Sprague Cleghorn

Henry William Sprague "Peg" Cleghorn (March 11, 1890 – July 12, 1956) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player from Westmount, Quebec who played 17 professional seasons between 1911 and 1929 for the Renfrew Creamery Kings and Montreal Wanderers in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, winning with the Senators in 1920 and 1921 as well as with the Canadiens in 1924. His brother Odie was also a professional player and the two played several seasons together.
A tough and physical defenceman, Cleghorn had a reputation for violent play; he was twice charged with assault following on-ice incidents and was subject to efforts to have him banned from the NHL. His reputation made him an effective defender, and he used his offensive skill to become one of hockey's first offensive defencemen. At the time of his retirement, Cleghorn's 169 career goals were second most in professional hockey history by a defenceman, behind Cyclone Taylor's 181. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.
Early playing career.
Cleghorn was born in the Westmount area of Montreal in 1890, to William John and Harriet Isabella (née Ogilvie) Cleghorn. He attended Westmount Academy and played on junior and amateur teams until 1909. In the 1909–10 season, he played for the New York Wanderers of the American Amateur Hockey League and scored seven goals in eight games from the center forward position. He was scouted by the Renfrew Creamery Kings of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and signed a contract, along with his brother Odie, to play with them for the 1910–11 NHA season. Sprague appeared in 12 games, scored five goals and registered 27 penalty minutes. During the season, he switched from winger to defence, as his coach, Alf Smith, felt his presence was better in that position. Cleghorn enjoyed rushing the puck forward and developed into an offensive defenceman. The Cleghorn brothers moved to the Montreal Wanderers in 1911–12, where they spent the next six seasons. With the Wanderers he established a reputation as a fierce competitor with an explosive temper. He was also an offensive leader for the Wanderers. Cleghorn frequently carried the puck the length of the ice surface to generate scoring chances: in one game in 1913 he scored five goals against the Toronto Ontarios, and during the 1914–15 season he led the NHA with 12 assists and also scored 21 goals. Cleghorn would often retaliate violently against opposing players he felt were taking liberties on his teammates, especially his brother Odie. Once, in 1912, he struck opponent Newsy Lalonde in the back of his head after the latter had cross-checked Odie. For this he was fined and suspended from the league. He also faced a charge of aggravated assault for which he paid a $50 fine. In a January 1917 game against the Toronto Blueshirts, Cleghorn collided with Ken Randall and crashed feet first into the boards. He sustained a broken ankle that ended his season. While recovering from his injury later in 1917, Cleghorn suffered another fall while walking an icy street in Montreal and fractured his other ankle. The injuries forced him to miss the entire 1917–18 season, and cast doubts on his future in hockey.
NHL career.
After the Montreal Arena burned down in 1918, Cleghorn's rights were claimed in a dispersion draft of the Wanderers team by Ottawa Senators general manager Tommy Gorman, who paid for Cleghorn's transportation to Ottawa. After recovering from his leg injury, he played for the Senators in 1918–19 and registered 13 points in 18 games. The next season, he played in a defensive pair with Eddie Gerard and scored 21 points in 21 regular season games and one point in five playoff games. That season the Senators defeated the Seattle Metropolitans to win the Stanley Cup. In an attempt at league parity, the NHL transferred him to the Hamilton Tigers in December 1920, but Cleghorn refused to report to the Tigers. The Senators asked that he be allowed to return to their team, for which George Kennedy, owner of the Montreal Canadiens, threatened to have Ottawa thrown out of the league. Cleghorn eventually signed with the Toronto St. Patricks, playing with them for the regular season in which the team won the NHL's second half championship. As the management became discontented with his play, he was eventually released from the club in March after the St. Pats lost the play-offs. He returned to Ottawa during their playoff series in time to be a member of the 1921 Stanley Cup-winning team. The league again attempted to transfer Cleghorn to Hamilton in 1921, but he again refused to report. Just before the start of the 1921–22 NHL season, Hamilton traded him to the Montreal Canadiens for Harry Mummery and Amos Arbour.
On the Canadiens, Cleghorn was reunited with his brother, Odie. In his first season with his new team, he scored 17 goals and nine assists in 24 games. Towards the end of the season, he was named captain of the team. The Canadiens made the Stanley Cup playoffs every year over the next three seasons. He played alongside Billy Coutu, and the pair established a reputation as one of the most feared defensive pairs in the league. On Jan. 14, 1922, Sprague and Odie each scored 4 goals in a 10–6 victory for the Montreal Canadiens over the Hamilton Tigers. In a 1923 playoff series, against his former team, the Ottawa Senators (whom he had grown to despise), Cleghorn struck Senators defenceman Lionel Hitchman in the head with his stick. He was charged with aggravated assault, found guilty and fined $50. The incident enraged Canadiens owner, Leo Dandurand, who suspended him from the roster for the remainder of the playoffs. In another incident with the Senators in 1922, he initiated a brawl during which he injured three players, Eddie Gerard, Frank Nighbor and Cy Denneny. The Ottawa management attempted to have him expelled from the league, and a referee to describe him as a "disgrace to the game". In 1923–24, the Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup in the NHL. It was the third championship of Cleghorn's career. After the following season, Montreal sold him to the Boston Bruins for $5000. He played three seasons with the Bruins and acted as their unofficial captain. In his final season with the Bruins, 1927–28, he also served as an assistant coach. During his time in Boston, he served as a veteran presence on the team and as a mentor to future Hall of Fame defenceman Eddie Shore.
Post-retirement career.
After his retirement as a player, Cleghorn took to coaching. He joined the Newark Bulldogs of the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) as a player-manager from 1928 to 1929. During this time he acquired his former Montreal teammate, Billy Coutu, to serve as his defensive partner. A newspaper at the time stated that the move "reunit[ed] the most formidable defence that ever played hockey". In the 1930–31 season, he coached the CAHL's Providence Reds, and in 1931–32 he was named head coach of the NHL's Montreal Maroons. That season, the Maroons racked up 19 wins and 22 losses, finished third in the Canadian Division and made the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team was eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual champions, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Cleghorn was hired in 1935 by the Pittsburgh Shamrocks of the International Hockey League (IHL), but was fired by the team near the end of the season over a dispute with club president Ray Babcock over the payment of his salary. He was replaced by Albert Hughes, the team's captain, for their 11 remaining games. According to media reports, Cleghorn refused to leave with the team for a game in Windsor because he claimed that the team had not been paid three days earlier. However, the Shamrocks' ownership stated that the reason Cleghorn did not accompany the Shamrocks team on their trip was because he had to be disciplined for "misconduct covering the past month". On March 14, 1936, Cleghorn filed a lawsuit against the Shamrocks' ownership, claiming that he was owed $420.50 in salary since March 2 and a $1,000 bonus, as per his contract. His final coaching stint was with the Cornwall Cougars of the Quebec Provincial Hockey League. He was appointed to the position September 30, 1947, and served for a little over a month. After his team went winless in their first six games and having just suffered an 11–0 defeat at home, he was fired on November 14.
Playing style.
Known for both his intense competitive nature and violent temper, Cleghorn was considered one of the toughest and dirtiest players of his time. Respected by his teammates and hated by his opponents, Cleghorn often used his stick as a weapon and was routinely among his team's leaders in both goals and penalty minutes. He claimed to have been involved in at least fifty incidents during his career in which a player left the ice on a stretcher. In the season when Ottawa unsuccessfully attempted to have him banned from the NHL, Cleghorn led the league in penalty minutes with 80. According to some accounts, Evelyn Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy, was so mortified by Cleghorn's style that she donated the Lady Byng Trophy to the NHL in 1924 in a bid to encourage more sportsmanlike play.
Cleghorn's physicality made him a feared defender away from the puck and he was regarded as one of his era's top defencemen. His ability to rush the puck forward also made him a scoring threat; Cleghorn was one of hockey's first offensive defencemen. He once scored five goals in an NHA game in 1913, and had a career best 21 goals in 19 games in 1914–15. He retired in 1928 with 169 career goals, at the time the second most by a defenceman in professional hockey history, behind only Harry Cameron. "The Hockey News" ranked Cleghorn as the 88th greatest player of all-time in its 1998 book, "The Top 100 NHL players of All-Time". He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1958.
Personal life.
On May 8, 1911 at New York, Cleghorn married Evelyn Irene Mabie, whom he had met while playing with the Wanderers. He was arrested in 1918 for beating his wife with a crutch while he was recovering from his ankle injuries. The couple divorced in 1921, after Cleghorn was found by his wife with another woman after she had reported him as missing. He was ordered by a judge to pay alimony of $1,000 per month to his ex-wife. Cleghorn later remarried twice, with his second marriage also ending in divorce. His third wife, Vivian Goudreau, predeceased him on December 18, 1943.
Cleghorn was hit by a car on his way to work on June 29, 1956 on Commissioners Street in Montreal. He sustained head injuries and a fractured cervical vertebrae. Two weeks later, on July 12, 1956, he died of his injuries at St. Luc Hospital. He was 66, and was survived by his brother Odie and three sisters. His funeral was held at First Presbyterian Church in Montreal on July 14 and he was buried at Mount Royal Cemetery. Upon his death, his brother, Odie remarked, "He was my brother, and I don't like to boast, but I never saw a tougher or better defenceman than Sprague." Two days later, Odie died in his sleep of heart failure and was found by his sister just hours before Sprague's funeral.


Ilsa Konrads

Ilsa Konrads (; born 29 March 1944) is an Australian former freestyle swimmer of the 1950s and 1960s, who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. In her career, she set 13 individual world records, and after her swimming career ended, was the Australasian editor of "Belle" magazine. Along with her brother John Konrads, who also set multiple world records, and won gold in the 1500-metre freestyle, they were known as the "Konrad Kids".
Career.
Born in Riga, Latvia, Konrads emigrated with her parents Jānis and Elza, grandmother, elder sister Eve, and elder brother John (Jānis) in August 1944, initially to Germany. This came after Latvia's occupation by German troops during the Second World War and then re-occupation by Soviet troops. Living in Germany until 1949, their application to immigrate to the United States was refused on account of the large size of the family. They were relocated to a camp at Uranquinty, which was previously a base for the Royal Australian Air Force, in rural western New South Wales. There her father Jānis taught the children to swim, fearing that they could drown in the many watering holes and dams in the camp.
Jānis secured a job in Sydney as a dentist, and the family settled first in Pennant Hills and then Bankstown. Elza enrolled in the University of Sydney's dentistry program, as her qualification from the University of Riga was not recognized, but withdrew due to the demands of raising three children. Ilsa and her siblings attended Revesby Primary School, where one of the schoolteachers was Don Talbot. Talbot was an assistant to Frank Guthrie at the Bankstown Swimming Pool.
Every day, Ilsa and her elder brother John cycled to the Bankstown pool before sunrise, for a two-hour training session, before returning home for breakfast and then attending school. After school, they would cycle back to the pool and repeat the training regimen. In 1958, the results of Talbot's regime training began to materialize, when at the age of 13, she broke the 800-metre and 880-yard freestyle world records at the New South Wales championships, and then defeated Lorraine Crapp to become the first woman to complete 440-yard under five minutes. She then defeated Crapp and Dawn Fraser at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff to win the 440-yard freestyle event. In the two years preceding the 1960 Summer Olympics, she set world records in the 440-yard, 400-metre, 1500-metre and 1650-yard events.
At the Olympics, she suffered from nerves and was eliminated in the heats of the 100 m freestyle, and managed fourth in the 400 m freestyle, some 12s slower than her personal best. She collected a silver in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, along with Fraser, Crapp and Alva Colquhoun. Her last competition was at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, where she claimed silver in the 440 yd event.
After her retirement from competitive swimming, Konrads went into journalism, and eventually became the editor of "Belle", from 1975 to 1979, a leading Australian interior design magazine, and "Vogue Living", from 1979 to 1984 and 1992 to 1999. Konrads also worked for the "Sydney Morning Herald" newspaper, and since 1999 has been running her own business.
Honours.
Konrads was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2000, she received an Australian Sports Medal.
References.
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Trevor Hendy

Trevor Ronald Hendy, AM (born 7 August 1968) is a former Australian professional surf lifesaver.
Trevor Hendy was married to Miss Surf Girl Jacki Dann (Hendy) in 1987. They have 2 children together, daughter Kristelle and son TJ (Trevor Jack). Jacki and Trevor divorced in 1995 but still remain very close friends. Trevor later remarried to Jo Macdermid (Hendy) and they have 2 children, son Bailey and daughter Jaali.
In 2015, Trevor came out of retirement at the age of 46 for a race with his son TJ (then aged 19) at the Australian Titles. What started as a bit of fun turned into one of the greatest moments in Surf Life Saving history as father and son took out the gold medal in the Australian Board Rescue event. They are the first father and son duo to ever win that race in front of a huge crowd at Kirra Beach.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hendy competed in Ironman (surf lifesaving) races, winning the Australian Championship six times and coming second on three occasions. He also won the Uncle Toby's Super Series four times. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996 for services to surf lifesaving, and is a member of the Australian, Queensland, Gold Coast and Australian Surf Lifesaving Halls of Fame.
Later in his career, Hendy switched to kayak paddling, where he made the Australian Kayaking team in 1998 for the World Championships and World Cup season. After a successful European summer, in which he medalled as a part of Australia's K41000m combination, Hendy returned home and announced his retirement, ending his bid for a place in the 2000 Olympics. Despite retiring professionally and no longer training{fact}, he went on to win Australian Championships into the early 2000s.
Hendy then went into motivational speaking and life coaching. He launched www.trevorhendy.com in late August 2012.
Hendy was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2000. He also received an Australian Sports Medal in that year.


Chuck Cooper (basketball)

Charles Henry Cooper (September 29, 1926 – February 5, 1984) was an American professional basketball player. He and two others, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and Earl Lloyd, became the first African-American players in the NBA in 1950. Cooper was also the first African American to be drafted by a National Basketball Association (NBA) team, as the first pick of the second round by the Boston Celtics. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2019.
Early life and college career.
Cooper was born and died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Daniel and Emma Cooper. Daniel was a mailman, and Emma was a school teacher. He attended Pittsburgh's Westinghouse High School and graduated in 1944. For his senior year, he averaged more than 13 points per game and was an All-City first-team center. He then attended and played a semester of basketball for West Virginia State College (now University) before being drafted to serve in the United States Navy in the final stages of World War II. Following his service, he enrolled at Duquesne University where he was an All-American, started all four years, and set the school record for total points with 990 in four seasons. During his time at Duquesne, the team had a 78–19 record and was invited to the then-prestigious National Invitation Tournament twice. He was a captain for the 1949–50 team, which was the first team from the university to be nationally ranked all season, finishing with a 23-6 record and ranked sixth nationally. He was the first African American to participate in a college basketball game south of the Mason–Dixon line.
NBA career.
 Coming out of college in 1950, he signed onto the Harlem Globetrotters. On April 25, 1950, he became the first African American drafted into the NBA when the Boston Celtics chose him with the 14th overall pick. Cooper was drafted by Celtics' owner Walter A. Brown, coached by the legendary Red Auerbach and a teammate of the great Bob Cousy. When officials from other teams learned of Boston's interest in Cooper, they suggested he shouldn't be drafted because he was black. However, Brown's famous quote was: "I don't give a damn if he's striped, plaid or polka dot. Boston takes Charles Cooper of Duquesne." Cooper made his NBA debut on November 1, 1950, against the Fort Wayne Pistons. He played four years with the Celtics, then was traded to the Milwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of the Ft. Wayne Pistons. After that he spent a year playing for the Harlem Magicians before injuring his back in a car crash and leaving basketball. During his NBA career, Cooper played a total of 409 games, scored 2,725 points for an average of 6.66 points per game, had 2,431 rebounds for an average of 5.9 per game, and had 733 assists for an average of 1.79 per game. As some statistics were not kept during that time, it is not known how many blocked shots, steals or turnovers he had during his career.
After the NBA.
After his NBA career, Cooper graduated with a Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 1960. He was married twice, first in 1951, and then in 1957 to Irva Lee, with whom he had four children. He worked to improve his hometown of Pittsburgh, serving on the Pittsburgh school board, and was appointed the director of parks and recreation for the city, becoming the first black department head. He also helped the Pittsburgh National Bank's affirmative action program as an urban affairs officer until he died at the age of 57 on February 5, 1984, of liver cancer at Forbes Hospice.


Chris Hanburger

Christian G. Hanburger, Jr. (born August 13, 1941) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) who played his entire 14-year career with the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1978. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Early life and college career.
After being a star end for the "Crabbers" at Hampton High School in Hampton, Virginia, Hanburger joined the United States Army. He later accepted a scholarship from the University of North Carolina, where he played college football. From 1962 until 1964, Chris played for the Tar Heels on offense, at the center position, as well as on defense, as a middle linebacker. During his stay at UNC, Hanburger was named the All-Atlantic Coast Conference center as both a junior and senior. In 1963, he helped lead his team to the Gator Bowl and a shared ACC Championship with NC State.
NFL career.
Hanburger was drafted by the Redskins in the 18th round of the 1965 NFL Draft. As a professional, he was considered as one of the best outside linebackers of his era and was elected to the Pro Bowl nine times during his career, the most in Washington Redskin history. Hanburger earned the nickname "The Hangman" due to his penchant for clotheslining tackles. From 1973 to 1977, he called the Redskins' defensive signals and acted as the defensive quarterback for head coach George Allen. He was a Four-time First-team All-Pro in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 and a Second-team All-Pro in 1969 and 1974. Additionally, he was either a Pro Bowler or an All-Conference selection every year from 1966 through 1976 with the exception of 1971—receiving post-season honors in 10 of 11 seasons in that span. From 1971 to 1973, he and Jack Pardee, outside linebacker on the opposite side, formed a particularly effective tandem. In 1972, he was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year by the Kansas City Committee of 101. That year, the Redskins won the NFC championship game of the 1972-73 NFL playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, when they limited them to 3 points, 96 rushing yards, and 73 net passing yards with Roger Staubach at quarterback, Hanburger getting a sack. But, though the defense allowed only 14 points, the Redskins lost Super Bowl VII to the Miami Dolphins.
Beginning with the 1968 NFL season, Hanburger started 135 straight games, a streak that ended in 1977 after he underwent an appendicitis operation. In the Redskins' season finale of that 1977 season, he recorded 3 sacks against the Los Angeles Rams in a 17-14 win. He played in 1978 to finish his 14-year career. In his career, he picked off 19 passes, recovered 17 fumbles, recorded 46 sacks and scored five touchdowns, two on interception returns and three from fumble recoveries.
On August 25, 2010, Hanburger was nominated as a senior candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011 along with former Rams linebacker and kicker Les Richter. On February 5, 2011, Hanburger was officially inducted at the enshrinement ceremony where his bust, sculpted by Scott Myers, was unveiled.


Everett Shelton

Everett F. Shelton (May 12, 1898 – April 16, 1974) was an American basketball coach in the 1940s and 1950s. Shelton played quarterback for the Phillips University football team. The Cunningham, Kansas native coached 46 years at the high school, college and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) levels and compiled an 850–437 record. He is mostly known for coaching the Wyoming Cowboys men's basketball team from 1939 to 1959. While at Wyoming, Shelton had a record of 328 wins and 201 losses for a .620 winning percentage. He guided the Cowboys to eight Mountain States / Skyline Conference championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. During his career, he was President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Shelton's 1942–43 Wyoming Cowboys basketball team won the fifth NCAA Basketball Tournament. Shelton nearly won the national championship at Sacramento State College, where his Hornets lost in overtime to Mount St. Mary's in the 1962 NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament.


Monte Irvin

Monford Merrill "Monte" Irvin (February 25, 1919 – January 11, 2016) was an American left fielder and right fielder in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who played with the Newark Eagles (1938–1942, 1946–1948), New York Giants (1949–1955) and Chicago Cubs (1956). He grew up in New Jersey and was a standout football player at Lincoln University. Irvin left Lincoln to spend several seasons in Negro league baseball. His career was interrupted by military service from 1943 to 1945.
When he joined the New York Giants, Irvin became one of the earliest African-American MLB players. He played in two World Series for the Giants. When future Hall of Famer Willie Mays joined the Giants in 1951, Irvin was asked to mentor him. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. After his playing career, Irvin was a baseball scout and held an administrative role with the MLB commissioner's office.
At the time of his death, Irvin was the oldest living former Negro Leagues player, New York Giant and Chicago Cub. He lived in a retirement community in Houston prior to his death.
Early life.
Irvin was born February 25, 1919, in Haleburg, Alabama, the eighth of 13 children, and brother of fellow Negro leaguer Cal Irvin. As a child, he moved with his family to Orange, New Jersey. In high school, he starred in four sports and set a state record in the javelin throw. Irvin played baseball for the Orange Triangles, the local semiprofessional team, and he credited its coach with giving him an activity that helped him to stay out of trouble. He was offered a football scholarship to the University of Michigan, but he had to turn it down because he did not have enough money to move to Ann Arbor.
Irvin attended Lincoln University and was a star football player. However, he had disagreements with his coach and he found that he could not remain on his athletic scholarship and pursue predentistry studies. As his frustration mounted, Irvin began to be recruited by Negro league baseball teams.
Negro league and Mexican League career.
Irvin played for the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League in 1938. Larry Doby, the first player to break the color barrier in the American League, was Irvin's double play partner with Newark at one time. After hitting for high batting averages of .422 and .396 (1940–41), Irvin asked for a raise before the 1942 season. When that was denied, he left the Negro leagues for the Mexican League, where he won a triple crown; he had a .397 batting average and 20 home runs in 63 games.
World War II.
Following the 1942 Mexican League season, Irvin was drafted into military service. Joining the army's GS Engineers, 1313th Battalion, for the next three years, Irvin was deployed to England, France and Belgium, and he served in the Battle of the Bulge. Irvin said that while many black soldiers had been treated badly by their white counterparts, the situation improved for black soldiers as many white soldiers realized the contradiction in an oppressed group being sent to Europe to fight for the oppressed people in other countries. Irvin's military service left him with ringing in the ears, which affected his coordination.
Return to baseball.
After World War II, Irvin was approached by Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey about being signed for the major leagues, but Irvin felt he was not ready to play at that level so soon after leaving the service. The Newark Eagles business manager, Effa Manley, would not let Rickey sign Irvin without compensation. Rickey had already obtained Jackie Robinson without paying for his rights to his Negro league clubs. Said Irvin,
 ... from a purely business standpoint, Mrs. Manley felt that Branch Rickey was obligated to compensate her for my contract. That position probably delayed my entry into the major leagues ... Mrs. Manley told Rickey that he had taken Don Newcombe for no money but she wasn't going to let him take me without some compensation. Furthermore, if he tried to do it, she would sue and fight him in court ... Rickey contacted her to say he was no longer interested released me ... the Giants picked up my contract ...
Irvin earned MVP honors in the 1945–46 Puerto Rican Winter League. He returned to the Newark Eagles in 1946 to lead his team to a league pennant. Irvin won his second batting championship, hitting .401, and was instrumental in beating the Kansas City Monarchs in a seven-game Negro League World Series, batting .462 with three home runs. He was a five-time Negro League All-Star (1941, 1946–1948, including two games in 1946). He spent the winter of 1948–49 in Cuba.
MLB career.
In 1949, the New York Giants paid $5,000 for Irvin's contract. He was one of the first black players to be signed, as Jackie Robinson had only broken the MLB color line in 1947. Assigned to Jersey City of the International League, Irvin batted .373. He debuted with the Giants on July 8, 1949, as a pinch hitter. Back with Jersey City in 1950, he was called up after hitting .510 with ten home runs in 18 games. Irvin batted .299 for the Giants that season, playing first base and the outfield.
In 1951, Irvin sparked the Giants' miraculous comeback to overtake the Dodgers in the pennant race, batting .312 with 24 homers and a league-best 121 runs batted in (RBI), en route to the World Series (he went 11–24 for .458). In the third game of the playoff between the Giants and Dodgers, Irvin popped out in the bottom of the ninth inning before Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World. That year Irvin teamed with Hank Thompson and Willie Mays to form the first all-black outfield in the majors. Later, he finished third in the NL's MVP voting.
During that season, Giants manager Leo Durocher asked Irvin to serve as a mentor for Mays, who had been called up to the team in May. Mays later said, "In my time, when I was coming up, you had to have some kind of guidance. And Monte was like my brother ... I couldn't go anywhere without him, especially on the road ... It was just a treat to be around him. I didn't understand life in New York until I met Monte. He knew everything about what was going on and he protected me dearly." Irvin later replied, "I did that for two years and in the third year he started showing me around."
Irvin suffered a broken ankle during a spring training game in Denver in 1952, jamming his ankle on third base while sliding. "It was a horrible thing to see," reported Mays. However, Irvin returned in time to be named to his only Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1952. He appeared in only 46 games that season, hitting .310 with four home runs and 21 RBI. Irvin hit .329 with 21 home runs and 97 RBI in 1953, finishing 15th in the league MVP voting. The following season, he hit .262 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI, with the Giants winning the pennant and facing the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. Irvin was in left field when Mays, playing center field, made "The Catch" on a deep drive off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1. The Giants went on to win the Series in four games, with Irvin collecting two hits in nine at bats.
In 1955, Irvin had been sent down to the minor leagues, where he hit 14 home runs in 75 games for the Minneapolis Millers. The Chicago Cubs signed him before the 1956 season. The team said that he would compete with Hank Sauer for a starting position in left field. Irvin appeared in 111 games for the Cubs that year, hitting .271 with 15 home runs.
A back injury led to Irvin's retirement as a player in 1957. He sustained the injury during spring training that year and only appeared in four minor league games for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. In his major league career, Irvin batted .293, with 99 home runs, 443 RBI, 366 runs scored, 731 hits, 97 doubles, 31 triples, and 28 stolen bases, with 351 walks for a .383 on-base percentage, and 1187 total bases for a .475 slugging average in 764 games played. Defensively, Irvin recorded a .981 fielding percentage.
Later life.
Monte appeared on an episode of "To Tell The Truth" dated May 22, 1961, in which he impersonated a judo champion.
After retiring, Irvin worked as a representative for the Rheingold beer company, and later as a scout for the New York Mets from 1967 to 1968. He was named an MLB public relations specialist for the commissioner's office under Bowie Kuhn in 1968. The appointment made him the first black executive in professional baseball. He was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. The next year, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, primarily on the basis of his play in the Negro leagues.
In 1974, Kuhn was present in Cincinnati when Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. When the team came back to Atlanta, Kuhn sent Irvin in his place, so Kuhn was not present for Aaron's 715th home run. Even as late as 1980, Aaron was so angry at Kuhn that he did not attend an event where Kuhn was to present him with an award.
Irvin stepped down from his role with the commissioner when Kuhn announced his retirement in 1984. He retired to Homosassa, Florida, but he accepted an MLB role involving special projects and appearances.
On May 16, 2006, Orange Park in the city of Orange, New Jersey was renamed Monte Irvin Park, in his honor.
On June 26, 2010, the San Francisco Giants officially retired his number 20 uniform. He was joined by fellow Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda in the pre-game ceremony. He later joined those same Giants Hall of Famers in throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 1 of 2010 World Series. In 2015, he was presented a 2014 World Series ring by Giants executives and later joined the Giants in visiting the White House.
On January 11, 2016, Irvin died of natural causes in Houston at the age of 96. At the time of his death, Irvin was the oldest living African American to have played in the major leagues, as well as the oldest living member of a World Series-winning team. Prior to his death, he lived in a retirement community in Houston. He also served on the Veterans Committee of the Hall of Fame. The Giants wore a patch in his memory for the 2016 season, a black circle with an orange outline with "Monte" on top of his number 20, to be worn on the left sleeve.
On October 19, 2016, a life-sized bronze statue of Irvin was dedicated in Monte Irvin Park in Orange, New Jersey.
Career statistics.
Negro leagues.
The first official statistics for the Negro leagues were compiled as part of a statistical study sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and supervised by Larry Lester and Dick Clark, in which a research team collected statistics from thousands of box-scores of league-sanctioned games. The first results from this study were the statistics for Negro league Hall of Famers elected prior to 2006, which were published in "Shades of Glory" by Lawrence D. Hogan. These statistics include the official Negro league statistics for Monte Irvin:
Source:
Mexican League.
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Phil Jackson

Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. He then coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; the team won five league titles under his leadership. Jackson's 11 NBA titles as a coach surpassed the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. He also holds the NBA record for the most combined championships, winning a total of 13 as a player and a coach.
Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by Eastern philosophy, garnering him the nickname "Zen Master". Jackson cited Robert Pirsig's book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applied Native American spiritual practices, as documented in his book "Sacred Hoops". He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the National Basketball Association's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history.
Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the Knicks as an executive in March 2014. He still continues to attend Lakers games and commits to what the team has accomplished. He was dismissed as the Knicks' team president on June 28, 2017.
Early life.
Jackson was born in Deer Lodge, Montana on September 17, 1945. Both of his parents, Charles and Elisabeth Funk Jackson, were Assemblies of God ministers. Elisabeth came from a long line of German Mennonites before her conversion to the Assemblies of God. In the churches that they served, his father generally preached on Sunday mornings and his mother on Sunday evenings. Eventually, his father became a ministerial supervisor. Phil, his two brothers, and his half-sister grew up in a remote area of Montana in an austere environment, in which no dancing or television was allowed. Jackson did not see his first movie until he was a senior in high school, and went to a dance for the first time in college. Growing up, he assumed he would become a minister.
High school career.
Jackson attended high school in Williston, North Dakota, where he played varsity basketball and led the team to a state title. He also played football, was a pitcher on the baseball team, and threw the discus in track and field competitions. The high school now has a sports complex named after him. His brother Chuck speculated years later that the three Jackson sons threw themselves passionately into athletics because it was the only time they were allowed to do what other children were doing. Jackson attracted the attention of several baseball scouts. Their notes found their way to future NBA coach Bill Fitch, who had previously coached baseball, and had been doing some scouting for the Atlanta Braves. Fitch took over as head basketball coach at the University of North Dakota in the spring of 1962, during Jackson's junior year of high school.
College career.
Bill Fitch successfully recruited Jackson to the University of North Dakota, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Jackson did well there, helping the Fighting Sioux to third- and fourth-place finishes in the NCAA Division II tournament in his sophomore and junior years (1965 and 1966). Both years, they were beaten by the Southern Illinois Salukis. Jackson's future Knicks teammate Walt Frazier was the Salukis' biggest star, but the two only faced off in 1965, as Frazier was academically ineligible in 1966.
NBA playing career.
In 1967, Jackson was drafted in the second round by the New York Knicks. While he was a good all-around athlete, with unusually long arms, he was limited offensively but compensated with intelligence and hard work on defense. Jackson eventually established himself as a fan favorite and one of the NBA's leading substitutes, although he had very little playing time. He was a top reserve on the Knicks team that won the NBA title in 1973. Jackson did not play during New York's 1969–70 championship season due to spinal fusion surgery; however, he authored a book entitled "Take It All", a photo diary of the Knicks' 1970 championship run.
Soon after the 1973 title, several key starters retired, creating an opening for Jackson in the starting lineup. In the 1974–75 NBA season, Jackson and the Milwaukee Bucks' Bob Dandridge shared the lead for total personal fouls, with 330 each. Jackson lived in Leonia, New Jersey, during this time. After crossing the Hudson in 1978 to play two seasons for the New Jersey Nets, he retired as a player after the 1979–80 NBA season.
Coaching career.
In the years immediately following the end of his playing career, Jackson coached in professional leagues like the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and Puerto Rico's "National Superior Basketball" (BSN). While in the CBA, he won his first coaching championship, leading the Albany Patroons to their first title in 1984. Jackson was named the CBA Coach of the Year in 1985. In Puerto Rico, he coached the Piratas de Quebradillas (1984 and 1987) and the Gallitos de Isabela (1984–1986). He regularly sought NBA jobs, but was turned down. Jackson had acquired a reputation for being sympathetic to the counterculture during his playing years, which may have scared off potential NBA employers.
Chicago Bulls (1987–1998).
In 1987, Jackson was hired as an assistant coach by the Chicago Bulls under Doug Collins. He was promoted to head coach in 1989. It was around this time that he met Tex Winter and became a devotee of Winter's triangle offense. Over nine seasons, Jackson coached the Bulls to six championships, winning three straight championships over separate three-year periods. The "three-peat" was the first since the Boston Celtics won eight titles in a row from 1959 through 1966.
Jackson and the Bulls made the playoffs every year, and failed to win the title only three times. Michael Jordan's first retirement after the 1992–1993 season marked the end of the first "three-peat", and although Jordan returned just before the 1995 playoffs, it was not enough to prevent a playoff elimination by the Orlando Magic.
Despite the Bulls' success, tension between Jackson and Bulls general manager Jerry Krause grew. Some believed that Krause felt under-recognized for building a championship team and believed that Jackson was indebted to him for giving him his first NBA coaching job. In the summer of 1997, Jackson was not invited to the wedding of Krause's stepdaughter, although all of the Bulls' assistant coaches were, as was Tim Floyd, then head coach at Iowa State, Jackson's eventual successor. After contentious negotiations, Jackson was signed for the 1997–98 season only. Krause announced the signing by emphasizing that Jackson would not be rehired even if the Bulls won the 1997–98 title. Jackson then told Krause that he seemed to be rooting for the other side, to which Krause responded, "I don't care if it's 82-and-0 this year, you're fucking gone." Krause publicly portrayed Jackson as a two-faced character who had very little regard for his assistant coaches.
After the Bulls' final title of the Jordan era in 1998, Jackson left the team vowing never to coach again. However, after taking a year off, he decided to give it another chance with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.
Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2004).
Jackson took over a talented Lakers team and immediately produced results as he had done in Chicago. In his first year in Los Angeles, the Lakers went 67–15 during the regular season to top the league. Reaching the conference finals, they eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in a tough seven-game series and then won the 2000 NBA championship by beating the Indiana Pacers.
With the talented superstar duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the strong supporting cast of Glen Rice, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Devean George, A. C. Green, Robert Horry, and Brian Shaw, and the assistance of former Bulls Horace Grant, Ron Harper, and John Salley, Jackson led the Lakers to two additional titles in 2001 and 2002, against the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, adding up to his third three-peat as head coach. The main serious challenge the Lakers faced was from their conference rival, the Sacramento Kings.
However, injuries, weak bench play, and full-blown public tension between Bryant and O'Neal slowed the team down, and they were beaten in the second round of the 2003 NBA Playoffs by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs.
Afterward, Jackson clashed frequently with Bryant. While remarkably efficient in Jackson's "triangle offense", Bryant had a personal distaste for Jackson's brand of basketball and subsequently called it "boring". In games, Bryant would often disregard the set offense completely to experiment with his own one-on-one moves, infuriating the normally calm Jackson. Bryant managed to test Jackson's patience enough that the "Zen Master" even demanded that Bryant be traded, although Lakers management rejected the request.
Prior to the 2003–04 season, the Lakers signed NBA star veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton, who had been franchise players for the Utah Jazz and the Seattle SuperSonics, respectively, leading to predictions by some that the team would finish with the best record in NBA history. But from the first day of training camp, the Lakers were beset by distractions. Bryant's trial for sexual assault, continued public sniping between O'Neal and Bryant, and repeated disputes between Jackson and Bryant all affected the team during the season. Despite these distractions, the Lakers beat the defending champion Spurs en route to advancing to the 2004 NBA Finals and were heavy favorites to regain the title. However, they were upset by the Detroit Pistons, who used their strong defense to dominate the Lakers, winning the title four games to one. This marked the first time in ten attempts as head coach that Jackson had lost in the NBA Finals.
On June 18, 2004, three days after the loss to the Pistons, the Lakers announced that Jackson would leave his position as Lakers coach. Jackson was seeking to double his salary from $6 million to $12 million on his expiring contract. He had a contract offer outstanding from the Lakers, but he had not acted on it. Winter said Jackson announced at the All-Star break that he would not want to return to the Lakers if Bryant returned. Many fans attributed Jackson's departure directly to the wishes of Bryant, as Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss reportedly sided with Bryant. Jackson, Bryant and Buss all denied that Bryant had made any explicit demand regarding Jackson. However, O'Neal, upon hearing General Manager Mitch Kupchak's announcement of the team's willingness to trade O'Neal and its intention to keep Bryant, indicated that he felt the franchise was indeed pandering to Bryant's wishes with the departure of Jackson. O'Neal's trade to the Miami Heat was the end of the "Trifecta" that had led the Lakers to three championship titles.
That fall, Jackson released "", a book which describes his point of view of the tensions that surrounded the 2003–04 Lakers team. The book was pointedly critical of Kobe Bryant.
Without Jackson and O'Neal, the Lakers were forced to become a faster paced team on the court. Though they achieved some success in the first half of the season, injuries to several players including Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom forced the team out of contention, going 34–48 in 2004–05 and missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. Rudy Tomjanovich, Jackson's successor as coach, resigned midway through the season after coaching just 41 games, citing health issues not relating to his past bout with bladder cancer, which immediately led to speculation that the Lakers might bring Jackson back.
Return to the Lakers (2005–2011).
On June 15, 2005, the Lakers rehired Jackson. Jackson led the Lakers to a seventh-seed playoff berth. Once again promoting the notion of selfless team play embodied by the triangle offense, the team achieved substantial results, especially in the last month of the season. Jackson also worked very seamlessly with Bryant, who had earlier shown his desire to bring back Jackson to the bench. Bryant's regular-season performance won him the league scoring title and made him a finalist in MVP voting. However, the Lakers faced a tough 2006 first-round matchup against the second-seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by eventual MVP winner Steve Nash. The Lakers jumped out to a 3–1 lead following a dramatic last-second shot by Bryant in overtime to win game four, but the Suns recovered to win the last three and take the series. It was the first time that a Jackson-coached team had failed to reach the second round of the playoffs.
On January 7, 2007, Jackson won his 900th game, then placing him 9th on the all-time win list for NBA coaches. With this win, Jackson became the fastest to reach 900 career wins, doing so in only 1,264 games and beating Pat Riley's previous record of 900 in 1,278 games.
On December 12, 2007, after announcing he would return to his position as coach just a few days prior, Jackson inked a 2-year contract extension to continue his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers through the end of the 2009–2010 season.
During the 2007–08 season, the Lakers were able to obtain Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. With another star to pair with Bryant, Jackson coached the Lakers to an appearance in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Boston went on to win the series 4–2, in the process handing Jackson and the Lakers their worst playoff loss ever in Game 6, a 39-point defeat. It was only the 2nd time in 11 appearances that Jackson had lost an NBA Finals.
On December 25, 2008, Jackson became the sixth coach to win 1,000 games, with the Lakers defeating the Celtics in their first matchup since the last year's finals. He was the fastest to win 1,000 games, surpassing Pat Riley, who had taken 11 more games than Jackson.
Jackson again coached the Lakers to the NBA Finals in 2009, defeating the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets in the process. In the Finals, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 4–1, clinching Jackson's 10th NBA championship as head coach and surpassing the record for most championships won by a head coach previously held by him and Red Auerbach.
On February 3, 2010, Jackson recorded his 534th win as Lakers head coach, surpassing Pat Riley to become the most successful coach in franchise history. The Lakers would go on to a fifth consecutive playoff berth in 2010. They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns in the playoffs before defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals, earning Jackson his 11th NBA championship as head coach and his fifth with the Lakers.
On July 1, 2010, Jackson, after giving it tremendous thought and consulting with his doctors over health concerns, announced that he would return to coach the Lakers for the 2010–11 season. On August 2, 2010, Jackson signed a new contract with the Lakers to return for what he mentioned was "his last stand", meaning the 2010–11 season would be his last. In January 2011, he reiterated that it would be his final season, explaining that in the past there was the possibility that maybe he would reconsider. "This year, there's no maybe", said Jackson. He retired after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs in the conference semifinals by that season's eventual NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks, meaning that he would not get a fourth three-peat (after previously achieving that feat in 1993, 1998 and 2002). In his final news conference that season, he noted that he did not have much of a relationship with Jerry or Jim Buss, and said, "When I leave here, I don't anticipate Lakers management will call me up and ask my advice."
After the Lakers fired Jackson's successor, Mike Brown, early in the 2012–13 season, they first approached Jackson to replace Brown. Jackson requested two days to consider the opening. He believed the Lakers would wait for his response, but the Lakers thought it was understood they would continue their search. The next day, the team talked with Mike D'Antoni and hired him in a unanimous decision by the front office. They felt D'Antoni's fast-paced style of play made him a "great fit" for the team, more suitable than Jackson's structured triangle offense. Jerry Buss' preference has always been for the Lakers to have a wide-open offense. In the two games leading up to D'Antoni's signing, Lakers fans at Staples Center had chanted "We Want Phil!"
Executive career.
In 2014, Jackson was in discussions for months with the New York Knicks regarding an executive position with the team. On March 18, he was introduced as the president of the Knicks after signing a five-year, $60 million contract.
On April 21, 2014, over one week after the conclusion of the season, Mike Woodson and his entire staff were fired by Jackson. The Knicks finished the season with a 37–45 record and finished 9th in the Eastern Conference standings.
On June 9, 2014, the Knicks hired Derek Fisher as the head coach. Fisher played under Phil Jackson as a Laker and won five championships together.
On June 25, 2014, the Knicks traded guard Raymond Felton along with former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks. In return the Knicks received Shane Larkin, José Calderón, Samuel Dalembert, and Wayne Ellington along with two picks for the following day's draft. The trade was the first one that he executed as a front office executive. On June 26, as part of the 2014 NBA draft, the Knicks selected Cleanthony Early as the 34th overall pick and Thanasis Antetokounmpo as the 51st overall pick, using the draft picks received in the trade from the Mavericks. The Knicks also acquired Louis Labeyrie, an additional second-round draft pick, after he was traded by the Pacers.
On January 7, 2015, the Knicks set a franchise record with 13 straight losses. The Knicks fell 101–91 to the Washington Wizards, giving New York its longest losing streak in the franchise's 69-year history. This record was extended to 16 straight losses after the NBA Global Games loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in London. They ended the season with a record of 17–65, the worst record in franchise history.
On June 25, 2015, the Knicks drafted Latvian Kristaps Porziņģis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft; he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Knicks on July 30, 2015. On that same night, the Knicks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. for the 19th pick in the draft, which would become Jerian Grant. Porziņģis was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection for the 2016 season.
In the 2017 NBA draft, Jackson's last NBA draft with the Knicks, he selected French point guard Frank Ntilikina. In the second round, Jackson selected Damyean Dotson and Ognjen Jaramaz.
On June 28, 2017, the Knicks officially announced a mutual decision to part ways with Jackson. The speculated reasoning for the parting of ways was Jackson's attempted buying-out of Carmelo Anthony and his very public strife with Porziņģis. Jackson was replaced by his former subordinate Steve Mills.
Awards.
Jackson won the 1996 NBA Coach of the Year Award. In the same year he was named one of the ten greatest NBA coaches of all time by vote in an unranked compilation. At the time he was in his 8th year coaching; in the seven years prior he coached 574 games and won 414, with only 160 losses, and had a win-loss percentage of 72.1% – the highest of any coach on the list at that time. He continued his success in his later career; cumulative careers in perspective, he retains the highest win-loss percentage of any coach on this list at 70.4% (1155 wins, 485 losses).
In 2002 and 2010 the United States Sports Academy awarded Jackson the Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award.
Jackson is a recipient of the state of North Dakota's Roughrider Award.
Head coaching record.
Jackson has had a winning record every year as a head coach, and currently has the highest winning percentage of any Hall of Fame coach, and the highest of any NBA coach coaching 500 games or more. Along with his NBA-record 11 championships, he is the only coach to win at least 10 championships in any of North America's major professional sports.
At the end of the 2010 season he had the fifth most wins of any NBA coach, and was one of only six to have over 1,000 wins. Of those six he was the only one who had not coached over 1,900 games, and the only one not included in the top 10 total games coached.
Personal life.
Jackson has five children and eight grandchildren. He married his first wife, Maxine, in 1967. They divorced in 1972. He married his second wife, June, in 1974, but they divorced in 2000. He dated Jeanie Buss, the daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whom he met in 1999. The two became engaged in 2013. On December 27, 2016, they announced the termination of their engagement in a joint statement on Twitter.
Jackson owns homes in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, and Lakeside, Montana. While he was coach of the Chicago Bulls he lived in Bannockburn.
He has 26 hours of graduate study in psychology.
Jackson has admitted to using marijuana and LSD in the past. In 2010, he said he did not believe that prisons should be filled with people prosecuted for marijuana, but called California's Proposition 19, which would have legalized marijuana, poorly written. Jackson is also a Deadhead, a fan of the Grateful Dead, and attended some of their concerts in the 1970s and 1990s.
In a 1990 interview with the "Chicago Tribune", Jackson said that he did not care for preachers who browbeat the audience, describing his religious views as, "I’ve always liked the concept of God being beyond anything that the human mind can conceive. I think there is a pantheistic-deistic-American Indian combination religion out there for Americans. That rings true to me."
Jackson was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2011. He told the Lakers players in May 2011, when they were involved in a second-round playoff series against the Mavericks. Jackson decided to delay his surgery until after the playoffs.
In 2020, he starred in Netflix and ESPN miniseries "The Last Dance" alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and Dennis Rodman.


Simeon Toribio

Simeon Galvez Toribio (September 3, 1905 – June 5, 1969) was a Filipino high jumper. He competed at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1932. In 1928, he cleared the same height as the silver and bronze medalists Benjamin Hedges and Claude Ménard, but lost the jump-off and placed fourth. Toribio served as the flag bearer for the Philippines at the 1936 Games, where he finished 12th. In 1930 he was awarded the title "Asia’s Greatest Athlete".
Biography.
According to author Jorge Afable, Toribio could have won the gold medal, if not only for the "call of nature". It was a grueling four-hour competition to jump over the bar raised at six feet and six inches high. Toribio, who once made the jump, failed to overcome it the second time because he was distressed by call of nature.
Toribio studied at Silliman University, and later became a civil engineer. In 1941, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Second District of Bohol, and served until 1953. He settled in Carmen, Bohol and died there in 1969. His descendants are currently continuing his legacy in Public Service.


Ken Charlton (Canadian football)

Kenneth Charlton (April 20, 1920 – May 1, 2004) was a running back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, where he was elected in 1992. He was also named to the Roughriders Plaza of Honour and to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.


Walter Smith

Walter Ferguson Smith (born 24 February 1948) is a Scottish former football player, manager and director. He is primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Scottish club Rangers.
A defender, Smith's playing career consisted of two spells with Dundee United, split by a short time at Dumbarton. A pelvic injury meant he moved into coaching at Dundee United, working for manager Jim McLean, while he also took charge of the Scotland under-18 and under-21 teams. Smith was assistant to Scotland manager Alex Ferguson at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, after it had been announced that he would be moving to Rangers as assistant to Graeme Souness.
Smith became the manager of Rangers in 1991, succeeding Souness. He won 13 major trophies in seven years, including seven league titles in succession. After leaving Rangers at the end of the 1997–98 season, he was appointed manager of English Premier League club Everton. He was in charge at Goodison Park for four seasons before he was sacked in 2002.
After a brief stint as assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Smith was appointed Scotland manager in December 2004. He presided over a revival in their fortunes, taking the national team 70 places up the FIFA World Rankings. After a good start to UEFA Euro 2008 qualification, he resigned as Scotland manager in January 2007 to return to Rangers. He won eight trophies during his second spell as Rangers manager and guided the team to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final, before retiring from management in 2011. Smith is the second-most successful manager in the history of Rangers, behind Bill Struth.
Early life.
Smith was born in Lanark, but grew up in the Carmyle district in the East End of Glasgow, and was a boyhood fan of Rangers. He was employed by the South of Scotland Electricity Board before launching his football career in the 1960s with Junior League team Ashfield.
Playing career.
Dundee United.
Smith was one of three Ashfield players signed by Dundee United manager Jerry Kerr in 1966, joining the club in November shortly after teammates Jim Cameron and Gerry Hernon. A versatile player, Smith appeared for the reserve team in a number of positions, initially as a right-half. He made his first team debut in a Scottish Football League match against Kilmarnock on 20 March 1967. He continued to play regularly for the reserves, making only a handful of first team matches over the next four years until establishing himself in the latter part of the 1970–71 season.
Smith remained a regular first team player for United until 1974, often in central defence. His future coaching mentor Jim McLean became manager in December 1971, and the following month his future managerial assistant Archie Knox became a teammate. In September 1973, Smith scored the only goal of the game as United defeated Dundee in the Dundee derby; he celebrated by kissing his boot, a gesture which he was later embarrassed by. He played in the 1974 Scottish Cup Final against Celtic, Dundee United's first appearance in a major final, but finished with a runners-up medal following a 3–0 defeat.
Smith played less regularly the following season, and in September 1975 was sold to Dumbarton. He had played in 108 league games, scoring 2 goals, between 1966 and 1975.
Dumbarton and return to Dundee United.
He was brought to Dumbarton for a fee of £8,000 by the management team of Alex Wright and former Rangers player Davie Wilson, who was a familiar face having been of Smith's heroes as a teenage supporter, worked alongside his father at a local steelworks in the village of Westburn, Cambuslang, and latterly been a senior teammate at Dundee United. During his spell with Dumbarton they made a rare appearance at the semi-final stage of the Scottish Cup in 1976, losing to Hearts after a replay, with Smith scoring an early own goal.
He played in 44 league games for Dumbarton before McLean paid a fee of £4,000 to bring him back to Dundee United in February 1977. Shortly afterwards, however, a serious pelvic injury effectively curtailed Smith's playing career at the age of 29.
Thereafter he played mainly in the reserve team, helping to develop younger players. His final first team appearance was in September 1980, by which time he was embarking on a coaching career. He appeared in 26 league matches during his second spell and, in total, made 183 senior appearances for Dundee United, scoring three goals. Additionally, he set a club record by making approximately 360 reserve team appearances.
Managerial career.
Coaching Dundee United and Scotland.
He developed his coaching skills as assistant manager to Jim McLean, at a time when Dundee United were Scottish champions and European Cup semi-finalists. While working with McLean, a notoriously hard-bitten manager, Smith developed a reputation for being a strict disciplinarian. According to Kevin Gallacher, who was an apprentice of the club at the time in the early 1980s, Smith could become ferociously angry and was known to deal out punches to enforce discipline. He joined Dundee United's board of directors in 1986.
In 1978, he was appointed coach of the Scotland Under-18 team, and helped them to win the European Youth Championship in 1982. He became coach of the Under 21 team, and was Alex Ferguson's assistant manager during the 1986 Mexico World Cup. Latterly Ferguson commented on Smith by saying: "There are few people in the game with his experience, knowledge and technical ability."
Rangers.
In April 1986, Graeme Souness was appointed player-manager of Rangers and Smith accepted his offer to become assistant. He helped Souness guide Rangers to Premier Division and League Cup glory in 1986–87, another League Cup in 1987–88, the Premier Division and League Cup again in 1988–89, a second successive league title in 1989–90 and another League Cup in 1990–91.
With Souness continuing to play regularly until 1988, Smith was the principal figure in the dugout for many matches. In addition, Smith took sole charge of the team in the 1987 Scottish League Cup Final as Souness was suspended. Souness was subject to an extensive touchline ban from February 1989, although he frequently circumvented this by naming himself as a substitute.
When Souness left for Liverpool in April 1991, Smith was appointed interim manager. This was made permanent in May 1991, after the club clinched its fourth title in five seasons. Six more league titles in succession followed under Smith's tenure, including a domestic treble in 1992–93. He also won the Scottish Cup and the League Cup three times each. Smith took Rangers to the brink of the final of the Champions League in season 1992–93, going ten games without defeat in that campaign and 44 matches unbeaten in all competitions.
This success was achieved at a cost, as Smith spent over £50m on transfer fees in his six years in charge – more than any other club in Great Britain over the same period. Rangers equalled Celtic's record of nine successive championships in 1996–97. In an effort to secure a record-breaking tenth success in 1997–98, Rangers spent £13m on eight new players. In European competition, Rangers were beaten 4–1 by IFK Gothenburg in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League preliminary round and 4–2 by Strasbourg in the first round of the 1997–98 UEFA Cup. There was growing pressure on Smith because of poor European results, and it was announced in October 1997 that he would leave Rangers at the end of the season. Rangers lost the league title to Celtic on the final day and then lost the 1998 Scottish Cup Final to Hearts.
Everton.
After success in his native Scotland, Smith's retirement lasted a month as he took the manager's job at Premier League club Everton in June 1998. Smith replaced Howard Kendall after his third spell as Everton manager, having only avoided relegation in 1998 due to their superior goal difference over Bolton Wanderers.
Initially Smith was linked with the manager's job at Sheffield Wednesday, but false promises made to him by the Everton chairman of massive transfer funds and unlimited ambition lured Smith to Goodison Park. Smith spent money on players only to discover that it was money the club did not have. When Duncan Ferguson was sold behind Smith's back, he was tempted to quit. The remainder of his time at Everton revolved around selling the club's top players to balance the books.
Under Smith, Everton finished in the bottom half of the table for three consecutive seasons. The Everton board finally ran out of patience with Smith and he was sacked in March 2002 after an "abject" 3–0 FA Cup Sixth Round defeat to Middlesbrough, with Everton in some danger of relegation from the Premier League. He was replaced by David Moyes, who delivered Everton to a safe finish in fifteenth place.
Manchester United.
In March 2004, Smith returned to football when he had a short spell as assistant manager to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United at the end of the 2003–04 season. During this time Manchester United won the 2004 FA Cup Final, beating Millwall at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Scotland national team.
Smith was appointed manager of the Scottish national team on 2 December 2004, succeeding Berti Vogts. Despite a revival of fortunes under Smith, including a home draw with Italy and an away win against Norway, hopes of reaching the 2006 World Cup were ended by a 1–0 home defeat against Belarus.
Scotland's world ranking improved by seventy places during his tenure. Scotland recorded a famous victory against World Cup runners-up France in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualification match at Hampden and temporarily led their group by three points. A 2–0 defeat against Ukraine on 11 October 2006 was the first of the campaign.
Return to Rangers.
On 5 January 2007, press outlets reported that Rangers had spoken to Smith with a view to hiring him to manage Rangers again, with Ally McCoist as assistant manager. The Scottish FA initially rebuffed Rangers' approach for Smith, but his return as Rangers manager was announced on 10 January 2007. He succeeded Paul Le Guen, who had left the club by mutual consent after Rangers had been knocked out of the 2006–07 Scottish League Cup by First Division side St Johnstone and fallen 17 points behind Celtic in the 2006–07 Scottish Premier League; caretaker manager Ian Durrant (who had previously played under him) was retained on the coaching staff.
Smith's first match in his second spell at Ibrox was a 5–0 win against Dundee United on 13 January, with two goals from Kris Boyd and one each from Barry Ferguson, Chris Burke and Charlie Adam. Smith's first final since his return was secured with a 2–0 win over Hearts in the 2007–08 Scottish League Cup. Rangers played Dundee United in the 2008 Scottish League Cup Final; the game was drawn 1–1 after normal time, and 2–2 after extra time. The winners were decided by penalty kicks. Rangers won 3–2, with Kris Boyd scoring the winning penalty (as well as the goals for Rangers in normal time and extra time).
In the 2007–08 UEFA Cup, Walter Smith booked Rangers' first European final for 36 years, after an exit in the UEFA Champions League group stage on the final day after good results against VFB Stuttgart, Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona. In the quarter-final, after a 0–0 home draw with Sporting, Rangers went on to win the away leg 2–0. In the semi-final they drew 0–0 in both legs against Fiorentina and after extra time, they won 4–2 on penalties, taking Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester, which they lost 0–2 to Zenit St. Petersburg. Rangers also narrowly missed out on the league title, partly attributable to an end-of-season fixture backlog due to their cup runs; they added the 2007–08 Scottish Cup with a win over Queen of the South in what was their 68th match of the campaign; afterwards Smith revealed that assistant McCoist had been controlling the team in the Scottish Cup run.
In the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, Rangers drew 0–0 with Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas at Ibrox on 30 July 2008 and lost the return leg 2–1. The loss against Kaunas meant Rangers made an early exit from European competition. Rangers went on to claim the SPL title – Rangers' 52nd Championship – on 24 May 2009. Smith followed this up with the Scottish Cup a week later to end the season with a League and Cup double.
In December 2009, it was revealed that Smith was to continue as Rangers manager without a contract when it expired the following month. In March 2010, he guided Rangers to win the League Cup after they had been reduced to nine men in the final. On 25 April 2010, Rangers clinched their 53rd league title with a 1–0 win away to Hibernian.
On 25 May 2010, Smith signed a new one-year deal to continue as Rangers manager throughout the 2010–11 campaign. He stated that it would be his last as Rangers manager, with McCoist to take control thereafter. In this final season as manager, Smith led Rangers to another domestic double, winning the League Cup and their 54th league championship. The league title was secured on the final day of the season, with a 5–1 win against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
After management.
Rangers entered administration in February 2012. An attempt to take the club out of administration by means of a creditors voluntary arrangement was rejected by HM Revenue & Customs, the largest creditor, putting the club into liquidation in June 2012. The administrator, Duff & Phelps, sold the assets of Rangers to a consortium led by Charles Green. Smith said that he was leading a consortium offering a deal to buy the assets from Green, but this offer was withdrawn days later. On 11 November 2012, Smith returned to Ibrox taking on a role with the new Rangers company as a non-executive director. Smith was appointed non-executive chairman in May 2013, but he resigned from the board in August.
Smith was linked with a return to management as Scotland manager in February 2018, but he withdrew his name from consideration after discussions with the Scottish FA.
Smith underwent an unspecified medical operation in March 2021 which required him to stay in hospital.
Honours.
Player.
Dundee United
Manager.
Scotland U18
Rangers
Scotland
Individual


Paul Krause

Paul James Krause (born February 19, 1942) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). Gifted with a great frame, speed and range, Krause established himself as a defensive force against opposing wide receivers. He led the league with 12 interceptions as a rookie before going on to set the NFL career interceptions record with 81 (which he picked off from 45 different quarterbacks) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Krause was selected eight times to the Pro Bowl during his 16 seasons in the NFL.
Early life.
Krause attended and played high school football at Bendle High School in Burton, Michigan and earned all-state honors in basketball, football, baseball and track. Known for once scoring 78 points in a basketball game, he was one of the few in his high school to ever receive an athletic scholarship.
College career.
Krause attended and played college football at the University of Iowa. He was a two-way starter as a wide receiver and defensive back. As a senior in 1963, he tied the Iowa record with six touchdown pass receptions and was selected for the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine game, the Coaches' All-American game and the College All-Star game.
Krause also played baseball at Iowa. As a sophomore, he earned All-American honors and was drafted into the major leagues, but he turned down the offer. Krause's chances to play professional baseball were ended when he injured his shoulder in his junior year playing football against the University of Michigan.
Professional career.
Washington Redskins.
Krause was drafted in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. In his rookie season, he led the NFL in interceptions with 12, including interceptions in seven straight games, and was named to the All-NFL first team. He was named to his first of eight Pro Bowls and was second only to teammate Charley Taylor for the NFL Rookie of the Year award.
Although he intercepted 28 passes in his first four seasons with the Redskins, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for linebacker Marlin McKeever and a seventh-round draft choice in the 1968 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings.
Krause played with the Vikings until he retired after the 1979 season. During that time, he was one of 11 players to play in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl IV, VIII, IX, and XI). Krause recorded an interception in Super Bowl IV and a fumble recovery in Super Bowl IX.
Krause was often referred to as the Vikings "center fielder" because of his success as an interscholastic baseball player and his ability to catch interceptions.
He currently holds the all-time interception record in the NFL with 81, which he returned for 1,185 yards and three touchdowns. He set the record in 1979 against the Los Angeles Rams, in the second quarter of a 27-21 overtime loss with his 81st interception coming in the final quarter. The previous record of 79 was held by Emlen Tunnell, another former Hawkeye who played for the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers from 1948 to 1961.
Krause recovered 19 fumbles, returning them for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Krause only missed two games due to injuries in 16 seasons.
After football.
In 1994, Krause was elected to the Board of County Commissioners for Dakota County, Minnesota. He served for twenty years and he did not seek re-election in 2014.
Currently, Krause is involved in real estate development and insurance, and he owns several restaurants, including the Dairy Delite in Lakeville, Minnesota. He previously owned a golf course in Elk River, Minnesota.
Krause was named to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1985, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County Sports Hall of Fame on May 7, 2004.
Personal life.
Krause is married to his wife, Pam, and has three children: two daughters (Mandi and Zendi) and one son (Blair).
In 1996, Pam Krause was severely injured in a car accident near their home in Lakeville, Minnesota when she was hit by a truck. She spent five and a half months in a coma, but survived and is recuperating.


Fighting Harada

Masahiko Harada (born April 5, 1943), better known as Fighting Harada, is a former world boxing champion in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions, and also challenged for the Featherweight title twice. He is currently the president of the Japanese boxing association.
Harada was arguably one of Japan's most popular boxers; his fame reached international status, and Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Gómez declared that Harada was his idol as a child. Harada was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2002, he was ranked as the 32nd greatest boxer of the past 80 years by "Ring" magazine.
Biography.
Harada began fighting as a professional on February 21, 1960, knocking out Isami Masui in round four, in Tokyo. He won his first twenty four bouts. Among the notables he beat during that span were Ken Morita, who later became a respected boxing official and who was beaten by Harada on June 26 in the first round, and future world champion Hiroyuki Ebihara, who was undefeated in nine fights before meeting Harada and who was beaten by Harada on December 24, by a decision in six rounds.
On June 15, 1962, he suffered his first defeat, being beaten on points by Edmundo Esparza over ten rounds in Tokyo.
After one more win, Harada received his first world title try: on October 10 of that year, he became the Lineal and WBA world flyweight champion by knocking out Pone Kingpetch in the eleventh round, in Tokyo.
A rematch followed, and Harada lost the title in his first defense, being outpointed by Kingpetch over fifteen rounds on January 12, 1963 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was Harada's first fight outside Japan.
Harada posted four more wins in a row before losing by knockout in six to Jose Medel on September 26.
After that loss, Harada posted another winning streak, which reached seven before he was given another world title shot. Among the boxers he beat was top contenders Ray Asis, Oscar Reyes, and Katsutoshi Aoki.
On May 18, 1965, Harada extended his winning streak to eight, when he defeated Lineal, WBA and WBC bantamweight champion Eder Jofre in Nagoya, by a fifteen round decision, to win his second world title. Jofre was undefeated in fifty fights coming into this bout, and considered by many of his fans to be invincible.
On November 30, he defeated perennial British contender Alan Rudkin by a fifteen round decision to retain the title. On June 1, 1966, he and Jofre had a rematch in Tokyo, and Harada defeated Jofre once again, by a fifteen round decision. Losing for the second time to Harada prompted Jofre to retire; he would make a successful comeback three years later. Harada was the only boxer to beat Jofre.
After two more, non-title wins, Harada had a chance to avenge his defeat against Jose Medel. On January 3, 1967, Harada retained his world bantamweight title with a fifteen round decision over Medel in Nagoya.
On July 4 he retained the title against Colombian Bernardo Caraballo, a fighter who was well liked in his country. Harada outpointed him over fifteen rounds.
On February 27, 1968, Lionel Rose became the first Indigenous Australian to become a world boxing champion, when he outpointed Harada over fifteen rounds in Tokyo. Having lost his world bantamweight crown, Harada then set his sights on regaining it.
He won four of his next five fights. Among those he defeated were American Dwight Hawkins and his countryman Nobuo Chiba. His lone loss during that span came at the hands of American Alton Colter by a ten round, split decision. Then, he received another world title shot.
On July 28, 1969, after the WBA and WBC had split the world bantamweight title, Harada fought Australia's Johnny Famechon for the WBC world featherweight belt. The fight was held in Sydney, and the referee and only judge was the legendary former world featherweight champion Willie Pep. Pep scored the fight a tie (draw), but Famechon's fans rallied over the call by booing Pep, who then announced he had miscalculated his scorecard and actually had Famechon ahead, making Harada a loser by a fifteen round decision. This fight was, nevertheless, controversial because of the nature of its ending, and the WBC clamoured for a rematch.
After a knockout win in eight rounds over Pat Gonzalez, the rematch came. Harada's management wanted the fight to be held in Tokyo, and so, on January 6, 1970, Harada and Famechon met once again, this time at Tokyo's Metropolitan Gym. Harada dropped the champion in round ten, but Famechon recovered, knocking Harada off the ring in round fourteen and retaining the title by knockout in that round. This was Harada's last fight as a professional.
Harada led a rather quiet life after retirement. In 1996, he was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Coincidentally, Wilfredo Gómez was inducted in the same ceremony. After Gómez expressed that Harada was his idol, Harada responded, using an interpreter, that Gómez had, in turn, become one of his favorite fighters as well. Eder Jofre, one of the boxers Harada beat to win world titles, is also enshrined at the IBHOF.
Masahiko Harada became president of the Japanese Boxing Commission in 2002.
On January 28, 2004, as he was driving home from his office, Harada experienced a headache and he was found to have a brain hemorrhage which required hospitalisation. By 2005 he was recovering steadily.
On November 7, 2019 he presented the Muhammad Ali Trophy to Naoya Inoue after his victory over Nonito Donaire to win the 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series – bantamweight division tournament.


Bill Struth

William Struth (16 June 1875 – 21 September 1956) was the second manager of Rangers Football Club, leading the club for 34 years between 1920 and 1954, as well as being the holder of a number of other positions, including director. Struth is one of the most successful managers in Scottish and British football history, winning 30 major trophies in his career; a record 18 Scottish league championships, 10 Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
Career.
Struth was born in Leith, Edinburgh, the eldest child of William Struth senior, a stonemason, and Isabella Cunningham. He grew up in Edinburgh and Milnathort (his father's birthplace) in Kinross-shire and worked as a stonemason, but he also competed as a professional runner until he was in his 30s. In the early 1900s he began helping to train the players at his local football club, Heart of Midlothian, and in 1908 he moved to Glasgow to become the trainer at Clyde. For three seasons at Shawfield he worked alongside Alex Maley, brother of the Celtic manager Willie Maley.
Struth moved to Rangers in 1914 to take up the position of assistant manager. At the age of 45, in 1920, he took over as manager after his predecessor William Wilton was drowned in a boating accident off Gourock.
Struth went on to win the league title 18 times as manager, winning 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War. This included winning five titles in a row between 1927 and 1931. Struth's tenure as manager spanned the club's first league and cup double in 1928, when Rangers lifted the Scottish Cup and ended a 25-year 'hoodoo', and its first treble in 1949, Struth becoming the first Scottish manager to achieve this honour.
If wartime competitions (the 1939–40 Scottish Emergency League followed by six wartime Southern League championships, the Scottish War Emergency Cup, the 1946 Victory Cup, a Summer Cup and four Southern League Cups) and local tournaments (19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchants Charity Cups) are included, Struth won a total of 73 trophies during his career, making him the most decorated manager in British football history.
Struth was renowned as a disciplinarian, insisting that the team wore a collar and tie when turning up for training; bowler hats were obligatory for Rangers players. Adam Little was signed by Struth and this interview gives an insight into his methods.
In 1947, Struth became a Rangers director and was then appointed vice-chairman after retiring in 1954. In 1952 he had part of a leg amputated as a result of gangrene. He died on 21 September 1956, aged 81, at his home in Dumbreck and is buried in Craigton Cemetery, overlooking Ibrox Stadium. His wife, Catherine Forbes, predeceased him in 1941. The grave lies in the south-west section on a terrace on its north side.
Recognition.
In 2005, Rangers' chairman Sir David Murray unveiled a bronze bust of Bill Struth, located in the Main Stand at Ibrox, now known as the "Bill Struth Main Stand" in honour of his contribution to Rangers Football Club.
In 2016 a further memorial was placed at his grave listing his club achievements.
Famous quotes.
When being presented with the portrait that now hangs in the Ibrox trophy room, Bill Struth said:


William J. Hirsch

William James "Buddy" Hirsch (January 11, 1909 – October 25, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. He was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Max Hirsch.
A trainer from 1932 to 1982, Buddy Hirsch served as a trainer for the King Ranch of Texas for more than 40 years. Although best remembered for his affiliation with King Ranch, in California he trained horses for several other prominent owners from the East Coast such as Harry Isaacs, Alfred Vanderbilt Jr., Joan and John Hay Whitney's Greentree Stable as well as Edward Lasker and his wife, the actress Jane Greer.
Hirsch graduated from Georgetown University and worked during the Great Depression era at a Wall Street brokerage owned by Thoroughbred racing fan and stable owner Bernard Baruch. During World War II, Hirsch served with the United States Army and earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
In 1977, Hirsch turned over training duties for King Ranch to his son, Bill. In 1982, Hirsch was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1982. He died at age 88 in 1997 at Bal Harbour, Florida, and was buried next to his parents in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, Long Island, New York.


Travis Grant

Travis Grant (born January 1, 1950) is a former American basketball small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers. He also was a member of the San Diego Conquistadors, Kentucky Colonels, and Indiana Pacers in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played college basketball at Kentucky State University.
Early years.
Growing up in rural Alabama as part of the segregated South, he practiced his basketball shot using a tennis ball and a cutout five-gallon bucket as a makeshift rim.
He attended Barbour County High School in Clayton, Alabama. As a senior, he was offered an opportunity to transfer to a white school, but he instead opted to stay put.
College career.
Grant accepted a basketball scholarship from NAIA Kentucky State University, because of his relationship with head coach Lucias Mitchell, turning down other offers.
As a freshman, he spent the first half of the season opener against Campbell College on the bench, entering the game in the second half and hitting 10 straight shots, which earned him the "Machine". He finished the season averaging 26.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and shot 61.9% from the field.
As a sophomore, he led the team to a 29-3 record and the NAIA National Championship. He averaged 35.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and shot 70% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 27.4 points. He also scored a school record 75 points in a regular season game against Northwood Institute.
As a junior, he led the team to a 31-2 record and a second straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and shot 64.8% from the field. In the NAIA Tournament, he averaged 33.6 points and received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award.
As a senior, he led the team to a 28-5 record and a third straight NAIA National Championship. He averaged 39.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and shot 62% from the field. He scored 68 points against Eastern Michigan University and their star George "The Iceman" Gervin. In the NAIA tournament he scored 213 points, including a tournament single-game record of 60 points against Minot State University. He set the All-time tournament scoring record for both a season (213) and a career (518). He averaged an NAIA record 33.4 points per game over his career. He received the Chuck Taylor MVP Award for the second time in a row. He also was the first small college player to win the Lapchick Trophy-Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year award.
Grant graduated as the all-time/all-division scoring leader in college basketball history with 4,045 points (378 more than Pistol Pete Maravich). His record was later broken by both Phil Hutcheson (4,106) and John Pierce (4,230) of Lipscomb University.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Kentucky State University Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary All-Star Team. In 2014, he was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Professional career.
Los Angeles Lakers.
Grant was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (13th overall) of the 1972 NBA Draft. He also was selected by the Utah Stars in the 1972 ABA draft. As a rookie, he was part of a team that included Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich and Pat Riley. On October 30, 1973, he was waived to make room for the recently acquired power forward Connie Hawkins.
San Diego Conquistadors.
On November 22, 1973, he signed with the San Diego Conquistadors in the American Basketball Association, reuniting with Chamberlain, who was initially going to serve as a player/coach. He suffered a broken foot during the season. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
In the 1974-75 season, he compiled his best stats, when he averaged 25.2 points per game (fourth in the league) and 6.2 rebounds per game with a 54.4% field goal percentage, even though he suffered a knee injury. In November 1974, he made 17 of 23 field goal attempts and 11 free throws against the New York Nets.
On October 2, 1975, he was traded to the Kentucky Colonels in exchange for cash considerations and a third round draft choice.
Kentucky Colonels.
In the 1975-76 season, he averaged 5.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. On January 12, 1976, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers, in exchange for cash considerations and a future draft choice.
Indiana Pacers.
In 1976, the Indiana Pacers acquired Grant to provide depth after their leading scorer Billy Knight was lost to an injury. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds. He expected to play with the Pacers during the 1976-77 season, but couldn't reach a contract agreement. The contract problems also prevented the Seattle SuperSonics from inviting him to training camp.
Grant finished with a career field goal percentage of 52.4%, making 1,183 out of 2,257 shots for 2,767 points. He also registered 819 rebounds, 211 assists, 106 steals and 51 blocks.
Personal life.
After his basketball career was over, he finished his degree and earned a master degree at West Georgia University. He served 30 years as a teacher, coach and administrator, before retiring in 2010.


Andy Phillip

Andrew Michael "Handy Andy" Phillip (March 7, 1922 – April 29, 2001) was an American professional basketball player. Born in Granite City, Illinois, Phillip had an 11-year career and played for the Chicago Stags of the Basketball Association of America and the Philadelphia Warriors, Fort Wayne Pistons and Boston Celtics, of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
High school/College.
Phillip led his high school in Granite City, Illinois, to the IHSA state championship in 1940 by defeating Herrin High School with a final score of 24–22 at Huff Gym on the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign campus. Ironically it would be that same gymnasium where he earned renown for his talents and for the Fighting Illini's success during war-interrupted, non-consecutive seasons in 1941–1943 and 1946–1947. Phillip was the untitled leader of "The Whiz Kids", a team that included Ken Menke, Gene Vance, Jack Smiley and team captain Art Mathisen. Arguably the most talented basketball team in the nation, Phillip and his teammates would elect not to participate in either the NCAA or NIT tournament based on the army's draft of Mathisen, Menke and Smiley. The team was retroactively named the national champion by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Four of the five, minus Mathisen, returned to Illinois and tried to recapture the glory for one more season in 1946–47 after the war ended, but the chemistry had changed as well as their talent. Illinois went 14–6.
While attending Illinois, Phillip was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Phillip served as a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in World War II at Iwo Jima.
Professional basketball.
Phillip played in the first five NBA All-Star Games, and was twice named to the All-NBA Second Team. He was the first player to record 500 assists in a season, and led the NBA in assists during the 1950–51 and 1951–52 seasons. Phillip reached the postseason every year he was in the league, and his teams made it to the NBA Finals during his final four seasons — twice with Fort Wayne and twice with Boston. The 1957 Boston team won the NBA Championship.
Phillip was alleged by one of his Fort Wayne Pistons teammates, George Yardley, to have conspired with gamblers to throw the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals. In the decisive seventh game, Phillip turned the ball over with three seconds remaining in the game, enabling Syracuse to win by one point, 92–91.
After retiring from playing basketball, he coached the St. Louis Hawks for 10 games in 1958, posting a 6–4 record before he was fired. Phillip later coached the Chicago Majors of the American Basketball League.
Phillip was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961. He was elected to the Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team in 2004. In 2007, Phillip was voted one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament", recognizing his superior performance in his appearance in the tournament.
Phillip died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on April 29, 2001, aged 79.
Sports writer Dan Manoyan wrote a book about Phillip and his Granite City High School basketball teammates, titled "Men of Granite", in 2007. A film based on the book, directed by Dwayne Johnson-Cochran, began production in 2015.