Dean Jones (cricketer)

Dean Mervyn Jones (24 March 196124 September 2020) was an Australian cricket player, coach and commentator who played Tests and One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia. He had an excellent record in Test cricket and is best remembered for revolutionising the ODI format. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was recognised as among the best ODI batsmen in the world, a view which has been validated in the retrospective ICC Player Rankings. His batting was often characterised by his agile footwork against both pace and spin, quick running between wickets, and willingness to take risks and intimidate bowlers. In 2019, Jones was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Domestic career.
Jones began his first-class career in the 1981–82 season with Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. Jones also played for Durham and Derbyshire in the English County Championship. Jones captained Derbyshire to second place in the 1996 County Championship, their best finish for 60 years. Jones scored 1,338 runs in the season, more than any other Derbyshire player. He left Derbyshire mid-season in 1997 after disagreements with team mates. Jones also had run-ins with authority and teammates in his home state of Victoria. During his career, he scored 19,188 runs in first-class matches, including 55 centuries and 88 half centuries and a highest score of 324 not out, at an average of 51.85.
International career.
Jones was selected on the 1984 tour of the West Indies after Graham Yallop had to pull out due to injury. He was not picked in the original XI, but was drafted into the side after Steve Smith fell ill. Jones himself was very ill before the Test, and deemed his score of 48 on his debut as his "best knock". Between 1984 and 1992, Jones played 52 Test matches for Australia, scoring 3,631 runs, including 11 centuries, at an average of 46.55.
His most notable innings was in only his third Test, against India in the Tied Test in Madras (Chennai) in 1986. Suffering from dehydration in the oppressively hot and humid conditions, Jones was frequently vomiting on the pitch. He wanted to go off the field "retired ill" which led his captain Allan Border to say that if he could not handle the conditions, he would "get a Queenslander" (Greg Ritchie, a Queenslander like Border, was the next man in to bat). This comment spurred Jones to score 210, an innings he considered a defining moment in his career and one of the epic Test innings in Australian cricket folklore. This innings of 210 remains the highest score by an Australian cricketer in India. After the match, Jones was put on to an intravenous drip.
One of the keys to Australia's unexpected victory in the 1987 Cricket World Cup was the batting foundation laid by the top three batsmen - Jones batting at number three behind the openers David Boon and Geoff Marsh. Jones would score a total of 314 runs at an average of 44, with 3 half-centuries. During a 1987 World Cup match against India, one of Jones' shots was changed from a four to a six during the innings break. Australia later won the match by one run. Jones was quoted as saying that he had spoken to the umpires to demand it was changed to a six.
Jones went on to be a mainstay of the Australian Test team middle order over the next six years and being one of the stars of the successful 1989 Ashes tour of England. He was recognised for his efforts by being named as one of Cricketers of the Year in the 1990 edition of Wisden Almanack. He was controversially dropped from the test team at the start of the 1992–93 season, despite having topped the averages in the previous Test series, against Sri Lanka.
Jones stayed in the one-day team a little longer: he was omitted from the one-day team for the 1993 Ashes tour, but managed to force his way back into the team for one last stint during the 1993–94 season. After Jones was dropped from the eighth and final ODI of the series in South Africa, Jones immediately announced his retirement from ODI cricket.
After cricket.
After retiring in 1998, he continued to remain involved in cricket as a coach, commentator and writer for "The Age" and "The Sydney Morning Herald".
He was also a noted fundraiser for people with cancer. On 12 June 2006, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for "service to cricket as a player, coach and commentator, and to the community through fundraising activities for organisations assisting people with cancer". In 2007, Jones was named in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team." He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.
Coaching career.
Jones worked as the head coach of Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL). During his reign, Islamabad United won the 2016 and 2018 Pakistan Super Leagues. In November 2019, Jones became head coach of PSL team Karachi Kings, replacing Mickey Arthur ahead of the 5th edition of Pakistan Super League.
In October 2017, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appointed Jones as the interim head coach for Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup fixture against Hong Kong.
Commentary career.
He received the nickname "Professor Deano" after giving a pitch report for a television show by dressing up as a professor prior to the group stage match of the 2004 Asia Cup between India and Sri Lanka which was at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on 18 July 2004. He eventually emerged as one of the prominent broadcasters in cricket and was known for his work as commentator with Indian Premier League select dugout show in Star Sports. He also served as a summariser for BBC's "Test Match Special" and had a brief stint as a commentator in the Tamil Nadu Premier League as well as in the Karnataka Premier League. During his later part of commentary career, he voiced his opinions on reviving international cricket in Pakistan since 2009.
He also toured war-torn Afghanistan to work as a commentator for the fifth edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League in 2017. He narrowly escaped a suicide bomb blast at the Kabul International Cricket Ground while working as a commentator during a group match of the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League.
Controversy.
Despite his abundant talent as a cricketer, Jones's strong personality and tendency to speak his mind sometimes resulted in friction and conflict with teammates, other players and selectors. An example is an incident on 16 January 1993 during the first one-day final of the 1992–93 Benson & Hedges World Series against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, when he asked paceman Curtly Ambrose to remove the wristband he was wearing on his bowling arm. Riled by this request, Ambrose went on to take 5/32 for the match. He followed this up in the remaining two games of the Test series with a 10-wicket haul in Adelaide and then a famous spell of 7 for 1 in Perth to help the West Indies retain the Frank Worrell Trophy. Writing about the incident over 20 years later, Jones reflected that, at the time, he was struggling to keep his place in the team after having his thumb broken by Wasim Akram. Furthermore, Damien Martyn had taken Jones's spot in the Test side, and Jones was furious after coach Bob Simpson announced the team for the upcoming Test in Adelaide and was again left out. Jones noticed that Ambrose's white wristbands were causing difficulties for the batsmen, and thought that by asking him to remove them, "it would create a massive stir within the Windies team and might get Ambrose to bowl a different line and length".
Jones's commentating contract with 10 Sport was terminated after referring to South African player Hashim Amla as a "terrorist" on 7 August 2006. When Amla, who is a Muslim with a full beard, took a catch, Jones was heard to say "the terrorist gets another wicket". Jones made the comment during a commercial break, but the comment went to air live in South Africa as its broadcast had not been interrupted. He apologised for his actions.
In April 2020, Jones rescinded his life membership at Cricket Victoria and removed his name from the best men's one-day player award. He suggested the administration had given "jobs for the boys" in hiring David Hussey and Michael Klinger as head coaches of the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades respectively, jobs he had applied for at the time. The comments were labelled "a good bit of self-promotion" by Cricket Victoria performance boss Shaun Graf.
Personal life.
Jones had a sister and three brothers. He was married to Jane at the time of his death. They had two daughters together, Augusta and Phoebe. Jones also had a son from a previous relationship.
Death.
Jones died on 24 September 2020 in Mumbai due to a stroke, aged 59. It was originally reported he had a heart attack. He was a part of the 2020 Indian Premier League commentary team for the Star Network at the time of his death. Jones collapsed in a hotel in Mumbai at around midday IST (). Fellow former Australian cricketer Brett Lee witnessed the emergency and attempted CPR to resuscitate Jones prior to an ambulance arriving. The Victorian Coroner confirmed that his death was caused by stroke.


Billy Steel

William Steel (1 May 1923 – 13 May 1982) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for St Mirren, Morton, Derby County, Dundee and the Scotland national team.
One of Scotland's greatest inside forwards, Billy Steel combined a brilliant footballing brain with a busy work ethic and explosive shot. Steel was the subject of two record transfer fees during his career. As well as receiving 30 caps for Scotland, Steel made four appearances with the Scottish League, was a Scottish Cup finalist in 1952, and was a Scottish League Cup winner in 1952 and 1953. He scored a memorable goal for a Great Britain XI against the Rest of Europe in 1947. He was inducted into Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Early career.
Steel began his career at local juvenile side Dunipace Thistle, signing for Junior side Bo'ness Cadora in the summer of 1938, whilst still 15 years of age. He played several games at inside-left before being developed into a winger by Cadora. Leicester City manager Frank Womack was determined to get his man halfway through the season and took him on to the Filbert Street ground staff at the end of 1938; things did not work out as the boss was sacked and nobody remembered to renew his contract.
While still contracted to Morton, Steel played for the British Army of the Rhine, (BAOR) who, in 1944 to 1946, were re-establishing footballing connections with other teams on the Continent. The team "visited" France, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the Channel Islands and Germany, and Steel played along with such notables as Leslie Compton, Eddie Hapgood, and Matt Busby. Demobbed in December 1946 he returned to Morton.
Derby County.
His £15,500 transfer from Morton to Derby County in 1947 was a then British transfer record. He was brought to Derby County after playing just a few first team games for Morton and was a good buy, going on to play for three seasons at the Baseball Ground. In that time he made 124 appearances, scoring 35 goals. Steel was not always popular at Derby, especially among his fellow professionals: one dressing room incident ended in Steel being threatened with being hung on a cloakroom peg by a member of his own team. Players often accused Steel of saving his best performances for when the "Rams" travelled down to play the London teams. He was further disliked for his "moonlighting" (though in the days of the maximum wage for footballers he could hardly be blamed); he received payments for articles that he wrote for several newspapers, enabling him to have a more luxurious life style than his teammates. A deal with News Chronicle was said to be worth as much again as his football wage.
Dundee.
Steel left Derby in September 1950 to return to his native Scotland, Dundee paying a Scottish record transfer fee of £22,500. He helped the club to win the Scottish League Cup in 1951–52 and 1952–53. He was also a finalist in the 1951–52 Scottish Cup. He retired as a player in 1954.
In May 2009, Steel was inducted into Dundee F.C.'s Hall of Fame.
International career.
He won a total of 30 caps for Scotland, scoring 12 goals. He was selected for a Great Britain XI for a match against the Rest of Europe in 1947, despite having played only a handful of league games for Morton.
Retirement and emigration.
In 1954 he announced he was emigrating to the US, where he managed the Los Angeles Danes, before later working in advertising.
Playing style.
Billy Steel had springs for muscles, a choirboy's face that masked a devouring, often ruthless determination to achieve football perfection, a caustic tongue that frequently angered team-mates more bitterly than opponents, and a style and ability that, in this modern age, would have the wealthy clubs of Europe bidding frantically for his transfer. Unlike so many of his predecessors, who were indelibly stamped with the style of their birthplace, Steel was classless. No one watching this chirpy little man in action could have said from which soccer school he graduated. His touch was Scottish of course, but later in his career he welded to that eternal grace an iron physique. He belonged to the elite corp of players: the global greats. His secret was that of Denis Law, an agile brain, a puma's pounce, and extraordinary gymnastic ability that put him a move ahead of his colleagues. There was nothing svelte about Steel: he exuded vitality, he had the killer instinct of a boxing champion, he was the type of aggressive attacker who was so keen to win that he would have sworn at his best friend if he felt he hadn't been pulling his weight.


Henry Forrest (racehorse trainer)

Henry Forrest (July 7, 1907 - April 5, 1975) was an American Hall of Fame trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who twice won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Henry Forrest was born in Covington, Kentucky and began his career near Lexington breaking yearlings for Col. E. R. Bradley's Idle Hour Stock Farm. He embarked on a professional training career in 1937 that would mainly involve operating public stables but also for renowned Kentucky owners, Claiborne and Calumet Farm. In 1966, Forrest won the first two legs of the U.S. Triple Crown races with Kauai King. He repeated the feat two years later in 1968 with Forward Pass who would receive American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse honors.
During a career in which he won more than 2,000 races, eight times Henry Forrest finished among the top ten American trainers in races won and on two occasions was in the top ten in purse money earned. He was the owner of Forrest Farms Inc. in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Henry Forrest died in a Lexington, Kentucky hospital in 1975 at the age of 67. He is buried in Franklin, Tennessee. In 1999 he was posthumously inducted in the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame and in 2007, to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.


Lita dela Rosa

Lita dela Rosa (died July 1994) was a Filipino 4-time World champion in Tenpin Bowling from Cebu, Philippines.
Lita won the Bowling World Cup in Bogota, Colombia, in 1978. In 1979 IX Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs World Championship that was held in Manila, Philippines (at the Celebrity Sports Plaza), she won the Gold medal in Women Single, as well as the prestigious Masters title. She is the first lady bowler to hold both world titles at the same time. She won another Gold medal in Women Doubles teamed up with country woman Bong Coo, and added another Silver medal in Trios with Coo and Nellie Castillo.
In the following world championships in 1983 X Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs held in Caracas Venezuela, Lita, Bong Coo and Arianne Cerdeña took another crack at the Trios but tied with the United States team for the Silver medal.
In the 1979 5th FIQ Asian Zone Championships at Ploenshit Bowling Center in Bangkok, Lita combined with Nellie Castillo for the Women Doubles Gold medal.
She died in July 1994 after undergoing heart bypass operation. She was honored by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for faithfully serving it for 32 years. She retired on April 1994 with the rank of Technical Assistant in the GSIS Manpower Development Division.
Dela Rosa is only one of two women who have won the AMF Bowling World Cup and the FIQ/WTBA Masters in successive years (the other is Annette Hagre Johansson of Sweden (1986 AMF Bowling World Cup, 1987 FIQ/WTBA Masters)).
She was elected to the WBW International Bowling Hall of Fame in 2000 International Bowling Hall of Fame and elected to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame with compatriots Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno and Olivia "Bong" on October 12, 2019.
Dela Rosa was also one of the best Duckpin bowlers in the Philippines, also having won the silver medal at the World Cup of Duckpin.


Syd Howe

Sydney Harris "Syd" Howe (September 18, 1911 – May 20, 1976) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Howe played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Quakers, Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Eagles and Detroit Red Wings.
Playing career.
Howe played in the NHL from 1929–30 to 1945–46 primarily with the Detroit Red Wings where he would enjoy his greatest personal and team successes. One of the leading scorers of his era, Syd Howe was a part of three Stanley Cup championships with the Red Wings.
Syd Howe often skated on Patterson's Creek and the Rideau Canal with his brother Lawrence 'Pete' Howe while growing up in his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario. He played hockey with the Glebe Collegiate high school team and the Lansdowne Park Juveniles in 1926 before joining the Ottawa Gunners junior team in the newly formed Ottawa City Hockey League. He and his Gunners teammates became the first Ottawa club to reach the Memorial Cup finals when they took on the Regina Monarchs in 1928, losing the best-of-three final by two games to one. Howe was a top scorer during the playdowns, registering nine goals and 13 points in eight games.
He joined the NHL with his hometown Ottawa Senators for the last 12 games of the 1929–30 season and was loaned to the Philadelphia Quakers for the 1930–31 season, the Quakers' only year of existence. When Ottawa suspended operations for the 1931–32 season, Howe was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the dispersal draft, but he appeared in just three NHL games, spending most of his time on the farm with the Syracuse Stars of the International Hockey League. He was back with the Senators the following year and moved with the club to St. Louis, as a member of the St. Louis Eagles, in the 1934–35 season. (Howe holds the unique distinction of being the only man to pay for both the Philadelphia Quakers and the St. Louis Eagles.) The Eagles sold Howe in February 1935 to the Detroit Red Wings, where his career could finally get on track.
Howe was on the ice in the Montreal Forum at 2:25 a.m. on March 25, 1936, when Mud Bruneteau scored in the sixth overtime period to give Detroit the win in game one of the best-of-five semi-final against the Montreal Maroons, the longest game in league history. The Red Wings went on to win the series and the Stanley Cup that spring and followed up with another Stanley Cup victory in 1937.
On March 19, 1940, Howe scored 25 seconds into overtime to give the Wings a 2–1 victory over the New York Americans in game one of the quarter-finals. It was Howe's most cherished moment of his career and would stand as the fastest overtime goal scored in NHL history for the next 29 years. He also set the modern-day NHL record by scoring six goals in a game on February 3, 1944, versus the New York Rangers, a record which has since been twice equaled but never bettered in over fifty years of play. He was named to the NHL Second Team All-Star squad as a left winger in 1945 and played in the 1939 benefit All-Star game for Babe Siebert.
In his NHL career, he scored 237 goals and 291 assists for 528 points in 691 games. In the playoffs, he totaled 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 70 games. He won the Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings in 1936, 1937 and 1943. In 1934–35, he was runner-up to Charlie Conacher for the scoring title with 47 points in 50 games despite playing much of the season with the last-place St. Louis Eagles. In 1943–44, he racked up 32 goals and 60 points in just 46 games, however, league-wide scoring was inflated due to World War II. In a February 3, 1944 game against the New York Rangers, Howe scored six goals in a single game, a total that has been surpassed only once when Joe Malone scored seven.
Howe was an all-around player, shifting between left wing and centre as needed, killing penalties and dropping back to play defence in a pinch. Those who watched the team closely reported that Howe's ice time with the Red Wings would constitute an amazing total.
Upon playing his last NHL game in 1946, Howe was the last active player who played for the Philadelphia Quakers and the original era of the Ottawa Senators. He would return to Ottawa, and play again for the Ottawa Senators, now in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.
Although not related, right wing Gordie Howe joined the Red Wings the following season (1946–47) and remained with the club until 1971 thus giving the Wings a star forward named Howe on its roster for 37 consecutive seasons (1934–1971). Syd Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, and died eleven years later on May 20, 1976, of throat cancer at age 64. He was interred in the Capital Memorial Gardens in Ottawa.


Paul Bennett (Canadian football)

Paul Frederick Bennett (born March 27, 1954) is a former award-winning and all-star defensive back in the Canadian Football League and Grey Cup champion.
He attended General Brock Public School and W. A. Porter Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario. As a high school football player Paul played defensive back and quarterback and was named a Toronto All Star in 1972.
Offered a full football scholarship to the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri, he played on the Tigers freshman team in 1973. He was redshirted on the varsity squad for his sophomore year.
In 1974 Bennett returned to Canada and attended Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. He played for WLU in 1975 and 1976, coached by Canadian Football Hall of Famer Tuffy Knight. He was protected by the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL draft.
Bennett was a hard-hitting safety and a fierce punt returner. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and won a Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1986 (whom he played with from 1985 to 1987,) after stints at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1980 to 1983), and Toronto Argonauts (1977 to 1979 and 1984).
Bennett retired in 1987 after eleven seasons. He had 45 interceptions and CFL records in punt return yards (6,358), punt return carries (659) and interception return yards (1,004).
He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 1983 and 1985 and the James P. McCaffrey Trophy in 1985. He was a 4 time all star. In 1985, he was an all-star and won the James P. McCaffrey Trophy as Outstanding Defensive Player in the Eastern Division. And, for the second time in his career, he won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award.
He lives in Winnipeg, and brought the 2009 Canadian Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremony to the city. He is currently Head Coach for the Oak Park High School Raiders Junior Varsity football team.


Pat Marsden

Patrick Francis Marsden (November 8, 1936 – April 27, 2006) was a Canadian sportscaster and voice of the Canadian Football League play-by-play coverage in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as host for the historic 1972 Canada-Soviet Union hockey Summit Series sports telecasts. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Marsden was born in Ottawa and attended St. Patrick's High School and the University of Ottawa, where he started his sportscasting career at local station CKOY.
He later became sports director at CFTO in Toronto, and became immersed in all local and national sporting events. He even appeared as "John Marsden" in an episode of "Bizarre" (filmed at CFTO), in a Super Dave Osborne stunt at Toronto's CN Tower.
Fired in 1986 after a physical altercation with his boss Ted Stuebing, Marsden then was hired by his CTV football broadcasting partner Bill Stephenson at CFRB, went to TSN, and later surfaced at The Fan 590. After helping to rebuild and essentially help create the image for The Fan 590, he retired in 2004.
Marsden spent most of his time in Florida due to what he felt was the "socialization of Canadian society", but he continued to maintain a home in Toronto.
He returned in 1996 to live in Toronto with his family joining him and died of lung cancer on April 27, 2006, aged 69, at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.


Jay Trump

Jay Trump (1957–1988) was an American thoroughbred racehorse and one of only two horses to win both the Maryland Hunt Cup and the Grand National steeplechase races. Jay Trump won three Maryland Hunt Cups, 1963, 1964, 1966. In 1965 he won the English Grand National.
Background.
Jay Trump was born April 1, 1957 and was the product of an unplanned breeding. His sire was Tonga Prince, his dam Be Trump. They were paddock mates, Be Trump was considered infertile. He spent his early years training at "Shanty Town", located near the Charles Town race track, in West Virginia, where he raced.
Racing career.
Jay Trump's early race record was unremarkable; Jay Trump ran 8 times, with one second-place finish, earning $220.
In 1960, amateur steeplechase jockey, Crompton "Tommy" Smith, purchased Jay Trump for Mary Stephenson, who was a family friend. He was purchased as a steeplechase prospect. Tommy Smith was the grandson of the great sportsman and steeplechase racer Harry Worcester Smith, who in 1912 and 1913 traveled to Ireland, England and France as the invited "Master of the Westmeath Hounds."
Jay Trump won his first race in 1962. In 1963 he won his first Maryland Hunt Cup, setting a course record, defeating Mountain Dew. Plans were hatched to take Jay Trump to England for the Grand National, but it was thought better to wait another year. Jay Trump won the Maryland Hunt Cup for a second time in 1964, again defeating Mountain Dew. Later that year he was shipped to England. He won his first race for trainer Fred Winter at Sandown on October 21, 1964; this was also the first winner for the trainer. Jay Trump went on to win two more races and finished second in the King George VI Chase, as he prepared for the Grand National.
In 1965 Jay Trump won the English Grand National, defeating Freddy in a remarkable battle to the line. He was the first Maryland Hunt Cup horse to win the Grand National, as well as the first American owned, bred and ridden winner of the Grand National. Since that time, Ben Nevis II has repeated the feat of winning the Maryland Hunt Cup in 1977 and 1978, and the Grand National in 1980. After his Grand National victory, Jay Trump went to France to run in the Grand Steeplechase. He was made the favorite, but finished third to Hyeres III, who had also won the race in 1964.
Jay Trump then returned to the United States, where he ran in one more Maryland Hunt Cup, in 1966. He won that race, and was promptly retired. Mountain Dew was second to Jay Trump in this race for the third time. Mountain Dew also won three Maryland Hunt Cup races; Jay Trump and Mountain Dew formed a tremendous rivalry in the 1960s.
Honors.
Jay Trump is in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
Jay Trump was part of the first group of horses that entered the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame. He is buried at the finish line of the Kentucky Horse Park's Steeplechase course.
Books.
Books that have been written about Jay Trump include Peter Winant's "Jay Trump: A Steeplechasing Saga", and Jane Mcllvaine's "The Will to Win: The True Story of Tommy Smith and Jay Trump".


Ceferino Garcia

Ceferino Montano Garcia (August 26, 1906 – January 1, 1981) was a champion boxer born in Naval, Biliran, Philippines. He holds the most victories ever achieved by a Filipino boxer and is also the only boxer from the Philippines to become world champion in the middleweight division. Garcia is commonly credited to as the first well known user of the bolo punch, which was later popularized by Cuban fighter Kid Gavilán. He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1977 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1989.
Early life.
Ceferino Garcia was the son of Fortunato Garcia and Pascuala Montano and was the oldest of six children. He never completed first grade and indulged rather frequently in gambling. At 17, he was feared by so many that nobody would take him in a street fight. He was also a skilled blacksmith.
Boxing success.
While working at a bakery in Cebu City, Garcia met a boxing promoter. This was where his career as boxer started.
On September 23, 1937, Garcia first had a shot for a world title in the welterweight division. However, Barney Ross bested him by unanimous decision.
On October 2, 1939, Garcia fought Fred Apostoli for the world Middleweight title in the United States and won it by TKO in the 7th round. He defended that title three times until he lost to Ken Overlin on points. He was managed, during the final years of his career by George Parnassus.
Life after boxing.
After retiring from the ring he made a few uncredited appearances in Hollywood films with the exception of "Joe Palooka, Champ" in which he plays himself. He was also employed for a time by actress Mae West as her chauffeur and bodyguard.
During the 1930s and 1940s, Garcia lived on 1042 S. Rowan St., in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Garcia died on January 1, 1981 while in San Diego, California. His grave is located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.


Jeff Avery

Jeff Avery (born March 28, 1953) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted as a territorial exemption in the 1976 CFL Draft by the Rough Riders and would win the Grey Cup with the team that same year. Avery played seven seasons for the Rough Riders, being named a CFL East All-Star in 1977 and 1978. He played CIAU football for the Ottawa Gee-Gees where he won the 1975 Vanier Cup. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017 as a reporter.


Rickey Jackson

Rickey Anderson Jackson (born March 20, 1958) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints (1981–1993) and the San Francisco 49ers (1994–1995). With the Saints, he led the team's Dome Patrol linebacker corps. In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring. On February 7, 2010, Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early years.
Jackson's first name was originally spelled "Ricky"; he says he changed it himself in high school. Jackson played football and basketball at Pahokee High School in Pahokee, Florida. He made 188 tackles and caught 21 passes for eight touchdowns as a tight end. In 2007, he was named to the Florida High School Athletic Association's All-Century Team, consisting of the top 33 players in the 100-year history of high school football in Florida. Jackson's nickname, "City Champ", came from his days at Pahokee; he has variously said that he chose the name himself or was given it because of his performance on the field.
College career.
Jackson was known as "the other end" at the University of Pittsburgh due to Hugh Green's presence on the team. He also played with other future NFL players, such as center Russ Grimm, guard Mark May, tackle Jimbo Covert, defensive back Tim Lewis, defensive lineman Bill Maas, receiver Dwight Collins, and quarterback Dan Marino. Although overshadowed by Green, as a junior in 1979 Jackson was a second-team All-East selection and named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press and "The Sporting News". As a senior in 1980, he was a second-team All-America selection and a first-team All-Big East selection. Pitt's defense was ranked number one nationally in 1980.
Jackson ended his college career with 290 tackles, 166 of them unassisted. He also finished with 21 sacks, four passes defended and three interceptions. As a freshman, he totaled 15 tackles and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. As a sophomore, he made 27 tackles (21 unassisted) and five sacks. In 1979, he had 111 tackles (47 unassisted) and four sacks and recovered two fumbles. In 1980, he led the team with 137 tackles (87 solo), had 12 sacks, broke up four passes, recovered four fumbles and intercepted a pass. Following the game against Army in 1980, in which Jackson recorded 12 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, and a blocked punt, he was named the "Sports Illustrated" Player of the Week. That same year, during the game against Penn State, he was chosen the ABC/Chevrolet Player-of-the-Game.
Jackson made 14 tackles in the Pittsburgh Gator Bowl win and played in the Senior Bowl, where he was a team captain. He was the MVP of the East-West Shrine Game.
Professional career.
Drafted in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft (53rd overall) from Pitt, Jackson was a member of the first draft in New Orleans under head coach Bum Phillips. Jackson played in all 16 games his rookie season and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. In 1983, he was first-team All-NFC, the first of seven seasons in which he'd receive post-season honors in the NFL, including being selected six times for the Pro Bowl (in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, and 1993). Jackson was a four-time first-team All-Pro and a two-time second-team All-Pro selection. He was a member of the Saints' famed "Dome Patrol", a four-man linebacking corps named by the NFL Network as the best in NFL history.
In his 13 seasons as a Saint, Jackson missed only two games, a result of an automobile accident in 1989. He played the remainder of the 1989 season with his jaw wired and wearing a special helmet, still managing to accumulate 7-1/2 sacks during the year.
In 1994, Jackson joined the 49ers. He won his only Super Bowl with the 49ers that year. He retired from the NFL following the 1995 season.
Jackson recorded 10 or more sacks in six different seasons and led the NFL in fumble recoveries in 1990 and 1991. He finished his career with 136 (eight unofficial in 1981) sacks and eight interceptions, which he returned for 68 yards. In his first year as a finalist in 2010, Jackson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one day before the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. His bust, sculpted by Scott Myers, was unveiled at the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 7, 2010. He is the first member of the Hall of Fame to be inducted primarily for his contributions as a Saint.
Records.
On his retirement following the 1995 season, Jackson held the following NFL records.
At the end of the 1993 season, his final season with New Orleans, Jackson held the following Saints records.


John Olerud

John Garrett Olerud (; born August 5, 1968), nicknamed Johnny O, is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays team that won two consecutive World Series championships in and . He also played for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The two-time All-Star was a patient, productive hitter throughout his career, winning the American League batting title in 1993, and finishing as runner-up for the National League batting title in 1998. Olerud was also an excellent defensive first baseman, and won three Gold Glove Awards. In 1999, he appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" titled "The Best Infield Ever?" along with Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura, when he played for the Mets.
Early life.
Olerud was born to Lynda and John E. Olerud, a physician, dermatologist and baseball player from Lisbon, North Dakota. The elder Olerud played college baseball for the Washington State Cougars as a catcher and was the captain of the team which advanced to the semifinals of the College World Series in 1965. An All-American, he was selected by the California Angels in the 1965 amateur draft and spent the next seven years studying medicine and playing minor league baseball.
At Interlake High School in Bellevue, Washington, east of Seattle, the junior Olerud played varsity basketball, golf and baseball for three years. As a senior in 1986, he led the Saints to a state high school baseball championship as both a pitcher and a first baseman.
College baseball.
Like his father, Olerud played college baseball for the Washington State University Cougars in Pullman under head coach Chuck "Bobo" Brayton.
1987.
As a true freshman in 1987, he hit .414 with 5 home runs and 20 runs batted in. As a pitcher, he went 8–2 with a 3.00 ERA and was an All-American. Washington State finished third in the six-team West I regional of the NCAA tournament.
1988.
In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 home runs, 81 runs batted in, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season, with a 2.49 earned run average and 113 strikeouts. He was a consensus All-American as both a first baseman and pitcher and was named the "Baseball America" College Player of the Year. Washington State University again finished third in the six-team West I regional of the NCAA tournament.
1989.
Prior to his junior season in 1989, Olerud was running indoors on campus on January 11 when he collapsed; hospitalized in Pullman, he was airlifted to Spokane later in the day, accompanied by his father. He was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which caused bleeding into the spinal column. He remained in the hospital for about two weeks after the seizure and lost , but was back in class by the end of January. A few weeks later in Seattle, further examinations revealed a brain aneurysm, and he underwent surgery in late February.
Olerud returned to action for the Cougars in mid-April; he hit .359 with 5 home runs and 30 runs batted in during 78 plate appearances. On the mound, he posted a 3-2 record with a 6.68 earned run average. He was a Pac-10 North All-League designated hitter. From 1989 onward, he wore a batting helmet while on defense. The Cougars again won the Pac-10 North title, but lost their first two games of the North tournament in blustery Spokane to end their year early. (Fourth-seeded Portland advanced to the NCAA tourney.)
In June, the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the third round of the 1989 draft. Intending to return to the Cougars for his senior season, he again played summer ball with the Palouse Empire team in the Alaska League, while the Blue Jays negotiated a contract. He told teams prior to the draft that a very large bonus would be necessary for him to forego his senior year at Washington State. In late August, he signed with Toronto.
Professional career.
In a 17-season career through 2005 spanning 2,234 games, Olerud posted a .398 on-base percentage, 500 doubles, 255 home runs, 1,275 walks, 1,408 runs scored, 1,230 runs batted in, 3,602 times on base, 96 sacrifice flies and 157 intentional walks. He was also hit by pitches 88 times and grounded into 232 double plays during his career. He is also one of only 26 players to ever hit for the cycle multiple times in their careers. Defensively, in 2,053 games at first base, he recorded a career .995 fielding percentage. He was a two-time All-Star and was a member of two World Series–winning teams with the Blue Jays (1992–93).
Olerud jumped directly to the majors after a stellar career at Washington State, where he was a pitcher noted for his performance from 1987 to 1989. He had originally intended to return to Washington State for his senior year but agreed to sign with the Blue Jays only after they promised that he would report directly to Toronto. He was known for wearing a batting helmet in the field as a precaution, due to the aneurysm he suffered at age twenty.
Toronto Blue Jays.
Olerud broke into MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays in , without ever playing in the minors. Prior to the season, he was named the #3 prospect in MLB by "Baseball America". He was platooned by Jays' manager Cito Gaston for the first few years of his career, until , when he became the team's full-time first baseman. In , his breakout season, he led the American League in batting average (.363), intentional walks (33), times on base (321), on-base percentage (.473), OPS (1.072), and doubles (54, also a career high), while posting career highs in home runs (24), runs batted in (107), runs (109), and hits (200). He flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the season, with his average staying higher than .400 as late as August 24.
Despite putting up solid numbers over the next several years, he failed to meet the high expectations placed upon him following his breakout performance in 1993. After the 1996 season, Olerud was battling veteran Joe Carter and up-and-comer Carlos Delgado for a spot at either first base or designated hitter. Delgado was young, had a bright future and a low salary, while Gaston preferred Carter to Olerud, feeling the latter wasn't aggressive enough at the plate. Therefore, Olerud was traded, along with cash, to the New York Mets on December 20 for Robert Person.
New York Mets.
With the Mets, he set a team record in 1998 by reaching base at least twice in 12 straight starts. Olerud set team single-season records for batting average (.354), on-base percentage (.447) and runs created (138) in 1998. He was in the race for the National League batting title until the final day of the season, when Larry Walker edged him out with a .363 average. In the 1999 campaign, Olerud appeared on the cover of the September 6 issue of "Sports Illustrated", along with fellow Mets infielders Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura. The magazine raised the debate as to whether the four talented fielders comprised the best defensive infield in major league history. He set Mets records for most walks (125) and times on base (309) in a season that year.
Seattle Mariners.
Following the 1999 season, Olerud returned home, agreeing to a three-year, $20 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. In 2000, he amassed 45 doubles, 102 walks, 10 sacrifice flies and 11 intentional walks. He was an important part of the Mariners' historic 2001 season in which they tied the record for most wins in a major league baseball season with 116. Olerud contributed to the effort with a .401 on-base percentage, 94 walks, 272 times on base and 19 intentional walks in 159 games. In 2002, he recorded a .403 on-base percentage, 39 doubles, 98 walks, 269 times on base and led the American League with 12 sacrifice flies. In 2003, he collected another 84 walks. Olerud also earned all three of his Gold Glove Awards while playing first base for Seattle in 2000, 2002, and 2003. In mid-July 2004, the Mariners were in last place in the American League West Division and Olerud was designated for reassignment; he was hitting .245 with five homers and a trade was attempted but not completed; he was released the following
New York Yankees.
About a week after his release, Olerud was signed in early August by the New York Yankees to fill a void left at first base by the injury of Less than two weeks later, the Yankees visited Seattle to play the Mariners. Olerud started the second game on Saturday, August 14; his first time up, Mariner catcher Dan Wilson went to the mound to have a "conference" with pitcher Jamie Moyer. This gave time for about a minute-long standing ovation for Olerud from the His American League Championship Series was cut short when he was forced to leave due to an injured foot in Game 3. Olerud pinch hit in Game 7 but struck out after a lengthy at-bat against Pedro Martínez, making a rare relief appearance; it was Olerud's last at-bat as a Yankee.
Boston Red Sox.
On May 2, 2005, the Boston Red Sox and Olerud agreed to terms on a minor league contract. He had been recovering from surgery in November 2004 to repair torn ligaments in his left foot. Initially, Olerud reported to the club's spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida. He was added to Boston's 25-man roster on May 27, sharing time at first base with Kevin Millar and batting in the middle of the lineup (including several starts in the clean-up spot).
Retirement.
Following the 2005 season, Olerud announced his retirement from baseball on December 6. At the time, his 2,239 career hits represented the 143rd-highest total in major league history. His career .398 on base percentage ranks 65th, and his 500 doubles are 44th.
In 2007, Olerud was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 2016, Olerud was named Pac-12 Player of the Century when the conference released its All-Century Baseball team.
Personal life.
Olerud lives with his wife, Kelly, who was a high school classmate, and their children (one son and a daughter) in the Seattle suburb of Clyde Hill. Another daughter, Jordan, died at age 19 in 2020 from complications a unique chromosomal disorder called tri-some 2p, 5p-.
Olerud's father, John E. Olerud, M.D., also played baseball at Washington State University. Olerud is a cousin of retired MLB player Dale Sveum.
The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award is named after him.
He was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2020.


Doug Bentley

Douglas Wagner Bentley (September 3, 1916 – November 24, 1972) was a Canadian ice hockey left winger who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers as part of a senior and professional career that spanned nearly three decades. He was named to four NHL All-Star Teams in his career and was the scoring leader in points and goals in 1942–43 and again in goals in 1943–44.
Bentley was one of six hockey playing brothers and at one point played with four of his brothers with the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League. He made NHL history when he played on the league's first all-brother line with Max and Reg in 1943. Injuries forced him out of the NHL in 1951, but he returned in 1953–54 to play one last season for the Rangers with Max. He spent several seasons as a player-coach for the Saskatoon Quakers, leading the team to the Pacific Coast Hockey League championship in 1952. Bentley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1964.
Early life.
Bentley was born March 1, 1916, in Delisle, Saskatchewan. He was the fifth of six boys and one of thirteen children. His father Bill was a native of Yorkshire, England, who emigrated to the United States as a child and became a speed skating champion in North Dakota before settling in Delisle. He became mayor and helped build the town's covered skating rink. All of the Bentley children were athletes, and all six brothers played hockey.
Bill Bentley believed that all six boys could have played in the National Hockey League (NHL), though responsibilities on the family farm resulted in the eldest four boys spending the majority of their careers playing senior hockey on the Canadian Prairies. Doug was a small, slender player, weighing only 145 lbs at the peak of his career, but he was an exceptionally fast skater and his father taught him to use his speed to avoid larger opponents. He learned his trade with his brothers as they constantly played street hockey in the summers and on the ice in the winters. Bentley's father flooded a sheet of ice that was the length of a regulation NHL hockey rink but much narrower, forcing the boys to develop the ability to maintain control of the puck while making fast, hard turns to reach the net.
Playing career.
Senior hockey.
Bentley's early career was spent with several senior teams throughout Saskatchewan. He first played in his hometown of Delisle for the Tigers hockey team in 1932–33 before playing a year in Saskatoon, then another in Regina before settling in Moose Jaw for three seasons beginning in 1935–36. He led the South-Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League in scoring in 1936–37 with 37 points and added another 14 in the playoffs, also leading the league. In 1937, Bentley, along with future Hall of Famer Elmer Lach attended the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp; both were rejected as too small for the National Hockey League. According to Lach, Conn Smythe, manager of the Leafs, saw Bentley and Lach and said "They were sending me big guys from the West, but instead they’ve sent me peanuts." He moved to Alberta with brother Reg, and joined elder brothers Max, Wyatt and Roy with the Drumheller Miners of the Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) for the 1938–39 season. When not playing hockey, Doug helped run a gas station that the family purchased in Drumheller.
Chicago Black Hawks.
The Chicago Black Hawks signed Bentley to a contract in the fall of 1939. He had previously been placed on the protected list of the Montreal Canadiens, meaning they were the only NHL team eligible to sign him to a contract. They subsequently dealt his NHL rights to the Boston Bruins for Vic Myles. When he and brother Max went to Boston for a tryout camp, Bruins' owner Art Ross declared them "among the worst amateurs to come to my camp". However, by the time Chicago signed him, Bentley had established himself as one of the top forwards on the prairies.
Bentley appeared in 39 games in his rookie campaign with Chicago, scoring 12 goals and 19 points. His brother Max joined him early in the 1941–42 season, and the pair were placed on a line together. After two years of development with the Black Hawks, Bentley emerged as the NHL's scoring leader in 1942–43 with 73 points, a total that tied Cooney Weiland's NHL record for points in a season. He was the first Black Hawks player to finish as the scoring leader, and finished second in voting for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player.
World War II had decimated the rosters of all NHL teams, and with the Black Hawks searching for players, Max and Doug convinced the team to sign their brother Reg. The trio made history on January 1, 1943, when they became the first all-brother line the NHL had seen. Two nights later, Max and Doug assisted on Reg's first, and only, NHL goal. It is the only time in league history that a trio of family members recorded the goal and assists on a scoring play. While Max and Doug were established NHL stars, Reg played only 11 games in his NHL career.
In 1943–44, Bentley again led the NHL in goal scoring with 38, and was named a First Team All-Star at left wing for the second consecutive season. His career was briefly halted in 1944 when, after playing an exhibition game with Chicago in Canada prior to the 1944–45 season, Canadian officials refused to allow him to return to the United States. He was given permission by military authorities to return to his family farm for the duration of the war, and signed on to play with the Laura Beavers of the Saskatchewan Intermediate Hockey League. The Beavers went on to win the western Canadian intermediate championship, defeating a team from Canmore, Alberta, to capture the title.
Following the war, Bentley returned to the Black Hawks where he was reunited with his brother Max. The brothers and Bill Mosienko formed a line in which each player was small and exceptionally fast; they were dubbed the "Pony Line" and emerged as one of the top scoring lines in the league. Max led the NHL in scoring with 61 points, while Doug scored 40 points in just 36 games for Chicago. He improved to 55 points in 1946–47 and was named a First Team All-Star for the third time. He played in the first All-Star Game on October 13, 1947, for the NHL All-Stars, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4–3.
The Black Hawks, who never iced a strong lineup while Bentley played, made a significant trade early in the 1947–48 season. They sent Max Bentley and a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for five players. The trade shocked Doug. He thought about retiring following the deal but felt he could give Chicago at least one more good season. He gave them several good seasons, finished the following three seasons with 57, 66 and 52 points respectively, was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1949, and appeared in four more All-Star Games in 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951. Chicago's "Herald American" newspaper named him the city's top hockey player of the half-century in 1950.
Saskatoon and New York.
Injuries, including a pulled groin muscle, plagued Bentley in 1950–51 and limited him to 44 games. He played only eight games of the 1951–52 NHL season before the Black Hawks allowed him to return to Saskatchewan. He was loaned to the Saskatoon Quakers where he took on the role of player-coach for the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) team. Bentley appeared in 35 regular season games for the Quakers then scored 12 points in 13 games to lead the Quakers to the President's Cup championship.
Bentley remained with Saskatoon in 1952–53, appearing in all 70 league games for the Quakers. Following the season, the New York Rangers lured Bentley back to the NHL, acquiring his brother Max, then purchasing his rights from Chicago. In his first game with the Rangers, he scored a goal and three assists. He played 20 games with the Rangers, scoring 12 points, but returned to Saskatoon to coach the team in their playoffs once the Rangers' season ended. Bentley continued as Saskatoon's player-coach until 1955.
In the midst of the 1955–56 season, Bentley surprised his team by announcing his resignation as a coach. He initially agreed to continue as a player, but when the team announced as his replacement a player who was formerly subordinate to him as coach, Bentley felt it best to leave to avoid embarrassing his successor. The 39-year-old Bentley immediately received offers from other Western Hockey League (WHL) teams, including the New Westminster Royals. He chose to finish the season with the Brandon Regals.
Coaching career.
Bentley did not play during the 1956–57 season, as he and Max chose instead to operate a new Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team in Saskatoon. He first served as the team's manager, and after briefly playing with the WHL's Saskatoon/St. Paul Regals in 1957–58, became the head coach of the junior team. He remained in the position until 1961 when he left to become chief scout with the WHL's Los Angeles Blades for the 1961–62 season.
He was named an assistant coach midway through the year and even played when injuries forced players out of the lineup. Bentley moved on to become the player-coach of the Long Beach Gulls of the California Hockey League in 1962–63, opposing his brother Max who coached the Burbank Stars. He returned to his Saskatchewan home in 1964 to coach the senior Saskatoon Quakers for one season. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame that same year. He then moved to the Eastern Hockey League's Knoxville Knights in 1966–67, and finally the Edmonton Nuggets of the Western Canada Senior Hockey League in 1967–68.
Personal life.
Throughout the 1950s, Bentley and his brothers played baseball for both their home town of Delisle and the Saskatoon Gems of the Saskatchewan and later Western Canada senior leagues. He played as an outfielder.
Bentley and his wife Betty had three daughters and one son. Their son, Doug Jr., was also a hockey player. Much of Doug Sr.'s time away from the rink was spent at the family farm near Delisle. The family operated a large farm, raising cattle and growing wheat. Bentley battled cancer in his later life, first requiring surgery in Edmonton in 1969. A second operation followed in 1970, but he died of the disease on November 24, 1972.


Chester McCance

Chester "Ches" McCance (February 19, 1915 – May 8, 1956), was a Canadian football wide receiver and placekicker who played thirteen seasons in professional gridiron football, mainly for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 1976 he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and in 2004 he was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
McCance also curled, and represented Quebec at the 1953 Macdonald Brier.


Ray Elgaard

Raymond Elgaard (born August 29, 1959) is a former Canadian Football League slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1983 through 1996, including winning the 77th Grey Cup in 1989. A big man, he was noted for his reliability as a receiver and his toughness on the field. He retired as the all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards in the Canadian Football League (830 receptions, 13,198 receiving yards, eight 1,000 yard seasons).
Elgaard played rugby for Magee Secondary School and the Kats, college football at the University of Utah, and now resides in Las Vegas. He was a three-time CFL Most Outstanding Canadian and a four-time CFL All-Star. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and in November, 2006 was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#36) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.
During the off-season in the mid-1980s, Elgaard was known for waiting tables in the most popular nightclub in Regina, “Checkers” in the south-Regina Landmark Inn. Due to Ray's impressive size, other wait-staff were often seen “drafting” behind Elgaard as he pushed through the crowd while making his rounds.


Ray Dandridge

Raymond Emmitt Dandridge (August 31, 1913 – February 12, 1994), nicknamed "Hooks" and "Squat", was an American third baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. Dandridge excelled as a third baseman and he hit for a high batting average. By the time that Major League Baseball was racially integrated, Dandridge was considered too old to play. He worked as a major league scout after his playing career ended. In 1999, Dandridge was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and, late in his life, Dandridge was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
Early life.
Dandridge was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Archie and Alberta Thompson Dandridge.
He played several sports as a child, including baseball, football and boxing. After sustaining a leg injury in football, Dandridge's father made him quit that sport. He focused on baseball, often playing with a bat improvised from a tree branch and a golf ball wrapped in string and tape.
Dandridge lived for a while in Buffalo, New York, before he and his family returned to Richmond. He played baseball locally for teams in Richmond's Church Hill district. Dandridge became known for his short, bowed legs, which later led to nicknames including "Hooks" and "Squat". While playing for a local team in 1933, Dandridge was discovered by Indianapolis ABCs/Detroit Stars manager Candy Jim Taylor.
Career.
He played for the Stars in 1933 and for the Newark Dodgers, which were later called the Newark Eagles, from 1934 to 1938. While with the Eagles, Dandridge was part of the "Million Dollar Infield" that also consisted of Dick Seay, Mule Suttles, and Willie Wells.
In 1939, badly underpaid by the Eagles, Dandridge moved to the Mexican League, where he played for nine of the next ten seasons, rejoining the Eagles for one last season in 1944. Bill Veeck of the Cleveland Indians called Dandridge in 1947 and asked him to come play in the Cleveland organization. Though that might have given him the chance to be the first black major league player, Dandridge turned it down because he did not want to move his family from Mexico. He also realized that he had been treated well by club owner Jorge Pasquel, who was paying him $10,000 per season plus living expenses.
Pasquel died the next year in a plane crash, prompting Dandridge to return to the United States as a player-manager for the New York Cubans. Although more than capable of playing in the majors, he never got the call to the big leagues, instead spending the last years of his career as the premier player in Triple-A baseball, batting .362 and leading all American Association third basemen in fielding percentage in 1949. He batted .360 in his last minor league season in .
Dandridge was one of the greatest fielders in the history of baseball, and one of the sport's greatest hitters for average. Monte Irvin, who played both in the Negro leagues and the major leagues and saw every great fielding third baseman of two generations, said that Dandridge was the greatest of them all, adding that Dandridge almost never committed more than two errors in a season. Dandridge was also a tutor to the young Willie Mays. Because of the "gentlemen's agreement" not to allow African Americans in Major League Baseball, Dandridge was dismissed as being too old by the time of integration.
Later life.
After retiring from playing in 1955, Dandridge worked as a scout for the San Francisco Giants and later ran a recreation center in Newark, New Jersey. He lived his final years in Palm Bay, Florida. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in . He died at age 80 in Palm Bay.
Dandridge's nephew, Brad Dandridge, played professional baseball from 1993 to 1998, primarily in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.


Leon Day

Leon Day (October 30, 1916 – March 13, 1995) was an American professional baseball pitcher who spent the majority of his career in the Negro leagues. Recognized as one of the most versatile athletes in the league during his prime, Day could play every position, with the exception of catcher, and often was the starting second baseman or center fielder when he was not on the mound. A right-handed pitcher with a trademark no wind-up delivery, Day excelled at striking batters out, especially with his high-speed fastball. At the same time, he was an above-average contact hitter, which, combined with his effectiveness as a baserunner and his tenacious fielding, helped cement Day as one of the most dynamic players of the era.
Debuting in the Negro leagues in 1934, Day played with the Baltimore Black Sox, Newark Eagles, and Baltimore Elite Giants during his career. In 1937, Day had the best season of his career as a member of the Eagles, finishing with a perfect record of 13–0 and a batting average over .300. Day also played Puerto Rican winter ball in the offseasons. He holds both the Negro and Puerto Rican league records for strikeouts in a game, and appeared in the most East–West All-Star Games.
Because of his soft-spoken demeanor, Day's accomplishments were not immediately recognized as opposed to other elite pitchers of the league like Satchel Paige. Nonetheless, Day is considered one of the best pitchers of the Negro leagues, equaling and sometimes surpassing the abilities of his rivals. In 1995, Day was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, just six days before his death at 78 years old.
Early life.
Day was born to glass factory worker Ellis Day and his wife Hattie Leet in Alexandria, Virginia, a city seven miles from Washington, D.C., on October 30, 1916. His family, which included five other siblings, moved the following year to Mount Winans, a predominantly black community in a poor area of Southwest Baltimore, in a residence situated on Pierpont Street that lacked electricity and indoor plumbing. At a young age, Day became enamored with baseball, often playing local sandlot games or taking the long walk from his neighborhood to Maryland Ball Park where he watched the Baltimore Black Sox.
Day participated in Mount Winans Athletic Club when he was 12 and 13 years old. Because his campus did not offer a baseball program, in 1933, at 17 years old, Day dropped out of Fredrick Douglass High School to join the semi-professional team the Silver Moons. With the club, he was predominantly a second baseman, "but if the pitcher got in trouble", recollected Day, "I'd say 'Give me the ball'".
Baseball career.
Negro leagues.
Day was discovered by Herbert "Rap" Dixon, a former Negro leagues baseball player and manager of the Black Sox, who took notice of his exceptional fielding and pitching abilities. In early 1934, Day was signed to a professional baseball contract worth $60 per month, gaining valuable insight during the season from his teammate Lamon Yokeley. However, due to the financial instability of the organization, the Black Sox disbanded at the end of the year. Day, Dixon, Yokeley, and other high-profile teammates subsequently signed with the Brooklyn Eagles in 1935. There, Day was mentored on his pickoff move by pitcher Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe. The Eagles' general manager, Ben Taylor, sensed potential in the promising prospect and incorporated Day into the starting rotation. His first regular season on the mound, Day finished with a 9–2 record, highlighted by a one-hitter, and earned his first of seven East–West All-Star Game appearances.
In 1936, Day was recognized as the ace of the recently relocated Newark Eagles pitching staff, bringing "a lot of intangibles to his game—his tenacity in going after hitters, his speed and quickness in fielding the ball, and his dedication to the game", as Day's teammate of five years Max Manning recalled. His best season in the Negro leagues came in 1937, when Day was backed by the vaunted "million-dollar infield" consisting of Ray Dandridge, Willie Wells, Dick Seay, and Mule Suttles. Though just 5-foot-9 inches, Day delivered a 90–95 mph fastball. The pitch was deceptively fast because Day delivered with no windup, and threw the competition off-balance with his pinpoint accurate curveball. Day posted a perfect 13–0 season, coupled by a 3.02 earned run average (ERA), .320 batting average, and eight home runs. When he was not active on the mound, Day at one point or another played at every position, with the exception of catcher, and was a dangerous bat in the line-up, excelling to such an extent that Day drew comparisons to Babe Ruth's legendary batting talent. Some writers like Daniel Nathan and Thomas Kern even argue that Day should have been a full-time outfielder to have his bat in the line-up every game.
On July 31, 1942, Day set a Negro league record for strikeouts in a single game, striking out 18 batters from the Baltimore Elite Giants in a one-hit shoutout. The only hit manufactured against Day that outing was a bloop single to left field off the bat of "Pee Wee" Butts. In the 1942 East-West All-Star Game, with runners threatening in the seventh inning, Day entered in relief to strike out seven batters, the most recorded by a pitcher in an East-West All-Star appearance. Although the Newark Eagles failed to secure the Negro National League pennant that season, Day still participated in the Negro League World Series thanks to an odd transaction. After dropping the first three games, the Homestead Grays acquired Day on loan from the Eagles. He bested his rival Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Monarchs in a 4–1 Game Four victory. In response to the upset, the "Pittsburgh Courier", one of the most respected newspapers covering the Negro leagues, ranked Day ahead of Paige as the best pitcher in the league in 1942 and 1943. For his performance, Day was rewarded with $100 and a train ride back to Baltimore. The outcome of the game was thrown out on appeal by the Monarchs, however, for the Grays' use of unauthorized players. Without Day, the replay of the game was won by the Monarchs, sealing the series sweep.
World War II.
On September 1, 1943, Day was drafted into military service. He was commissioned in the 818th Amphibian Battalion and landed on Utah Beach six days after Operation Overlord to drop supplies. Following VE-Day, he was stationed in France. Day and fellow Negro leaguer Willard Brown were recruited to the Overseas Invasion Service Expedition (OISE) All-Stars; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Sam Nahem was the player-manager of the team. The team easily overcame the competition to reach the ETO World Series to face the 71st Infantry Division team, composed predominantly of Major League Baseball players. By contrast, the OISE club consisted of a mismatched roster of various minor leaguers, Negro leaguers, and semi-professionals. Before a crowd of 50,000 at Stadion Nürnberg in Germany, Day pitched in Game Two for a 2–1 victory as the OISE All-Stars eventually won the championship in five games.
Return to baseball.
Following his discharge from the military, Day returned to the Eagles in time for Opening Day on May 5, 1946. Despite not having pitched professionally for so long, he threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Stars in a 2–0 victory, allowing just three base runners via a walk and two errors charged to his teammates. Hampered by a lingering arm injury, Day nonetheless led the league that season in wins, strikeouts, and complete games. That same year, in the Negro League World Series, he pitched in two games as the Eagles edged the Monarchs in seven games, winning the championship. He played his final season in the Negro leagues in 1949 with the Baltimore Elite Giants. Recordkeeping was poor during Day's career; partial statistics credit him with a 67–29 record, but league historians claim he won as many as 300 games.
Other leagues.
During the 1935 offseason, Day traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the country's winter ball league. Beginning with his first trip in 1935, he played six seasons of winter ball in Puerto Rico, spending most of his time with the Aguadilla Sharks.
Much as with the Negro leagues, records of games were poorly documented, but some statistics show Day went 34–26 in his career with the team, and he established the league's record for most strikeouts in a game, posting 19 in 1939.
In 1940, Day spent parts of the winter playing in the Venezuelan League, and for the Veracruz Red Eagles of the Mexican Baseball League, where he finished the season with a record of 6–0.
He returned to the Mexican League in 1947 and 1948 for the financial remuneration, however, comparatively speaking, the venture was unsuccessful for Day, who finished with a combined record of 18–20 and a 4.00 ERA.
Following his departure from the Negro leagues in 1950, Day spent a season with the semi-professional Winnipeg Buffalos of the Mandak League. Finally, in 1951 Day made his debut in organized baseball, albeit in the minors, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Triple-A club where Day tallied a 1–1 record with a 1.58 ERA through 14 games. Lastly, Day also played for two other Class-A teams in the St. Louis Browns farm system, the Scranton Miners and the Edmonton Eskimos, before retiring from professional baseball in 1955 at age 39.
Later life and legacy.
In his post-baseball career, Day worked as a bartender in Newark before returning to his hometown in Baltimore in 1970, where he held a position as a security guard until 1979. Before Day's death in 1995, there were numerous efforts to celebrate his career and induct Day into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, a long-time dream of his. One such effort was made by Mayor Kurt Schmoke who declared January 31, 1992, Leon Day's Day in Baltimore. Governor William Donald Schaefer made a similar proclamation for Annapolis later that same year on May 10. Day's discreet demeanor and humble personality often understated his several accomplishments, most likely leading to him being overlooked by the Baseball Hall of Fame's voting committee. After falling short one vote of being inducted in 1993, Day was elected to the Hall of Fame on March 7, 1995. Six days later, Day died of heart failure while in hospice at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore; he was 78 years old.
Impossible to ignore was Day's disparity to his rival, Paige. Historians have noted that Paige had a boisterous approach compared to Day's reserved demeanor; Paige was tall and Day was short and slender; and Paige worked hard to promote his name while Day shied away from attention. The pitchers' infrequent head-to-head matchups led to remarkable pitching duels, three of which Day won.
Posthumous efforts were designed to honor Day. Baltimore renamed a west city park in 1997, refurbished with a baseball field and a sign welcoming visitors to "Negro League Hall of Famer Leon Day Park". Day's widow, Geraldine, established the Leon Day Foundation in 2001 to sponsor organized sports and preserve the cultural significance of the Negro leagues.


Barney Dreyfuss

Bernhard "Barney" Dreyfuss (February 23, 1865 – February 5, 1932) was an executive in Major League Baseball who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise from 1900 to his death. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Dreyfuss is often credited with the creation of the modern baseball World Series. He also built one of baseball's first modern steel and concrete baseball parks, Forbes Field, in 1909. During his period of ownership, the Pirates won six National League pennants and World Series titles in 1909 and 1925; only the New York Giants won more NL championships (10) during the same period.
Early years.
Dreyfuss was born in Freiburg, Grand Duchy of Baden in 1865. He attended school in Freiburg and later worked in a bank in nearby Karlsruhe. At the age of 16, he emigrated in 1881 to the US to escape conscription into the German Army. At the time, his prospects of being drafted into the military was high, and as a young Jew, his potential for advancement there was low. Dreyfuss's father, Samuel Dreyfuss (1832–1896), was actually an American citizen since 1861, who had returned to Germany at the outbreak of the Civil War. Samuel Dreyfuss had made a fortune selling spirits to the Native Americans.
Once in America, Barney Dreyfuss lived and worked with the Bernheim family in Paducah, Kentucky. The Bernheims were relatives of his father's sister, Friedericke who married Leon Bernheim, the father of Isaac Wolf Bernheim. In 1888, he moved with the Bernheim family to Louisville, Kentucky. Dreyfuss arrived knowing little English, but he became a quick learner. In just a few years, he rose from being a clerk to an officer of Bernheim Brothers, the creator of I. W. Harper bourbon.
Louisville Colonels.
Dreyfuss enjoyed the game of baseball. He fueled his interest by organizing amateur baseball teams first for the distillery workers, then semi-pro clubs around Louisville. In 1889 the distillery expanded into larger quarters of Louisville. Dreyfuss quickly used the increased profits to buy a piece of the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. The team won the league pennant in 1890 against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (today's Los Angeles Dodgers). However, the American Association fell apart in 1891. As a result, Dreyfuss moved the Colonels into the National League.
One of his best decisions was hiring a local city editor and educated lawyer, Harry Clay Pulliam, to serve as his club secretary; he later appointed Pulliam president. When Dreyfuss immigrated to America, it was Pulliam who taught him how to speak English (though to the day he died, he spoke with a marked German accent). However Pulliam's greatest contribution to Colonels occurred when he convinced Dreyfuss to sign future Hall of Famer Honus Wagner to the team.
For much of the 1890s, the Colonels were in last place in the National League. In 1899, Dreyfuss paid $50,000 to acquire full ownership of the Colonels. By this time, however, the National League contracted several teams after the 1899 season and Dreyfuss purchased a half-interest in the Pittsburgh Pirates. As part of the deal, he negotiated the transfer of the best Louisville players, namely Wagner, Fred Clarke, Tommy Leach, Deacon Phillippe, and Rube Waddell to Pittsburgh. To pull off this deal, Dreyfuss accepted an option to purchase an interest in the Pirates, then traded the best of the Colonel's players to the Pirates; he then used this leverage to buy out his partners. The Colonels' president, Harry Pulliam, also left for the Pirates with Dreyfuss and became the team's president.
Pittsburgh Pirates.
In Pittsburgh, Honus Wagner soon emerged as the National League's biggest star. The Pirates then won NL pennants in 1901, 1902, and 1903.
World Series.
However a bidding war was taking place between the National League and the upstart American League. Dreyfuss was victorious in attempt to keep the new league out of Pittsburgh. However, he knew that the bidding war needed to end for the leagues to be prosperous. In 1903, Dreyfuss brokered the peace treaty that recognized two major leagues. It also instituted a single set of rules, established agreements with the minor leagues, set up cooperative scheduling, and recognized each league's rights to its own players. To cash in on the peace between the leagues, an agreement with terms was created by Dreyfuss and Boston Americans' (today's Boston Red Sox) owner Henry Killilea to create the modern World Series. Although his Pirates would lose to the Boston Americans 5 games to 3, the games proved to be a success. Dreyfuss further cemented his reputation by adding his own share of the gate receipts to the players' winnings.
Forbes Field.
At the end of the 1908 season, Dreyfuss decided it was time that Pittsburgh had a new, larger stadium for its growing fan base and winning team. The team's current field, Exposition Park, was made of wood and so close to the banks of the Allegheny River that the outfield regularly flooded after heavy rains. Meanwhile, across the state in Philadelphia, Philadelphia Athletics owners Ben Shibe and Connie Mack had decided to build a steel and concrete venue for their team. Dreyfuss, with no intention of being one-upped, began the construction of Forbes Field.
The new stadium was built in the city's Oakland district and was named after John Forbes, the French and Indian War general who captured Fort Duquesne in 1758 and renamed it Fort Pitt. Dreyfuss purchased seven acres of land near the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, adjacent to Schenley Park, with assistance from his friend, industrialist Andrew Carnegie. The low-priced land was selected so Dreyfuss could spend more on the stadium itself. Dreyfuss signed a contract that he would "make the ballpark ... of a design that would harmonize with the other structures in the Schenley Park district." The site was initially labeled "Dreyfuss's Folly" due to its long distance—a 10-minute trolley ride—from downtown Pittsburgh; however, the land around the park developed and criticisms were dropped. Official Pirates' records show that Forbes Field cost $1 million for site acquisition and construction, but some estimates place the cost at twice that amount.
The new park opened on June 30, 1909, and Dreyfuss shook hands with the fans as they entered through the gates. The crowd for the stadium's inaugural game included Pittsburgh Mayor William A. Magee, Harry Pulliam (now the National League President), and Congressman John K. Tener, a former Major League player who was soon to become the Governor of Pennsylvania. While Pirates did lose their first game at Forbes to the Chicago Cubs, they did go on to win the 1909 World Series later that year, over the Detroit Tigers.
1910 to 1932.
In 1912, Dreyfuss became one of the major stockholders of Welte & Sons Inc. However, he was still involved in every decision made involving the Pirates. Under his leadership, the Pirates won two more National League pennants and the 1925 World Series over the Washington Senators. He successfully helped fight off the Federal League in 1914 and 1915, and then helped form the commission that investigated the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. He also worked to abolish the three-man commission that ran the National League in favor of appointing a baseball commissioner, a post to be occupied by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He also worked to outlaw "freak" pitches such as the spitball, and he was a force in ridding the game of gambling.
Pittsburgh Stars.
In 1902, Dreyfuss and Pittsburgh Pirates minority owner William Chase Temple were suspected of being the secret owners to the Pittsburgh Stars, a professional American football team in the first National Football League. Both men denied any connection to the Stars' finances, as well as being the team's true owners. While the team's owner on paper, David Berry, insisted that he was the team's sole owner, it was impossible for him to afford the money to finance the team without the backing of Temple or Dreyfuss. The Stars would go on to win the 1902 NFL championship.
Death.
Dreyfuss died on February 5, 1932, at age 66 in New York City. He was buried in West View Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, he was vice president of the National League. Landis, the presidents of both the National and American Leagues, club executives from competing teams, and players such as Honus Wagner and Deacon Phillippe, served as honorary pallbearers at his funeral.
Legacy.
A small stone monument to Dreyfuss was eventually installed in straightaway center field at Forbes Field. When the Pirates moved to Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, the monument was brought along and displayed in the stadium concourse. The monument has since been moved to the Pirates' current field, PNC Park, located on the concourse behind home plate.
Dreyfuss had groomed his son, Samuel, to inherit the Pirates upon his death. However, Samuel died in 1931, a year before his father. Dreyfuss's widow, Florence, urged her son-in-law, William Benswanger, to take over as president and operating head of the franchise. Benswanger ran the team until it was sold in 1946, ending the Dreyfuss-Benswanger family's half-century in baseball.
Dreyfuss was named to the Honor Rolls of Baseball in 1946 and inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 following his election by the Veterans Committee.


Ron Barassi

Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. During a long and decorated career, Barassi has been one of the most important figures in the history of Australian football. His father Ron Barassi Sr., also a prominent Australian rules footballer, was killed at Tobruk during World War II. The young Barassi spent his latter teenage years living with Norm Smith, coach of the Melbourne Football Club and a former teammate of his father.
Barassi's name is synonymous with Australian football. He is held by many as the game's greatest identity and was the first player to be inaugurated into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as a "Legend".
Barassi's coaching career was both successful and regarded by many as revolutionary. His clean record and passion for the game has earned him a place as celebrity and popular culture figure in Australia. He was named Victorian of the Year in 2009.
Early life.
The only child of Ron Barassi, Sr., Barassi was born in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine in 1936. The following year, his father moved to Melbourne to play VFL football with the Melbourne Football Club. A pugnacious rover, Barassi's father was a reserve in the Demons' 1940 premiership team before leaving to serve with the army in North Africa. The young Barrasi spent his early years in Guildford, Victoria.
Barassi is a third generation Italian Australian. He is a descendant of one of the Swiss Italians of Australia who migrated to Australia in the 1850s and 1860s to areas such as Guildford, between Castlemaine and Daylesford.
Australian rules football career.
Barassi unintentionally changed the game without taking to the field. After his father's death at Tobruk in 1941, a group of players and officials at the Melbourne Football Club pledged to support his widow, Elza, and her young son. As a teenager, Barassi was determined to follow in his father's footsteps at the Demons, but the zoning system of the day required him to play for either Collingwood or Carlton.
Father–son rule.
To ensure he played with the Demons, Melbourne went to the VFL and successfully lobbied for the creation of a father–son rule to allow clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team. When the time came for Barassi to be signed up, Melbourne picked him up from Preston Scouts in 1952 and he became only the second player signed under the new rule. This rule, with some modifications and adapted to the drafting system created in 1986, endures to the present day in the AFL.
The club had gone to great lengths to recruit the young Barassi, and coach Norm Smith took him under his wing after his mother moved to Tasmania. Smith offered the sixteen-year-old use of his backyard bungalow. Looking back on the experience, Barassi believes that living with the man who was voted as the coach of the AFL's team of the century had a profound impact on his development. On his website, Barassi had this to say: ""Norm Smith loved his footy. That suited me fine. "His ability with young people, his strength of character, his ethics and values, came into my life at the right time".”"
Melbourne years.
Melbourne Football Club was the dominant team of the 1950s. Under the coaching of Norm Smith, Barassi developed quickly. Barassi's first game was against Footscray in 1953 in which he was 'flattened' by Footscray's Charlie Sutton. Initially unsure as to Barassi's best position, Smith played him as a second ruckman in 1954, despite his lack of inches for the position. Barassi played more as a second rover, and the term "ruck rover" entered the football lexicon. Within a few years, most teams imitated this structure which ultimately paved the way for a new-style of quicker on-ball play.
Barassi soon proved himself as an influential footballer, and was quickly handed leadership responsibilities. In 1957 he was appointed vice-captain, and as captain three years later. After losing the 1954 Grand Final to a more experienced Footscray football team, the Demons dominated the VFL by winning flags in 1955-56-57 with a team hailed as the best to play the game. The image of Barassi breaking a tackle in the 1957 Grand Final is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting "the Game That Made Australia", commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport
Carlton years.
But a resurgent Carlton gave him a dilemma in 1964. New president George Harris was desperate to have Barassi at Princes Park, and was willing to offer a lucrative contract if Barassi would cross to Carlton as captain-coach. Carlton offered Barassi a chance to test his skills as coach with a professional wage which would help with his children’s education.
Barassi joined Carlton in 1965. On his decision to leave Melbourne, Barassi said that "Inevitably with many decisions in life there will be a downside. It is regrettable but you have to get on with things", he said. "You have to ensure, as much as possible, that the decision you’ve made turns out right. Fortunately it worked out, and I’ll be forever grateful to Carlton for the start they gave me in coaching".
Barassi's coaching at Carlton brought them from their lowest ever VFL finish (at the time) to premiers only four years later. Drawing from his own experience under Norm Smith, Barassi forced his squad to become more disciplined and committed to the club, and their career. He preached and played a tough brand of football, and asked his charges to play a selfless, team-oriented style.
In 1968, he guided Carlton to its first premiership in 21 years. In mid 1969, he retired from playing but continued as non-playing coach, and in 1970, in front of the biggest ever VFL crowd, he led Carlton to arguably football’s most famous comeback defeating Collingwood who were leading by 44 points at half-time.
After the 1971 season, Barassi left the Blues to focus on his business career. Despite not having played football since 1969, he signed to play with Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association in 1972, but he played only four games before suffering a hamstring injury and retiring.
North Melbourne years.
Barassi returned to coaching in 1973. With administrators Allen Aylett and Ron Joseph, he recruited a new batch of stars for North Melbourne. Proven champions were recruited from clubs throughout the country, including Malcolm Blight, Barry Cable, John Rantall, Barry Davis and Doug Wade.
North Melbourne were to win the wooden spoon in 1972, finishing last. In 1974, Barassi's second year of coaching, North Melbourne were to come runner up in the grand final. By 1975 they had won the premiership. Barassi had implemented a tough training regime in 1974 which he modified for 1975 finals where he introduced lighter training sessions to keep his squad mentally focussed and not over trained and exhausted.
The Kangaroos went on to win another premiership in 1977, but it very nearly was not, as North Melbourne gave up a late lead against Collingwood in the second ever drawn VFL grand final. Barassi made major positional changes, placing David Dench into the forward line, which sparked off the club's comeback to get back in front, until Ross Dunne kicked a late goal to draw the game. Within a week, Barassi had picked his side up from this disappointment to lead North to a memorable triumph.
Return to Melbourne.
In 1981 Barassi returned to Melbourne to assist long-term under-19 coach Ray 'Slug' Jordon. The under-19’s made three straight grand finals and won premierships in 1981 and 1983. Barassi laid some foundations for what would become a revitalised Melbourne side. "In the five years we were there I think we raised the level of the club quite substantially. Melbourne reached the preliminary final two years after we left, and the grand final the year after that. I felt we did some of the ground work".
He started the "Irish experiment" at Melbourne which started recruiting Gaelic footballers from Ireland and converting them to Australian rules footballers. He recruited the most famous of all, 1991 Brownlow Medallist, Jim Stynes.
Sydney years.
In 1993, Barassi returned to coaching for the Sydney Swans. This was seen as a coup for the AFL given Barassi's media skills and profile. In his three seasons in Sydney, he raised the profile of Australian rules football and the Sydney Swans in the rugby league–dominated city.
Statistics.
Playing statistics.
! colspan=3 | Career
! 254
! 330
! 51
! 777
! 353
! 1130
! 215
! 1.3
! 1.0
! 15.5
! 7.1
! 22.6
! 4.3
! 72
Coaching statistics.
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1964
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1965
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1966
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1967
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1968
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1969
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1970
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1971
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1973
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1974
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1975
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1976
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1977
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1978
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1979
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1980
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1981
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1982
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1983
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1984
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1985
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1993
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1994
! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" |1995
! colspan=2| Career totals
! 515
! 276
! 235
! 4
! 53.4%
! colspan=2|
Personal life.
On 4 March 1957, Barassi married Nancy Kellett, who he had met at work four years earlier. They settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, at Heathmont, and had three children: Susan (born 29 July 1960), Ron (born 23 June 1962) and Richard (born 13 February 1964). The couple separated in 1975 and Barassi married Cherryl Copeland in 1981. During his coaching career at North Melbourne he survived a car crash, which caused life-threatening injuries and resulted in the loss of his spleen. His passenger, former St Kilda player and Brownlow medallist Neil Roberts, was also hurt. Barassi used a motorised buggy and a wheelchair for a short time. Despite this setback, he attended training nights at Arden Street and could be seen directing players with assistants.
Barassi's first trip overseas occurred in 1961. He has since travelled much of the world. In 1967 in New York City during the Australian Football World Tour, Barassi was involved in a fight in which detective Brendan Tumelty broke Barassi's nose and both were sent to the same hospital. They have been friends since.
Barassi moved to the suburb of St Kilda in the late 1970s and has lived there ever since.
For many years, Barassi owned the Mountain View Hotel at 70 Bridge Road in Richmond.
For his 70th birthday he did a trek of the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea.
On 28 February 2008, Barassi launched and signed his book "Barassi", focusing on his personal life and scrapbook memoirs.
On New Year's Eve 2008, Barassi was assaulted when he went to the aid of a young woman in St Kilda. Barassi, dining with friends, saw a woman punched to the ground around 12.30 am.
Public life.
Since retiring from football coaching, Barassi remains a prominent Australian rules football celebrity and a figure of popular culture.
In 1996, he became an inaugural inductee in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, one of few former greats to be bestowed the honour of the "Legend" category. He is also one of only three Australian rules footballers in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, alongside Leigh Matthews and Ted Whitten.
He has also been involved in grassroots football development and has been an advocate for the development of the game internationally, particularly in South Africa. Reflecting this, Barassi has lent his name to the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament.
He is a supporter of Australia becoming a republic.
More recently, he was one of the last runners in the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, being held in Melbourne, Australia between 15 and 26 March. His section of the relay, run on 15 March, involved taking the Baton from a series of pontoons in the middle of the Yarra River onto shore. It was handed to him by David Neitz, captain of the Melbourne Football Club (the team with which Barassi has been long associated). This was accomplished by having Barassi walk on a pontoon that was submerged just beneath the surface of the water, giving the impression that Barassi was 'walking on water'.
Robert Helpmann's 1964 ballet "The Display" includes a lengthy football sequence for which Helpmann recruited Barassi to coach the male dancers in Australian rules. Barassi wrote the introduction to Philip Hodgins' 1990 poetry collection "A Kick of the Footy". The frontman of satirical Melbourne band TISM went under the pseudonym Ron Hitler-Barassi. Barassi disliked the reference, saying "My father was killed by Hitler's men in Tobruk so you can imagine my displeasure." Artist Lewis Miller won the 2000 "Sporting Archibald" for his portrait of Barassi, which was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Barassi has appeared in the Specky Magee books. In 2015, Barassi collaborated with singer-songwriter Tex Perkins on the song "One Minute's Silence", a tribute to the diggers who died at Gallipoli. He was mentioned several times in episodes of the television show Kingswood Country. He was one of the first footballers to have his own football clinic on television and during the 1960s he also launched his popular "Ron Barassi" footy boots.
After the second week of the 2006 AFL Finals, with the four remaining teams all being non-Victorian, with Victorians reeling from their recent weakness, Barassi controversially called for an inquiry to unearth the reason Victoria was trailing in the AFL, despite the state giving birth to the national competition.
In late 2006, he became a Sport Australia Hall of Fame member.
The best player in the Under 17 International Rules Series is awarded the Ron Barassi Medal.
Barassi was the subject of a series 2 episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?".
In 2012 Australian playwright Tee O'Neill adapted Barassi's life into a theatrical performance. The play script was published by Currency Press.


Bill George (linebacker)

William J. George (October 27, 1929 – September 30, 1982) was an American football player. He played professionally as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL).
George was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. He is among numerous legendary football players born in football-rich Western Pennsylvania. He attended college at Wake Forest University, and was the Bears' second-round draft pick in 1951. He began his pro football career the following year as a middle guard in the then-standard five-man defensive front. He was selected to play in eight consecutive Pro Bowls, from 1954 to 1961.
George is credited as the first true middle linebacker in football history and, inadvertently, the creator of the 4–3 defense. Noting during a 1954 game with the Philadelphia Eagles that his tendency to hit the center right after the snap led to the quarterback passing right over his head, he began to drop back from the line, not only enabling him to intercept and otherwise disrupt several passes from that game forward but also creating the familiar 4–3 setup (four linemen and three linebackers).
In addition to his 18 career interceptions, George also recovered 19 fumbles, and in 1954 scored 25 points on 13 PATs and four field goals. In 1963, he led the Bears defense when they won the NFL Championship.
George was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974. The Bears retired his uniform number 61. In a 1989 article, in which he named his choices for the best athletes ever to wear each uniform number from 0 to 99, "Sports Illustrated" columnist Rick Reilly not only chose George for number 61, but called him "the meanest Bear ever," no small thing considering the franchise's long history and reputation for toughness. In 1999, he was ranked number 49 on "The Sporting News"' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. George was killed in an automobile accident in Rockford, Illinois on September 30, 1982.