Sports Personalities

Grover Alexander

nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.

Ernie Banks

nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971

Simone Biles

2016 Olympic women's individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist; part of the United States team, dubbed the "Final Five"; With a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, She is the most decorated American gymnast

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

All-time NBA scoring leader; Played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers; Originally named Lewis Alcindor Jr.; starred in Airplane (1980) as Roger Murdock

Johnny Bench

American former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a key member of the Big Red Machine that won six division titles, four National League pennants, and two consecutive World Series championships. Known for his prowess on both offense and defense, ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan

American professional doubles tennis players, and are the most successful duo of all time. They were born on April 29, 1978, with Mike being the elder by two minutes.

Tracy Austin

An American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She won three Grand Slam titles; the women's singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and the mixed doubles title at the Wimbledon Championships in 1980.

Bill Bradley

An American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for president in the 2000 election; All-American at Princeton and led Knicks to 2 NBA championships

Bill Belichick

An American professional football coach who serves as the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He exercises extensive authority over the Patriots' football operations, effectively making him the team's general manager as well. He holds numerous coaching records, including winning a record six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots, and two more as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

Arthur Ashe

An American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980

Charles Barkley

An American retired professional basketball player who is currently an analyst on Inside the NBA. Nicknamed "Chuck", "Sir Charles" and "the Round Mound of Rebound"; established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant power forwards; played for 76ers, Suns, and Rockets

Nick Faldo

An English professional golfer who is now mainly an on-air golf analyst. A top player of his era, renowned for his dedication to the game, he was ranked No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for a total of 97 weeks.

Abebe Bikila

An Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He won the first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome while running barefoot and the second gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He is the first sub-Saharan African Olympic gold medallist.

Roger Bannister

British middle-distance athlete and neurologist who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, He set a British record in the 1500 metres and finished in fourth place

Bobby Clarke

Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team.

Ray Bourque

Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He currently holds records for most career goals, assists, and points by a defenseman in the National Hockey League. Synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and became Boston's longest-serving captain.

Novak Djokovic

a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1 in men's singles tennis by the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Terry Bradshaw

He played for 14 seasons with Pittsburgh, won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period (1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979), becoming the first quarterback to win three and four Super Bowls, and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships. Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday.

Rick Barry

He was known for his unorthodox but effective underhand free throw shooting technique, and at the time of his retirement in 1980 his .900 free throw percentage ranked first in NBA history; played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA); played for both the San Francisco Warriors and the Golden State Warriors

Al Davis

He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in 2011; now owned by son Mark Clark Davis

Larry Bird

Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick"; played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards. He was also a member of the gold-medal-winning 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team known as "The Dream Team".

Troy Aikman

Quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys between 1989-2000, winning 3 super bowls; coached by Jimmy Johnson during his tenure

Drew Brees

Since joining the Saints, He has led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns, passing yards, and 300-yard games. He holds NFL records for career pass completions, career completion percentage, career passing yards, and career touchdown passes; He signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006. He experienced immediate success in New Orleans, leading the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV and helping the team to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Hank Aaron

This MLB player broke Babe Ruth's homerun record when he hit his 755th homerun in 1974; played for Atlanta Braves

Andre Agassi

This athlete's father boxed for Iran in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics; his own Olympic exploits included the 1996 tennis gold. Born in Las Vegas, he reached the world's #3 ranking at age 18 but was better known for his image than for his play. Perhaps the greatest returner and baseline player ever, this athlete won his first major on Wimbledon grass in 1992. Briefly married to Brooke Shields, he fell to #141 in the world in 1997, but after they divorced, this man rededicated himself to the game. In 1999 he won the French Open, becoming just the fifth man to complete the career Grand Slam. In all, he has won eight major singles titles (five since 1999), and is now married to women's great Steffi Graf.

Red Auerbach

Won 938 games as a coach, 9 NBA championships in 11 years and a general manager and team president for the Boston Celtics; subject of the Boston Celtics Logo

Victoria Azarenka

a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in singles and was the year-end No. 1 in 2012. She has won 20 WTA singles titles, eight WTA doubles titles, and three mixed-doubles titles.

Kim Clijsters (Cly-sters)

a Belgian professional tennis player. Clijsters has been a world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, having held both rankings simultaneously in 2003. She has won a total of six Grand Slam tournament titles, four in singles and two in doubles

Sidney Crosby

a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed "The Next One", He was selected first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Jean Beliveau

a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971; nickname was "Gentlemen Jean" and "Le Gros Bill"

Jose Canseco

a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oakland A's, he established himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game. He won the Rookie of the Year, and Most Valuable Player award, and was a six-time All-Star.

Boris Becker

a German former world No. 1 professional tennis player. He was successful from the start of his career, winning the first of his six major singles titles at age 17. His Grand Slam singles titles included three Wimbledons, two Australian Opens and one US Open; coached Djokovic for 3 years; famous for playing poker post-retirement

Usain Bolt

a Jamaican former sprinter. He is a world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay. Owing to his achievements and dominance in sprint competition, he is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time; An eight-time Olympic gold medallist

Roberto Duran

a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight.

Roberto Clemente

a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming both the first Latin American and Caribbean player to be enshrined; killed in a plane crash

Nadia Comaneci (coma-netch)

a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976 at the age of 14, She was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games

Alberto Contador

a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice, the Giro d'Italia twice, and the Vuelta a España three times. He is one of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours of cycling.

Fernando Alonso

a Spanish racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 2005 and 2006 for the Renault team. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport.

Bjorn Borg

a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Between 1974 and 1981 he became the first man in the Open Era to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles, although he was never able to win the US Open in four finals appearances.

John Elway

a former American football quarterback who is currently the general manager and president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He played college football at Stanford and his entire 16-year professional career with the Denver Broncos; won 2 super Bowls as Broncos QB

Tony Dorsett

a former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos; He was the first-round draft choice of the Cowboys in 1977, the second overall selection (from Seattle). He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and played for the team for 11 seasons, through 1987.

Earl Anthony

a left-handed American professional bowler who amassed records of 43 titles and six Player of the Year awards on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. For over two decades, his career title count was listed as 41

Ashton Eaton

a retired American decathlete and two-time Olympic champion, who holds the world record in the indoor heptathlon event.

Mary Decker

a retired American middle-distance runner. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and was the world record holder in the mile, 5000 meters and 10,000 meters.

Jimmy Connors

a retired American world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 weeks.

Margaret Smith Court

a retired Australian tennis player and former world No. 1. She won 24 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, more than any other player in history, and is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Hicham el Guerrouj

a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner; is the current world record holder of the outdoor 1500 meters, mile, and 2000 meters events.

Sparky Anderson

an American Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League; died of dementia in 2010

Eddie Arcaro

an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple Crown twice.

Gabby Douglas

an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2012 Olympic all around champion and the 2015 World all-around silver medalist; She was a member of the gold-winning teams at both the 2012 and the 2016 Summer Olympics, dubbed the "Fierce Five" and the "Final Five" by the media, respectively. She was also a member of the gold-winning American teams at the 2011 and the 2015 World Championships. She is the first African American to become the Olympic individual all-around champion

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke

an American basketball coach and former player who has won championships in college, in the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association. She is considered by many as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever; played for Houston Comets from 1997-2000

Wilt Chamberlain

an American basketball player who played as a center and is considered one of the greatest players in history. He played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association; Also known as Wilt the Stilt and The Big Dipper; He is the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game or average more than 40 and 50 points in a season.

Paul "Bear" Bryant

an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships; died in Tuscaloosa, AL(home of the now Bryant-Denny Stadium)

Gertrude Ederle

an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in five events. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Among other nicknames, the press sometimes called her "Queen of the Waves."

Mark Cuban

an American entrepreneur, television personality, media proprietor, and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, co-owner of 2929 Entertainment, and chairman of AXS TV.

Pete Carroll

an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and the USC Trojans of the University of Southern California.

Walter Camp

an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system of downs.

George Blanda

an American football quarterback and placekicker who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history; retired from pro football in August 1976 as the oldest player to ever play at the age of 48

Tom Brady

an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent the first 20 seasons of his career with the New England Patriots, playing in nine Super Bowls and winning six of them (36, 38, 39, 49, 51, and 53), the most of any player in NFL history. He has won a record four Super Bowl MVP awards (36, 38, 49, and 51) as well as three NFL MVP awards (2007, 2010, 2017); was drafted 199th overall by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Due to his late selection, He is considered the biggest "steal" in the history of the NFL Draft.

Elgin Baylor

an American former basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a small forward in the National Basketball Association for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in eight NBA Finals. Renowned for his acrobatic maneuvers on the court, he regularly dazzled Lakers fans with his trademark hanging jump shots.

Barry Bonds

an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He received a record seven NL MVP awards, eight Gold Glove awards, a record 12 Silver Slugger awards, and 14 All-Star selections; a central figure in baseball's steroids scandal. In 2007, he was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to the grand jury during the federal government's investigation of BALCO

George Brett

an American former professional baseball player who played 21 years, primarily as a third baseman, in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals. His 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history and 16th all-time.

Steve Carlton

an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies with whom he won four Cy Young Awards as well as the 1980 World Series.

Wade Boggs

an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but he also played for the New York Yankees, with whom he won the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with whom he reached 3,000 hits; known for drinking habits and nicknamed "Chicken Man"

Jim Brown

an American former professional football player, sports analyst and actor. He was a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League from 1957 through 1965.

Lance Armstrong

an American former professional road racing cyclist, known for winning the Tour de France seven times before being disqualified over the biggest doping scandal in cycling history.

Michelle Akers

an American former soccer player who starred in the 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup and 1996 Olympics victories by the United States. At the 1991 World Cup, she won the Golden Shoe as the top scorer, with 10 goals; is regarded as one of the greatest female soccer players of all time; suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Bob Beamon

an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. He broke the existing record by a margin of 55 cm and his world record stood for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell.

Yogi Berra

an American professional baseball catcher, who later took on the roles of manager and coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) (1946-1963, 1965), all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was an 18-time All-Star and won 10 World Series championships as a player—more than any other player in MLB history.

Dizzy Dean

an American professional baseball pitcher. During his Major League Baseball career, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Browns; part of St. Louis Cardinals 1930s team nicknamed "Gashouse Gang"

Tim Duncan

an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He spent his entire 19-year playing career with the Spurs; he is a five-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA MVP, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, a 15-time NBA All-Star, and the only player to be selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams for 13 consecutive seasons.

Kevin Durant

an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft; He played nine seasons with the franchise, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, before signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, winning back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.

Stephen Curry

an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association. A six-time NBA All-Star, He has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player twice and won three NBA championships with the Warriors.

Kobe Bryant

an American professional basketball player. As a shooting guard, Bryant entered the National Basketball Association directly from high school, and played his entire 20-season professional career in the league with the Los Angeles Lakers; died in a helicopter crash in January 2020; gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public; middle name is "Bean"

Muhammad Ali

an American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time; died of septic shock in 2016; born as Cassius Clay; born and raised in Louisville KY

Patty Berg

an American professional golfer and a founding member and then leading player on the LPGA Tour during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer.

Tamika Catchings

an American retired professional basketball player who played her entire 15-year career for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association; famous for recording the first ever quintuple-double (25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and 10 blocks) in 1997 and served as President of the WNBA Players Association from 2012 to 2016

Bob Cousy

an American retired professional basketball player. He played point guard with the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-70 season.

Gail Devers

an American retired track and field athlete. A two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters for the USA, her 1996 win made her only the second woman to successfully defend an Olympic 100m title. She won a third Olympic gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay in 1996.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

an American semi-retired, professional stock car racing driver. He is a team owner, author, and an analyst for NASCAR on NBC. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for his team JR Motorsports.

David Beckham

an English former professional footballer, the current president of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and the England national team, for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States and France. He retired in May 2013 after a 20-year career, during which he won 19 major trophies.

Geno Auriemma

an Italian-born American college basketball coach and the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team.

Mario Andretti

an Italian-born American former racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship, and NASCAR.

Julius Erving

commonly known by the nickname "Dr. J", is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim in his career at the ABA and the NBA.

Joe DiMaggio

nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees; was temporarily married to Marilyn Monroe

Dale Earnhardt Sr.

he began his career in 1975 in the World 600 as part of the Winston Cup Series; died in fatal crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Lindsay Davenport

is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked World No. 1 on eight different occasions, for a total of 98 weeks; one of five women who have been the year-end World No. 1 at least four times (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005) since 1975; the others are Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams. She has achieved the No. 1 ranking in doubles as well.

Maureen Connolly

known as "Little Mo", was an American tennis player, the winner of nine Grand Slam singles titles in the early 1950s. In 1953, she became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments during the same calendar year.

Roy Campanella

nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro Leagues and Mexican League for several seasons before entering the minor leagues in 1946

Miguel Cabrera

nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He is the first baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.

Roger Clemens

nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball for four teams, most notably the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees; has won the most Cy Young Awards with 7

Don Bradman

nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.

Juan Manuel Fangio

nicknamed El Chueco or El Maestro, was an Argentine racing car driver. He dominated the first decade of Formula One racing, winning the World Drivers' Championship five times. From childhood, he abandoned his studies to pursue auto mechanics

Jack Dempsey

nicknamed Kid Blackie, and The Manassa Mauler, was an Irish, Native-American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926

Leo Durocher

nicknamed Leo the Lip and Lippy, was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,008 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history.

Ty Cobb

nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. He spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics.

Morten Andersen

nicknamed the "Great Dane", is a Danish-American former American football kicker. He is the all-time leader in games played in the NFL, with 382. He formerly held both the NFL records for field goals and points scored. Both records were broken by Adam Vinatieri in 2018; played for the Atlanta Falcons

Angel Cordero Jr.

one of the leading thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of all time and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame

Bonnie Blair

retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. She competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal.

James J. Corbett

was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the only man who ever defeated the great John L. Sullivan; nicknamed "Gentleman Jim"