Steve McNair

Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009), nicknamed "Air McNair", was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Tennessee Titans franchise. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens.
McNair played college football at Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi, where he won the 1994 Walter Payton Award as the top player in NCAA Division I-AA. He was drafted third overall by the Titans (then known as the Houston Oilers) in 1995, becoming the team's regular starting quarterback in 1997, their first season in Tennessee (though he started six games over the prior two seasons in Houston), and remained the starting quarterback for the Titans through 2005. After the 2005 season, McNair was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he played for two seasons before retiring.
McNair played in four postseasons with the Titans, including their run to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, making his final playoff appearance in 2006 with the Ravens. McNair was selected to the Pro Bowl three times, and was an All-Pro and Co-MVP in 2003. McNair was the first African-American quarterback to win AP NFL MVP and is, along with Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, one of only four to win the award.
On July 4, 2009, McNair was fatally shot by his mistress, Sahel Kazemi, in a murder–suicide.
Early life.
McNair was born in a small tin-roofed house in Mount Olive, Mississippi on February 14, 1973. He had four brothers, Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. He attended Mount Olive High School as a freshman in the fall of 1987, where he played football, baseball, and basketball in addition to running track. As a junior, McNair led the Mount Olive Pirates to the state championship. McNair also played free safety in high school, and in 1990 alone, he intercepted 15 passes, raising his career total to 30, which tied the mark established by Terrell Buckley at Pascagoula High School. An All-State selection (offense), McNair was named an All-American by Super Prep magazine (defense).
The Seattle Mariners drafted him in the 35th round of the 1991 MLB amateur draft.
College career.
McNair was initially offered a full scholarship to the University of Florida to play running back, but, wanting to play quarterback, McNair chose Alcorn State University, a Historically Black University which competes in the NCAA's Division I-AA (now known as the Football Championship Subdivision) Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In 1992, McNair threw for 3,541 yards and 29 touchdowns, and ran in for 10 more scores. The Braves fashioned a record of 7–4, including a last-second victory in their rematch with Grambling. In that contest, McNair returned from an injury and helped Alcorn State, trailing late in the final period, move deep into Tigers' territory. Then, despite a leg injury, he tucked the ball under his arm and dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown. The victory over Grambling helped the Braves qualify for the I-AA playoffs where they faced off against then-Northeast Louisiana, falling 78–27 to the Indians on November 21, 1992. McNair helped Alcorn State to another good year in 1993, as the Braves upped their record to 8–3 while McNair threw for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also named First-Team All-SWAC for the third year in a row.
In his senior season, McNair gained 6,281 combined yards rushing (904) and passing (5,377), along with 56 touchdowns. In the process, he surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American. In addition, McNair won the Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter. McNair set career records for the Football Championship Series with 14,496 passing yards, as well as the division record for total offensive yards with 16,823 career yards. McNair's record for total offensive yards still stands as of 2018, but his mark for career passing yards was eclipsed by Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges in 2018.
He was a member of the fraternity Omega Psi Phi, highlighting his allegiance by tattooing "Omega Man" on his arm.
Professional career.
Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans.
1995–1996 seasons.
With the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, the Houston Oilers and new head coach Jeff Fisher selected McNair, making him at the time the highest drafted African-American quarterback in NFL history and signing him to a seven-year contract. McNair did not see his first action until the last two series of the fourth quarter in a November game versus the Cleveland Browns. Late in the season, he also appeared briefly against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets. In 1996, McNair remained a backup to Chris Chandler until starting a game on December 8 in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
1997 season.
McNair's first season as the Oilers' starter in 1997 (the team's first year in Tennessee) resulted in an 8–8 record for the team, which played its home games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. McNair's 2,665 passing yards were the most for the Oilers in a season since Warren Moon in 1993, and his 13 interceptions were the fewest for a single season in franchise history. He also led the team in rushing touchdowns with eight and ranked second behind running back Eddie George with 674 yards on the ground, the third-highest total for a quarterback in NFL history.
1998 season.
In 1998, McNair set career passing highs with 492 attempts, 289 completions, 3,228 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Oilers, now competing in Nashville. He also cut his interceptions to ten, helping his quarterback rating climb to 80.1.
1999 season: Super Bowl season.
The team officially changed its name from Oilers to Titans for the 1999 season as they debuted a new stadium, Adelphia Coliseum. Early in the season, McNair was diagnosed with an inflamed disk following the Titans' 36–35 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and needed surgery. In his stead entered Neil O'Donnell, a veteran who had guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl four years earlier. Over the next five games, O'Donnell led the Titans to a 4–1 record. McNair returned against the St. Louis Rams, and with McNair starting, Tennessee won seven of its last nine games, good for a record of 13–3 and second place in the AFC Central.
The Titans opened the playoffs at home against the Buffalo Bills in a Wild Card game, winning on the "Music City Miracle" and eventually advancing to Super Bowl XXXIV in a rematch with the Rams. On the second to last play with the Titans facing 3rd down and 5 to go, McNair was hit by two Rams defenders, but he somehow got away and completed a 16-yard pass to Kevin Dyson to gain a 1st down at the Rams' 10-yard line. On the final play of the game, McNair's pass to Dyson was complete, but Dyson was unable to break the plane of the goal line, giving the Rams the win. McNair signed a new six-year contract after the 1999 season worth US$47 million.
2000–2001 seasons.
McNair played in all sixteen games in 2000 but did not start the first of two annual games against the Steelers. This was because of a sternum injury incurred in a 17-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs the previous game. Following the Titans’ bye week Neil O’Donnell started against his former team but after O’Donnell threw three picks he was sacked out of the game in the final four minutes. McNair came in and threw a touchdown to Erron Kinney; a missed Steelers field goal attempt resulted in the Titans winning 23-20.
Following a 13–3 season in 2000 which ended in a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, McNair put together his most productive year as a pro in 2001. In 2001, McNair registered career passing highs in yards (3,350), completions (264), touchdowns (21) and quarterback rating (90.2). He was also the team's most effective rusher, tying George for the club lead with five scores. Named to the Pro Bowl for the first time, McNair sat out the game due to a shoulder injury.
2002 season.
In 2002, Tennessee finished the regular season 11–5 and reached the playoffs. In the divisional playoff contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McNair threw for a career postseason high 338 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions, while rushing for 29 yards and another score on the ground. The game had a controversial finish when, after missing a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time and a second failed kick in overtime was negated because of a controversial running-into-the-kicker penalty on Pittsburgh's Dewayne Washington, kicker Joe Nedney won the game from 26 yards out 2:15 into overtime. Steelers coach Bill Cowher said that he called a timeout before the winning kick took place.
McNair and the Titans reached the AFC Championship game but were unable to reach the Super Bowl, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41–24.
Between the 2002 and 2003 seasons, McNair was arrested for DUI and illegal gun possession (in May 2003). His blood alcohol was above 0.10, and a 9-mm handgun had been sitting in the front of the car. All charges related to the incident were later dropped.
2003 season: MVP Season.
In December of the 2003 season, an injured calf and ankle kept McNair sidelined for two games, though he still finished with the best numbers of his career, including 3,215 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, just seven interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 100.4. The Titans ended at 12–4, the same record as the Colts, but Indianapolis took the AFC South division championship by virtue of its two victories over Tennessee. McNair and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning were named co-NFL MVPs following the 2003 season, which ended the Titans' season in a playoff loss to the New England Patriots. McNair finished the 2003 season as the league leader in passer rating and became the youngest player in NFL history to pass for 20,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards.
2004–2005 seasons.
McNair missed the 2004 season's fourth game with a bruised sternum, an injury suffered the previous week against Jacksonville, and played in only five more games that season. In 2005, he played in 14 games because of a back injury.
This series of season-ending injuries prompted the Titans to make the business decision of locking McNair out of team headquarters in the 2006 offseason. The team would not let him rehab in its building because it feared an injury would force the franchise to pay him $23.46 million (his contract had been restructured so often that his salary cap reached a hard-to-manage amount). The Players Association's filed a grievance on his behalf, for which an arbitrator ruled that the team violated its contract, opening the possibility for a trade.
Baltimore Ravens.
Following the 2005 season, on April 30, 2006, the Titans allowed McNair and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, to speak with the Ravens to try to work out a deal. On May 1, 2006, the Baltimore Sun reported that the Baltimore Ravens might wait for McNair to be released by the Titans during free agency. Speculation was that the Titans might hold onto McNair until the week before training camp in late July if the Ravens didn't come up with a satisfactory trade offer for McNair according to a league source. However, on June 7, 2006, the two teams worked out a deal to send McNair to the Ravens for a 4th-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. On June 8, McNair flew to Baltimore, passed a physical, and was announced as the newest member of the Ravens.
2006 season.
The 2006 season saw McNair start each game for the Ravens, missing only portions of two games. In the week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, McNair threw the longest regular-season touchdown pass in the Ravens' history, when he threw an 89-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mark Clayton, McNair helped Baltimore to a 13–3 record and an AFC North Championship. McNair started at quarterback in his first playoff game as a Raven when his team faced the Colts on January 13, 2007. McNair was 18 of 29 for 173 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, as the Ravens lost 15–6.
2007 season.
On May 9, 2007, McNair was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving. Both the driver of the vehicle, his brother-in-law, and McNair were arrested for driving under the influence. Under Tennessee law, one can still be arrested for DUI even as a passenger in one's own car and the driver is believed to be under the influence. McNair owned the pick-up truck involved and was charged with DUI by consent. The charges were dropped on July 10, 2007.
In 2007, McNair did not play in Week 2 against the Jets in which the Ravens won 20–13. He also did not play the full game in Week 3, however, the game was won by the Ravens, 26–23. McNair missed nine more games during the rest of the season, due primarily to injury, only starting in six games. He announced his retirement following the 2007 season.
Retirement.
After thirteen seasons in the NFL, McNair announced his retirement from professional football in April 2008.
In July 2012, McNair was named the 35th greatest quarterback of the NFL's post-merger era, according to Football Nation.
McNair's number was retired by the Titans during a halftime ceremony against the Indianapolis Colts on September 15, 2019.
McNair was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Personal life.
McNair was married to Mechelle McNair from June 21, 1997, until his death. He split his time between a farm in Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee.
McNair had two sons by Mechelle: Tyler and Trenton; and two sons – Steve LaTreal McNair, Jr. and Steven O'Brian McNair – by two other women before they married.
McNair earned the nickname "Air McNair" in high school. He opened his own restaurant in Nashville, which he named Gridiron9.
His cousin is the NFL linebacker Demario Davis.
Death.
On July 4, 2009, McNair was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds, along with the body of a young woman named Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi, in a condominium rented by McNair, at 105 Lea Avenue in downtown Nashville. He was 36 years old. Kazemi and McNair were previously involved with each other romantically. The day of the shooting, text messages between the pair were exchanged proclaiming their love to one another in which Kazemi texted the victim "u love me" in which McNair replied "I love you baby." There was also a conversation about financial issues where McNair transferred $2,000 to Kazemi, who claimed she was "stressed" and needed to pay her phone bill. McNair then offered to come over to check on her after she said her chest felt heavy. The night of his death, McNair put his children to bed, then at 11:00 pm he texted Kazemi "On my way." McNair had been shot twice in the body and twice in the head, with only one of the shots coming from closer than three feet. McNair was believed to have been asleep on the couch when the shooting occurred. After killing him, Kazemi sat on the couch beside him and shot herself in the temple. The bodies were discovered by McNair's friends Wayne Neely and Robert Gaddy, who called 911. The Nashville police declared McNair's death a murder-suicide, with Kazemi as the perpetrator and McNair as the victim. The 9mm gun used was found under Kazemi's body and later tests revealed "trace evidence of (gunpowder) residue on her left hand. Kazemi had a worsening financial situation and also suspected that McNair was in another extramarital relationship.
McNair had been having an extramarital affair with the 20-year-old Kazemi in the months prior to their deaths. Two days before their deaths, Kazemi was pulled over in a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade in Nashville with McNair in the passenger seat and Vent Gordon, a chef at a restaurant McNair owned, in the back seat. The vehicle was registered in the names of both McNair and Kazemi. She was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. McNair was not arrested, instead leaving in a taxi with Gordon, despite Kazemi repeatedly asking the arresting officer to tell McNair to come to the police car to talk to her. However, McNair later bailed Kazemi out of jail.
Police later stated that after release from jail, Kazemi purchased the gun from a convicted murderer she met while looking for a buyer for her Kia.
Titans owner Bud Adams released a statement regarding McNair:
In a statement to the AP, Ozzie Newsome, executive vice president and general manager of the Baltimore Ravens, stated:
The Titans held a two-day memorial at LP Field on July 8 and 9, 2009, where fans could pay their last respects to McNair. Highlights from his career were played throughout each day and fans were able to sign books that were later given to the McNair family.
During the 2009 NFL season, every member of the Titans wore a commemorative "9" sticker placed on the back of each helmet to honor McNair. Funeral services were held for McNair at the Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi on July 11; he was buried at Griffith Cemetery in Prentiss, Mississippi.
McNair died without a last will and testament, and his assets were frozen pending probate of his estate. In October 15, 2010, it was reported that McNair's widow went to a Nashville judge and asked that at least a portion of the assets be unfrozen for his children's care and expenses until the estate matters were resolved in court. The judge agreed and each of the four children received $500,000.


Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award

The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. The winner is chosen by a panel of 16 football writers and broadcasters, and, since Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, fans voting electronically. The media panel's ballots count for 80 percent of the vote tally, while the viewers' ballots make up the other 20 percent. The game's viewing audience can vote on the Internet or by using cellular phones; Media voters are asked to vote with about five minutes remaining in the game, but are allowed to change their mind when the game ends. They can nominate one player from each team, with instructions to count their vote for the player on the winning team. Voters cannot select an entire unit.
The Super Bowl MVP has been awarded annually since the game's inception in 1967. Through 1989, the award was presented by "SPORT" magazine. Bart Starr was the MVP of the first two Super Bowls. Since 1990, the award has been presented by the NFL. At Super Bowl XXV, the league first awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy, named after former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, to the Super Bowl MVP. Ottis Anderson was the first to win the trophy. The most recent Super Bowl MVP, from Super Bowl LV held on February 7, 2021, is Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady is the only player to have won five Super Bowl MVP awards (four with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers); Joe Montana won three and three other players—Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, and Eli Manning—have won the award twice. Starr and Bradshaw are the only ones to have won it in back-to-back years. The MVP has come from the winning team every year except 1971, when Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley won the award despite the Cowboys' loss in Super Bowl V to the Baltimore Colts. Harvey Martin and Randy White were named co-MVPs of Super Bowl XII, the only time co-MVPs have been chosen. Including the Super Bowl XII co-MVPs, seven Cowboys players have won Super Bowl MVP awards, the most of any NFL team. Quarterbacks have earned the honor 31 times in 55 games (and 56 awards).


Paramvir Singh

Wing Commander Paramvir Singh (born 28 July 1975) is an Indian Air Force officer and Adventure Sports athlete. He is an open-water endurance swimmer with multiple records to his credit, having led expeditions to the English Channel, unexplored channels in the Arabian Sea, one of which broke a world record, and the historic first-ever swim down the entire stretch of the River Ganga., as well as an Ultra Triathlon and Duathlon athlete.
Initial expeditions.
Param started as a competitive pool swimmer during his school days and later moved on to open water distance swimming.
Between 26 June and 5 July 2012 he led the first-ever Indian Armed Forces open water expedition to the English Channel. The Indian Air Force team "Delphinus" led by Param swam the English Channel from England to France twice within this period. The team was awarded the Montserrat Tresserras Shield by the Channel Swimming Association for being the fastest team for the year 2012.
In October–November 2013 Param led the Indian Air Force Team "Aqua Scullers" rafting down the entire stretch of the River Ganga from Gangotri in Uttarakhand to Gangasagar in West Bengal, covering a distance of over 3000 km, in 16 days, establishing several records, including the longest distance covered by raft in a single day.
On 8 October 2014 Param led the first-ever medley relay open water swim in Asia, swimming from Mora Jetty to Kanheri Angre Lighthouse in the Arabian Sea. A few days later he again led the Indian Air Force team "Delphinus" during the Around Mumbai Swimathon. The team was the first to successfully swim around Mumbai in clockwise direction, covering a distance of 286 km, which was then recognised as the longest open water swim in Asia.
Later Expeditions and Social Campaigning.
Goa to Mumbai World Record Swim.
In February 2015 Param led the amateur open water swim team "The Sea Hawks" swimming 433.11 km from Goa to Mumbai in 119.59 hours, breaking the World record held by Israel in the category of "longest open water 6-person relay swim." This expedition was dedicated to the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" national mission of the Government of India and the team campaigned extensively throughout the expedition.
First Ever Swim Down the River Ganga : Expedition Ganga Avahan.
The historic Tri-Services expedition, "Ganga Avahan" was conceived, planned, organised and led by Param as the first-ever swim down the entire length of the River Ganga, in support of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Swachh Bharat" national mission, "Clean Ganga" campaign, and "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" initiative. The team was flagged off in New Delhi by the Hon'ble Minister for Urban Development, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. The swim commenced from Dev Prayag in Uttarakhand on 8 October 2015, and culminated at Frazerganj in West Bengal, covering a total distance of 2800 km, taking 43 days. The expedition was flagged in at New Delhi by the Hon'ble Minister for Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar. The expedition created 3 World Records, including the largest social campaign ever through an adventure event.
635 km Ultra Triathlon.
On 25 February 2016 Param led the team "The Sea Hawks" in an Nonstop Ultra-Triathlon event called "Endurothon Gateway Challenge." The event commenced at the Gateway of India, Mumbai with a swim leg of 65 km of open water swimming in the Arabian Sea. This was followed by 400 km of cycling and 170 km of marathon running, culminating at the starting point, Gateway of India, Mumbai. The 2-person team covered a total distance of 635 km in 71.45 hours. Throughout the event the team campaigned for Rotary International's End Polio mission and for Start-up India national mission. The Triathlon Federation of India ratified the expedition as the most challenging Triathlon ever in the World.
Third Crossing of English Channel.
Again in June 2016, Param led the 6-person team "The Sea Hawks" for another crossing of the English Channel, in support of Rotary International's Peace and Conflict Resolution initiative. This was the third crossing of the English Channel for Param.
Mumbai to Mangalore World Record Swim.
The Tribute Swim was Param's third expedition in 2016, leading The Sea Hawks again on their most audacious Open Water Stage Swim till date. The swim was undertaken as a tribute to the soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces, martyred during the numerous terror attacks on Indian soil through the year, in Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota, and to the victims and martyrs of the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Union Minister for Energy, Mr. Piyush Goyal flagged off the expedition at the majestic Gateway of India, Mumbai, handing over the flag to Wing Commander Param, in the presence of several dignitaries, including Smt. Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and consular representatives from all the countries whose nationals had lost their lives during the 26/11 events. The 6 swimmers swam non-stop from Mumbai to Mangalore, covering a distance of 1,031 kilometres taking a total of 12 days, breaking two World Records in the process, the Longest Distance Open Water Relay (team of six) held by the Night Train Swimmers of the USA, for 500.50 km and the Longest Distance Open Water Swim by a Team of Unlimited Swimmers, for 684.75 km by 200 swimmers in UK.
Delhi to Dras Ultra-endurance Duathlon.
On 26 July 2017, he led ‘Victory Run’ the ultra-endurance 1,400 km Duathlon from Delhi to Dras, undertaken by 16 athletes from the Armed Forces, taking 31 days. The duathlon was dedicated to the martyrs of the Kargil War.
Ganga Aamantran Expedition 2019.
He led his third expedition on the River Ganga, the first ever Rafting and Kayaking expedition down the river, from Devprayag to Bakkhali beach. The expedition was organised and undertaken under the aegis of the Ministry for Jal Shakti, Govt. of India and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), as an adventure sports-cum-public outreach expedition, creating awareness on Water Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation. The expedition was flagged-off in New Delhi by the Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on 7 October 2019. The abhiyan started out from Devprayag on 10 October, crossing the five states and through the Ganga Basin. The expedition culminated 34 days later, in Frazerganj at Bakkhali beach (West Bengal) on 12 November 2019.
Awards and recognition.
Wing Commander Paramvir Singh was conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for the year 2014 for his outstanding contributions in Water Sports, the highest award in Adventure Sports bestowed by the Government of India, equivalent to the Arjuna Award.
The World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) nominated the expedition Ganga Avahan for the Best Swim Performance of the Year 2015.
The hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, lauded Param for his social campaigning for the Swachh Bharat National Mission during the first ever swim down the holy river Ganga, during the September 2016 telecast of his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat".
In recognition of his efforts to raise public awareness against terror and spreading the message of Peace, Param was awarded The Peace Award by the Global Peace Initiative 2016 on 25 November 2016, at the Welingkar Institute for Management, Mumbai.
The YES Foundation conferred the YES I Am The Change award on him for the year 2017, in recognition of his social campaigning through adventure sports.
Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan conferred the prestigious "Kulapati Munshi Award" for 2017 on him, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of adventure sports and social campaigning.
WOWSA, the World Open Water Swimming Association, included Param in their 2017 list of the World's 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Men.


Jeremy Moses

Jeremy Moses (born September 4, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Stephen F. Austin. In his Stephen F. Austin career, Moses passed for 13,401 yards and 121 touchdowns; his 1,184 completions are an FCS record. He is currently an assistant coach at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas.
Playing career.
Moses started at quarterback for Stephen F. Austin from 2007 to 2010. Moses helped Stephen F. Austin to back-to-back conference titles in 2009 and 2010 after an 0–11 2007 season. Moses was a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year. In 2010, he led the FCS in pass attempts, completions, touchdown passes and passing yards; he won the Walter Payton Award, becoming the first Southland Conference player to win the award.
Coaching career.
Moses spent the 2011 season as an assistant at North Alabama. In January 2012, he returned to Stephen F. Austin as an assistant.


Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge EGH ( ; born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly competed at the 5000 metre distance. He is the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39, set on 16 September 2018, at the 2018 Berlin Marathon. His run broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds. He has been described as "the greatest marathoner of the modern era".
Eliud won his first individual world championship title in 2003 by winning the junior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and setting a world junior record over 5000 m on the track. At the age of eighteen, he became the senior 5000 m world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics with a championships record, then followed with an Olympic bronze for Kenya in 2004 and a bronze at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. A five-time World Championship 5000 m finalist, Kipchoge took silver medals at the 2007 World Championships, 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
He switched to road running in 2012 and made the second-fastest half marathon debut ever, at 59:25. In his marathon debut, he won the 2013 Hamburg Marathon in a course record time. His first victory at a World Marathon Major came at the Chicago Marathon in 2014, and he went on to become series champion for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He won the London Marathon a record 4 times, and won the Olympic marathon in 2016. His only losses in a marathon were a second-place finish behind Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich at the 2013 Berlin Marathon, where Kipsang broke the world record, and an eighth-place finish at the 2020 London Marathon.
On 12 October 2019, Kipchoge ran the marathon distance at a in Vienna, Austria, achieving a time of 1:59:40. The run did not count as a new marathon record, as standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed and it was not an open event.
Early life and personal life.
Kipchoge was born on 5 November 1984 in Kapsisiywa, Nandi County, in Kenya. Kipchoge graduated from Kaptel Secondary School in 1999 but did not run seriously then. He ran to school on a daily basis. Kipchoge was raised by a single mother (a teacher), and only knew his father from pictures. He is the youngest of four children. He met his trainer Patrick Sang (a former Olympic medalist in the steeplechase) in 2001 at the age of 16.
Kipchoge's wife and three children live in Eldoret, Kenya. He lives and trains in Kaptagat, 30 km (19 miles) from Eldoret.
Career.
2002–2004.
In 2002, he won at the Kenyan trials for the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships junior race. At the World Cross Country Championships, held in Dublin, Kipchoge finished fifth in the individual race and was part of the Kenyan junior team that won gold. Kipchoge also won the 5000 metres race at the Kenyan trial for the 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics, but fell ill and missed the championships. At the 2003 IAAF World Cross Country Championships he won the junior race.
He set a world junior record in the 5000 m at the 2003 Bislett Games, running a time of 12:52.61 minutes. This stood as the world and African junior record until 2012, when it was improved to 12:47.53 minutes by Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia.
Kipchoge won a gold medal at the 5000 m final at the 2003 World Championships, outsprinting both future world record holder Kenenisa Bekele and runner-up Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record holder in the 1500 metres and mile, by four hundredths of a second in 12:52.79.
In July he participated in the Golden League 2004 Roma Meeting. In the 5000 m event, he dipped first among the starters with 12:46.53, which made him the sixth-fastest ever in the event.
In 2004, Kipchoge won a bronze medal at the 5000 m final at the 2004 Athens Olympics, behind El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele. He also won the Trofeo Alasport cross country race earlier that season.
2006.
Kipchoge won the bronze in the 3000 metres indoor at the 2006 World Championships in Moscow.
At the end of the year, Kipchoge won the San Silvestre Vallecana New Year's Eve 10 km road race in a time of 26:54 minutes, which beat his own course record by 40 seconds. This time was also better than the 10K track world record at the time, but was run on a downhill course.
2007.
Kipchoge won a silver medal at the 5000 m final of the 2007 World Championships at Osaka in 13:46.00, behind Bernard Lagat (13:45.87).
2008.
During the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing, China, Kipchoge won a silver medal in the 5000 m event with a time of 13:02.80; although better than the previous Olympic record of 13:05.59, it was not enough to match Kenenisa Bekele's pace, who won the gold medal for this race. On the circuit, he won the Great Yorkshire Run 10K and Campaccio Cross Country that year.
2009.
He failed to reach the podium at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, finishing in fifth place and he also finished ninth in the 3000 m at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final.
2010–11 seasons.
He made his debut on the 2010 IAAF Diamond League by winning the 5000 m Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix in a meet record time.
Kipchoge then went on to enter the Carlsbad 5000 in CA, USA. The Carlsbad 5 km road race is the venue for the world best times for a 5k road race for men and women respectively. The fastest to cover the track was Sammy Kipketer in 2000, with 12:59.52 min. Kipchoge made a world best attempt and although he won the race, weather affected his chances and he finished in 13:11, the fourth-fastest ever for the course up to that point in time.
In the first athletics final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he attempted to win the 5000 m Commonwealth title. Ugandan runner Moses Kipsiro held a slender lead over him in the final stages of the race and Kipchoge ended up in second place, taking the silver medal some seven hundredths of a second behind. He flew back to Europe immediately after to take part in the Belgrade Race through History the following day. His shoe fell off in the first kilometre and, after putting it back on, he made up much ground on the field to eventually take second place two seconds behind Josphat Menjo.
At the start of 2011, he won the short race at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country, ahead of Asbel Kiprop. He attempted to retain his title at the Carlsbad 5000 in April but came a close second behind Dejen Gebremeskel. In May he raced the 3000 metres (finished third) in Doha, with a time of 7:27.66 and ranked him as the 12th-fastest at the distance up to this point. Kipchoge was chosen to represent Kenya at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and reached the 5000 m final for the fifth consecutive time, although he only managed seventh place on this occasion.
2012.
Kipchoge returned to the Edinburgh Cross Country in 2012, but this time he finished third behind Asbel Kiprop and Britain's Jonathan Hay. He was also third at the Carlsbad 5000 in March. He attempted to gain a place on the 10,000 m Olympic team at the Prefontaine Classic, but fell back in the late stages of the Kenyan trial race, finishing seventh. A seventh-place finish in the Kenyan 5000 m trial race meant he would not make a third consecutive Olympic team.
He made his half marathon debut in the Lille Half Marathon. The run was won by a new course record time of 59:05 (previously 59:36 by ilahun Regassa set in 2008) by Ezekiel Chebii (former pb 59:22), trailed by Bernard Koech 59:10, and Kipchoge earned a third place with 59:25. His time of 59:25 became the second fastest Half Marathon debut, only second to Moses Mosop's 59:20 in Milan in 2010.
On 6 October 2012 Kipchoge ran in the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Kavarna Bulgaria. Zsersenay Tadese of Eritrea won in 1:00:19 and Kipchoge placed sixth in 1:01:52.
2013.
Kipchoge opened his 2013 season with a win at the Barcelona Half Marathon in a time of one hour and four seconds. Making his marathon debut in April, he demonstrated a smooth transition to the longer distance by taking the Hamburg Marathon title with a run of 2:05:30 hours—beating the field by over two minutes and setting a new course record. In August 2013, he won the Half Marathon of Klagenfurt in 1:01:02 minutes.
Then, he raced in the Berlin Marathon and he finished second in 2:04:05, the fifth-fastest time in history, in his second ever marathon,
behind Wilson Kipsang, who set a new marathon world record with 2:03:23. Third place went to Geoffrey Kipsang of Kenya with 2:06:26. This was one of 11 world record since 1977 set at the Berlin Marathon (As of 2019).
2015.
On 2 February 2015 Kipchoge participated in the Ras al-Khaimah Half Marathon. He placed sixth with a time of 1:00:50. The run was won by Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) in 1:00:05.
Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon in 2015. His win and then-personal-best time (2:04:00) occurred even though his shoes malfunctioned, causing his insoles to flap out of both shoes from 10 km onward; rather than risk time lost from an adjustment, he finished the race with bloodied, blistered feet.
2016.
In April 2016, Kipchoge won the London Marathon for the second consecutive year in a time of 2:03:05. His performance broke the course record in London, and became the second-fastest marathon time in history, missing Dennis Kimetto's world record by 8 seconds.
Rio Olympic Games
As the prerace favorite, during the 2016 Summer Olympics, Kipchoge gained a gold medal in the marathon event. On the last day of the Rio Olympics on 21 August 2016 he won in a time of 2:08:44. The runner up was Feyisa Lilesa (Ethiopia) 2:09:54 and the bronze medal went to Galen Rupp (USA), doing his second marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:10:05. When the halfway point after 21.0975 km was reached, 37 men were within 10 seconds of the lead runner. The participants field diminished to 3 lead runners shortly before 34 km. Kipchoge made his final move on silver medal winner Lilesa around 36 km into the race. He covered the first half of the race in 1:05:55, while doing the second half in 1:02:49, that amounts to a difference of more than 3 minutes, a negative split. The winning gap between Kipchoge and Lilesa by 70 seconds was the largest victory margin since the 1972 Olympic marathon. Kipchoge's winning time of 2:08:44 is his slowest marathon time (as of Mar 2020). One hundred fifty-five runners started the race, which amounted to the largest field in Olympic history; 140 of them finished the race. With this win, Kipchoge became the second Kenyan male after Sammy Wanjiru in Beijing 2008 to win an Olympic marathon gold medal. At the same Olympics, the women's marathon was won by Jemima Sumgong in turn she became the first female Kenyan winner.
On 20 November 2016, Kipchoge ran in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, winning the race clocking a time of 59:44.
2017.
On 6 May 2017, Kipchoge, along with Zersenay Tadese (then world record holder in the half marathon) and Lelisa Desisa (2 time Boston Marathon winner), attempted the first sub-two-hour assisted marathon, in the Nike Breaking2 project on the Monza Formula 1 racetrack near Milan, Italy. All 3 runners ran a test 2 months before the attempt. The target time was 1 hour for a half Marathon. Kipchoge finished first in 59:17. The course was measured at 2400 m per lap. During the 2 hour attempt, the runners were paced by a lead car and 30 supporting pacers joining in stages (both considered illegal under IAAF rules). The race started at 5:45h local time on the 2.4 km track. Kipchoge finished in 2:00:25, while the other two had to slow and finished far behind. The runners planned even 14:13 5k splits to break 2 hours. His 5k splits were: 14:14, 14:07, 14:13, 14:15, 14:14, 14:17, 14:17, 14:27, and 6:20 to finish. The 5k split times from 25k and further would be world records: 25k in 1:11:03, 30k in 1:25:20, 35k in 1:39:37, 40k in 1:54:04.
On 24 September 2017, he won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:32.
In rainy conditions, he finished 14 seconds ahead of Guye Adola who ran his first marathon.
Adola set the fastest marathon debut ever.
Former marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang and 2016 winner Kenenisa Bekele failed to finish.
2018.
Kipchoge won the 2018 London Marathon against a field that included Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele, and defending champion Daniel Wanjiru.
2018 Berlin and new world record.
On 16 September 2018, Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:39, breaking the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds (2:02:57 set by fellow countryman Dennis Kimetto at the Berlin Marathon in 2014). It was the greatest improvement in a marathon world record time since 1967. He finished 4:43 min ahead of second-placed fellow Kenyan Amos Kipruto. The World Record holder from 2013, Wilson Kipsang of Kenya, came in third at 2:06:48.
2018 accolades.
Following his performances in the 2018 season, Kipchoge received numerous accolades and awards. He was named IAAF World Athlete of the Year together with Caterine Ibargüen, who received the female World Athlete of the Year award. On 11 January 2019, Kipchoge was named the 2018 Sportsman of the Year at the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Awards in Mombasa, Kenya.
2019.
Kipchoge won the 2019 London Marathon in a time of 2:02:37, the second fastest marathon of all time, behind his 2018 Berlin Marathon win. His fourth win in London marks a new course record, beating his own 2016 London Marathon record by 28 seconds. The lead runner passed the half marathon mark in 1:01:37. Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) finished as the runner up in 2:02:55 and Mule Wasihun (Ethiopia) came in third place in 2:03:16. The British runner Mo Farah (4 time Olympic Gold medalist), a pre-race favorite, finished 5th.
Ineos 1:59 Challenge.
In May 2019, a few days after his London Marathon win, Kipchoge announced another take on the sub-two-hour marathon, named the . On 12 October 2019 in Vienna's Prater park, he ran 4.4 laps of the Hauptallee in 1:59:40, becoming the first person in recorded history to break the two hour barrier over a marathon distance.
The effort did not count as a new world record under IAAF rules due to the setup of the challenge. Specifically, it was not an open event, Kipchoge was handed fluids by his support team throughout, the run featured a pace car, and included rotating teams of other runners pacing Kipchoge in a formation designed to reduce wind resistance and maximize efficiency. The achievement was recognized by Guinness World Records with the titles ‘Fastest marathon distance (male)’ and ‘First marathon distance run under two hours’.
2020.
Kipchoge placed 8th in the 2020 London Marathon with a time of 2:06:49.
2021.
In preparation for the 2021 Olympics, Eliud Kipchoge won the Enschede Marathon, which was held in an airfield in Netherlands, on 18 April 2021 in a time of 2:04:30 and Jonathan Korir finished as the runner up with a personal best of 2:06:40.
Competition record.
Circuit wins.
Source:


Centenary Vase

The Centenary Vase is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over a distance of 1800 metres in February. Horses rated 90 and above are qualified to enter this race.


Pooja Dhanda

Pooja Dhanda (born 1 January 1994) is an Indian wrestler from Budana village of Hisar district in Haryana, who won Bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships at Budapest in 57 kg weight class. She won Silver medals at 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in 60 kg and 57 kg category respectively. The grappler also won a Bronze at the 2014 Asian Wrestling Championship .Pooja has defeated Olympic and World Championship medalists. Government of India honoured her with the Arjuna award for outstanding performance in the field of Sports.
Early life.
Pooja was born in Budana village of Hisar district in Haryana. The daughter of a tractor driver with the Haryana Animal Husbandry Centre in Hisar, Dhanda started as a judo player at Mahabir Stadium but switched to wrestling in 2009.Pooja Dhanda is the daughter of Kamlesh Dhanda and father, Ajmer who was an athlete himself. She began her sporting journey with Judo in 2007. She was still below the minimum age required to participate in wrestling federation competitions, and hence started playing Judo. Pooja first secured a Bronze medal at Asian Cadet Judo Championship at Hyderabad in 2007 and then won a Gold at the same event in its 2008 edition.
Despite the achievements, former India wrestler and coach Kripa Shankar Bishnoi advised her to make wrestling her career. Pooja began to train for wrestling under coach Subhash Chander Soni at Hisar in 2009.
In 2010 Pooja won Silver in wrestling at the Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. Pooja won against famous grappler Babita Phogat in the final of the National Championship in 2013 and then won a Bronze medal at the Asian Championship in 2014. But a ligament injury in 2015 almost ended her career.
The challenge was not only psychological but also of lack of financial resources. She had to undergo surgeries in Mumbai and follow a long process of rehabilitation. Government paid for her treatment, but rehabilitation costs, physiotherapist’s fee and rent were significant. Employed with Haryana Sports Department as a wrestling coach, Pooja was on leave without pay.
Career.
After switching to wrestling in 2009, as a young sportswoman, Pooja's career took off on a promising note when she won the silver medal at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the 60 kg category. After she debuted in the national championship in 2013,she participated in the World Wrestling Championship for the first time but was out of the event after a loss in the first round. she defeated Babita Phogat in the final, followed by a Bronze medal in Asian Wrestling Championship at Astana in 2014. and has since won all four senior national championships by 2017. In the Pro Wrestling League season 3, she has defeated World and Olympic champion Helen Maroulis of the USA twice, World Championship silver medallist and Olympic bronze medallist Odunayo Adekuoroye of Nigeria and World Championship silver medallist Marwa Amri.
Pooja was screened and originally selected to play the role of Babita Phogat in blockbuster "Dangal" (2016), which she could not play due to an injury. However, Pooja later competed against and defeated senior Phogat sister Geeta Phogat in the real-life 2018 Commonwealth Games selection trials.
She won silver medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in the women's 57 kg freestyle wrestling after losing to Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye 7-5 in the final at the Carrara Sports Arena 1.


Gordon Pirie

Douglas Alistair Gordon Pirie (10 February 1931 – 7 December 1991) was an English long-distance runner. He competed in the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won a silver medal in the 5000 m in 1956, placing fourth in 1952. Born in Leeds, Pirie grew up in Coulsdon, Surrey, and ran for the South London Harriers. He died of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in Lymington, Hampshire.
Biography.
Early career.
In 1955 Pirie won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. During that year he had beaten Emil Zátopek the triple gold medallist in distance running at the 1952 Olympics. Pirie was an exceptional cross-country runner, winning the English Championship three times.
Pirie broke five world records in the course of his career, his annus mirabilis being 1956, when on 19 June in Bergen, Norway, he ran 13:36.8 for 5,000 m, beating Vladimir Kuts (USSR), and knocking 25 seconds from his own personal best. On 22 June in Trondheim, Norway, he beat the world 3000 metres record with 7:55.5, and on 14 September, in Malmö, Sweden, he set a new record with 7:52.7.
Melbourne Olympics 1956.
In the Olympics, held in Melbourne later that year, Pirie ran against Kuts in the 10,000 metres and despite the tactics of Kuts, an aggressive front runner whose bursts of speed were particularly damaging to a long-striding runner like Pirie, he stayed with him into the last mile when every other competitor had dropped well back. Kuts surrendered the lead for a short while, then made a sprint which Pirie could not match and he dropped back. Kuts said that if Pirie had stayed with him on that last sprint he would have dropped out of the race.
In the 5,000 metres Pirie took second place behind Kuts. Christopher Chataway, another British runner, had been selected on past performance. He had not competed at top level for more than a year as he was pursuing a media career. With Pirie and Derek Ibbotson, the third British runner, he was tracking Kuts and had moved ahead of them as they went into a bend. The Soviet runner was setting a much faster pace than Chataway had ever run. Chataway suffered an attack of stomach cramp which caused him to slow down, and as Pirie and Ibbotson came out of the bend they found that Kuts had opened a gap. Pirie and Ibbotson ran round Chataway but Kuts was able to exploit his advantage and won the race with a margin of 11 seconds, the largest ever for this event in Olympic history. For the latter stages of the race Pirie was running what was virtually a front race, as Kuts had broken away, but he was still strong enough to hold off a late challenge by Ibbotson.
Between the Olympics.
Pirie competed for England at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and finished fourth in the 1-mile and 3-mile events.
Rome Olympics 1960.
The 1960 Rome Olympics were held in the height of the summer and Pirie and other leading British contestants asked to go on ahead of the main party, at their own expense, so that they might acclimatise to the heat. They were refused permission, on the grounds that "we travel as a team". Pirie and his fellow 5,000 metres contestants were eliminated in the heats, leaving Pirie's only chance of a gold medal the 10,000 metres held later in the games. Pirie followed the favourite, Murray Halberg of New Zealand.
Halberg had won his major championships by making a tactical burst in the last mile and holding on to the lead – he had won the 5,000 metres at Rome by that tactic and Pirie's plan was to stay with him as he went forward. Halberg was probably suffering from his effort in the earlier race and as the race went on he failed to stay with the leaders. Pirie realised that he and Halberg had lost contact with them.
Post-Olympic career.
For some years, after he had criticised them, sections of the press ran a campaign against Pirie particularly after the Olympics. In a radio interview with Eamonn Andrews soon after the games, the Australian runner Herb Elliott, referred to Pirie and Ibbotson who, having broken the world record for the mile in 1957, had never regained the same form and was not selected for Rome. Elliott said, "The British Press is the most vicious in the world. Their attitude to people like Pirie and Ibbotson is 'That bloke's on his way down, I'm going to kick him down and keep him there.'" In 1960 Pirie ran a sub-four minute mile in Dublin, clocking 3:59.9.
Pirie won the British Orienteering Championships in its first two years, 1967 and 1968, and won the first edition of the JK Orienteering Festival. He also represented UK at the 1966 World Orienteering Championships, and again at the 1968 World Orienteering Championships.
The 1998 edition of "The Guinness Book of Records" lists Gordon Pirie under the "Greatest Mileage" entry, stating that he had run a total distance of in 40 years to 1981.
"Running Fast and Injury Free".
In his book "Running Fast and Injury Free" Pirie advocates running with initially making ground contact with the midfoot (as opposed to the usual style of long steps with landing on heels), 3–5 steps per second to reduce fatigue, damage to feet, and wasting of energy on vertical movement of body. He also describes his collaboration with Adolf Dassler on designing running shoes with stronger toes (instead of the usual design with stronger heels) for better durability with his advocated running style.


Outstanding Live Sports Series

The Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Sports Series has been awarded since 1976. Unlike the award for Outstanding Live Sports Special, this award is given to networks for a weekly series in which a specific sport is televised live.
Multiple wins.
10 wins
8 wins
5 wins
4 wins
2 wins


John Urschel

John Cameron Urschel (born June 24, 1991) is a Canadian-American mathematician and retired professional American football guard and center. He played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Urschel played his entire NFL career with Baltimore before announcing his retirement on July 27, 2017, at 26 years old.
Urschel has bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics from Penn State. He has published peer-reviewed articles in mathematics. He is an advanced stats columnist for "The Players' Tribune".
Early life and education.
Urschel was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His parents, John Urschel and Venita Parker, were a surgeon and attorney, respectively. He grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Canisius High School.
He earned a bachelor's and master's in mathematics at Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, he was awarded the William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the "academic Heisman".
Professional football career.
2014 NFL draft.
Urschel was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft with the 175th overall pick. He played in 11 games, starting three, for the Ravens in 2014. He appeared in 16 games, starting seven, for the team in 2015.
Retirement.
On July 27, 2017, Urschel announced his retirement from the NFL after three seasons. "The Baltimore Sun" reported that the "JAMA" study on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in deceased players was a factor in Urschel's decision.
Mathematics career.
While a Penn State undergraduate, Urschel was involved in teaching integral vector calculus, trigonometry and analytic geometry, and introduction to econometrics. In 2015, Urschel co-authored a paper in the "Journal of Computational Mathematics" titled "A Cascadic Multigrid Algorithm for Computing the Fiedler Vector of Graph Laplacians". It includes "a cascadic multigrid algorithm for fast computation of the Fiedler vector of a graph Laplacian, namely, the eigenvector corresponding to the second smallest eigenvalue."
Urschel began a Ph.D. in mathematics at MIT in 2016, focusing on spectral graph theory, numerical linear algebra, and machine learning. MIT does not allow Ph.D. students to study part-time; while the Ravens knew that he was taking classes, Urschel admitted after retiring from the team that he did not disclose that he was a full-time graduate student. During the 2016 NFL season, after a home game Urschel studied from 5:30pm Sunday to Tuesday 11am when football practice began, taking correspondence classes. On January 4, 2017, Urschel was named to Forbes' "30 Under 30" list of outstanding young scientists. His Forbes biography states "Urschel has published six peer-reviewed mathematics papers to date and has three more ready for review. That's a respectable publication history for someone who only started pursuing their PhD at MIT this year. He's won academic awards for his math prowess. All this while playing guard for the Baltimore Ravens." His doctoral advisor is Michel Goemans.
, Urschel has an Erdős number of 4.
Chess hobby.
Urschel competed in the 2015 Pittsburgh Open, finishing in 12th place (tied for 9th) with 3.0 points (+2-1=2) in the Under 1700 rating section.
Personal life.
Urschel is married to writer Louisa Thomas, whom he met when she was profiling him for Grantland. They have one daughter. Urschel's autobiography, "Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football", was co-written by Thomas and published in 2019.


M. P. Ganesh

Mullera Poovayya Ganesh (born 8 July 1946) is a former Indian professional field hockey player. He was also captain and coach of the Indian team. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1973.
Personal life.
Ganesh was born on 8 July 1946 in the Kodagu (earlier known as Coorg) district in Karnataka. He switched over to hockey when he joined the Indian Army and played in the hockey tournaments from 1966 - 1973. Ganesh has completed MA in English, Diploma in Sports Coaching from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala and Ph.D in Physical education. Ganesh has 5 siblings (one sister and four brothers) of which 2 brothers, M P Subbaiah and M P Kaveriappa have achieved great laurels in both Football and Hockey at All India and national levels


Cai Yun

Cai Yun (born 19 January 1980) is a former professional badminton player representing China. He is the 2012 London Olympic gold medallist and a four-time World Champion in men's doubles. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles player in his era.
Sport career.
Combining Cai Yun's impressive speed with his regular partner Fu Haifeng's impressive power, Cai and Fu have been one of the world's leading men's doubles teams since 2004. They have won numerous top tier events on the world circuit including the venerable All England Open Championships in 2005 and 2009. They have won the BWF World Championships 4 times in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011, becoming the first Men's Doubles pair to achieve this feat. Cai and Fu have helped China win five consecutive Thomas Cup (Men's Team World Badminton Championships) (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012) and six consecutive Sudirman Cup (World Team Championships) (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015). Cai and Fu also competed together in the Olympic games 3 times, including the 2004, the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2012 Olympic Games. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2004, and in 2008 in Beijing were silver medalists, losing a close final to Indonesia's Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan.
At the 2010 BWF World Championships, they, being the fifth-seed, beat the third-seed Danish pair Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21–11, 21–18 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they defeated the second-seed Indonesian Olympic Champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan 21–16, 21–13. In the finals, they overcame the first-seed and Malaysian world no. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 18–21, 21–18, 21–14 to win the world title for the 3rd time. They are the first Men's Doubles pair to achieve this feat.
Cai and Fu went on to win the Li-Ning China Masters Super Series. Being the fifth-seed, they first defeated their second-seed compatriots Xu Chen and Guo Zhendong 21–11, 21–16 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they made a great comeback against the third-seed South Korean rival Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung 20–22, 21–13, 21–17. Cai and Fu then clinched their second China Masters title by defeating the fourth-seed South Korean pair Yoo Yeon-seong and Ko Sung-hyun in 2 sets 21–14, 21–19. Cai and Fu won their third title in a row by winning the Yonex Japan Open Super Series. They, being the fifth-seed, beat the young Korean Pair Cho Gun-woo and Kwon Yi-goo 21–14, 16–21, 21–12 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they defeated their promising compatriots Zhang Nan and Chai Biao 21–17, 21–16. In the finals, they made a great comeback again against the first-seed and Malaysian world no. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 18–21, 21–14, 21–12 to win their first Japan Open title.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics, they defeated Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in the final to win the gold medal.
Having won 1 Olympic gold medal and 4 World Championship titles, as well as many other titles, Cai and Fu is one of the most successful men's doubles pairs in badminton history. They have expressed the will to continue their career together as long as they can after the London Olympics.
Achievements.
Asian Championships.
"Men's doubles"
BWF Superseries.
The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two levels: Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.
"Men's doubles"
BWF Grand Prix.
The BWF Grand Prix has two levels: Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) from 2007 to 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.
"Men's doubles"
Personal life.
Cai Yun married synchronised swimmer Wang Na in 2010. Wang Na gave birth to a daughter in 2012, and to a second child in probably late 2014. (Cai Yun's doubles partner-turned-coach Zhang Jun married Wang Na's teammate Hu Ni in 2006.)


FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP

The FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP, or FIBA Club World Cup MVP, is the award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "Most Valuable Player" of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup official world basketball club championship.


Cooper Kupp

Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington and received All-America honors. Kupp was drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Early years.
Kupp was born in Yakima, Washington. Kupp attended and graduated from Davis High School in Yakima in 2012 where he was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball for the Pirates athletic teams. A two-way All-State selection, he earned first team 4A All-State honors as a defensive back and honorable mention accolades as a wide receiver from the Associated Press, as selected by sportswriters and broadcasters. Kupp was also named by the "Seattle Times" as a "White Chip" selection, as one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Washington.
Kupp was a unanimous first-team All-Columbia Basin Big Nine League wide receiver and defensive back at Davis. He finished his senior season with 60 receptions for 1,059 yards (17.7 per catch) and 18 touchdowns, and scored 22 total touchdowns to set a school record. He also had 11 rushes for 122 yards and two touchdowns as he helped Davis come one game away from a berth in the Washington State 4A Playoffs.
Kupp finished his prep career with 110 catches for 2,100 yards. He was also a three-year letter winner in basketball. He led Davis to a 23–2 record and won the State 4A Tournament championship during his senior year for the Pirates.
College career.
2013 season.
Kupp attended Eastern Washington University, where he signed to play for coach Beau Baldwin's Eastern Washington Eagles football team in 2012 and redshirted that year. Kupp would eventually be named Eastern's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. In 2013, Kupp entered his redshirt freshman year as a starter at wide receiver. Kupp finished the season having set numerous single-season school and national receiving records at the Football Championship Subdivision Level. Kupp has set national freshman records for receiving yards (1,691), total touchdown catches (21), consecutive games with a touchdown catch (14), and receptions (93).
On November 26, 2013, Kupp was named to the All-Big Sky Conference First Team as a unanimous selection and was also the recipient of the conference's first-ever Freshman of the Year Award.
On December 16, 2013, Kupp was named the recipient of the 2013 Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman player in the FCS. Kupp is the first Eastern Washington player and first player from the Big Sky Conference to receive the award.
Kupp was named a consensus first-team All-American, having been honored by the four major selectors at the FCS level, consisting of the American Football Coaches Association, the Associated Press, The Sports Network and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Kupp was the first freshman wide receiver to be named as a first-team All-American since Randy Moss in 1996.
On January 9, 2014, Kupp was honored by the College Football Performance Awards with the 2013 FCS Wide Receiver Award. Kupp is the second straight Eagles wide receiver to win the award, following Brandon Kaufman, who won the 2012 award.
2014 season.
Kupp finished his sophomore season with 104 catches for 1,431 yards and 16 touchdowns in 13 games. He was named a First-Team All-American by the AFCA, AP, and TSN for the second consecutive season. He was also named to the first team All-Big Sky Conference for the second straight year as a wide receiver while also earning third team honors as punt returner. Kupp finished 18th in the 2014 Walter Payton Award voting.
2015 season.
In the 2015 season, Kupp finished the season with 114 catches for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdown in 11 games. Kupp broke the Big Sky single-season record for catches with 114, a total that ranks ninth most all-time in FCS single-season history. Kupp was named a first team All-Big Sky Conference wide receiver for the third-straight year and was also named the league's Offensive Most Valuable Player. He was just the second wide receiver to be named Big Sky Offensive MVP in the last 42 years. In addition, Kupp won the Walter Payton Award, becoming the third Eastern Washington player to win the award and only the second wide receiver to win, after Brian Finneran of Villanova in 1997.
2016 season.
On November 30, 2015, Kupp announced that he would return for his senior season after speculation that he was considering entering the 2016 NFL Draft. He was poised to break nearly every major FCS career receiving record mark during his final collegiate season. In the 2016 season, he finished with 117 receptions for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns. At the end of Kupp's college career, his 428 career receptions and 6,464 total receiving yards are both the most in FCS history, passing marks previously held by Terrell Hudgins, who had 395 receptions and 5,250 receiving yards playing for Elon University from 2006–2009. Kupp's 73 receiving touchdowns also rank first in FCS history, passing the 58 touchdowns that New Hampshire's David Ball caught from 2003–2006.
College statistics.
"All statistics from goeags.com".
Professional career.
Kupp attended the 2017 Senior Bowl and made two receptions for 14 receiving yards for the North, who lost 16–15 to the South. Kupp's performance at the Senior Bowl elevated his draft stock. NFL analyst Bucky Brooks stated Kupp was the top performer at the Senior Bowl. Kupp attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed all the combine drills except for the bench press.
On March 28, 2017, he opted to participate at Eastern Washington's pro day along with Jordan West, Shaq Hill, Samson Ebukam, Kendrick Bourne, and Miquiyah Zamora. He attempted all of the combine drills, but opted to skip the bench press and broad jump. Kupp shortened his time in the short shuttle to 6.53s and performed positional drills for scouts and team representatives. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Kupp was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the eighth best wide receiver in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Steve Smith Sr. Ranked Cooper Kupp as the best wide receiver in the draft class.
The Los Angeles Rams selected Kupp in the third round (69th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Kupp was the seventh wide receiver drafted in 2017 and became the second highest pick in Eastern Washington's school history, only behind Michael Roos who was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft (second round, 41st overall). He was reunited with Eastern Washington teammate Samson Ebukam after the Rams selected him in the fourth round (125th overall).
2017 season.
On June 9, 2017, the Los Angeles Rams signed Kupp to a four-year, $3.83 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $954,760.
Kupp competed with Tavon Austin, Robert Woods, Mike Thomas, Bradley Marquez, Pharoh Cooper, and Josh Reynolds throughout training camp for a starting wide receiver role left vacant after Kenny Britt departed in free agency. Head coach Sean McVay named Kupp the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart behind Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and Tavon Austin.
Kupp made his NFL debut in the Rams' season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts and recorded four receptions for 76 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff, marking the first of his career during the Rams' 46–9 victory. In Week 4, Kupp made five catches for 60 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Rams' 35–30 win over the Dallas Cowboys. During a Week 7 matchup in London against the Arizona Cardinals, he caught four passes for 51 yards and caught an 18-yard touchdown in the Rams' 33–0 victory. Through the first seven games, Kupp led the Rams in red-zone targets with 11 and developed as Jared Goff's top receiver in the red-zone and third downs. He was fourth in the entire NFL in red zone targets behind leaders Davante Adams, Larry Fitzgerald, and Dez Bryant who were tied with 20 red zone targets each. In Week 9, Kupp made his first career NFL start, catching three passes for 54 yards in the Rams' 51–17 victory over the New York Giants. At home for Week 10, Kupp made a then season-high six receptions for 47 receiving yards in a 33–7 victory over the Houston Texans. During Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, Kupp posted his first career game with over 100 receiving yards, where he finished with 116 as the Rams won 26–20. In Week 14, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he finished with five receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. By December, Kupp was a full time starter at wide receiver and ended his rookie season in 2017 with 62 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
The Rams finished first in the NFC West with an 11–5 record. On January 6, 2018, Kupp appeared in his first career playoff game and made eight receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown as the Rams lost by a score of 26–13 to the Atlanta Falcons in an NFC Wild Card Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Following the season, Kupp was also named to the 2017 All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers Association.
2018 season.
McVay named Kupp a starting wide receiver in 2018 along with Robert Woods and offseason acquisition Brandin Cooks. In Week 4, Kupp caught nine passes for 162 receiving yards and two touchdowns (all single-game highs), including a career-best 70-yard scoring reception during a 38–31 win against the Minnesota Vikings. A week later, Kupp sustained a knee injury against the Denver Broncos and was carted off the field. Though he returned to the field in the third quarter of the Rams' 23–20 victory, Kupp was pulled out of the lineup and missed the next two games. Kupp returned to action in Week 9 vs. New Orleans Saints, catching five passes for 89 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Rams' 45–35 loss, their first of the season. During the fourth quarter of the Rams' 36–31 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, Kupp went down with a non-contact injury. An MRI the following day confirmed that Kupp tore his ACL, prematurely ending his season. He finished the season with 40 receptions for 566 yards and six touchdowns through eight games. Without Kupp, the Rams reached Super Bowl LIII where they lost 13–3 to the New England Patriots.
2019 season.
Kupp returned from his injury in time for the Rams' season opener against the Carolina Panthers. He recorded seven receptions for 46 yards in the 30–27 victory. During Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, he caught five passes for 120 yards as the Rams won 27–9. In the next game against the Cleveland Browns, Kupp caught 11 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the 20–13 road victory. During Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kupp caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 55–40 loss. Kupp continued this momentum in Week 5 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, catching nine passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in a narrow road 30–29 loss. During a 24–10 Week 8 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Kupp caught seven receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown, marking the first time in his NFL career where he had over 200 receiving yards in a single game. After a Week 9 bye, he resumed play in Week 10, when he was held to four targets and no catches against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in a 12–17 loss. The last time he failed to record a reception in an NFL game was during Week 6 of the 2018 season. Overall, Kupp finished the 2019 season with 94 receptions for 1,161 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns.
2020 season.
After wearing number 18 for his first three seasons in the NFL, Kupp switched jersey numbers to number 10, his collegiate number at Eastern Washington, on May 11, 2020. On September 12, 2020, Kupp signed a three-year, $48 million contract extension with the Rams. During Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, Kupp finished with 107 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Rams lost 32–35.
In Week 4 against the New York Giants, Kupp caught a 55-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter during the 17–9 win. In Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, he had 11 receptions for 110 receiving yards in the 28–17 loss. In Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Monday Night Football", Kupp recorded 11 catches for 145 yards during the 27–24 win. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Rams on December 29, 2020, and activated on January 6, 2021.
Personal life.
Kupp is the son of former NFL quarterback Craig Kupp, a fifth-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1990 out of Pacific Lutheran University who played for the Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys in 1991. His younger brother, Ketner Kupp, also played at Eastern Washington and was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent in 2019, participating in training camp and in preseason games, but was released during the final roster cutdown.
His grandfather, Jake Kupp, was an offensive lineman for the University of Washington and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played from 1964–75 as a guard with Dallas, the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints. Named to the NFL All-Rookie team, he later was a five-time captain for the Saints. He was named to the franchise's 25-year All-Time Team and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1991.
Kupp developed a close friendship with Rams' quarterback Jared Goff while living with him for a few weeks after the draft. They practiced on their own time together, watched film, studied defensive schemes, and learned the playbook.
Kupp is a devout Christian. While attending Eastern Washington University, Kupp met his girlfriend and future wife, Anna Croskrey. The couple married in June 2015. They had their first child, a son, Cooper Jameson Kupp, on July 3, 2018.


Best Player in PlusLiga

The Best Player in PlusLiga (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in PlusLiga.


Jakob Silfverberg

Jakob Erik Silfverberg (born 13 October 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger and alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career.
On 27 June 2009, Silfverberg was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the second round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, 39th overall. On 30 May 2011, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa, though he elected to return to Sweden and continue to play for Brynäs IF for the 2011–12 season rather than to make the move to North America.
Silfverberg was named the winner of the Guldhjälmen award as the most valuable player (MVP), as voted by the players in the Elitserien, for the 2011–12 regular season, as well as the Guldpucken as player of the year. He finished the regular season with 24 goals and 54 points in 49 games, ranking second in the Elitserien scoring race behind Robert Rosén of AIK IF, who scored 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points. Silfverberg's point totals represented a 20-point jump from his totals in the 2010–11 campaign, in which he registered 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists).
Silfverberg's offensive success continued in the Elitserien playoffs, and his production was a large factor in Brynäs' eventual Swedish championship title, scoring 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points. His 13 goals set a new record for total goals scored by a single player in the playoffs, surpassing Daniel Alfredsson's previous record of 12 goals set in the 2004–05 season. Ultimately, Silfverberg was also awarded the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. During the semi-finals, Silfverberg took over the role as the captain of Brynäs, following Andreas Dackell's retirement. He also wore the number 100 on his jersey during the second half of the season, in honor of Brynäs' 100th anniversary (the club was founded in 1912).
After the Elitserien playoffs concluded, Silfverberg joined the Ottawa Senators for their run in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. He made his NHL, as well as his Stanley Cup playoff, debut on 23 April 2012, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-final series against the New York Rangers. Registering nine minutes of ice time, Silfverberg recorded one shot on goal in the Senators' 3–2 loss. The Senators were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 7 of the series.
In the second Senators game after the resolution of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Silfverberg scored his first career NHL goal on 21 January 2013, against José Théodore of the Florida Panthers. On 5 July 2013, Silfverberg was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, along with forward Stefan Noesen and a first-round draft pick in 2014, in exchange for forward Bobby Ryan.
On 15 August 2014, the Ducks announced they had re-signed Silfverberg as a restricted free agent to a one-year, $850,000 contract.
On 7 August 2015, the Ducks signed Silfverberg a four-year contract extending until the 2018–19 season with an annual salary cap of $3.75 million.
On February 20, 2019, the Ducks announced they had re-signed Silfverberg to a five-year contract worth $26.25 million and will carry an annual cap hit of $5.25 million
International play.
Silfverberg represented Sweden at the 2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan, Canada. He also played for the Sweden squad for the 2011 IIHF World Championship, earning a silver medal.
Silfverberg represented his country again at the 2012 World Championship, scoring two goals in eight games.
Personal life.
Silfverberg's father, Jan-Erik, played defence with Brynäs IF for 11 seasons, winning four Swedish championships (in 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1980), as well as a World Championship silver medal in 1977. Jakob's uncle Conny also played for Brynäs for several seasons, also winning a Swedish championship in 1980 and scoring the most points in the 1984–85 Elitserien season.


Belgian Basketball Cup MVP

The Belgian Basketball Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) is an annual award that is given to the most valuable player of the Belgian Basketball Cup, which is the top-tier national domestic men's basketball cup competition in the country of Belgium.


Misaki Matsutomo

 is a Japanese badminton player who is a doubles specialist. Despite playing doubles, she was also a finalist in girls' singles at the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships in Mexico.
Career overview.
In 2016, she won the women's doubles gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She and her women's doubles partner Ayaka Takahashi were also honoured with the Female Player of the Year award. They have been playing together for more than ten years, ever since they were schoolmates. Matsutomo and Takahashi became the first pair from outside China to win the women's Olympic doubles title since the 1996 Atlanta Games, giving Japan its second medal in the event after Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa took silver at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Achievements.
Olympic Games.
"Women's doubles"
BWF World Championships.
"Women's doubles"
Asian Games.
"Women's doubles"
Asian Championships.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF World Junior Championships.
"Girls' singles"
BWF World Tour (6 titles, 7 runners-up).
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF Superseries (9 titles, 13 runners-up).
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels are Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consists of twelve tournaments around the world that have been introduced since 2011. Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.
"Women's doubles"
BWF Grand Prix (6 titles, 2 runners-up).
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles, 4 runners-up).
"Women's singles"
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"


Joey Bosa

Joseph Anthony Bosa (born July 11, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, and was selected by the Chargers third overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was named AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016.
High school career.
Bosa attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he played high school football and basketball for the Raiders. He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was ranked as the fourth best defensive end in his class. Bosa committed to play college football at Ohio State University in April 2012.
College career.
As a true freshman in 2013, Bosa started 10 of 14 games, recording 44 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He was named a freshman All-American by the "Sporting News" and "College Football News". In 2014, Bosa was named a Unanimous First Team All-American, becoming the 27th Buckeye in 84 years to do so. He finished his sophomore year with 13.5 sacks on 55 tackles. He earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
On July 30, 2015, it was announced that Bosa would be suspended from the first game of the 2015 season with three other Ohio State football players for undisclosed reasons. During his junior year, Bosa finished with five sacks and an interception on 47 tackles. On December 31, 2015, he announced his intentions to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. During the 2016 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame on January 1, 2016, Bosa was ejected in the first quarter for a targeting penalty when he made a hit on quarterback DeShone Kizer. Ohio State won the Bowl game by a score of 44–28. After his junior season, he entered the 2016 NFL Draft.
Bosa was a highly decorated Buckeye receiving National and Conference honors beginning his Freshman year. In 2013, Bosa was named a First Team Freshman All-American as well as selected to the Freshman All-Big Ten First Team. In 2014, his sophomore year, he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Lineman of the Year, First Team All-American, and All-Big Ten, as well as a Lombardi Award Finalist. He repeated most of the honors his Junior year, falling short of claiming the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year for the second time.
Professional career.
In March 2016, Bosa was projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Bosa received an invitation to the NFL combine as a top prospect in the upcoming draft. He completed all of the required combine drills and also participated in positional drills. Bosa met and interviewed with 13 NFL teams at the combine, including the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans. His overall performance at the combine was thought by scouts to be impressive.
Bosa was drafted in the first round with the third overall selection by the San Diego Chargers. He was the first of five Ohio State players to be drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, followed by Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple, Taylor Decker, and Darron Lee.
When he remained the last unsigned draft pick of his class due to contractual disputes with the team, Bosa's mother stated "I wish we pulled an Eli Manning on draft day", referring to the 2004 NFL Draft in which Manning, a highly touted prospect who was projected to get selected first overall by the Chargers, refused to play for San Diego and forced a draft-day trade to the New York Giants.
On August 24, 2016, the Chargers issued a press release stating that they had offered Bosa an initial signing bonus payment that was larger than any rookie has received in the last two NFL drafts, which was more money in 2016 than any rookie in his draft class except Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. On August 29, 2016, Bosa signed a four-year contract with the team, ending the dispute.
2016 season.
Bosa missed the first four weeks of the season due to a hamstring injury. On October 9, Bosa made his regular season debut against AFC West rival Oakland Raiders. Although Bosa only played 27 snaps, he finished the game with two sacks, a hit, and four hurries. The following game against the Denver Broncos, he had one quarterback hit, five hurries, and a stop while also drawing double teams throughout the game. Bosa was named Defensive Rookie of the Month for October. Despite being limited to 12 games, Bosa finished his rookie year with 41 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bosa was ranked as the 100th best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 season.
Bosa followed his impressive rookie season with a solid second season, which began with the Chargers' move from San Diego to Los Angeles. He and Melvin Ingram formed one of the best pass rushing duos in the league, with Bosa totaling 70 tackles and 12.5 sacks - seventh in the NFL. On December 19, 2017, Bosa was named to his first Pro Bowl. He was ranked #37 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 season.
Bosa suffered a foot injury, which sidelined him until Week 11 of the 2018 season. In seven games, he recorded 5.5 sacks, 23 combined tackles, nine quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery. He made his playoff debut in the Wild Card Round against the Baltimore Ravens. In the 23-17 win, he had one sack, two tackles, and one quarterback hit. In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, he had one tackle in the 41-28 loss.
2019 season.
On April 12, 2019, Bosa switched his jersey number from 99 to 97. He wore 97 during his tenure with Ohio State. On April 23, 2019, the Chargers picked up the fifth-year option on Bosa's contract.
In Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans, Bosa sacked Ryan Tannehill twice in the 23–20 loss.
In Week 8 against the Chicago Bears, Bosa recorded another two sacks on Mitch Trubisky in the 17–16 win.
He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance while his brother, Nick Bosa, won the award for the NFC.
In Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bosa sacked rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II twice in the 45–10 blowout win. Bosa made the Pro Bowl last season after accumulating 11.5 sacks and 67 tackles in total for the 2019 season.
2020 season.
On July 28, 2020, Bosa signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension with the Chargers, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
In Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills, Bosa recorded three sacks on Josh Allen and recovered a fumble lost by Allen during the 27–17 loss.
Personal life.
Bosa's father, John Bosa, played in the NFL from 1987 to 1989. His brother, Nick Bosa, also played defensive end at Ohio State, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the second overall pick in 2019. His cousin Jake Kumerow is also an NFL player. Bosa's grandfather Palmer Pyle, uncle Eric Kumerow, and grand-uncle Mike Pyle both played in the NFL as well, while his great-grandfather was Chicago Outfit boss Tony Accardo.


Mike Barrowman

Michael Ray Barrowman (born December 4, 1968) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Barrowman was one of the pioneers of the "wave-style" breaststroke technique. Prior to attending University of Michigan, he trained with Montgomery Square Copenhaver Swim Club and the Rockville-Montgomery Swim Club in Maryland.
He placed fourth in the 1988 Summer Olympics in the 200-meter breaststroke. He set a world record in the same event the following year at the USA Swimming Long Course National Championships with a time of 2:12.90. The following year at the 1990 Goodwill Games he recorded a time of 2:11.53 and beat two other swimmers who also bested the previous world mark. in 1991, he was named Champion of the World in the World Championships in Perth, Australia, winning the 200-meter breaststroke in world record time. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, he won the gold medal in the same event in world record time. He later temporarily retired from swimming and took up competitive flatwater kayaking, competing at the U.S. Olympic Festival in 1995. He is now a banker, and part-time masters swim coach in the Cayman Islands, but had previously owned a film studio which created an award-winning underwater television program for children, "Under the Waves". Barrowman was known for his high consumption of hamburgers and French fries during his taper period just prior to a major meet, while he would maintain a strict diet during training season.
Barrowman attended the University of Michigan, and swam for the Michigan Wolverines swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Big Ten Conference competition. He was named the Big 10 Athlete of the Year (all sports) in 1991. Between 1989 and 1991, he won three consecutive NCAA national championships in the 200-yard breaststroke, and was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 1990. His NCAA record of 1:53.77 from 1990, would stand strong for eleven years, and was the oldest men's NCAA record in 2001, when it was broken by Brendan Hansen. Barrowman broke the world record in the 200-meter breaststroke six times, and held the world's record for over thirteen years; both achievements are world records in themselves.
He was named World Swimmer of the Year in 1989 and 1990 by "Swimming World Magazine", and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1997.
External links.


Essex Vase

The Essex Vase is a greyhound racing competition held annually at Romford Greyhound Stadium. It was inaugurated in 1939 and ran until 1949. It was decided to bring the race back in 1959.
The 2017 version of the event was delayed and held in March 2018, the winner Murrys Act is officially listed as the 2017 winner. Mark Wallis has won the competition a record five times.
Key.
+2017 (delayed - event held in 2018)


Hiromitsu Kadota

 was a Japanese professional baseball player for the Hawks franchise (known during his career as the Nankai Hawks and the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks) and the Orix Braves. Reputed for his slugging ability, he ate a lot and became a strong hitter, though was later weakened by diabetes mellitus. With 567 home runs, Kadota is number three on the NPB career list.
Kadota won the Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1980 with 41 home runs and 84 RBI.
He hit 44 home runs at the age of 40 in 1988, also knocking in 125 runs and winning the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award. That year he was also given the Matsutaro Shoriki Award, for contribution to the development of professional baseball.
After playing for the Orix Braves for two seasons, he returned to the Hawks in 1991; he retired after his last game against pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1992.
Kadota was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.


Big Ten Conference Softball Pitcher of the Year

The Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Year is a college softball award given to the Big Ten Conference's most outstanding pitcher. The award has been given annually since 1992.


Babe Ruth Award

The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death. The award was created by the New York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It continued to be awarded exclusively for performances in the World Series until 2007, when the New York chapter of the BBWAA changed the award to cover the entire postseason. Though it is older than the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955 (as the "SPORT Magazine Award"), the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, because it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.
MLB expanded its postseason to include the League Championship Series (LCS) in 1969, the League Division Series (LDS) in 1995, and the Wild Card round in 2012. The Wild Card round is a one-game playoff, the LDS follows a best-of-five playoff format, and the LCS and World Series follow a best-of-seven playoff format. The most recent World Series champions are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the 2020 World Series, but Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays was named winner of the Babe Ruth Award.
Ruth was a noted slugger who batted .326 with 15 home runs and three wins in three games started as a pitcher during World Series play. However, the Babe Ruth Award does not only go to sluggers or pitchers. Dick Green won the award for the 1974 World Series, in which he batted 0-for-13, but helped the Oakland Athletics win the series with his defense.
Joe Page of the New York Yankees was the first winner of the Babe Ruth Award, and Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox was the first winner since the award criteria changed to cover the entire postseason. In all, members of the Yankees have won the award sixteen times. Luis Tiant and Randy Arozarena are the only winners of the Babe Ruth Award to play for the World Series–losing team. Two players, Sandy Koufax and Jack Morris, have won the award twice.


Chen Qingchen

Chen Qingchen (born 23 June 1997) is a Chinese badminton player. In 2016, her coach was Li Yongbo. Her badminton partner is Jia Yifan, and for mixed doubles her partner was Zheng Siwei. She ended the 2016 BWF Season by winning the BWF Most Promising Player of the Year, also completed her success by winning doubles title at the 2016 BWF Superseries Finals in women's and mixed doubles respectively. In 2017, she was awarded as the BWF Best Female Player of the Year, after came to Dubai World Superseries Finals as the first seeded both in women's and mixed doubles, and also won the women's doubles gold and mixed doubles silver medals at the 2017 BWF World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Achievements.
BWF World Championships.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
Asian Games.
"Women's doubles"
Asian Championships.
"Women's doubles"
BWF World Junior Championships.
"Girls' doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
Asian Junior Championships.
"Girls' doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF World Tour (6 titles, 5 runners-up).
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.
"Women's doubles"
BWF Superseries (12 titles, 7 runners-up).
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels are Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consists of twelve tournaments around the world that have been introduced since 2011. Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF Grand Prix (13 titles, 3 runners-up).
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017.
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"
BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles).
"Women's doubles"
"Mixed doubles"