Sports in St. Louis yet can be played in a very small area because there is no base-running. Invented on the streets and alleys of St. Louis in the early 1900s, the game has leagues around the country, thanks to servicemen who introduced the game to their buddies during World War II and the Korean War. St. Louis was home to four prominent twentieth-century boxers: Sonny Liston, Henry Armstrong, and brothers Leon and Michael Spinks. The Spinkses are the only brothers to have captured the heavyweight boxing title. Leon's son Cory Spinks has also held a world title. The Gateway Cross Cup is an
Tommy Spinks Spinks was selected in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and played professionally during the early 1970s. However, he is not included on the Vikings' web site listing of past players. Spinks was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. Spinks was the son of Methodist minister Otis Spinks (1900–1987) and Grace Spinks (1915–2003), who were living in Ruston, the location of Louisiana Tech, at the time of their deaths. The senior Spinkses are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park off U.S. Highway 80 West in Ruston. Spinks graduated in 1966 from Woodlawn