1868-1954 American physical education teacher Known as the mother of women's basketball, Senda Berenson Abbott, in 1893, recognized the potential of the sport for women. An advocate of physical education for women and a physical education teacher at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, she revised the rules the men played by. Her modifications to the rules were meant to shield her f…
1925- American baseball player As a player, manager, and linguist of sorts, Yogi Berra has endeared himself to baseball fans since World War II as a hard-working, rough-edged original. As a New York Yankee he developed into a masterful catcher as well as an outstanding hitter. He won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1951, 1954, and 1955, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.…
1965- American swimmer Matt Biondi is one of the greatest competitive swimmers in history. Over the course of his career, he earned dozens of national, international, and collegiate titles and set twelve world records. He reached his zenith at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, where he won seven medals to tie the record set by swimming legend Mark Spitz in 1972. Biondi, Spitz, and shoo…
1956- American basketball player By the time he joined the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1979, Larry Bird was already a basketball hero in his home state of Indiana. Larry Bird After a brief stay at Indiana University, he transferred to Indiana State University (ISU) and led the men's basketball team to thirty-three consecutive wins in his senior year…
1974- Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen listened to a vacuum cleaner salesman, then cleaned up at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Bjoerndalen, from Norway, won four gold medals in the biathlon, an event that combines cross-country skiing with target shooting. Amid an Olympiad that featured the stunning success of American figure skater Sarah Hughes, an enthralling gold-med…
1964- American speed skater American speed skater Bonnie Blair won six medals competing in three Winter Olympics Games, the second most medals won by a woman in the Winter Olympic Games (the first was Lydia Skoblikova). Of the six, five were gold, making Blair the only American woman to ever win five gold medals in the games. Blair was also the first American speed skater to win in more than one O…
1948-2001 New Zealander yachtsman Sir Peter Blake, perhaps more than any other sailor, was responsible for changing the public perception of ocean yacht racing from a daring adventure sport practiced by a few foolhardy souls, into an avidly followed professional sport whose top players are internationally acclaimed. Blake first made headlines in 1993, when he set a world record for the fastest cir…
1912-1995 Canadian hockey player Hector "Toe" Blake was one of the most influential hockey coaches in the history of the National Hockey League. He won eight Stanley Cups as a coach, five of them in consecutive seasons, with the Montreal Canadiens. He had a .634 winning percentage as a coach, and was a mentor to Scotty Bowman, the only man to win more Cups as a coach, with nine. Many…
1965- American basketball player Finding his niche and filling it remarkably well is what made point guard Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues a dominant player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A superior athlete, he left his mark in the NBA, ranking among the top 20 players in career assists. He was easily recognizable on the court because he stood more than two feet shorter than ot…
1963- American figure skater Brian Boitano transformed professional figure skating by both forcing his fellow skaters to excel in order to match his true technical mastery, as well as by his tireless outside of the rink, becoming one of figure skating's true ambassadors. Boitano captured six world professional titles during his career and has set standards that may never be matched. He is t…
1964- American baseball player Professional baseball player Barry Bonds may be the sports world's most vivid study in contrasts. Revered for his practically unmatched athletic prowess—he appears poised to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 career home runs—he is, at the same time, despised by many for his aloof, or even downright rude, behavior both onand off-field. He ha…
1975- American baseball player The pitcher Ila Borders broke baseball's gender barrier in 1997, when she became the first woman to Ila Borders pitch in the men's minor leagues. Accomplishing a goal she had set since girlhood, Borders pitched her first professional game, for the Northern League's St. Paul Saints, on May 31, 1997. In her three years in the minor leagues, …
1956- Swedish tennis player Bjorn Borg One of the best all-time performers in tennis history, Swedish player Bjorn Borg won 62 singles titles, including 11 Grand Slam titles, and was ranked number one in the world in 1979 and 1980. With his powerful two-handed backhand, menacing topspin, and balletic footwork, he challenged the chief rivals of his day, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. And wi…
1957- Canadian hockey player Mike Bossy Amember of the New York Islanders Stanley Cupwinning dynasty (1980-83), right wing Mike Bossy was a scoring machine. A pure scorer, Bossy had a great shot, and was an excellent shooter and skater. He matched Maurice Richard's record of scoring fifty goals in fifty games. He went on to score at least fifty goals in his first nine seasons, and at…
1933- Canadian hockey coach Scotty Bowman Scotty Bowman is the most successful professional hockey coach in history, winning an unprecedented nine Stanley Cup Championships in a career that spanned thirty-four years. It is a record that may never be surpassed. Bowman, who retired at age sixty-eight after the 2001-02 season, also holds records for the most regular-season games coached (2,141…
1943- American basketball player Bill Bradley has found fame in two very different careers, one on the basketball court and one in politics, by applying similarly high levels of determination and skill. Having opted not to play for a basketball powerhouse because of his academic interests, he made headlines as a standout on the Princeton team. As a dazzling shooter and deft freethrower, he led the…
1908-2001 Australian cricket player Sir Donald Bradman was widely regarded as the greatest batsman ever to play the game of cricket. Scoring an average of 99.94 runs in Test matches over the course of his 20-year career from 1928 to 1948, Don Bradman Bradman far outshone players who were considered great if they averaged fifty runs. He scored more triple centuries (6) and more double centur…
1948- American football player The Steel Curtain. Franco Harris. Lynn Swann. Mean Joe Greene. These names are all indelibly imprinted in the psyches of football fans who lived through the early 1980s, as well as struck a special fear into the Dallas Cowboy fans who lost not one, but two Super Bowls to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But there is one name who stands behind them all. A small-town boy with …
1960- American sprinter Valerie Brisco-Hooks Like a shooting star, sprinter Valerie Brisco-Hooks shone for a brief, glorious moment in the public's eye before speeding away, never to reach the same vaunted height. While she shone, however, Brisco-Hooks burned especially bright. In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Brisco-Hooks accomplished what no other athlete, man or woman, ha…
1939- American baseball player During the 1970s, Lou Brock did for base-stealing what slugger Mark McGwire did for the homerun in the 1990s: Brock turned the pursuit of the stolen base into a national pastime. In the history of baseball, few players have covered the 90 feet between the bases more productively. During his 19-year career, Brock stole 938 bases, making him the most prolific base-stea…
1937- American hockey coach Herb Brooks is best known for his role as coach of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team that won the gold medal at the Winter Olympic games in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980, the so-called "Miracle on Ice." Brooks had previously played for the U.S. team himself, before starting a coaching career in which he coached on the college, national, Europ…
1936- American football player Jim Brown Hall-of-Fame running back, Jim Brown, was recognized during his football career for his dominance on the playing field. In the years following his early retirement, that same strength and determination led to success in Hollywood and social activism. With the Cleveland Browns from 1957 through 1966, Brown rewrote the record books and then left the ga…
1876-1948 American baseball player Of all the young men in history who aspired to play professional baseball, Mordecai Brown wished it perhaps most of all. After a childhood accident left him with a badly mangled right hand, he learned to throw a natural sinker ball despite the handicap. He spent fourteen years in the major leagues and was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, as one of the most…
1908-1991 American football coach Paul Brown was the first head coach of the Cleveland Browns football team. He played a major role in the evolution of the modern day game, devising detailed game plans, playbooks, and classroom learning techniques. He was also the first coach to hire a full-time coaching staff, as well as instituting the practice of analyzing game films. He coached with the Browns…
1966- American football player A standout at Notre Dame and one of the best wide receivers in National Football league (NFL) history, Oakland Raider Tim Brown continues to break records and propel his team to the top of the standings. Though not without some rocky times with team management, he's the only Raider who has scored points four different ways: on a pass reception, on a rush, and …
1978- American basketball player One of basketball's biggest talents, Kobe Bryant rose to fame as a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Kobe Bryant late 1990s and early 2000s. Together with his superstar teammate, the center Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant led the Lakers to their consecutive 2000, 2001, and 2002 National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship titles. One of th…
1963- Ukrainian pole vaulter In his 18-year career, pole vaulter Sergei Bubka set the world record 35 times, won gold medals at six consecutive world championships, and won an Olympic gold medal in Seoul in 1988. He is widely considered to be the greatest pole vaulter in history, and is the only person ever to clear a bar 20 feet overhead. …
1915- American tennis player Don Budge dominated the world of tennis throughout most of his career. His lightning quick return and Don Budge flawless backhand made him nearly unbeatable at his prime. Yet he will forever be known for two crowning achievements: completing the first ever "Grand Slam" in 1938 by winning at Wimbledon, the U.S., French and Australian national champi…
1954- American dogsledder Sled-dog racer Susan Butcher's aversion to civilization and love of dogs drew her from Boston to Alaska when she was twenty years old. The former city girl embraced the Alaskan wilderness, and tested herself against it, as she learned the art of mushing, or driving a sled led by a team of three to twenty dogs. She became one of only two people to win the Iditarod T…
1942- American football player Dick Butkus, in his nine seasons as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), came to epitomize his position, team and community. His on-field meanness and loyalty to his team and native city reflected football of the 1960s. Butkus was elected to the pro and college football Halls of Fame, and the award for the top college linebacker i…
1929- American figure skater Ranked as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time—perhaps second only to Sonja Henie in terms of his impact on the sport—Dick Button remains an influential force on the contemporary scene more than fifty years after he won his second of two Olympic Gold Medals. In addition to his Olympic triumphs, Button was the reigning U.S. men's champion …
1921-1993 American baseball player Known as "Campy" by his friends, colleagues, and fans, Roy Campanella is considered by many to be the best baseball catcher in the history of the game. He is often mentioned in the same breath as the great catcher Yogi Berra, who played for the opposing professional league, the American League. Named the National League's Most Valuable Player…
1955- American football player Earl Campbell's professional career was marked by his ability to sustain a hit. He was known for his strength and the fearlessness of his play. He rose out of the ashes of poverty to become a force on the football field. He won the Heisman trophy and restored the hopes of Houston football fans when he joined the Oilers Earl Campbell in 1978. A small tow…
1964- Cuban baseball player Sportswriters once chronicled Jose Canseco's exploits both on and off the baseball diamond with a mix of reverence and disbelief. The Oakland Athletics (A's) outfielder hit impressive home runs, helped take his team to three American League pennants and a World Series win, and was the first baseball player in history to achieve the "40-40" re…
1976- American tennis player Jennifer Capriati took the tennis world by storm in 1990 when she became the youngest player to ever reach a final of a professional tennis tournament just shy of her fourteenth birthday. She was the youngest ever player to reach the semifinals of the major tournaments and the youngest ever player to be ranked in the top ten. Capriati's initial success, however,…
1914-1998 American sportscaster Harry Caray changed the world of sports broadcasting forever with a style that reflected his true love of baseball. Caray was a man who spoke his mind. It is this aspect of his personality that endeared him to most, but ostracized him from others. There were many sportscasters who dreaded working with him, because he took over the booth. He was certainly larger than…
1979- American motocross racer After winning the American Motocross Association (AMA) 125-cc Motocross series for three consecutive years, Ricky Carmichael moved up to the 250-cc class and won that series for the next three years. He is also a two-time champion in the AMA 250-cc Super-cross series. In 2002 Carmichael posted an unprecedented perfect record of twelve overall wins in the twelve-race …
1965- American football player When wide receiver Cris Carter, who played most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, retired after 15 years of playing football, he ranked second all-time in the NFL with 1,096 receptions, 129 of them for touchdowns. Carter, who is an eight-time Pro Bowl athlete, came out of retirement in October of 2002 to join the Miami Dolphins. Address: Cris Carter's …
1926- American bowler Known as Mr. Bowling, Don Carter was an early professional star in and tireless promoter of the sport of bowling. He was the first to make more than six figures in winnings. With his signature unconventional bowling style, Carter won more than forty individual, double, and team competitions. A founder of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in the mid-1950s, Carter led …
1977- American basketball player One of the brightest young stars in professional basketball, Vince Carter has helped to popularize basketball in a country that long has focused the bulk of its sports interests on hockey during the fall and winter months. In only his second season with the Toronto Raptors, he led the young franchise to its first-ever appearance in the National Basketball Associati…
1820-1892 American baseball pioneer Ask baseball fans the name of their sport's founder, and most will answer "Abner Doubleday." Yet it was not the Civil War general who laid down the groundwork for America's most popular game. The man who did perhaps the most to formalize and codify modern baseball was one Alexander Cartwright, a New York City banker. Neither Cartwrigh…
1948- American tennis player Rosemary Casals teamed with Billie Jean King to become one of the top doubles tandems ever in women's tennis. On the court, Casals disdained the conservative, baseline strategy that had been the trademark of the women's game until the late 1960s. Casals, however, may have been most effective as a rebel off-court. She, along with pioneer King and others, f…
1963- American swimmer One of the greatest swimmers ever produced by the United States in terms of her versatility, Tracy Caulkins was at her peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Caulkins won a record 48 national championships, and set five world and 62 U.S. records. She was the first American to win a national title and set an American record in each of the four swimming strokes (backstroke, b…
1936-1999 American basketball player In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the centrality of court dominance in basketball, and thus changed the game forever. At seven feet, one inch tall, he was a towering figure, nicknamed "Wilt the Stilt"—a moniker he is said to have despised. Chamberlain was not simply a Goliath, however;…
1972- American tennis player Michael Chang was the youngest tennis player to be ranked among the five best players in the world. Just fifteen years old when he came out from the juniors becoming the youngest player to win a major match at the U.S. Open, and the youngest go to the Tour semifinals, Chang turned pro in 1988. In 1989, at the age of 17, he became the youngest player ever to win the Fre…
