Joost van der Westhuizen

Joost Heystek van der Westhuizen (20 February 1971 – 6 February 2017) was a South African professional rugby union player who made 89 appearances in test matches for the national team, scoring 38 tries. He mostly played as a scrum-half and participated in three Rugby World Cups, most notably in the 1995 tournament, which was won by South Africa. He is widely regarded by South Africans as the greatest scrumhalf of all time.
He captained the national side on ten occasions and was part of the team that won South Africa's first Tri-Nations title in 1998. Domestically he played for the provincial side the Blue Bulls from 1993 to 2003, with whom he won two domestic Currie Cup trophies in 1998 and 2002, and from 1996 until his retirement in 2003 played Super 12 rugby for Northern Transvaal (later renamed the Bulls). He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007 and later into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
In 2011, it was announced that van der Westhuizen had motor neurone disease. He eventually became confined to a wheelchair and experienced speech problems, yet still raised awareness of the disease through his charity, the J9 Foundation.
Early life.
Van der Westhuizen was born on 20 February 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa. He was educated at Hoërskool F.H. Odendaal and at the University of Pretoria where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He played for the Junior Springboks in 1992.
Rugby career.
Van der Westhuizen spent his entire provincial career with South African side the Blue Bulls, from 1993 until 2003, whereupon he retired from playing rugby. He played Super 12 for Northern Transvaal (later renamed the Bulls) from the competition's inception in 1996 until his retirement in 2003.
He spent his entire career as a scrum-half, despite standing 6 ft 2 ins, an unusually tall height for a player in this position.
He was known for finding and penetrating the tiniest gaps in opposition defences, and his willingness to move forward and join the attack, which brought him in his defensive duty, he played with savage aggression and a fearlessness that aided his team greatly, often producing heroic and result-defining tackles.
His first international cap came aged 22 against Argentina in Buenos Aires on the 1993 tour. The following year he scored two tries in a memorable performance against Scotland at Murrayfield.
South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. This was their first time playing in a World Cup, a consequence of the previous apartheid. In the final the Springboks faced New Zealand, who were favourites to win the tournament. On New Zealand's wing was Jonah Lomu, an emergent talent, capable of making powerful runs from deep. Lomu was effectively marked and Van der Westhuizen made several tackles, including one just outside the 22m line. In 1997, he captained South Africa's Sevens team to the final at the 1997 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong, where they were beaten by Fiji.
Van der Westhuizen was part of the team that won South Africa's first Tri-Nations series title in 1998. He captained the Bulls to the 1998 Currie Cup. He first captained the South Africa team in 1999. That year South Africa finished third at the World Cup. After the tournament he discovered he had sustained a serious injury to ligaments in his knee in a match a fortnight earlier. Injuries sustained while on international duty led to him missing the greater parts of three consecutive Super 12 seasons in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
In November 2001, he became the first person to play one hundred matches for the Springboks. Welsh club side Newport RFC had tried to sign him in 2001, but there was pressure on him to play his domestic rugby in South Africa, to be eligible for selection for the national side. His selection for the 2003 World Cup made him the first person to represent South Africa at three finals. The team met the All Blacks in the quarter-finals and were beaten.
In November 2003, van der Westhuizen retired from international rugby, at which point he was South Africa's record test cap holder with 89, and record test try scorer with 38. He had made 111 appearances for South Africa in total, captained them in ten tests, and scored 190 points for his country.
International statistics.
World Cup matches.
 Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
Awards and honours.
He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007, and in 2015 became a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame when the International Hall was merged with it.
Private life and controversy.
In 2001, he and his wife of six years, Marlene, divorced, shortly before he married Amor Vittone. He had two children with Vittone.
In February 2009, "Rapport" newspaper and "Heat" magazine reported that they had video evidence of him engaging in sex play with a mystery blonde and snorting a white substance. Charmaine Weavers claimed to have had an affair with him in an interview with "YOU" magazine. His marriage to Vittone fell apart. At the end of March he lost his job as a television presenter with the South African broadcaster SuperSport.
On 28 June 2009, he was admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack, although he was discharged soon afterward when tests found no evidence of heart problems. A panic attack was suspected. On 1 November, coinciding with the release of his autobiography "Spieëlbeeld" ("Man in the mirror"), van der Westhuizen confessed to being in the controversial sex video and apologised for lying.
In a telephone interview in August 2013 with BBC Sports correspondent James Peacock, he spoke about facing up to the controversy. "What I did went against all my principles - my life was controlled by my mind and I had to make my mistakes to realise what life is all about, I led my life at a hundred miles an hour. I've learned that there are too many things that we take for granted in life and it's only when you lose them that you realise what it is all about. But I know that God is alive in my life and with experience you do learn. I can now talk openly about the mistakes I made because I know my faith won't give up and it won't diminish. It's only when you go through what I am going through that you understand that life is generous."
Illness and death.
In May 2011, van der Westhuizen's publicist confirmed that he had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease. Some weakness had first been noticed in his right arm near the end of 2008, but he had put this down to the aftereffects of an old rugby injury. A few months later, Dr Kelbrick, his personal doctor and a family friend, noticed his right arm weakness and arranged for tests. At that time, Van der Westhuizen was given between two and five years to live.
An August 2013 BBC Sport report illustrated the progress of his disease — by then, Van der Westhuizen was confined to a wheelchair, and his speech had grown increasingly slurred. He told reporter James Peacock,I realise every day could be my last. It's been a rollercoaster from day one and I know I'm on a deathbed from now on. I've had my highs and I have had my lows, but no more. I'm a firm believer that there's a bigger purpose in my life and I am very positive, very happy.
In January 2014, he returned to the United States to participate in clinical studies with ALS researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He planned to visit the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Center in New York City, which provides support to MND patients, as Van der Westhuizen hoped to start a similar organisation in South Africa. He set up a charitable organisation, the J9 Foundation, to raise awareness, funds and to support research. He regularly spent time with his children, Jordan and Kylie.
A feature length documentary- "Glory Game", directed by Odette Schwegler, followed him for a period while he was dealing with having Motor Neurone Disease. It was broadcast in 2015 on DStv Box Office.
On 4 February 2017 he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the Fourways Life Hospital in Johannesburg where he was placed on a ventilator. He died at his home in Johannesburg surrounded by his family on Monday, 6 February 2017, at the age of 45. A public memorial service was scheduled for 10 February at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.


Jimmy Carter (boxer)

James Walter Carter (December 15, 1923 in Aiken, SC – September 21, 1994) was a world lightweight boxing champion three times between 1951 and 1955. His managers included Jimmy Roche and Willie Ketchum. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2000. Carter's loss to Lauro Salas in 1952 and his loss to Paddy DeMarco in 1954 were each named Ring Magazine upset of the year. His professional record was 80-31-9 with 32 knockouts.
Early life.
James Walter Carter was born on December 15, 1923 in Aiken, South Carolina, but his family moved to New York when he was nine. Carter began to use his fists defending himself on the streets of Harlem, but later received training at a Catholic Boys Club, making his amateur debut at the age of fourteen. Beginning as a professional fighter in New York in 1946, he won 22 of his first 26 fights.
First taking the World Lightweight Championship, May 1951.
On May 25, 1951, Carter took the World Lightweight Championship from reigning champion Ike Williams in a fourteenth-round TKO at Madison Square Garden. Williams was down in the fifth, tenth, and fourteenth rounds. Carter knocked Williams to the mat a total of four times, and was leading the scorecards of all three officials before the bout was stopped. In the fifth round, Williams was dropped to the canvas for a five count, and never was the same. Surprisingly, Carter was not at all well known at the time of the bout, and his victory was considered an upset.
In his first title defense before 7,251 fans on November 14, 1951 he went up against Art Aragon at the Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles, winning in a fifteen-round unanimous decision. Aragon was down in both the sixth and fifteenth rounds, but claimed after the fight that a left to his jaw in the twelfth is what finally did him in. It was an easy win for Carter, as Aragon lacked the skills to take down the world champion. Aragon took a severe beating in the last four rounds that sealed the victory for Carter. Carter had oddly lost to Aragon on August 28 of that year in a fifteen-round split decision at the same location. Some boxing writers speculated he may have thrown the fight on purpose. Some even believed Carter was controlled by mafia kingpin Frankie Carbo.
He lost the title on May 14, 1952 against Lauro Salas at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles in a fifteen-round split decision that was a jarring upset for many. The decision was a controversial one, and many boxing writers disagreed with the official' final ruling for Sales.
Taking the World Lightweight Championship for the second time, October 1952.
Carter took the World Lightweight Championship for a second time on October 15, 1952 against Mexican national Lauro Salas in a fifteen around unanimous decision at the Chicago Stadium before a small crowd of 5,283. In a sweeping victory, which saw far more damage to Salas, the officials gave all but two of the rounds to Carter and his terrific left hook.
On April 24, 1953, he staged a title defense against Tommy Collins before a substantial crowd of 12,477 at Boston Garden, winning in a fourth-round TKO. Collins' corner men ended the fight after their boxer had been knocked to the canvas ten times in the final two rounds. Both the TV audience and the crowd, who were largely fans of Collins, protested the continuation of such a brutal, and one sided bout. He next fought George Araujo on June 12, 1953 in a lightweight world title bout at Madison Square Garden, winning in a thirteenth-round TKO.
On March 5, 1954, Carter lost his second World Lightweight Championship against Paddy DeMarco in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at New York's Madison Square Garden. DeMarco, a 4–1, underdog won the decision with ease rocking the crowd of 5,730 with a remarkable upset. Carter tried for a knockout throughout the bout, but DeMarco scored continuously with fleet footwork and a punishing left. Both judges gave DeMarco nine rounds, with the referee giving him seven.
Taking the World Lightweight Championship for third and final time, November 1954.
On November 17, 1954, Carter took the lightweight championship back from Paddy DeMarco in a fifteen-round TKO at the Cow Palace, in Daily City, California. DeMarco was down in the ninth and fourteenth rounds. Carter had lost his title to DeMarco only seven months earlier.
Carter lost the title for the last time to Wallace "Bud" Smith at Boston Garden in a fifteen-round split decision on June 29, 1955. Though the bout was close, Carter took one of the worst beatings of his career from Smith requiring fifteen stitches over his eyes. Smith himself needed three stitches to fix a cut over his own eye. The crowd of only 1,983 saw a razor close, hotly contested title match. Two of the officials gave a margin of only one point between the two boxers.
Carter died of a heart attack on September 21, 1994, at the age of 70.


John Roosma

John S. Roosma (September 3, 1900 – November 13, 1983) was an amateur basketball player during the 1920s. He played for the United States Military Academy for five years, graduating in 1926. The Passaic, New Jersey native was a prolific scorer and became the first college player to total 1,000 points for his career.
As a member of Ernest Blood's Passaic "Wonder Teams" Roosma gained almost legendary status already in high school on a team that won 179 consecutive games. Roosma captained the team and led them as scorer in three state tournaments (1919–21). After graduating from Passaic High School in 1921, General Douglas MacArthur recruited Roosma to play for the Army Black Knights. In five years the Roosma-led Black Knights compiled a 73–13 record and won 33 consecutive games at one point. After a 74-game career, Roosma totaled 1,126 points, being the first college player to score more than 1,000 in his career (Christian Steinmetz held the record with 950 points, in 40 games played in three years overall). Roosma was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961. West Point's basketball Most Valuable Player award is named after him.
Roosma became a colonel in the US Army. He was stationed in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor and then went on to lead the 334th Combat Infantry Regiment into Germany.
He died in his home in Verona, New Jersey on November 13, 1983.


Willie Saunders

William "Willie/Smokey" Saunders (April 13, 1915 – July 30, 1986) was a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and one of only ten jockeys to win the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
Saunders was known as "Willie" but the news media frequently refers to him as "Smokey/Smoky."
Horse Racing and Military Career.
Saunders earned his first win at Tanforan Racetrack in northern California on April 14, 1932. Competing at tracks in southern California, Alberta-born U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey George Woolf tutored Saunders on riding.
During his career, Saunders rode for prominent owners such as Wheatley Stable, Hal Price Headley, and William Woodward. He won the 1934 Rochambeau Handicap at Narragansett Park aboard Woodward's Belair Stud colt Faireno, who was trained by "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons put Saunders aboard the colt Omaha, and in 1935 they won the U.S. Triple Crown with victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. In 1935, Saunders also won the inaugural edition of the Santa Anita Oaks aboard Dunlin Lady. After his rise to fame as a jockey, he also had a minor role in the comedic film "Mr. Celebrity" (1941) in which he played himself.
Weight problems interrupted his career, as did the outbreak of World War II when he joined the United States Army and served overseas in the Pacific Theater. During his four years in the military, a bout of malaria, contracted while overseas, resulted in considerable weight loss that allowed him to resume his career in racing once the war ended. In 1948, Saunders rode Bovard to victory in the Louisiana Derby, then rode the colt to a third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes.
Saunders retired in 1950 and later served as a racing official at tracks in Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey.
When his riding career ended in 1950, Saunders worked as a trainer before becoming a placing judge at racetracks in Illinois, New Jersey, and Calder Race Course in Florida.
On its formation in 1976, Saunders was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Personal life.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, at age eighteen Saunders moved to Bozeman, Montana where he joined the household of an uncle. He learned to ride in Alberta and in Montana.
On June 29, 1936, he married Pauline Waterbury of Detroit.
Living in Hallandale, Florida, five weeks after being diagnosed with cancer of the brain and lungs, he died in a Naples, Florida, hospital on July 30, 1986, at age 71.


Kiki Cuyler

Hazen Shirley Cuyler (; August 30, 1898 – February 11, 1950), nicknamed Kiki, was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1921 until 1938.
Cuyler led the National League (NL) in stolen bases four times, runs scored two times and had a batting average of over .350 on four occasions. His 26 triples in 1925 were the second most triples in any season after 1900. He compiled over 200 hits in three separate seasons and won the World Series in 1925 with the Pirates. A career .321 hitter, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968 by the Veterans Committee.
Early life.
Cuyler was born in Harrisville, Michigan, on August 30, 1898, to George and Anna Cuyler. George and Anna were born in Canada, where George played semi-professional baseball. His ancestors relocated there at the start of the Revolutionary War, then later moved to Michigan in the 1880s. While in school, Cuyler excelled in baseball, football, basketball and athletics. He did not drink or smoke throughout school. After school Cuyler attended West Point for three months until he moved back to Michigan to work at a Buick Motors assembly plant in Flint. He played for the Buick plant baseball team as well as in the Industrial League which had games in Flint and Detroit. The Bay City Wolves, of the Michigan-Ontario League, signed Cuyler to a contract in 1920. In that season he had a batting average of .317 and compiled 16 triples. In September of that year his contract was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Career.
Pittsburgh Pirates.
He appeared briefly in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the next three seasons, but still spent the majority of each season in the minor leagues. He hit .340 in 1923 for the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association. It was in Nashville that his nickname had taken hold with the fans. Two explanations have been given for the origin of Cuyler's nickname, "Kiki". In the first version, he had been known as "Cuy" since high school. When a fly ball was hit to the Nashville outfield and it was judged to be Cuyler's play, the shortstop would call out "Cuy" and this call would be echoed by the second baseman. The echoed name caught on with Nashville's fans. In the second explanation, "Kiki Cuyler" came from the player's stuttering problem and the way it sounded when Cuyler said his own last name.
He was promoted to the Pirates for his first full major league season in 1924. He played a platoon outfield position, splitting time with Carson Bigbee. At the end of May he had batted .400 over his first 13 games and earned a spot as a starting outfielder. On August 9, 1924 he compiled six hits, three of which were doubles and one triple, in a 16–4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. At the end of the season he had a batting average of .354, and scored 94 runs and stolen 32 bases in only 117 games played. Former Pittsburgh manager and Hall of Famer Fred Clarke said that "Cuyler might become a second [Ty] Cobb"
On June 4, 1925 Cuyler hit for the cycle, walked and stole a base in a 16–3 win over the Phillies. Later that year in August, Cuyler hit two inside-the-park home runs in a single game at Baker Bowl, the very compact baseball stadium in Philadelphia. From September 18–20, 1925 he tied the NL record by recording a hit in ten straight at bats. He hit eight inside-the-park home runs, and led the league with 144 runs scored and triples with 26, his .357 average was a career high and it was the second time he hit over .350 in his career. His 369 total bases in 1925 set a Pirates team record. The Pirates won the NL Pennant and faced the Washington Senators in the 1925 World Series. Cuyler only hit .269 in the World Series, but his two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning of game seven scored the deciding runs, the Pirates won Game 7 9–7. This was the only time Cuyler would win a World Series.
Paul Waner joined the Pirates and took over the right field position in April 1926, forcing Cuyler to center and left field. The start of the 1926 season was strong for Cuyler, who by June 11 was batting .381, but finished poorly as he batted only .299 in the second half. The middle of the season was a turning point for Cuyler and the team, when on August 11, Babe Adams, Carson Bigbee and team captain and Hall of Famer Max Carey voted in a petition to remove vice president Fred Clarke from games. The result of the vote was 18–6 in favor of keeping Clarke, and all three players were released on August 13. The Pirates finished the rest of their season 23–24 and Cuyler batted only .288 after the incident. In his third full season Cuyler led the league in stolen bases, runs scored and finished with a .321 batting average.
On May 28, 1927 Cuyler experienced the first of his many injuries he would suffer from in his career when he tore ligaments in his ankle and was sidelined for 3 weeks. He had argued with first-year manager Donie Bush throughout the season and on August 6, when he did not break up a double play he was fined $50 () by manager Bush. After a missed cutoff throw, Bush benched Cuyler for the season, Cuyler appeared in 10 games for the rest of the season mainly as a pinch hitter. The Pirates made the World Series in 1927, but due to the dispute with Donie Bush, Cuyler did not play a single game in the series and remained on the bench despite fans wanting him to play. That November, Cuyler was traded to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Sparky Adams and outfielder Pete Scott.
Chicago Cubs and later career.
With the Cubs, Cuyler played his natural position of right field, and batted third in the lineup. He suffered an ankle injury which caused him to only hit .285, although he did lead the league in stolen bases for the second time in his career. During the 1928 season, Cuyler formed a quartet with teammates Cliff Heathcote and Hall of Famers Gabby Hartnett and Hack Wilson. Johnny Pesky, who Cuyler coached with the 1949 Boston Red Sox, remarked "He had a beautiful voice, he'd sing all the time, sing in the showers, sing in the locker rooms..." In 1929 he returned for a fully healthy season, and played in the most games since 1926. He led the league in stolen bases for the third time and hit .360 which marked the third time he batted over .350 in his career. Cuyler returned to the World Series, he hit .300 for the series, but the Cubs lost the series 1 game to 4.
In 1930 Cuyler set career highs in hits (228), runs scored (155), and RBI (134), and led the league in stolen bases for the fourth and final time in his career. With a career year from Hack Wilson, who set a major league record with 191 RBI, the Cubs could not manage to win the pennant and were behind the St. Louis Cardinals two games at the end of the season. The following year was also successful for Cuyler, he collected over 200 hits for the third time in his career and it would also be the last time he played in more than 150 games for the rest of his career. In early 1932 Cuyler fractured a toe on his left foot when he rounded first base and was out for six weeks. On August 31, 1932 Cuyler had one of the best games of his career. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, down 5–4 against the Giants, Cuyler singled home the tying run, which raised his hit total to 4 for the game. The Giants scored 4 runs in the top of the tenth inning. After two straight outs to start the bottom of the tenth inning, teammate Mark Koenig hit a solo home run, this was followed by three straight singles. Cuyler came up to bat with two runners on, down 9–7 and hit a walk-off three-run home run. He finished the game going 5-for-6 with five runs batted in.
Cuyler suffered another injury, this time during an exhibition game on March 29, 1933. He slid into a base during a steal attempt and fractured his right fibula, and was sidelined until July of that year. He hit .317 for his shortened season, but his speed was gone, in part due to age and his injury history. He stole 4 bases that year in 70 games. Cuyler was healthy the next season, he hit a league leading 42 doubles and hit .338 over 140 games. After a poor performance in the first half of the 1935 season, where he hit .268, he was released by the Cubs. As a free agent, he was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in July 1935. His first full year with the Reds was productive and he hit .326 in 1936 with 185 hits over 144 games. His 16 stolen bases that year were the most since he led the league in 1930 with 37. Another broken bone, this time his cheekbone, happened in spring training and his 1937 season was limited to 117 games, where he did not record a home run for the first time since 1923 when he played 11 games. After being released by the Reds in October, he decided to retire from baseball at the end of the season. The next season he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as the oldest player in the NL. He started 58 games in 1938 for the Dodgers, and was released on September 16 of that year. He was signed as a coach for the rest of the season.
Later life and legacy.
After the end of his playing career, Cuyler managed in the minor leagues, winning the regular-season Southern Association pennant in 1939 under Joe Engel with the Chattanooga Lookouts, with one of the only fan-owned franchises in the nation. He was a coach for the Cubs (1941–1943) and Boston Red Sox (1949), and was in line to be the third base coach for Boston heading into the 1950 season. He suffered a heart attack while ice fishing in Glennie, Michigan on February 2, 1950. While at the hospital he developed a blood clot in his leg, and when it worsened he was sent to a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan; he died en route on February 11, 1950. His remains are interred in Saint Anne Cemetery in Harrisville Township, Michigan.
Cuyler finished his career with a .321 batting average, 1,305 runs, 2,299 hits, 394 doubles, 157 triples, 128 home runs, 1,065 RBI, 676 walks and 328 stolen bases. He collected over 200 hits in three separate seasons, led the league in runs scored two times. Cuyler recorded one six-hit game, five five-hit games, and 31 four-hit games, ten of which were recorded in 1925. His 228 hits and 155 runs scored in 1930 were second most in Cubs history, and his 50 doubles that year set a team record. His .336 career average with the Pirates is third all time and his 220 hits in 1925 tied the single season team record. He batted over .300 ten times in his major league career.
Known around the league as a polite, shy and kind player, Hall of Famer Joe Cronin said of Cuyler, "He was one of the finest and cleanest living fellows I ever met in baseball. Cuyler was an established star when I joined the Pirates in 1925 but he was always willing to help." "The Sporting News" stated the Cuyler was "a model on and off the field" Cuyler was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.
In Harrisville, Cuyler's son Harold opened a restaurant after his father's death called Ki Cuyler's Bar & Grill, and he owned and operated it for a time. It operated until it burned down in December 2018. In 2008, State Highway M-72 within Alcona County was named the "Hazen Shirley 'Kiki' Cuyler Memorial Highway".
External links.
, or Retrosheet


Henry Jordan

Henry Wendell Jordan (January 26, 1935 – February 21, 1977) was an American football defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers during his 13-year National Football League (NFL) career. He played in the NFL from 1957 to 1969 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early years.
Born in Emporia, Virginia, Jordan graduated in 1953 from Warwick High School, Newport News,VA in 1953. He played college football at the University of Virginia, where he was the captain of the football team as a senior. Jordan was also an All-American wrestler, the ACC champion and NCAA runner-up in 1957. He was a member of the Beta chapter of Sigma Nu fraternity at UVA.
NFL career.
Jordan was selected in the fifth round of the 1957 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, who traded him two years later to the Green Bay Packers in Vince Lombardi's first season for a fourth-round draft choice. At Green Bay, Jordan was elected to four Pro Bowls (1960, 1961, 1963, and 1966), and he was the Pro Bowl MVP in 1961. Jordan was All-NFL seven times, and he was a defensive leader on a Green Bay Packers team that won five of six NFL title games in eight seasons and won the first two Super Bowls.
A tenacious competitor on the field, Jordan was the vibrant and jovial wit among Lombardi's Packers, and was highly regarded by his teammates. Highly quotable, his outgoing personality put him in demand as an after-dinner speaker.
Most notably: “Lombardi treats us all the same, like dogs.”
After football.
Jordan retired at age 35 in February 1970, after an injury-filled 1969 season. In 1970, Jordan relocated south to Milwaukee to create and oversee Summerfest.
In 1974, Jordan was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1975, Jordan was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
In 1977, seven years after leaving Green Bay, Jordan died at age 42 of a heart attack after jogging on February 21, 1977.
Jordan's funeral was held in the Zion Episcopal Church in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and he is buried in La Belle Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife Olive, and three children: Henry Jr., Theresa, and Suzanne.
In 1995, Henry Jordan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was represented in the coin toss ceremony at Super Bowl XXIX by former teammate Ray Nitschke, who was also named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary team. The ceremony brought together former NFL stars of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, with surviving members of that year's Hall of Fame class representing the latter decade (one of them, then-Congressman Steve Largent flipped the coin on their behalf).
In 2000, the Warwick High School athletics field (Newport News, VA) was named in his honor.
In May 2009, he was named to the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, which honors athletes, coaches and administrators who contributed to sports in southeastern Virginia.


Tommy Joe Coffey

Tommy Joe Coffey (November 18, 1936 – August 25, 2020) was an American-born Canadian Football League (CFL) player who was a wide receiver and place kicker for the Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts.
Tommy Joe has 4 children, 6 grandchildren and 13 great grand children and 2 great great grandchildren.
CFL.
In his fourteen-year career he caught 650 passes for a total of 10,320 yards and 63 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,000 yards receiving 4 times: 1963 to 1965 and 1969, his most prolific year being 1965 with 81 receptions for 1,286 yards. His best TD totals were 1962 and 1969 with 11, his best point totals 1969 with 148 points and 1962 with 129. He was replaced as the Tiger Cat place kicker by Ian Sunter after the 1971 season, hitting only 11 of 27 field goal attempts. He also played some defense in his first two years, intercepting 3 balls in 1959 and 1 in 1960.
Coffey was a member of two Grey Cup winning teams, in 1967 and 1972, both with Hamilton against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, especially during the 1967 season, catching 42 passes for 683 yards (16.3 yards/catch) and 5 touchdowns and hitting 18 of 27 field goal attempts for a total of 107 points. In the 55th Grey Cup (1967) game, he scored 3 points as a kicker (2 converts and 1 rouge after a missed field goal). In the 1967-1972 span with Hamilton, he scored 603 points, third on their all-time list, see Hamilton Tiger-Cats all-time records and statistics.
In 1968 Coffey's Tiger-Cat helmet was stolen from a pool hall. 48 years later, in November 2015, Coffey was reunited with his stolen helmet.
Awards.
He was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and voted one of the CFL's top 50 players (#27) by the Canadian sports network TSN.
Statistics.
http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/c/coffey_tommy_joe.htm
https://www.cfl.ca/page/retroweek_player_tommy-joe-coffey


John Devitt

John Thomas Devitt, AM (born 4 February 1937) is an Australian sprint freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a gold medal in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He won in controversial circumstances, being awarded the gold medal despite the timekeepers recording a slower time than the American silver medallist Lance Larson. He also claimed a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.
Background.
Growing up just from the Granville Olympic Pool, Devitt learnt to swim as part of the government-funded "Learn to Swim" program. He was educated first at Holy Family Primary School, The Trongate, Granville East, and later at Parramatta Marist High School in Parramatta. Both were Roman Catholic schools, where he also swum competitively for the school team. Devitt was initially trained by Tom Penny at the Clyde Swim Club, based at the Granville Pool, until it disbanded in 1947 and he moved to Manly Swim Club along with Penny. Devitt remains a member of the Swim Club. Penny often allowed his swimmers to train in warm waters by having them swim against the current of discharged water from a power plant. Devitt believed that such training gave him an advantage as it taught him to be unaffected by "rain, heat, currents or any other natural or unnatural variables".
Swimming career.
Devitt's first forays into national competition were at the 1952 Australian Championships, where he was continually in the shadow of club-mate Barry Darke, who set five Australian records in their age group. Devitt trailed Darke again at the 1953 championships, but Darke retired afterwards to become a mechanic, leaving Devitt to dominate his age group. However, in the open ranks, he was often beaten by Jon Henricks in the sprint events, and Gary Chapman and Murray Rose in the longer events. Rose and Henricks went on to claim individual gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics. At the age of 18, with Henricks initially sidelined by injury, Devitt was named as the captain of the New South Wales team for the 1955 Australian Championships. However, Henricks recovered and relegated Devitt to silver in the 110-yard freestyle. He claimed silver in the 220-yard freestyle, behind Rose. Devitt's decision to concentrate on sprinting led to conflict with Penny, and he then left Penny and began self-coaching. After beginning to regress, Devitt considered retirement, until he joined Sam Herford at the Spit Baths alongside Murray Rose.
At the 1956 Australian Championships, Devitt finished third in the 110-yard behind Henricks and Chapman, and fifth in the 220-yard behind Chapman to gain Olympic selection. After a ten-week national training camp at the Tobruk Pool in Townsville, Queensland, Devitt was named as the national captain for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Devitt's first event was the 100-metre freestyle, where he won his heat and then his semi-final to qualify in second place for the final, where he matched Henricks for the first 80 metres, before Henricks surged to claim gold. Chapman completed an Australian sweep by finishing third. For the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, Devitt had clocked the fourth fastest time at the Australian Championships. After swimming the fastest leg in the heats of the relay, he was selected along with Rose, Henricks and Kevin O'Halloran for the final. The Australians won the gold medal in a world record time, with Devitt clocking the fastest leg in the whole race.
In January 1957, Devitt set a world record in both the 100-metre and 110-yard freestyle, and lowered the 100-metre freestyle world record to 54.6 seconds later that month at the Queensland Championships. He then won his first individual Australian title in the 110-yard freestyle. With Henricks and Rose swimming and studying in the United States, Devitt became the dominant Australian freestyler, and decided to continue his career until the 1960 Summer Olympics, supporting himself as a health inspector for the Townsville City Council. In 1958, after claiming the Australian 110-yard title, he claimed three golds at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales in the 110-yard freestyle, and the 4×110-yard freestyle and medley relays. In 1959, Devitt again lowered the 110-yard freestyle, but was later defeated at the Australian Championships by John Konrads, who won every freestyle title from the 110-yard to 1650-yard events.
In 1960 Devitt reclaimed his 110-yard Australian title, and at the pre-1960 Summer Olympics camp in Townsville, broke the 4×100-yard freestyle relay along with Henricks, Geoff Shipton and David Dickson. At the 110-yard freestyle trial, he came third behind Henricks and Shipton, and was controversially selected as the second Australian representative, by selectors who ignored Shipton. He also finished fifth in the 220-yard freestyle and was initially left out of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay team. Devitt was again named the national captain.
On arrival in Rome, Henricks was forced to withdraw from competition after falling ill. Devitt held a solid lead until the last 10-metre when Larson surged and both appeared to have touched the wall together. Of the three judges who determined the first-place winner, two awarded Devitt as the winner. However, of the three judges assigned to allocate the second-place winner, two believed Devitt to have come second. Moreover, the three timekeepers assigned to the contest all believed Larson had won, noting times of 55.0, 55.1 and 55.1 seconds, while recording three times of 55.2 seconds for Devitt. Nevertheless, the chief judge overruled the timekeepers, setting Devitt and Larson's times to 55.2 seconds each and allocating the gold to Devitt on the evidence of the first-place judges. Multiple protests by the Americans continued for several years, to no avail. Devitt also competed in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay with Rose, Konrads and Dickson, winning a bronze medal.
Post-swimming career.
Upon returning to Australia, Devitt retired and began working for Speedo. He rose from a salesman to become the European manager, and later, manager of the International section. In 1979, he combined with Terry Gathercole to begin their own aquatic equipment firm. In the 1980s, he became an Olympic administrator, serving on the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) executive. He was involved in Sydney's winning bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics and was the Australian team manager for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
In 2017 Devitt and author Larry Writer travelled in France researching the story of Cecil Healy, an Australian soldier and fellow Olympic gold medallist who was killed in World War I. In 2018, the centenary of Healy's death, their book "Cecil Healy: A Biography" was launched by the AOC's John Coates and Governor of New South Wales, General David Hurley.
Honours.
Devitt was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1979. and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989, and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.


Goose Goslin

Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 - May 15, 1971) was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from until .
Goslin led the American League (AL) in triples two times and finished the season with a batting average of over .300 eleven times. He won the AL batting title in 1928 with a .379 batting average which set a Washington Senators record. He led the AL in assists five times, putouts four times and his 4,141 putouts and 181 assists as a left fielder are both 5th all time. His 173 triples are 22nd all time and his .316 batting average is 7th all time among left fielders with over 2,000 games played. A two time World Series winner, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968 via the Veterans Committee.
Early years.
Born in Salem, New Jersey, Goslin was 16 when he left home to play on a touring semipro circuit of the Eastern seaboard, and by 19 had moved into the minor leagues in South Carolina as a pitcher. Goslin was discovered by famed scout Joe Engel. After hearing from Engel, Senators owner Clark Griffith personally scouted Goslin and attended a Sally League game in which Goslin was playing for Columbia, South Carolina. A fly ball hit Goslin on the head, and another barely missed him. Goslin hit three home runs in the game, and Griffith decided to take a chance on him.
Goslin's difficulty in judging fly balls contributed to his nickname "Goose." Opposing players said Goslin resembled a bird flapping its wings when he ran after a ball with his arms waving. While not a great fielder, Goslin did have a good throwing arm, leading the American League in assists by an outfielder in and . However, one year during spring training, Goslin wandered to an adjacent field where a track and field team was working out. Goslin tried the shot put, and his throwing arm was never the same afterward.
The 20-year-old Goslin was called up to the major leagues to play for the Washington Senators for the last two weeks of the season. He had a promising .351 on-base percentage in 14 games in 1921 and became a starter for the Senators in . Goslin played 93 games in 1922 and became a fixture for the Senators in left field until 1930. Goslin hit .324 in his first full season in 1922, followed by a .300 season in with 99 RBIs. Showing speed on the base paths, Goslin led the American League with 18 triples in 1923.
1924 and 1925 World Series.
In , Goslin established himself as one of the league's top run producers, as he led the American League with 129 RBIs and finished seventh in batting average (.344). At age 23, Goslin also hit for the cycle and was among the league leaders with 17 triples (second best), 299 total bases (fourth best) and 199 hits (fifth best). After the Senators had losing records in 1922 and 1923, Goslin helped to spark the team to a 92-win season and their first World Series championship in 1924. With a 36-year-old Walter Johnson contributing 23 wins and the young Goslin knocking in 129 runs (50 more RBI than any other player on the team), the Senators finished two games ahead of the Yankees and defeated the New York Giants in the 1924 World Series. Goslin hit .344 with three home runs, seven RBI and a .656 slugging percentage in that World Series. Goslin also set a World Series record in 1924 with six consecutive hits, spread across three games (3-5). That record was tied in 1976 by Thurman Munson and later broken in 1990 by Billy Hatcher, who had seven consecutive hits in that World Series.

Nicole Cooke

Nicole Denise Cooke, MBE (born 13 April 1983) is a Welsh former professional road bicycle racer and Commonwealth, Olympic and World road race champion. At Beijing in 2008 she became the first British woman to win a Gold Olympic medal in any cycling discipline. Cooke announced her retirement from the sport on 14 January 2013 at the age of 29.
Early life.
Cooke was born in Swansea, and grew up in Wick, Vale of Glamorgan. She attended Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, where she gained the Rankin Prize, awarded each year for the highest academic achievement by a girl at GCE A Levels. She began cycling at 11, starting at Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club of which she is a life member. At 16 she won her first senior national title, becoming the youngest rider to take the senior women's title at the 1999 British National Road Race Championships. At 17 she became the youngest rider to win the senior women's title at the 2001 British National Cyclocross Championships. Later that year Cooke won her second senior women's title at the 2001 British National Road Race Championships. . She won four UCI World Championship Junior titles, the road race in 2000 (Plouay, France), and the unique treble of mountain bike (Colorado, USA), time trial and road race (both Lisbon, Portugal) in 2001. As a result of this achievement she was awarded the 2001 Bidlake Memorial Prize for outstanding performance or contribution to British cycling.
International cycling career 2002–2007.
Cooke turned professional for the Spanish-Ukrainian Deia-Pragma-Colnago team at the start of the 2002 season, basing herself in Forli, Italy where she shared a house with Australian rider and future founder Rochelle Gilmore and learned Italian.
In her first professional season in 2002, Cooke won races in Italy, France and the Netherlands, and won the road race in the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the first ever win in the road discipline for Wales, either male or female. Cooke said her strength left her in her first Tour de France, aged 19, and a meeting in the team campervan suggested "medicines" to help her. She refused them.
The Deia-Pragma-Colnago team did not pay wages to Cooke and some colleagues. The team took Cooke's racing bicycle ahead of the world road championships in October and then returned it in time for the World Championships following a telephone call from Ernesto Colnago. Nicole was runner-up in the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year competition.
Cooke signed for the Acca Due O Team for 2003 and a new UCI regulation limiting team sizes split the Acca Due O squad in two for 2003 so Cooke rode for the new Ausra Gruodis-Safi Team with many of the younger riders. She rode for the merged and renamed Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan Team in 2004 and 2005.
In 2003 Cooke won La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, the Amstel Gold Race, the GP de Plouay and the GP San Francisco. She was the 2003 UCI Women's Road World Cup champion, youngest to win the competition and the first Briton. She came third in the world road championship. Cooke was voted BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year. She hit a stationary police motorbike in June at the Tour du Grand Montréal required stitches in her left knee. Three weeks later she crashed again at the Giro de Trentino and had to miss 4 weeks of racing in July and August.
A winter and spring of rehabilitation failed to cure the recurring knee problem and she had surgery in May. At the end of June in her first race in eight months, she won her fifth British title. The following month Cooke won the Giro d'Italia Femminile, the youngest winner and the first British cyclist, male or female, to win a Grand Tour. At the 2004 Summer Olympics she placed fifth in the women's road race and 19th in the road time trial.
In 2005, she again won La Flèche Wallonne Féminine. She also won the GP Wallonie, Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Trofeo Citta di Rosignano. She came second in the UCI Road World Championships.
At the end of 2005 she joined Swiss-based team Univega Pro-Cycling for two seasons, moving to Lugano in 2006 where she still lives.
In October 2005 the Welsh Cycling Union (WCU) selection commission decided to send a full team of six male riders to the 2006 Commonwealth Games, centered on supporting the aspirations of the National Coach Julian Winn, but also decided that Cooke would be sent as a one-person team to defend her title. In April 2016 Cooke would cite this as an example of the sexist attitudes of the sport she encountered throughout her career in an article - Welcome to the world of elite cycling where sexism is by design. In December 2005, when preparing for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she broke a collarbone during the Manchester leg of the UCI Track World Cup; despite this, and the lack of any team support, she came third in the road race at the Games in March 2006. In her autobiography Cooke wrote "By their decision the WCU had gifted Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand my head on a plate". None of the six Welsh men completed the men's race.
On 1 August 2006 Cooke took over as number 1 on the UCI's women's world road race rankings. On 3 September 2006 she secured the UCI Women's Road World Cup for a second time after winning three world cup races in the season – La Flèche Wallonne Féminine, the Ladies Golden Hour and the Castilla y Leon World Cup Race. She also won the 2006 Grande Boucle, the women's Tour de France, by over 6 minutes. Other important wins included four stages and the overall title at Thüringen-Rundfahrt stage race and the Magali Pache Time Trial. She came third in the UCI World Road Race Championships.
In 2007, Cooke took the Geelong World Cup and the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the first two races on the 2007 UCI Women's Road World Cup. These early season wins led to her setting a new record in the UCI's women's world road race rankings for the gap between the first and second ranked cyclists. She also won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda for a second time, the Tour of Geelong, stage 2 of the GP Costa Etrusca and defended her Grande Boucle title.
A knee injury sustained prior to the last race of the 2007 World Cup, the Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt, prevented Cooke from fully defending her title with close challenger Marianne Vos winning the final race and taking the title. Cooke had led the series since the first race. The injury forced her to miss the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart. Cooke later admitted in an interview in 2008 that she had considered quitting the sport due to the injury.
2008: Olympic and World success.
Cooke joined Team Halfords Bikehut for 2008. Her first victory of 2008 was the Tour de l'Aude, in which she rode with a Great Britain national team, taking the first stage and finishing fourth overall. On 28 June, Cooke won her ninth national road race champion title, and her eighth consecutive win.
Cooke represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the Women's Road Race where she won the gold on 10 August 2008, the 200th gold for Great Britain in the Modern Olympic Games. The road cycling disciplines had been in the Olympic program since inception of the modern Olympics in 1896. The Individual Road Race has featured in every games with the Team Time Trial, Individual time Trial and Team Road Race appearing in certain Olympic programs. By 2008 Britain had a record of achieving six Silver and four Bronze Medals in all road disciplines and just three Bronze and two Silvers (Freddie Grubb – 1912 & Frank Southall – 1928) in the Individual Road Race. Thus, in 2008, Cooke not only recorded the first British Olympic Gold Medal in any cycling discipline for a female and also the first ever Gold Medal won in any road discipline by a British rider, irrespective of sex. On the previous day none of the four British men entered in the Individual Road Race finished the race. This was also the first ever Olympic Gold Medal won by a Welsh woman in an individual Olympic event.
She became the first cyclist, male or female, of any nation, to become the road race World Champion and Olympic gold medalist in the same year. An eventful race in Varese, Italy lasted 3 hours 42 minutes and 11 seconds, culminating in a sprint beating Marianne Vos in to 2nd place and Judith Arndt in 3rd. She credited her teammates for their work, pulling back the 12-rider break with 1 lap to go, putting Cooke back in contention.
Cooke's book, "Cycle for life" was published in October 2008 by Kyle Cathie (). The book combines her passion and enthusiasm for cycling, together with her knowledge, proficiency and experience. It is aimed at cyclists at all levels, with expert advice on everything from getting started to turning competitive, covering commuting, racing and riding with friends.
Later career: 2009-2012.
Cooke was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. She was awarded the Transworld Sport "Female Athlete of the Year" title in recognition of her achievements in 2008. She was also awarded the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award.
In June 2009 Cooke captured the Giro del Trentino title and won her tenth British National Road Race Championships title.
After Cooke's Vision1 Cycling Team finished 7th in the 2009 UCI Team Rankings, Cooke closed the team after being unable to attract a major sponsor as the financial crisis of 2007–2008 hit. Cooke signed for Equipe Nuernberg Versicherung for 2010. The team management had put the team together without signing a main sponsor and in December the team collapsed, leaving the riders without a team or salary. Cooke raced and trained with the British cycling team in the 2010 season. She won a stage at the Iurreta-Emakumeen Bira. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games Cooke placed fifth in the Women's Road Race, and at the 2010 UCI Road World Championships Cooke finished fourth in the road race.
In November 2010 Cooke joined the Italian-based Mcipollini-Giordana team for 2011. That year she won Stage 5 of the Giro D'Italia and took fourth place in the World Championships Road Race. In October Cooke won the GP Noosa, Australia.
Joining the Faren-Honda team for 2012, Cooke scored won Stage 6 of the Energiewacht Tour in the Netherlands. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she competed in the road race, finishing 31st. Teammate Lizzie Armitstead took the silver medal. At the 2012 UCI Road World Championships Cooke finished 60th, five minutes behind winner Marianne Vos.
Cooke announced her retirement from the sport on 14 January 2013 at the age of 29. In a speech to journalists confirming her retirement, Cooke ”exposed every aspect of corruption in professional cycling, from doping to gross gender inequality. It took 20 minutes to deliver and was met by journalists by stunned silence then applause" This caused Forbes to title their article "The Anti-Lance Armstrong".
After cycling.
In March 2014, Cooke was reported to be studying for an MBA at Cardiff University. Her autobiography, "The Breakaway", was published in the summer of 2014 to significant critical acclaim. "The Guardian"'s Richard Williams described it as "a compelling and salutary account of the price she paid for the victories from which many others will benefit". It was named The Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year 2014 and long listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year prize and shortlisted for the Cross Sports Book Award. Since retirement Cooke has repeatedly spoken out campaigning for gender equality in sport and stronger investigatory powers for the anti-doping bodies.
In January 2017, Cooke gave written and oral evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport inquiry into Combatting Doping in Sport and stated that her information about doping in cycling, given as evidence to UKAD was subsequently not investigated by UKAD. She also spoke out about the endemic sexism she encountered in sport. The Times described her evidence "GB gold medallist hits out at doping and sexism". The Independent stated "Former Olympic and world champion cyclist Nicole Cooke has issued a damning attack on British Cycling and Team Sky, condemning the governing bodies for their lack of accountability, sexism, and failure to fight the abuse of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) within the sport".
Cooke appeared in Christmas University Challenge representing Cardiff University in a program that first aired in 1st January 2018. Other team members were Professor Laura McAllister, Dr Rhys Jones and Laura Trevelyan.


ProA Young Player of the Year

The ProA Young Player of the Year Award is an award that is handed out to the best young player (under-22) of a given ProA season. The ProA is the second highest basketball division of Germany. The award was first handed out in the inaugural 2007–08 ProA season, to Per Günther of Phoenix Hagen.


Brian Westbrook

Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is a former American football running back who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft after playing college football for Villanova University. Following an eight-year career with the Eagles, in which he earned two Pro Bowl selections in 2004 and 2007, Westbrook signed with the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played in 2010.
Early years.
Westbrook attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland and was an excellent student and a letterman in football and basketball. In football, as a senior, he was a first team All-League selection, a first team All-Prince George's County selection, and an All-State Honorable Mention selection. As a junior, he was a first team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection and an All-State Honorable Mention selection.
College career.
Westbrook played for the Villanova Wildcats football team while attending Villanova University from 1997 to 2001. Though he battled through several injuries, he holds the all-time NCAA record with 9,512 all-purpose yards, breaking the 9,301 yards accumulated by Brian Shay of Emporia State University. In 46 career games, he scored 542 points with 84 touchdowns, carried the ball 725 times for 4,298 yards (6.2 avg.), caught 219 passes for 2,582 yards (11.79 avg.) and gained 2,289 yards and four touchdowns on kickoff returns. Along the way, he established 41 school, 13 Atlantic 10 Conference, and five NCAA records.
Westbrook became the only player in I-AA history to score 160 or more points twice in a career and the first player in the history of college football at any level with 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in one season (1998). He is one of only three players in Villanova history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season and he accomplished that feat three times.
Westbrook was a consensus All-America and two-time CAA offensive player of the year and was the 2001 recipient of the Walter Payton Award (as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA). As a senior, he amassed 2,823 combined net yards and scored 29 touchdowns.
Westbrook was inducted to the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2016.
Professional career.
Despite his dominance in college, NFL teams were hesitant to draft him in the 2002 NFL Draft for three reasons: his small size (he was listed at only 5'8", 200 lb (91 kg)), his injury history (he missed an entire college season with a knee injury), and the fact that he did not play college football for an NCAA Division I-A school. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid liked what he had seen from Westbrook and drafted him in the third round with the 91st overall pick.
Philadelphia Eagles.
Westbrook saw limited time in the 2002 season, but he threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Todd Pinkston on a trick play in a September 2002 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. He made his historical mark in the NFL in the 2003 season with a fourth quarter punt return for a touchdown to defeat the New York Giants 14–10 in the closing minutes on October 19, 2003. The play managed to turn the Eagles' season around as they went to the NFC Championship Game. Westbrook, who scored 11 touchdowns by ground and air, missed the playoffs that year after tearing a triceps muscle in the final game of the season against the Washington Redskins.
After the departure of previous starter Duce Staley and a pre-season injury to Correll Buckhalter, Westbrook became the starting running back for 2004. He rushed for a career-high 812 yards, led all NFL running backs in receiving with 73 receptions for 703 yards, and scored nine touchdowns, creating numerous problems with opposing teams' defenses and helping to propel the Eagles to a 13–3 season. In the playoffs, Westbrook had 117 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in a 27–14 win against the Vikings, and 135 yards from scrimmage in the NFC Championship win against the Falcons.
Westbrook and the Eagles would go on to play in the city's first Super Bowl in 25 years. He would have a solid performance in Philadelphia's Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, rushing for 44 yards, catching seven passes for 60 yards, and scoring one touchdown. He also played in his first Pro Bowl the following week.
Westbrook signed a five-year contract extension with the Eagles in November 2005, after holding out of training camp and months of hectic negotiations. On December 6, 2005, with over 1,200 total yards rushing and receiving, it was announced that Westbrook would miss the rest of the 2005 season due to a mid-foot injury he sustained during a 42–0 Monday night loss to the Seattle Seahawks. During the 2005 season, numerous Eagles starters battled injuries throughout the entire year, and the team finished 6-10 just one year removed from their Super Bowl berth.
Westbrook resumed his productivity in 2006, despite early injury concerns over a swollen knee. With a season-ending injury to McNabb on November 19, 2006, Westbrook stepped up and became the keystone of the Philadelphia offense. On November 26, 2006, he became the first Eagle to rush for over 100 yards in three straight games since Wilbert Montgomery did it 25 years earlier.
Westbrook set a career-high in rushing yards with 1,217, topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He also led the team with 77 receptions for 699 receiving yards. His 11 total touchdowns (seven rushing and four receiving) were also tops on the Eagles. On January 7, 2007 Westbrook set a career-postseason rushing record, rushing for 141 yards on 20 carries against the New York Giants, including a 49-yard touchdown. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, Westbrook nearly willed the team to another playoff victory, scoring two touchdowns in the game.
After his strong playoff performance, Westbrook picked up right where he left in 2007 and cemented himself as one of the top backs in the league. He had over 100 yards rushing and receiving combined in 12 of the 15 games that he played. His 1,333 rushing yards were a new career high and his 2,104 yards from scrimmage led the NFL. Westbrook was named to his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro team, after setting a new single-season franchise record with 90 receptions.
On August 8, 2008, Westbrook signed a five-year, $32 million extension with the Eagles, with the possibility of earning another $3 million after the first three seasons if incentives are met. On September 15, 2008, in a Monday night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Westbrook caught one touchdown and rushed for two more, making him only the seventh player in NFL history to rush for 30 and catch 25 touchdowns in his career. On October 26, 2008, coming off a rib and ankle injury, Westbrook did not show any rust whatsoever against Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in his first action since Week 5, recording a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns off 22 carries and adding 42 yards off six receptions. Then in week 13, he scored two receiving and two rushing touchdowns with 100+ yards, the first time since 1975.
Westbrook entered the 2009 season finally recovered from the injuries he sustained in 2008, but would see only seven starts during season, due to additional injuries suffered. In week 7, Westbrook suffered a concussion and would not return until week 10, when he would suffer yet another concussion and be forced to miss the majority of the remainder of the season, being played sparingly in the consecutive losses to Dallas in the season finale and wild-card round.
Westbrook was released by the Eagles on March 5, 2010.
San Francisco 49ers.
Westbrook signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers including $1.25 million guaranteed on August 16, 2010. The 49ers' decision to sign Westbrook came after the sudden retirement of second year backup running back Glen Coffee. On November 29, 2010, during the "Monday Night Football" game versus the Arizona Cardinals, starting halfback Frank Gore fractured his hip, ending his season. Filling in for the injured Gore, Westbrook carried the ball 23 times for 136 yards and 1 touchdown. Westbrook finished the 2010 season with 77 rushes for 340 yards for a 4.4 average and 4 touchdowns, plus 16 catches for 150 yards and another score, having played in 14 games, starting 5 of them.
Retirement.
On August 28, 2012, it was announced that Westbrook would retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles; his retirement was made official the next day at a live press conference. Westbrook was subsequently honored by the Eagles at halftime of their game against the Washington Redskins on December 23, 2012; the team also named him as honorary captain for the game. Westbrook began the 2013 season as a panel member on "Eagles Post Game Live" on the Comcast Sportsnet Network, along with Michael Barkann, Ed Rendell, and Ray Didinger.
On October 19, 2015, Westbrook was inducted to the Eagles team Hall of Fame during Monday Night Football versus the New York Giants.
NFL career statistics.
Postseason.
"Source:"
Personal life.
Westbrook has a younger brother, Byron Westbrook, who played defensive back at Salisbury University in Maryland and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2007. Their cousin, Lawrence Westbrook, played basketball at the University of Minnesota. His second cousin, Jamire Westbrook plays for the Miami University in Ohio football team as a running back. Although it has been reported in various media biographies that Westbrook is the cousin of NBA player Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards, this is not the case. A July 2008 "Daily Oklahoman" article reported that Russell Westbrook said the two are not cousins. On March 16, 2013, it was reported that Westbrook was experiencing memory loss.


Scudetto

The scudetto (Italian for: "little shield") is a decoration worn by Italian sports clubs that won the annual championship of their respective sport in the previous season.
The "scudetto" was created in the 1920s to honour the winner of the national association football league (in 1929 rebranded as Serie A) and the first team to wear it was Genoa C.F.C. in 1924.
Later, it was adopted by the teams of other sports.
The word scudetto is also used the indicate the Serie A trophy; "winning the scudetto" is a synonym of "winning Serie A"
Origin.
Sources generally agree that the inventor of the "scudetto" was the Italian poet and playwright Gabriele D'Annunzio. In his youth, D'Annunzio was a keen follower of football and in 1887 he bought in London a leather ball from the same manufacturer that supplied the Football League and would play football with his friends on the beach of his native Pescara.
In 1920, the former Austro-Hungarian city of Fiume (now the Croatian Rijeka) was annexed to Italy, D'Annunzio proposed that the local football team acknowledge supporting the Italian sovereignty over the city with a tricolored shield on its jerseys of green, white and red.
In 1924, the Italian Football Federation approved the decision to honour the defending champion allowing them to wear the "scudetto" on their jerseys. Since then, the "scudetto" has become the symbol of the defending champions of every sports league in Italy.
The Italian rugby union championship which started in 1928 adopted the "scudetto" on a team's jersey to indicate a title holding team.


DBL All-Rookie Team

The DBL All-Rookie Team is a team constituted by the best rookies in a season of the Dutch Basketball League, the highest professional basketball league in the Netherlands. This team is based on players' performance throughout the regular season. After the end of the season, the best players are chosen.


Lang Campbell

Lang Campbell (born September 25, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League. He was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at William & Mary.
High School Years.
Campbell attended John Handley High School in Winchester, Virginia and was a student and a letterman in football, baseball, and basketball. In football, he was a three-year letterman. In basketball, he lettered 3 years and was a two-time All-League selection. As a senior, he was named the Winchester Star Player of the Year. He was the first Handley athlete to be named to a first team all state team in three sports, football, basketball, and baseball. Lang Campbell graduated from Handley High School in 2000.
Won a state title in Baseball in 1999 with a 25-1 record and as the team had a two-year run of 46-4 to finish his final two years of baseball.
College career.
Campbell was a two-year starter at The College of William and Mary. He broke out during his senior season, throwing for 3,988 yards and 30 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He was named the 2004 Walter Payton Award winner (Best College Player), and 2004 Atlantic 10 Offensive Player-of-the-Day for the offseason, and helped lead William & Mary to a share of the Atlantic 10 title and its first appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals, along with the school's first 11-win season in the 111-year history of the program. Campbell threw for 6,494 passing yards during his career with 54 touchdowns.
Professional career.
Campbell was acquired by the Cleveland Browns on January 6, 2006 as a free agent. He was originally signed by the Browns on April 29, 2005 as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2005 NFL Draft, but was waived by the team on August 28, 2005. Campbell represented the Browns for the Berlin Thunder during the 2006 NFL Europe season.
Campbell started all 10 games of the 2006 season for the Berlin Thunder and led the team in passing with 1,264 yards, completing 116 of 204 attempts with 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His totals in attempts and completions led the league. The Thunder compiled a 2-7-1 record in 2006, finishing sixth in the six-team league. The tie, a 17-17 draw on the road against the Hamburg Sea Devils on April 1, 2006, was one of only two ties to occur in the now-defunct NFL Europe (the league played its final season in 2007 under the moniker NFL Europa).
He returned to the Cleveland Browns for their 2006 training camp. During the preseason, he completed eight passes on 14 attempts for 75 yards. He added one touchdown and two interceptions to compile a 76.7 passer rating. The Browns released Campbell before the beginning of the 2006 NFL regular season. He was re-signed for the final regular season game against the Houston Texans, but did not play.
Campbell signed with the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League on March 2, 2007, as the backup for former Florida State University quarterback Adrian McPherson. When McPherson was abruptly released on May 7, 2007, Campbell became the de facto starter for the Wranglers. Through 10 games (6 starts), the AFL rookie has posted 1581 yards passing and 28 TDs (against 8 INTs) on 64.7% passing for a passer rating of 112.7, to go along with 3 rushing TDs. He earned his first win as a starter with an 82-54 victory over the New York Dragons, a game in which he threw for 8 TDs.
Campbell was added to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in August 2007, but was cut early in the 2007 season. On October 26, 2007 the Arizona Rattlers (Arena Football) selected Campbell as their 1st pick in the dispersal draft.


Danish Sports Name of the Year

The Sports Name of the Year () is an annual award presented to the Danish sportsperson or team judged to have delivered the best performance of the year. The award was inaugurated in 1991 and is awarded jointly by the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark ("Danmarks Idrætsforbund", "DIF") and Team Danmark; prior to 2019, DIF presented the award with the newspaper "Jyllands-Posten". In addition to the award the winner is granted a monetary prize, which as of 2019 stands at 75,000 Danish kroner.
The Danish women's national handball team have won the award three times, the most of any team or individual. Five individuals (Mette Jacobsen, Eskild Ebbesen, Thomas Ebert, Tom Kristensen and Caroline Wozniacki) have won the award twice. The most recent winners are the Danish National Track Cycling Team Lasse Norman Hansen, Julius Johansen, Frederik Rodenberg and Rasmus Pedersen, who were awarded the prize for 2020 in January 2021. They won the 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's team pursuit, setting a new world record in each of their three races.
List of laureates.
By number of wins.
The table below lists the individuals and teams who have won Sports Name of the Year more than once.
By sport.
The table below lists the total number of Sports Name of the Year awards won by the winners' sporting profession.


Narayana Ramachandran

Narayana Ramachandran is an Indian squash administrator & Triathlon Administrator who served as the President of WSF (World Squash Federation). He was elected on 2008, succeeding Jahangir Khan of Pakistan.
He also served as 12th President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 9 February 2014 to 14 December 2017. He is the brother of the former Chairman of BCCI and ICC, N Srinivasan.


Kazuo Matsui

 is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop. He is a switch-hitter.
Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese infielder to sign with a Major League Baseball team.
Early life.
He graduated from the PL Academy Senior High School in Osaka, a school nationally renowned for its baseball program. The only appearance Matsui made at the National High School Baseball Championship Tournament was in his second year at PL Academy. Though Matsui was considered to be the PL Academy's ace starting pitcher, injuries limited him to playing only in the quarter-final game, where he allowed two runs during 2 innings.
Professional career.
Seibu Lions.
Matsui was chosen third overall by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League in the 1994 Japanese League Draft, where he would wear number 32. In 1996, his third season, he became a regular starter as a shortstop and finished the season second in stolen bases (50). Prior to the 1997 season, he would change his number to 7. The 1997 season saw him reach a .300 batting average for the first time and lead the league in stolen bases (62) to help his team win the Pacific League Title. During the 1997 All-Star Game he set a new All-Star Game record by stealing four bases and was chosen the game MVP. Matsui would lead the Pacific League in stolen bases for two more consecutive seasons.
Prior to joining MLB, Matsui would only play for the Seibu Lions, playing there from 1995 to 2003. He enjoyed success as a seven-time Best Nine award winner (1997–2003). One of his best years was 2002, when he had a .332 batting average with 36 home runs, 87 RBI, 193 hits, 119 runs, 46 doubles, 6 triples and 33 stolen bases. He received four Gold Glove awards while in Japan (equivalent of Rawlings Gold Glove Award in MLB) during the 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003 seasons. He also won a Nippon Professional Baseball MVP award in Japan during the 1998 season. Although Matsui experienced winning the Pacific League Title a total of four times (1994, 1997, 1998, 2002), his team never won the Japanese Series.
New York Mets.
With the Mets, Matsui hit home runs in his first plate appearance in each of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the only Major League player to hit a home run in his first plate appearance of his first three seasons. The only other player to hit a home run in even his first at-bat of three consecutive seasons was Ken Griffey, Jr. In 2004, Matsui homered on the first pitch from Russ Ortiz of the Atlanta Braves leading off the first inning, in 2005, on the sixth pitch from Paul Wilson of the Cincinnati Reds with one out in the first inning, and in 2006, on the fourth pitch from Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres with no outs in the top of the third. The third home run is notable for being an inside-the-park home run. He slid into home as his former Met teammate Mike Piazza was blocking the plate.
Matsui played 114 games in 2004 (the most games he has played so far in his MLB career). He hit .272 with 125 hits, 32 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 44 RBI, 65 runs, 14 stolen bases, 5 sacrifice hits, 40 walks and 182 total bases. His hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, and total bases currently remain career highs.
Based on his performance in Japan, Matsui was expected to excel defensively as a shortstop with the Mets. However, in 2004, Matsui committed many errors and misjudgments at the position, and was made the second baseman for 2005. He was also plagued by injuries, which were not a problem for him in Japan. His offensive production was also much lower than anticipated. By mid-2005, he was no longer an everyday player, sharing time at second base with Miguel Cairo and Marlon Anderson. Matsui finished the season batting .255 with three home runs and 24 RBI.
Matsui began the 2006 season by hitting .200 (26-for-130) with 10 runs, six doubles, one home run and seven RBI. The one home run came on an inside-the-park home run against the San Diego Padres on April 20, 2006. Matsui became the first player since 1975 to hit an inside-the-park home run as his first home run of the season.
Colorado Rockies.
On June 9, 2006, Matsui was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Eli Marrero. Colorado asked that Matsui waive certain clauses in his contract and he agreed. Once complete, Matsui was sent down to play with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox for about two and a half months. Matsui made his Rockies debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 23, 2006, starting at shortstop in place of Clint Barmes. Matsui would soon shift to second base. Through 2006 he improved from .200/.235/.269 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in his 130 at bats as a Met, to hitting .345/.392/.504 in 113 at bats as a member of the Rockies.
His stint in New York was punctuated with pronounced booing from Mets fans in response to his failure to validate high expectations gleaned from his (positionally) prodigious Japanese numbers.
Matsui re-signed with the Colorado Rockies for a one-year, $1.5M contract for 2007 and changed his number to 7, a number that he wore in Japan.
Matsui's performance improved during the 2007 season with the Rockies, as he hit .288, which was higher than his career average. He had career highs in runs (84), triples (6), stolen bases (32) and sacrifice hits (8) in 2007. Matsui was also first in the majors in scoring percentage (47%) when reaching base.
Matsui and the Rockies clinched the 2007 National League wild card game by winning a one-game regular season playoff matchup against the San Diego Padres, propelling Colorado into their second playoff appearance in club history.
Matsui hit his first career grand slam during the second game of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. It came with the Rockies down 3–2 with two outs in the top of the 4th inning. The grand slam gave the Rockies a lead in which they would never relinquish. Colorado won the game, 10–5. Matsui became only the third player in MLB history to have his first career grand slam occur in the postseason rather than the regular season. He also became the first Japanese player to hit a grand slam in the postseason. Along with the grand slam, Matsui hit a triple and a double during game two of the NLDS, falling a single short of becoming the only player in history to hit a cycle during the postseason. However, Matsui did become only the second player ever (Lou Brock in game four of the 1968 World Series was the first) to hit a double, triple and home run in a postseason game.
Houston Astros.
On December 1, 2007, Matsui signed a three-year, $16.5-million deal with the Houston Astros.
Prior to Opening Day, Matsui underwent surgery to repair an anal fissure. He missed the first two-and-a-half weeks of the season. Matsui made his 2008 debut for the Astros on April 18. He posted a .293 batting average and a .354 on-base percentage with 20 stolen bases on the season.
Matsui still had injury problems but managed to keep the 2nd baseman starting position.
Matsui joined the exclusive list of baseball players with 2,000 hits or more lifetime. He has hit safely over 2,000 times in his Japanese career and in the MLB combined.
In 2009, he led all major league starting second basemen in range factor, at 5.33.
Matsui was released by the Houston Astros on May 19, 2010. In 71 at bats, Matsui managed only a .141 batting average with 1 RBI and 1 stolen base.
Colorado Rockies.
Following his release he signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. He remained in the Rockies' minor league system for the remainder of the season.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
After the 2010 season, Matsui signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Saitama Seibu Lions.
On November 17, 2017, Matsui signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
On September 27, 2018, he announced retirement after the season.
International career.
He was selected Japan national baseball team at the 2003 Asian Baseball Championship and 2013 World Baseball Classic.


DBL Most Valuable Player Award

The Dutch Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award given to the most valuable player in the Dutch highest professional basketball league. The award is given after the regular season and was first handed out in 1974. Six Dutch players have won the award so far, with Arvin Slagter being the last in 2014. Kees Akerboom, Sr. (1980, 1981, 1985) and Leon Rodgers (2005–2007) are the all-time leaders in Dutch MVP awards.


Kendrell Bell

Kendrell Alexander Bell (born July 2, 1980) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, where he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bell later played for the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring following the 2007 season.
High school career.
Bell attended Lucy Craft Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia. He was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track & field. In football, he was an All-State selection and won "Atlanta Journal" All-South honors. In track & field, he was ranked fifth in the state in the shot put as a senior.
Collegiate career.
Junior college years.
Bell attended Middle Georgia Junior College for two years. He was a two-time Super Prep JUCO 100 selection. As a freshman, he played fullback and finished the season with 689 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he garnered six sacks and 132 tackles, and helped lead his defensive unit to a No.1 ranking in the nation.
NCAA college years.
Bell attended the University of Georgia and was a Child and Family Development Major and a letterman in football. In football, he finished his career with 153 tackles (10 for a loss), four interceptions, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Professional career.
Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bell started in all 16 games for the Steelers during his 2001 rookie campaign. He was an excellent fit for the Steelers defense, notably due to his blitzing abilities. The Steelers finished the '01 regular season with a 13-3 record, earning them the top seed in the AFC. Bell was voted the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-10 in the AFC Divisional round at Heinz Field. The following week they went on to face the second seeded New England Patriots. Bell recorded 8 tackles, a sack, and 2 passes defended. Despite his stellar performance, and a late 4th quarter comeback, the Steelers wound up losing the game 24-17. In 2002, Bell was injured in week 1 of the AFCCG rematch versus New England. He missed the next 4 games, but returned in week 7 to face the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night. He finished the season with 50 tackles, (33 less from his rookie year), and 4 sacks. The Steelers finished with a 10-5-1 record, and went on to face the Cleveland Browns. In an epic 36-33 comeback win over the Browns, Bell recorded 9 tackles but injured his knee in the final quarter and was listed as doubtful for the following week at Tennessee. Although hurt, Bell started the game against the second seeded Titans. He recorded only 2 tackles before leaving the game once again with an injury. The Steelers lost 34-31 in a controversial finish. In 2003, Bell amassed 99 tackles and 5 sacks despite the Steelers poor 6-10 finish. In 2004, Bell injured his knee yet again, and would not see the field until week 9. He played 3 games for the Steelers before he re-injured his knee in week 11 versus Cincinnati. In the 2005 off-season, the Steelers, (who went 15-1 in the regular season without Bell), released him from the team.
Kansas City Chiefs.
He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played 3 seasons. Bell was released following the 2007 season, after which he retired.


Basketball Champions League MVP

The Basketball Champions League MVP, or Basketball Champions League MVP of the Season, is the annual award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "Most Valuable Player" during the full season of the Basketball Champions League (BCL). The Basketball Champions League is the third-tier level European-wide men's professional club basketball league in Europe. The award is given by FIBA. The award has existed since the Basketball Champions's League inaugural season 2016–17 season.
Voting criteria.
The Basketball Champions League MVP is chosen by a vote of the fans online, a vote of media journalists and representatives, and a vote of all of the head coaches of all of the teams in each season of the league. The fans, the media, and the league's head coaches each get 1/3 of the vote distribution.


Debbie Meyer

Deborah Elizabeth Meyer (born August 14, 1952), also known by her married name Deborah Weber, is an American former competition swimmer, a three-time Olympic champion, and a former world record-holder in four events. Meyer won the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle swimming races in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. While she was still a 16-year-old student at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California, she became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals in one Olympics, winning the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter freestyle swimming races. Katie Ledecky is the only other female swimmer to have done the same, in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
Meyer set world records in 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter freestyle swimming events at the U.S. Olympics trials. Her winning times at the Olympic Games were 2:10.5 for the 200-meter, 4:31.8 for the 400-meter, and 9:24.0 for the 800-meter distances, all of them new or first-time Olympic records.
In 1968, the women's freestyle races at 200-meter and 800-meter distances were added to the Summer Olympics for the first time. Before this, the longest race for women was the 400-meter freestyle, despite the fact that the male competitors had had the 1,500-meter freestyle race (the metric mile) for decades, dating back to 1896.
While overcoming her problems with asthma, Meyer broke 15 world records in swimming during her career.
Meyer broke 24 American records and won 19 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national championships. In 1968, she won the James E. Sullivan Award. In 1969, she was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year. She was named "Swimming World"'s World Swimmer of the Year in 1967, 1968 and 1969. In 1972, Meyer retired from competitive swimming. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1977, and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.
On July 5, 2004, Meyer was inducted into the American National High School Hall of Fame. Meyer uses the custom California automobile license plate "3GOLD68".
Meyer is married to Bill Weber. She owns the Debbie Meyer Swim School in Carmichael, California. According to the business website, Meyer has taught swimming in the area around Sacramento, since the 1970s, and she opened her own school in 1993. Along with teaching both children and adults to be safe in the water Meyer is coaching the Truckee Tahoe Swim Team in Truckee, California.
Meyer has a daughter, son, and step-daughter.
External links.


Steve Joachim

William Steven Joachim ( ; born March 27, 1952) was an American football player. He won the Maxwell Award in 1974 and played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets. He grew up in Havertown, Pennsylvania and played high school football at Haverford High School. He entered the world of Pennsylvania politics in 1982; losing his race for the U.S. House of Representatives.


ProA Player of the Year

The ProA Player of the Year Award () is a most valuable player award that is handed out to the best player of a given ProA season. The ProA is the second highest basketball division of Germany.


Anthony Amalraj

Amalraj Anthony Arputharaj (born 24 January 1986) is a professional table tennis player from Tamil Nadu India. He won silver medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games in doubles with Sharath Kamal.
Amalraj won the National Table Tennis Championship in January 2012, beating the Indian legend, Sharath Kamal in the finals.
Arjuna Awardee in 2017.
In 2018 Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast, Australia, he won gold medal in men's team event with Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran & Sanil Shetty.


Adley Rutschman

Adley Stan Rutschman (born February 6, 1998) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He played college baseball for the Oregon State Beavers. He was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year in 2019. The Orioles selected Rutschman with the first overall selection in the 2019 MLB draft, and he signed for $8.1 million, at the time the highest MLB draft signing bonus ever.
Career.
Rutschman attended Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Oregon, and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 40th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with the Mariners and attended Oregon State University, where he played college baseball for the Beavers.
Rutschman played college football for the Beavers as a placekicker his freshman year. In baseball, his freshman year, he played in 61 games, hitting .234/.322/.306 with two home runs and 33 runs batted in (RBI). After the 2017 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a sophomore in 2018, he batted .408/.505/.628 with nine home runs and 83 RBIs and helped lead Oregon State to win the 2018 College World Series, their 3rd NCAA Division I Baseball National Championship. Rutschman had 17 hits, a College World Series record, and 13 RBIs in the series, for which he was named College World Series Most Outstanding Player. In 2019, his junior season, he batted .411/.575/.751 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs. That year, Rutschman was named the 2019 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year by "Collegiate Baseball Newspaper".
Rutschman was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the first overall selection in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $8.1 million, the highest signing bonus at the time. He made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Orioles, and, after five games, was promoted to the Aberdeen IronBirds. After three weeks with the IronBirds, Rutschman was promoted to the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League. Over 37 games between the three clubs, he slashed .254/.351/.423 with four home runs and 26 RBIs.
At the start of the 2021 season, Rutschman was assigned to the Double-A level Bowie Baysox.
Personal life.
His grandfather, Ad Rutschman, was a football and baseball coach at Linfield College.


Murray Bisset

Sir Murray Bisset (14 April 1876 – 24 October 1931) was a Test cricketer who captained South Africa before moving to Southern Rhodesia where he served as Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia and briefly as Governor of Southern Rhodesia.
Born in Port Elizabeth, Bisset was the fifth son of James Bisset, engineer and former Mayor of Wynberg, and Emily, née Jarvis, daughter of Hercules Jarvis (MLC, MLA) former Mayor of Cape Town.
Cricket career.
Educated at Diocesan College, Rondebosch, Bisset soon gained a reputation as a batsman and a wicket keeper who could stand up to the fastest bowlers, and made his first class cricket debut for Western Province on 18 April 1895 against Transvaal at Durban, scoring 0 and five not out. Despite this setback, Bisset was a regular member of the Western Province side, scoring an unbeaten 124 against Transvaal in 1897, leading to his announcement as captain of the Western Province side for the Currie Cup final that year. He scored 5 and 63*, enough to secure his position as South African captain against the touring English side in 1898-99. Aged 22, Bisset remained Test cricket's youngest ever captain until Ian Craig captained Australia in 1957.
Playing as a wicket-keeper batsman, Bisset scored 35 and 21* and took a catch and a stumping. Bisset also captained the Second Test of the series but, due to the vagaries of turn of the century international cricket it would be another 11 years before Bisset played his third and final Test.
Bisset studied law and, following graduation, was admitted to the Cape Bar in 1899 and practised in the Cape before serving in the South African War. Following his war service, In 1901, Bisset led the South African team to England in the face of fierce criticism that the tour was taking place during the war. Bisset starred on the tour, which did not include a Test, including 184 against Derbyshire, his highest first-class score.
Returning to South Africa, Bisset continued to play cricket when his burgeoning legal career allowed. Bisset was recalled for the Fifth Test between South Africa and England at Cape Town in 1909-10, where he kept wicket and batted in the middle order. Following the match, Bisset retired to concentrate on his legal career. In all, Bisset played 40 first-class matches, scoring 1441 runs at 23.62 with two centuries, taking five wickets at 24.40 and taking 51 catches and 13 stumpings.
Political career.
In 1914, Bisset was elected to the House of Assembly as a South African Party representative for South Peninsula, holding his seat until his retirement from politics in 1924. While in parliament, Bisset unsuccessfully introduced a Private Members Bill in 1921 whereby a widow was lawfully entitled to marry her deceased husband's brother.
Following his retirement from politics, Bisset moved to Southern Rhodesia, where he was appointed a senior judge in 1925 and served as Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia from 1927 until his death. Knighted in 1928, Bisset had served as acting Governor of Southern Rhodesia in 1928 and was serving as governor again in 1931 while the Governor Cecil Hunter-Rodwell was in England, when he died in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. He was survived by his wife, Gladys, whom he married in 1905, and one son.
Bisset's brothers Edgar and Arthur Bisset, and brother-in-law Archibald Difford also played first-class cricket in South Africa.


PBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

The Philippine Basketball Association All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) award given to the player(s) voted best of the annual All-Star Game. This was initially held in the 1982 PBA season wherein a North vs. South All-Star series were held in Manila and Cebu City. The late Arnie Tuadles was adjudged as the first All-Star MVP when he scored a total of 70 points in the 2-game series including a career-high 50 points in the game held in Cebu City which the South All-Stars won against the North All-Stars 122-119. However, it was only in 1989 that the All-Star Game was institutionalized.