2010.
The start of the 2010 season saw the reunion of Portis and newly appointed coach, Mike Shanahan, Portis' former coach from his first two career seasons with the Denver Broncos. Despite a positive outlook with a new coaching staff, injuries continued to plague Portis as he had to deal with abdomen and groin injuries. During his seventh year as a Redskin, Portis played only five games and tallied only 227 yards rushing throughout the season, which included two touchdowns. Both touchdowns were scored in the September 19 home game versus the Houston Texans.
2011.
On February 28, 2011, Portis was released by the Redskins after failed contract re-negotiations and repeated injuries. Following his release, Portis felt that passion had been missing from the team since Gibbs retired, saying, "I never seen nobody give up or with their head down with Coach Gibbs. As many close games as we played...you can't say one time that we gave up. There was a passion and toughness amongst everybody on that field to fight until time expired."
Retirement.
On August 21, 2012, Portis announced his retirement making him 27th all-time rusher he ranked in top 20 running backs of all time. He officially retired on August 23 and during the press conference it was announced that he made it into the list of the 80 Greatest Redskins of All-Time. After retirement, Portis admitted to have suffered 10 concussions. In 2013, Portis joined former players such as Daunte Culpepper, Cadillac Williams and Art Monk in a civil lawsuit against NFL over concussion and head injuries.
Personal life.
Portis is the cousin of former Washington Valor quarterback Josh Portis.
Due to mismanagement by his financial advisors that caused him to lose multiple homes, Portis filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2015, and as of 2017 lived in a two-bedroom apartment in Northern Virginia. In a 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated, Portis admitted that he contemplated murdering his former advisors.
In December 2019, Portis was named as one of 12 former NFL players accused of defrauding the league's health program by filing a total of $3.9 million in false claims. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of health care fraud by the United States Department of Justice. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was indicted on the same charges in a superseding case on July 24, 2020.
Controversial views.
In May 2007, during the ongoing investigations into the dog-fighting crimes of former NFL player Michael Vick, Portis defended Vick, saying: "I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not. But it’s his property; it’s his dogs. If that’s what he wants to do, do it." When told that dog fighting was a felony, Portis replied, "It can't be too bad of a crime." Portis said that he thought dog fighting was a “prevalent” part of life, adding: "I know a lot of back roads that got a dog fight if you want to go see it. But they’re not bothering those people because those people are not big names." That same day, he later released a statement through the Redskins' official website that claimed he did not take part in, nor condone, dog fighting.


Jason Windsor

Jason David Windsor (born July 16, 1982, in San Bernardino, California) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he appeared in four games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics in 2006.
High school career.
Windsor attended Leigh High School in San Jose, California. In 2000, he helped lead Leigh High School a to CCS Championship in a close win over St. Ignatius.
Amateur career.
Windsor is best known for winning the Most Outstanding Player award in the 2004 College World Series, pitching for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. The Titans upset Texas, with Windsor pitching a complete game 5-hitter to go along with 10 strikeouts in the final. He finished his senior season with a 13-4 record and a 1.72 ERA.
Professional career.
He was drafted in the 3rd round, 97th overall, of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft.
Windsor appeared in just 13 games the rest of 2004, all in relief for Vancouver and Kane County. He got off to a promising start for Stockton in 2005, posting a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts. He was called up and did not fare well, putting up a 5.72 ERA in 11 starts for AA Midland. A shoulder injury shortened his season.
Windsor bounced back in 2006 going 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA for Midland, and was soon promoted to AAA Sacramento. The success continued as he had a perfect 8-0 record in 12 starts. A 12-1 record at the All-Star break was good enough to receive a promotion to the A's on July 17.
Windsor made his MLB debut on July 17, 2006 against the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched five innings, giving up three runs and failing to get a decision. He started again on July 25, but only lasted 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and taking the loss, the only decision of his career. He was sent back to the minor leagues shortly thereafter, returning in September to make two more appearances.
Windsor returned to Sacramento in 2007, but appeared in only 10 games. He then missed most of the 2008 season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He participated in minor league camp with the A's in 2009, but was let go and never pitched professionally again.


Jerry Tabb

Jerry Lynn Tabb is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played all or part of three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1976 until 1978, for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics.
Amateur career.
Tabb was a baseball standout at the University of Tulsa, where, as a freshman, he won the College World Series Most Outstanding Player award in the 1971 College World Series, where Tulsa was the next-to-last team eliminated. He was also the first baseman for Team USA at the 1971 Pan American Games.
Professional career.
The Cubs made Tabb a first-round pick, selected 16th overall, in the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft. He debuted in the majors in September 1976, playing in 11 games for the Cubs and batting .292.
Tabb was purchased from the Cubs by the Athletics the following February, and in Tabb got an extended chance in the major leagues. The A's were cleaning house, and Tabb was one of five players who received substantial playing time at first base for the team. Tabb batted .222 with 6 home runs and 19 RBI in 51 games. The next season, however, Oakland acquired Dave Revering from the Cincinnati Reds and installed him as their regular first baseman. Tabb managed just 9 at-bats in 1978, his last season in the majors.


MJHL All Rookie Team

The MJHL All-Rookie Team is chosen from the best rookies in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The All-Rookie team of individuals consists of one goalie, two defense-men and three forwards. Players on the team are selected at each position for the season based on their performance in that year. Selection for the team members occurs when the season ends in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.


Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award

The Rookie of the Month award is a Major League Baseball award named by each league every month of the regular season.
Winners.
"Italics" denote the winner of that year's Rookie of the Year Award. Huston Street (2005, AL), Hanley Ramírez (2006, NL), Michael Fulmer (2016, AL), Kyle Lewis (2020, AL) and Devin Williams (2020, NL) are the only Rookie of the Year winners to have not won the Rookie of the Month award at least once, since the latter was established.
Out of a possible six months, Ichiro Suzuki (2001, AL), Mike Trout (2012, AL) and Aaron Judge (2017, AL) won the Rookie of the Month award four times while Jason Bay (2004, NL), José Abreu (2014, AL), Juan Soto (2018 NL), and Yordan Alvarez (2019, AL) all won it three times. A number of players have won it twice.


Baseball America All-Rookie Team


Suraj Lata Devi

Suraj Lata Devi (born 3 January 1981 in Manipur) is the former captain of the India women's national field hockey team and hails from Manipur.
She led the team to the Gold for three consecutive years: during the 2002 Commonwealth Games (the event which inspired the 2007 Bollywood hit film, "Chak De India"), the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, and the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup.


Tomoya Mori

 is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
Career.
In 2015, Mori was named an all-star for the first time in his career.
He was a member of the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League for the 2017-18 season.
He was again selected as an all-star in 2018.
In 2019 he was named Pacific League MVP.
International career.
On October 10, 2018, he was selected Japan national baseball team at the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.


KML Finals Most Valuable Player Award

The KML Finals Most Valuable Player Award () is an award for the top-tier professional basketball league in Estonia, the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML).


Manavjit Singh Sandhu

Manavjit Singh Sandhu (born 3 November 1976) is an Indian sport shooter who specializes in trap shooting. He is a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee in 2006 and Arjuna Awardee in 1998. He is a 4 time Olympian, having represented India at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. He is former World No. 1 ranked Trap Shooter.
In November 2016, Perazzi announced Manavjit Singh Sandhu as their brand ambassador.
Sandhu was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar.
He belongs to the village Ratta Khera Punjab Singh Wala in the district of Firozpur, Punjab. His father is Gurbir Singh and his uncles are Randhir Singh and Parambir Singh.
He won the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships, becoming the first Indian shotgun shooter to be crowned World Champion.
He has won four silver medals at 1998 Asian Games, 2002 Asian Games and 2006 Asian Games.
He won the gold medal at 1998 Commonwealth Games and the bronze medal in the trap event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
He has won six gold medals at the Asian Clay Shooting Championships.
At the 2008 Olympics he finished in 12th place, having finished tied 19th at the 2004 Olympics.
In 2010, he won the Commonwealth Shooting Championship gold and the very next week won gold at the World Cup 2010 in Mexico.
As of 2 April 2010, he is ranked #3 in the world. His highest ranking has been World #1 in 2006.
His career in shooting started early and his interest developed mainly due to his father Gurbir Singh Sandhu who is an Olympian and Arjuna Awardee. His education is from the Lawrence School Sanawar. He further has studied at the YPS Chandigarh, DPS New Delhi and the Venkateswara College, Delhi University.
He was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2006–2007, Indian's highest honour given for achievements in sports.
He won the gold medal at the World Cup 2014, Tucson, US, on 11 April 2014.
Sandhu competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, where he finished at 16th place in the men's trap qualification round.
He holds the Asian Record of 124/125 Targets.


David Broome

David McPherson Broome (born 1 March 1940) is a retired Welsh show jumping champion. He competed in the 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1988 Olympics and won individual bronze medals in 1960 and 1968 on his best-known horse "Mr Softee". In 1960, he was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and at the 1972 Games served as the Olympic flag bearer for Great Britain.
Broome was born in Cardiff, attended Monmouth School, and still maintains his stables at Mount Ballan Manor, Crick, near Chepstow in Monmouthshire. He held the individual European title in 1961, 1967 and 1969. In 1970, he won the world title and became "Western Mail" Welsh Sports Personality of the year. He turned professional in 1973, and in 1978 helped the British team to win the world championship. Broome has won the King George V Gold Cup a record six times on six different horses between 1960–1991, a record yet to be equalled. He has enjoyed most of his success on Irish Sport Horses and he has said his favourite horse of all was "Sportsman". Broome's sister, Liz Edgar, was also a top-class showjumper.
Broome is still active in the administration of the sport. In 2013, he became president of the British Showjumping Association.


DeMeco Ryans

DeMeco Ryans (; born July 28, 1984) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Ryans played college football at the University of Alabama, where he was named an unanimous All-American.
He was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft where he was recognized as the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was selected to two Pro Bowls before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, where he spent four seasons before retiring. He joined the 49ers as a coaching assistant in 2017 and coached their linebackers for a few years before being named their defensive coordinator in 2021.
Early years.
Ryans was born in Bessemer, Alabama. He attended Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, where he played high school football. In his senior season, he had 135 tackles, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ryans was listed as the No. 39 inside linebacker prospect in the nation from the class of 2002. He picked Alabama over Mississippi State.
Playing career.
College.
Ryans attended the University of Alabama, where he played outside linebacker for coach Mike Shula's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2002 to 2005. Ryans started his career by earning a role on special teams and back up linebacker in his first season. By making great improvements every year in his college career, Ryans went on to become the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in 2005. Later on, Ryans attributed much of his college success to his defensive coordinator at Alabama, Joe Kines. He was named the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic defensive MVP in their 13-10 win over Texas Tech. Following his 2005 senior season, he received the Lott Trophy for his combination of athletic excellence and off-the-field achievements, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.
National Football League.
Houston Texans.
Ryans was selected with the first pick of the 2nd round (33rd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Texans. He was the highest selected Alabama linebacker since Dwayne Rudd was drafted 20th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 1997. Though he had been an outside linebacker in college, he earned the starting middle linebacker position due to his excellent performance in the preseason. In his first game, he recorded a league-high 12 solo tackles. Ryans had an overwhelming impact as a rookie linebacker for the Texans, leading the team in tackles in the first half of the 2006 season.
Ryans was awarded named the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the league with 155 total tackles (Zach Thomas 165), 31 more tackles than the next rookie (Detroit Lions linebacker Ernie Sims). Ryans was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007. On March 30, 2010, Ryans signed a six-year extension worth $48 million, including $21.75 million guaranteed.
Philadelphia Eagles.
On March 20, 2012, after Brian Cushing replaced Ryans as starting middle linebacker, Ryans was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick (used on Ben Jones) and a swap of third-round picks between the two teams (used on Brandon Brooks and Nick Foles) Ryans was immediately inserted as the team's starting Middle Linebacker. Although the Eagles were 4-12, Ryans still made plays, leading the team in tackles with 113 while adding a sack and interception.
In 2013, Ryans improved even further, leading the team in tackles once more with 127, while also recording career highs in sacks (4.0), interceptions (2), and interception return yardage (46). On January 4, 2014, he had 10 tackles and his first career playoff interception in his first career playoff game with the Eagles, a close 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints. On November 3, 2014, Ryans was placed on injured reserve after tearing his Achilles tendon. Ryans was released on February 24, 2016.
Coaching career.
San Francisco 49ers.
On February 28, 2017, Ryans was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive quality control coach. In 2018, Ryans was promoted to inside linebackers coach. On January 18, 2021, Ryans was promoted to defensive coordinator following the departure of Robert Saleh, who left to become the head coach of the New York Jets.
Personal life.
Ryans and his wife, Jamila, have three children: two sons, MJ and Micah, and one daughter, Xia.
External links.


Rueben Mayes

Rueben Mayes (born June 6, 1963) is a Canadian former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1993. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions while playing for the Washington State Cougars.
Early life and high school.
He first gained notoriety as a running back at North Battleford Comprehensive High School in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. In 1980, Mayes led the NBCHS Vikings to an undefeated season and the SHSAA 3A provincial football championship. In 1981, he set a provincial record in the 100 metres at the SHSAA provincial track and field championship that still stands.
College career.
Mayes played college football at the Washington State University in Pullman, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American and finished tenth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1984. Mayes set single-season and career-rushing school records (1,632; 3,519 yards) with the Cougars, and established an NCAA record for most rushing yards in one game (357 at Oregon in 1984). It was the Pacific-10 Conference record for over a quarter century, until broken by Ka'Deem Carey in 2012.
In 1995, a panel of experts commissioned by "The Spokesman-Review" named Mayes to the all-time WSU team. The honor was repeated in 1998 by Cougfan.com when it picked its list of the school's all-time greatest players. On May 1, 2008 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. In August 2017, a group of panelists commissioned by the Pac-12 Network picked the 12 greatest Washington State players of all time and Mayes ranked No. 1.
Professional career.
Mayes was selected in the third round (57th overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award that year from the Associated Press, and although his NFL career was hampered by injuries, he was named to the Pro Bowl twice. After five seasons with the Saints, Mayes was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in April 1992, where he played the final two years of his career.
Later life.
After football, Mayes became active in efforts to better educate at-risk youth. He later earned a masters of business administration degree and returned to WSU as an administrator. Beginning his ninth year at Pullman Regional Hospital, he was recently promoted to Chief Development and External Relations Officer at Pullman Regional Hospital. His wife of 33 years, Marie Mayes, serves as the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the WSU Carson College of Business. Their oldest son Logan was a three-star recruited linebacker at Marist Catholic High School in Eugene, Oregon, and committed to play at Washington State, following his father's footsteps. He went on to graduate with a finance degree at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). After graduating with a International Business degree from the WSU Carson College of Business, Kellen Mayes (younger son) completed a two-year Peace Corps project in rural Albania. He is currently completing a second degree in Biology Science and in the process of applying to medical schools.
Mayes is one of the only five Saskatchewan natives to make it to the NFL, the others were Arnie Weinmeister, Jon Ryan, Ben Heenan, and Brett Jones. Mayes was the subject of a 1989 documentary film, "The Saint from North Battleford", directed by Selwyn Jacob.


Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize

 is given to one sportsperson or sports team every year since 1968 by the Japan Professional Sports Association. The award is one of the most prestigious all-sport awards in Japanese sport. The recordholders are the baseball players Ichiro Suzuki and Sadaharu Oh (three awards). A committee of representatives from Tokyo newspapers, wire services, television and radio for sports media are responsible for making the selections. The winner is given the Prime Minister Trophy.


LNB Pro A MVP

The LNB Pro A MVP is the MVP award of the top-tier level men's professional club basketball league in France, the LNB Pro A. Maxi-Basket holds the vote, and calls it the referendum.
Player of the Year awards (before 1983).
Before 1983, the title of the best player in the league was sometimes assigned by a panel of journalists, but the charts are incomplete.
Two awards (1983–2014).
Between 1983 and 2005, the monthly Maxi-Basket conducted a vote of the players and head coaches of the league. Since 2005, the coaches and captains of the LNB Pro A clubs, and a panel of fifty journalists are asked to vote.
Since the 2014–15 LNB Pro A season, the MVP award is a single unified award. Prior to that, it was divided into two separate awards, one for French players, and one for non-French players.
L'Équipe awards (1994–2005).
Between 1994 and 2005, the French newspaper, L'Équipe, also conducted a selection of the best French and foreign players of the league, through a vote of journalists. These awards are also considered official by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB).


Steve Ovett

Stephen Michael James Ovett (; born 9 October 1955) is a retired British track athlete. A middle-distance runner, he was the gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, and set 5 world records for 1500 metres and the mile run and a world record at two miles. He won 45 consecutive 1500 and mile races from 1977 to 1980.
Early life.
Born in Brighton, Sussex, and educated at Varndean Grammar School (now Varndean College), Ovett was a talented teenage athlete. As a youngster, he showed great promise as a footballer, but gave it up for athletics, because he did not want to play a sport where he would have to rely on teammates. As a youngster he won the under-15 (Junior boys) English Schools' Athletics Championships title at 400 metres in 1970 and the under-17 (Intermediate boys) 800 metres title in 1972.
Athletics career.
Early promise.
Ovett's first major athletics title came in 1973, when he won the 800 metres at the 1973 European Athletics Junior Championships. The following year, still only aged 18, he won the silver medal at 800 metres in the 1974 European Athletics Championships, setting a new European Junior 800m record of 1:45.77 in the process. Ovett won AAA titles in the 800m from 1974 to 1976; he would later add to these AAA titles by winning the 1500m in 1979 and the mile in 1980.
Ovett gained some Olympic experience in 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when he ran in the final of the 800m and was placed fifth, behind winner Alberto Juantorena of Cuba. Ovett finished fifth because he ran the first lap too inconsistently. He failed to reach the 1500 m final, having been obstructed in the semi-final when Canadian athlete Dave Hill fell and Ovett had to hurdle over him. As this happened 170m from the finish, Ovett had little time to recover, and was out-sprinted to the line by fellow countryman, Dave Moorcroft, with Ovett finishing only sixth.
Break-through to world prominence.
Ovett gained prominence in 1977 when he began to regularly defeat the 1500 metres Olympic champion John Walker. In the early season Debenhams Mile, Ovett defeated Walker and set a British record of 3:54.7. Then in the European Cup 1500m, Ovett produced an outstanding last lap of 52.4 seconds to win a fiercely competitive race just ahead of his friend and rival Thomas Wessinghage. At the inaugural IAAF World Cup in Athletics, he commenced a "kick" with 200m to go, running the final turn in 11.8 s and the last 200m in 25.1 s. He left John Walker and the rest of the field far behind. Walker was so astonished by Ovett's kick, that he dropped out of the race with 120 metres to go. He won gold ahead of his good friend, West German Thomas Wessinghage. As Ovett raced away from the field, Ron Pickering, commenting for the race on BBC Television, said "and there's one man's blazing speed that has torn this field asunder". Ovett's time of 3:34.45 was a British Record.
The British public by now showed a keen interest in Ovett, and it was at the European Championships in 1978, that he raced against Sebastian Coe for the first time in their senior careers, beginning a keen rivalry that would become newsworthy. He led Coe in the 800m and appeared to be on his way to gold, before being surprisingly caught by the East German Olaf Beyer. After the fall of the GDR, Beyer's name would be found in the Stasi files of athletes alleged to have doped. His time of 1:44:09 turned out to be his fastest ever 800m run. Coe finished 3rd. At the time the British press reported that Coe and Ovett had clashed after the race but Coe later revealed: "When Steve came over, he put his hand on my shoulder and said something. The media thought we were having a row, but what Steve actually said was, 'Who the **** was that'?" Ovett recovered to win the gold medal in the 1500m, in which Coe did not participate. In that race, Ovett waved to the crowd on the home straight and clearly slowed down in the last metres yet still won by over a second from Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan.
The 1978 season for Ovett was notable for the superb times recorded at disparate distances. He ran an 800m in 1:44.09 (world record at the time was Alberto Juantorena's 1:43.44) and set a 2-mile world's best with an 8:13.51 clocking, (an event the IAAF does not recognise for record purposes), handing "Track & Field News" Athlete of the Year Henry Rono one of his few losses in his remarkable record-breaking season.
During his career, Ovett was noted for the unusual range and timing of his races; shortly before the 1980 Olympics in 10 days he ran four events of four different lengths: a mile in Oslo, 800 metres in Gothenburg, 600m at Crystal Palace and 3,000m in Welwyn Garden City. In 1977, when an airline strike forced him to miss a scheduled event, he signed up at the last minute for the Dartford half-marathon and won it with ease, running a course more than twice as long as anything he had attempted in public before, against the British marathon champion.
Ovett arrived at the 1980 Moscow Olympics as favourite to take the 1500 m title, being unbeaten over the 1500 m and the mile for three years. Earlier that month, he had established a new mile world record of 3:48.8 and two weeks later equalled Sebastian Coe's world record of 3:32.1 in the 1500 m. The Moscow Olympics marked only the second time that Ovett and Coe had met each other in international competition (the first being the 800 m in the 1978 European Championships), and there was huge media speculation over which would emerge as the greater.
Ovett's participation in the 800 m would serve as a test for the 1500 m. In the 800 m final, Ovett was only in sixth place at the halfway mark, but pushed his way through the crowd to second place. Seventy metres from the line, Ovett took the lead and held off a challenge from Coe to win by three metres. In the 1500 m, contested six days later, Ovett ran close behind Coe's shoulder for most of the race, but on the final bend Coe made a strong 'kick' and Ovett dropped two metres behind, unable to close the gap in the home straight. Coe won gold, East Germany's Jürgen Straub, who had accelerated after 800 metres, held off Ovett for the silver medal, and Ovett had to settle for bronze.
Though in 1980 Ovett had tied Coe's 1500 m world record of 3:32.1, new timing rules would come into effect in 1981, which would recognise records over 400 m to the hundredth of a second. This would have the effect of giving Coe sole possession of the record, as Coe ran 3:32.03 to Ovett's 3:32.09. However, Ovett avoided this unusual removal of a record via rule change by setting a new record later in 1980 of 3:31.36.
During 1981, both Ovett and Coe were at their peak. They didn't meet in a race that year but exchanged world records in the mile three times during an astonishing 9-day period. Ovett suffered a famous upset in a 1500m race in Oslo that year. With Ovett and Coe so dominant and Coe not involved in the race, Ovett was hot favourite. During the race Tom Byers, who had been asked to act as a pacemaker set off quickly and the pack, being given the split times for the leader and believing that they were going faster than they actually were, declined to follow his pace. As a result, by the start of the last lap Byers had a lead of almost ten seconds and so decided to finish the race. Ovett ran the last lap almost nine seconds quicker than Byers but finished second by 0.53s, later commenting "We all ran like a load of beginners."
Ovett's 1982 season was wrecked by injury. When out training on the streets of Brighton in late 1981, he tripped and impaled his thigh on some low railings at St John the Baptist Church on Church Road. He had recovered by the spring of 1982, but further injuries hampered his progress.
Later career.
He returned to action in 1983, although once again his season had been hampered by injuries, which resulted in his not being selected for the 800 m at the World Championships in Helsinki. He was selected for the 1500 m, but ran a poor tactical race in the final and finished 4th, behind winner Steve Cram. He was yet to reach his peak for 1983, which followed with a 1500 m world record of 3:30.77 in Rieti. A few days later, he finished a close 2nd to Steve Cram in an epic mile race in Crystal Palace.
In 1984, after a successful season of winter training in Australia, Ovett's progress was slightly hampered by minor injuries and a bout of bronchitis. He attempted to defend his 800 m title in the 1984 Olympic Games, but after arriving in Los Angeles he began to suffer from respiratory problems. He was unlucky to be drawn against eventual winner Joaquim Cruz in each of his two heats and also the semi-final, in which he only narrowly qualified for the final, lunging for the finish in 4th place and appearing to collapse over the line. He had run 1:44:81, his second fastest time ever at the distance. He recovered in time to make the final, but was clearly below his best and finished eighth, after which he collapsed and spent two nights in hospital. Against the advice of his friends and doctors, he returned a few days later to compete in the 1500 m. Running in fourth place at the beginning of the last lap of the final, Ovett dropped out. He later collapsed with chest pains and was taken away on a stretcher.
His career then wound down, although in August 1986 he won the 5000 m at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. However, the following month, in the European Championships, he failed to finish in hot conditions, allowing Jack Buckner (GB) - whom Ovett had beaten with consummate ease in Edinburgh - to win the gold. In the 1987 World Athletics Championships, he finished a lacklustre tenth in the 5000-metres final. He then failed to make the 1988 Olympic team and finally announced his retirement in 1991, a year after Sebastian Coe.
Post-retirement.
He has been a track and field television commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1992. He now lives in Australia and was a part of the BBC's on-location commentary team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
In 1987 a bronze statue of Steve Ovett was erected in Preston Park, Brighton. However, it was stolen in 2007, and later replaced in 2012 with a copy of the original. (The replacement is in Madeira Drive.).
Personal life.
During the Moscow Games, the British press zoned in on a signal Ovett had made to a television camera in Moscow, after his 800m win. It later transpired that the signal represented the letters ILY (I love you) and were intended for his girlfriend, Rachel Waller (whom he later married, but from whom he is now divorced).
His brother, Nick Ovett, represented Great Britain at luge in the Winter Olympics of 1988 and 1992.
Ovett's son Freddy also showed promise as a middle distance runner, winning the U-13 Pan-Pacific 800m title, before switching to road cycling after sustaining a knee injury whilst at the University of Oregon. He joined the development squad of the French team in 2015.


Ronjan Sodhi

Ronjan Sodhi (born 23 October 1979 in Ferozepur, Punjab, India) is an Indian Double trap shooter. He won two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. In 2011, he became first Indian to successfully defend a World Cup title. He is also a recipient of the Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (2013).
He is currently ranked No. 1 in International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) world rankings.
In November 2016 Perazzi announces Ronjan Sodhi as their brand ambassador.
Background.
Ronjan Sodhi belongs to a Sikh family of Sodhi Nagar, Ferozepur, Punjab.
Career.
2010 Lonato ISSF World Cup.
Ronjan Sodhi shot a perfect 50 hits out of 50 clays in the final and set a new world record with a score of 195 to clinch the coveted Gold Medal in Double Trap event at the 2010 ISSF World Cup held at Lonato, Italy.
2010 Commonwealth Games.
On 6 October, Sodhi won the Platinum Medal in Men's Double Trap Singles. He along with Asher Noria also won the Silver Medal in Men's Double Trap Pairs, losing to the eventual champions Stevan Walton and Steven Scott by one point.
2010 Asian Games.
Sodhi scored a total of 186 and thus, managed to win the Gold Medal in Men's Double Trap Event at the Asian Games 2010. He also won the bronze medal in the Men's Double Trap Team.
2011 Beijing ISSF World Cup.
Sodhi scored a total of 183 hits (144 in the qualifications, and 41 hits in the final) and won the Silver Medal in 2011 ISSF World Cup held at Beijing, China, thus earning an Olympic Quota for India.
2011 Maribor ISSF World Cup.
Sodhi earned a Bronze Medal at 2011 ISSF World Cup held at Maribor, Slovenia.
ISSF World Rankings.
Sodhi became the only Indian marksman to grab the top spot in the latest ISSF World Rankings. Ronjan, who was earlier ranked second behind American Joshua Richmond by three points, attained the summit by virtue of his bronze medal-winning feat at the World Cup earlier in July in Maribor, Slovenia.
2011 Al Ain ISSF World Cup.
Sodhi won the Gold Medal at the 2011 ISSF World Cup held at Al Ain, United Arab Emirates on 4 October 2011.
Hu Binuyuan of China came second.
2012 London Olympics.
Sodhi qualified for the men's double trap event at the 2012 London Olympics after winning a silver medal in the event at the 2011 ISFF World Cup held at Beijing. At Olympics after a promising start, this Indian shooter failed to make it to the finals of Double Trap. Sodhi finished 11th with a total of 134 in the qualification.
He started off on a good note by fetching the total of 48 in the first round of the qualification stage topping the list with three other shooters. After the end of second round, his total of 92 out of 100 placed him on the 6th position which was still good for one to make into the finals. In the third and final round, he started off well but couldn't finish and was unable to handle the pressure scoring only 2 points in the last 6 with a total of 42.


Ernie Lombardi Award


30th Sports Emmy Awards

The 30th Sports Emmy Awards were presented on April 27, 2009 in the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. The nominees were announced on April 2.


VTB United League MVP

The VTB United League Most Valuable Player award is an annual award that is given to the most valuable player of the Northeast European regional VTB United League, which is the 1st-tier professional basketball league of Russia. The award has been given since the 2009–10 VTB United League season.
Winners.
Notes:


Big Ten Conference Softball Player of the Year

The Big Ten Conference Player of the Year is a college softball award given to the Big Ten Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1985 season, with both pitchers and position players eligible. After the 1992 season, the Big Ten Conference Softball Pitcher of the Year award was created to honor the most outstanding pitcher.


Rahul Aware

Rahul Balasaheb Aware (born 2 November 1991) is an Indian male freestyle wrestler who competes in the men's freestyle 57 kg category. He has won Gold medal in 57 kg division at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.He was a student of Olympian late Harishchandra Birajdar.At present,he is being trained by Kaka Pawar.Currently he is member of Maharashtra police as a deputy superintendent of police. He is fondly called as "Nana" (Elderly brother) by his friends and family.
Career.
2008 Youth Commonwealth Pune India - Rahul Won the Gold Medal
2009 Junior Asian Wrestling Championship Won the Gold Medal
2009 Junior World Wrestling Championship Silver Medal
2011 Commonwealth Wrestling championship Gold medal
2017 Commonwealth wrestling championship Silver medal
2018 21st Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 57 kg freestyle
2019 world ranking series wrestling tournament won Bronze medal
2019 Yasar Dogu World ranking series won Gold medal
2019 Asian wrestling championship won Bronze medal
2019 World wrestling championship won Bronze medal
2020 Asian Wrestling Championship Bronze medal in the 61 kg freestyle
7 Time Gold medalist in National Championships
2011 Asian Wrestling Championship.
At the tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Rahul won the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 55 kg category.
In the first round, Rahul faced Rasul Kaliev of Kazakhstan and beat him 3:1. In the next round, he lost 1:3 to Kyong-Il Yang of South Korea. Being able to qualify for the repechage round, his first repechage opponent was Nasibulla Kurbanov of Uzbekistan and beat him 3:1. He was able to contest for the bronze medal against Firas Al Ali Rifaee from Syria and won it 5:0.
2011 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships.
At the tournament in Melbourne, Rahul won the gold medal in the men's freestyle 55 kg category, beating out Gilbert Musonza of Canada and Craig McKenna of Scotland.
2016 Olympics.
Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced earlier in April 2015, that 45 athletes will be provided financial support under the 'Target Olympic Podium' programme devised by the Indian Government. The Minister said recent performance, consistency in performance, performance vis-a-vis international standards were among the criteria followed while selecting the athletes.
Rahul, along with fellow wrestlers Sushil Kumar (men's freestyle 74 kg), Yogeshwar Dutt (men's freestyle 66 kg), Amit Kumar (men's freestyle 57 kg) get Rs. 7.5 million each, while Bajrang (men's freestyle 66 kg), Babita Kumari (women's 53 kg) and Vinesh Phogat (women's 48 kg) will be awarded RS. 4.5 million each.
2018 Commonwealth Games.
Rahul won gold medal in 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast. In a gripping final bout against Canada's Steven Takahashi, Aware won 15-7 despite struggling with injury in the latter half. This is the first gold for Aware in CWG.


Best Track and Field Athlete ESPY Award

The Best Track and Field Athlete ESPY Award was presented from 2007 to 2012, with the exception of 2009, to the track and field athlete, irrespective of nationality or gender, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year. The award supersedes the Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award and Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award.