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Unforgettable Moments in Sports

Originally published at HistoryA2Z and sister sites.

Some sports moments are so famous, so iconic, they are impossible to forget. The thrill of triumph is captured on camera and preserved for all eternity. These images commemorate some of the most famous athletic memories ever witnessed.  Sports fans revere the game and exalt its athletes. They don’t sit and watch a contest. They consume it with an unadulterated enthusiasm that is unleashed at an exciting play. Sometimes a great play will live on forever. Sports fans are there for it. Here, you can take a look at 50 of the most iconic sports moments ever documented.

The Immortal Willie Mays Catch

Willie Mays’ catch was so phenomenal it’s simply known as “The Catch.” It happened in the first game of the 1954 World Series. The New York Giants faced off against the Cleveland Indians on that late September day. The score was tied 2-2, the game was in the eighth inning, and there were two runners on base. At bat, Cleveland Indian Vic Wertz took the fourth pitch and sent it deep into center field. The 425-foot hit would have cleared any fence in any other stadium. Mays, unfazed, saw it coming and took off sprinting toward the fence, watching the ball over his shoulder.

Baseball Hall of Famer Mays recalls the play. “I’m going back, a long way back, but there is never any doubt in my mind.” He says, “I turn and run for the bleachers. But I got it. Maybe you didn’t know that, but I knew it.” He heard the crack, and knew he was going to catch it, “Soon as it got hit, I knew I’d catch this ball.”

Running toward the fence, looking back, Mays cups the ball. The catch, the instantaneous spin toward the infield and the lightning fast hurl complete this epic play. The throw, arguably, is as significant as the catch. His laser-fast throw stops the base runners cold. It prevented the runners from scoring, and it allowed the Giants to take the game in tenth inning with a 5-2 final score. The Giants went on to defeat the Indians in four games at this exciting World Series.

The Pete Rose Dive

A signed photograph of Pete Rose’s famous head-first dive costs sports memorabilia collectors hundreds of dollars. The image defines the Cincinnati Reds player and his hard-working style of play. His conscientious efforts earned him the nickname, “Charlie Hustle.” The Rose dive is somewhat of a trademark. He was the only professional baseball player during his day to launch himself, head first, into home.

Rose was an aggressive and determined player. He once took out Ray Fosse at the plate, a catcher for the Indians, with a career-ending injury. Rose’s hustle also racked up some accolades. He’s a 17-time All-Star who holds the all-time MLB record for number of hits. The versatile switch-hitter got 4,256 hits during his career. He received one MVP Award and three World Series rings. In 1989, however, Rose received recognition for an unfortunate distinction. Due to illegal gambling, while he was managing the Reds, including betting on the Reds, he earned a permanent ban from MLB. His gambling problems found him barred from all baseball. It was a brutal exile in infamy from the sport he loved.

Terry Bradshaw Flexes for the Cameras

Always the performer, actor and author Terry Bradshaw made his first TV impressions on the pro football field. The legendary Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback was named NFL Super Bowl MVP in 1978 and 1979. He won an unprecedented four Super Bowl titles, having clinched the first two in 1974 and 1975. In fewer than six years, he quarterbacked all four of those Super Bowl wins, becoming the first NFL quarterback in NFL history to do so, and landing himself in the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

In this classic photo, Bradshaw exhibits his lively antics. It’s an obnoxious demonstration of his incredible strength, but it’s no stretch. Bradshaw unleashed one of the NFL’s most powerful quarterback arms ever. Completely outlandish, in full flex, it’s something you’d expect to see on the WWE circuit, and the jabs from the media gave it even more of a professional wrestling vibe. At six-feet, four-inches, and 220 pounds, Bradshaw’s size came before him, as well as a media reputation as an oaf bereft of intelligence. In true smack-talk showmanship, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson brazenly guffawed that Bradshaw, “couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the C and the A,” the dig dealt on the eve of Super Bowl XXIII. Spoiler alert: Dallas lost, 35-31.

Bobby Orr in Full Flight

This iconic moment lives on today as one of the NHL’s greatest goals in all hockey. During the 1970 Stanley Cup, jersey No. 4, Bobby Orr, legendary Boston Bruins defenseman, scored the tie-breaking win to clench the Cup with the match in overtime.

Just as the puck hit the net, Orr tripped over Noel Picard of the opposing St. Louis Blues, and was launched. With his arms stretched out victoriously, Orr flew through the air in triumphant celebration of the game-winning goal scored in the last seconds of the fourth, and final, Stanley Cup game. The famous image was captured by Ray Lussier, a Boston Record American photographer who happened to be in the right place at the right time. It became known as the “Flying Goal” or the “Flying Bobby.” Our image is a rare shot that catches Orr from a side angle instead of head on.

Vince Lombardi’s Final Victory Ride

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” A motto, of sorts, from the famous NFL coach Vince Lombardi, who was a legendary fixture of the Green Bay Packers. The Wisconsin team, legendary in its own right, won five NFL championships during the ’60s with Lombardi at the helm and went on to win Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. Lombardi was also known for his incensed screaming, up and down the sidelines, and his vehement locker room talks.

Carrying their beloved coach off the field in rowdy celebration became a winning tradition. Pictured here on the shoulder of lineman Jerry Kramer after winning the 1968 Super Bowl against the Oakland Raiders in Miami, a 33-14 trounce, it is Lombardi’s final victory ride and his last year as coach of the Packers. He died of cancer, unexpectedly, two years later. The NFL honored his legacy by renaming the Super Bowl trophy, the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Some parting words from the often scathing, but adored coach: “We are going to relentlessly chase perfection.”

The Bill Russell Block

Hall of Famer Bill Russell won MVP five times, made All-Stars twelve times and racked up eleven NBA Championships for the Boston Celtics. A notorious rival to Wilt Chamberlain both in height and on the court, the two basketball stars were known for their daunting blocking force. Russell didn’t just block shots on the basket, he created a rebound situation for his team. He put finesse into the rough swatting style of blocks. He used strategies of intimidation on shooters. According to Russell, “The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.”

Russell, pictured here in his No. 6 Celtics jersey, revolutionized defensive approaches in a game that previously revolved around scoring baskets. He was one of the best defensive players in NBA history. And, quite arguably, the best blocker ever.

Super Bowl I

Before it was christened the Super Bowl, it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. Kind of a mouthful. The very first 1967 contest, that would come to be called the Super Bowl, was the beginning of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) cooperating after years of acrimonious rivalry. The separate leagues competed over college player drafts, sparking huge bidding wars with the NFL frustrated by deep pockets who backed the AFL.

In 1966, their compromise and merger agreement settled on a Common Draft and shared TV airtime. And, obviously, it established what became known as the Super Bowl. Super Bowl I was played at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on January 15, 1967. The Kansas City Chiefs were defeated by Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, 35-10. Using Vince Lombardi’s infamous power-sweep move, Jim Taylor, number 31 for the Packers, is shown here executing it, one of the team’s most masterful plays. Taylor ran that ball 56 yards to the end zone. The Packers went on to sweep the first two Super Bowl championships.

Phil Mickelson Poses with Dr. J

Here’s a rare image of golfing great Phil Mickelson attending the All-American Collegiate Golf Team Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1989. Paired up with Julius “Dr. J” Erving, he doesn’t look a day out of high school. Yet, Mickelson, at 18, out of Arizona State University, won the NCAA championship. He was the youngest ever to do so. Also, as a left hander, that year, he was the first lefty to win the championship in the 25-year history of NCAA golf.

After winning three NCAA individual championships at ASU, Mickelson headed off to the pro circuit as soon as he graduated in 1992. His winning streak continued. Taking 44 PGA Tours, three Masters, and five championship wins, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012. Mickelson never won a U.S. Open, but he holds the record for finishing runner-up a perplexing six times. Before Tiger Woods entered the sport, Mickelson was the exclusive darling of the American golf scene.

Bird versus Magic

Look at Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, two plucky young gents on the verge of NBA stardom. In this picture the two are facing off against each other at the NCAA Championship game in 1979. That night, Magic’s Michigan State Spartans unseated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in a 75-64 upset. And, with Magic in a Spartans jersey, Michigan State began to dominate the NCAA.

The two Hall of Famers became NBA rivals throughout their careers. Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic brought “showtime” appeal to the L.A. Lakers, their teams tossing the Title back and forth in the early ’80s with the Lakers winning it in 1980, the Celtics in 1981, then back to the Championship Lakers in 1982, and so on, until both men were forced into retirement in the late ’80s due to medical issues. Their rivalry was healthy—mutual respect and fierce competition—leaving behind a legacy of a friendship that not only brought that example to the NBA, but also helped smooth out racial tensions.

“Havlicek Stole the Ball!”

This moment captures one of the most exciting plays in basketball history and one of the most famous broadcast calls. It was game seven of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. The score was 109-110, the Celtics had the lead and the 76ers had the ball at their end. Hal Greer stood at the throw-in line looking to put the ball back into play. With five seconds left on the clock, his toss didn’t make it to its intended target. Celtics’ John Havlicek snagged the ball and bounced it to Sam Jones. Jones broke off with it down the court, dribbling away the 76ers’ final seconds.

When Havlicek intercepted that pass, Celtics announcer Johnny Most exploded, “Havlicek stole the ball!!” Yelling on a strained voice, “Havlicek stole the ball!! It’s all over! It’s all over!!” The floor of the court flooded instantaneously. The Eastern Conference win advanced the Boston Celtics to the NBA finals where they won their seventh consecutive championship.

Mazeroski’s 1960 World Series Walk-Off Home Run

A game-winning home run is a rare event. When it happened in game seven of the 1960 World Series in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied 9-9, it became a definitive day in Major League Baseball history. This walk-off home run not only ended the game, it ended the World Series. Some call it the best home run ever, others say it was the best World Series ever. What is certain is there are few moments in sports more dramatic than this one.

At Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the contentious series was reaching a climax. The Pirates hadn’t won a World Series since 1925, and the Yankees hoped to win their eighth series in 12 years. At the top of the 9th, the Yankees brought in the tying run, wiping away the Pirates 2-run lead. When Pittsburgh Pirates Bill Mazeroski stepped up to the plate, no one expected the dramatic twist of events. Yankees pitcher Ralph Terry’s second pitch met a crack, and the ball soared well over 400 feet, deep into left field, over the head of Yogi Berra, clearing the 18-foot-high wall. Terry dropped his glove and left the mound. Mazeroski rounded the bases and met his teammates at home plate. His explosive shot went down in history as the only walk-off home run during the seventh game of any World Series.

“Neon” Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders had two nicknames. Neon Deion and Primetime. Why not? He played two major league sports. This phenomenal athlete made it to the NFL and MLB, achieving two dreams most never even see.

Very few athletes play two sports. Neon Deion is one of the most talented dual-sportsmen in history. He won two Super Bowl rings in the NFL and one World Series appearance, a new record for any athlete. His flashy style sets him apart as well. All the gold that glitters and a flamboyant fashion sense make him as at home with MC Hammer spitting rhymes on the MTV as running yard on the football field.

Hank “Home Run King” Aaron

This iconic moment, witnessed on April 8, 1974 at the Atlanta Braves’ home field, was greatly anticipated. But it was also marred by racist haters who sent Hank Aaron hate mail and death threats as he inched closer and closer to surpassing Babe Ruth’s home run record. However, the day Aaron launched his 715th home run was nothing short of spectacular. As he stepped up to bat, the entire stadium cheered him on.

Vin Scully, legendary Dodgers announcer, documented the historic hit. “What a marvelous moment for baseball!” Scully said. “What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep south for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol.”

It was Henry “Hank” Aaron’s second at-bat. After being walked once, he stood at the plate in the 4th inning. The first pitch was low into the dirt. The second pitch, a fastball, connected and Hammerin’ Hank sent it out deep into left field and over the fence.

By the time he crosses the plate, he’s met with booming fireworks, his entire team, and hugs by his mother and father. Even Dodgers team members shook his hand as he rounded third base. The entire stadium looked on. The 4th inning was officially put on hold while a microphone was brought over to Aaron. He spoke to the crowd, thanking God for the finale amidst roaring cheers and flashing clicks of hundreds of cameras. The feat was witnessed by 53,775 fans, a Braves stadium record, and by the entire world as it was broadcast live.

“The Great One”

Pictured here is Wayne Gretzky triumphantly hoisting the massive Stanley Cup over his head. It would be his fourth Cup with the Edmonton Oilers. In 1988, it would also be his last. As testament to how iconic this image is, how significant this man’s accomplishment is, a statue in Edmonton recreates the moment in bronze, celebrating this 4-time Stanley Cup championship player.

Gretzky, though retired for twenty years, remains the National Hockey League’s greatest player. In one season he scored a record 200 points, more goals than any other player. He went on to achieve this season record four times! Gretzky has more goals and more assists than any player. He holds 61 NHL records. After leaving the Oilers, Gretzky became the Los Angeles Kings greatest player. He brought sell-out games and excitement to Staples Center where his jersey yet hangs. His number is retired league-wide. His legacy, No. 99, will never be forgotten.

Shaq Scoops Up Monica Seles

Launching the All Star Cafe in 1995 was an exciting time. Six athlete superstars came together to bring the restaurant to New York City’s Times Square. Legendary greats Shaquille O’Neal, Monica Seles, Wayne Gretzky, Andre Agassi, Joe Montana, and Ken Griffey Jr. joined hands. The cafe stayed open until 2007.

Shaq is seen here scooping up Seles, the only woman of the investor group. Seles, a phenomenal tennis player, was the youngest ever French Open champion, taking the tournament when she was just 16. She totaled eight Grand Slam singles titles, all before she was 20 years old. In 1993 she suffered an on-court freak attack by a knifeman. It forced her to take a couple years off, and ruined her career, but she came back. The 2003 French Open was her last professional match. In 2008 she retired officially.

The Unstoppable Jim Brown

Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns is the best running back of all time. Widely considered un-tackle-able, this all-time great NFL offensive back and veritable tank plowed through defensive teams with a mind-over-matter, laser-like tenacity. His fully-inclusive package of explosive speed, deft agility and lightning quick feet made him a touchdown machine. With the ball in his arms, at 6-feet-two, 230 pounds, he was feared by all. Indomitable. Pictured: Two massive linebackers struggle to deter the man.

Even though he retired early, at the top of his game, he still ran for more yards and scored more touchdowns than any other player had. In his 9-year career he racked up 120 touchdowns and carried the ball over 12,000 yards. At 30, Brown left the football field for the silver screen.

As a dual-athlete, Brown was inducted into the College Lacrosse Hall of Fame, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1971 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From the 1960s through the 1990s, Brown holds another sort of record—a series of accusations and arrests for violence against women, including attempted murder against a fashion model. Violence against men charges include choking his golf partner, Frank Snow.

Wilt Chamberlain, the legend

Here’s another all-time sports great with a penchant for disrespect against the fairer race. Out in the open, Wilt Chamberlain boasted in his 1973 autobiography, Wilt: Just Like Any Other 7-Foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door, of his personal record for sleeping with 20,000 women. A bachelor all his life, he kept track with checkmarks in his day-timer.

This old school legend averaged 30 points per game. In one game, he spectacularly scored 100 points! Chamberlain performed with the Harlem Globetrotters before going into his illustrious NBA career. He started with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. Chamberlain famously led the Los Angeles Lakers to win the 1972 NBA Championship, taking the NBA MVP title as well, and becoming a Hall of Fame superstar. He retired at 37 and successfully took on the business and finance world.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ Olympic Salute

This vintage image from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City marks an uncommon theater, the clash of sports and politics. Tommie Smith, who just won the gold medal for the 200-meter race, and John Carlos who scored the bronze, are captured raising their black-gloved fist in unity as a symbol of black solidarity. Race relations during these years were contentious. Recall, the man who “had a dream” was brutally assassinated just months prior to the stand these two black athletes took. Two months later, another voice of the civil rights movement was gunned down, Robert Kennedy. Riots were a common scene. The iconic photo of these men raising fists during the ceremonious playing of The Star-Spangled Banner, however, was a jarring symbol for average Americans who would have no idea that Smith’s and Carlos’ bare feet symbolized African and black American poverty. The third medalist on the scaffold, Peter Norman of Australia, silver, though standing with no salute, is wearing a badge from the Olympic Project for Human Rights, the cause Carlos and Smith support.

Muhammad Ali Knocks Out Sonny Liston

Sonny Liston was the most intimidating heavyweight of his day. He earned his quick hands and glove prowess serving time in prison. Released tough and strong, a mob hitman stepped in to take care of his boxing contracts. On May 25, 1965 this heavyweight champion was out of shape and past his prime.

On that day, in Lewiston, Maine, the smallest heavyweight championship crowd ever crammed into a high school gym. Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, known during the day as Cassius Clay, knocked Sonny Liston out in the first round with one swift and powerful right hook. The smooth jab happened so fast it became known as the phantom punch. Ali follows up with a left swing, but it’s too late. He hits air as Liston lay on the mat. This photo, above, captures that moment. Ali’s victorious grimace reigns decisively over the defeated heavyweight champion. After months of taunts and shows of public intimidation by Cassius Clay, Liston is defeated in less than two minutes. The World Heavyweight Champion title stays with Muhammad Ali.

Tiger and The Shark

Here’s amateur Tiger Woods at the 1995 Masters getting some information from Australian pro golfer, Greg Norman. “The Shark” probably knew a few things about the Masters, though the only championship he won was The British Open. Twice. In 1986 and 1993. At this tournament, Norman placed 3rd and Woods tied for 41st. Not too shabby for a freshman from Stanford, at his first PGA Tour major. He was the only amateur to make the cut.

On April 13, 1997 he went pro and returned to Augusta to win the Masters. He was only 21 years old. This made him the youngest person to win the tournament, and the first person of color to win the Masters. That win set his path. He became the number one ranked golfer in the world by June of that year. He was the top-ranked golfer from August 1999 to September 2004. He won 81 PGA Tours, 41 European Tours. In 2000 he won the U.S. Open, The British Open and the PGA Championship. He was an indomitable force on the course until life knocked him off track for a few years with personal problems, marital issues and painful injuries. In 2018, however, Tiger snapped back winning the Tour Championship in 2018. And then, at his first major in 11 years, Tiger won the 2019 Masters. The image of his son hugging him for winning—priceless.

Joe DiMaggio’s Unbeatable 56-Game Hitting Streak

DiMaggio was a slugger for the Yankees. He won nine World Series with New York. He was a 13-time All-Star and a 3-time American League MVP. He retired with 361 career home runs. He married Marilyn Monroe. In 1941, from May 15 to July 17, Joe DiMaggio hit the ball and got on base every single at-bat for an astounding 56 games. The record has never been broken. It’s unbreakable. Only one player in MLB came close. In 1978, Pete Rose hit 44 games straight. DiMaggio’s 56-game streak is considered statistically impossible to beat. The development in pitching, like fastball speeds that were unimaginable back in the 1940s, add to the belief.

Fun facts: Had DiMaggio made it to the 57th game, he would’ve scored a $10,000 contract form Heinz for a Heinz 57 endorsement deal. And, after he missed at game 57, he went on another 19-game streak which meant he hit 72 out of 73 games! His hitting streak was a national phenomenon.

Cold War Showdown: Tony Esposito Beats the Soviets

This NHL Hall of Famer is one of the best goalies in the sport. Setting records for shutting out opponents, like a wall of iron blocking the goal, he earned the nickname, “Tony O.” “O” for shut out.

In this vintage photo of the famous 1972 Summit Series, an 8-game match-up pitting Canada against the Soviet Union, Esposito became the first goalie to win against the Soviets. Nostalgically referred to as “A September to Remember,” it was the first competition between the Soviet’s national team and an All-Star-like gathering of NHL players, known as Team Canada. Taking place during the Cold War, the drama of nationalism fueled intense emotions between the rivalrous nations. At the time Esposito was named to Team Canada, the Soviets dominated international ice hockey. As professional players were barred from playing international hockey, this matchup was to pit the best against the best. It wasn’t just capitalism versus communism, Canada and the Soviets were previous arch-competitors, with Canada often dominating international ice hockey. Esposito became a national hero for stopping the Soviets. Canada won the series in the USSR by one match. Upon returning, 10,000 fans mobbed the team at Montreal’s Dorval Airport. They were also greeted by the Mayor of Montreal and Canada’s Prime Minister.

“The Babe”

Called the greatest baseball player of all time, George Herman Ruth, better known as Babe Ruth, is the Yankees most iconic slugger. He’s an American historical gem. The Babe is one of five inaugural members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He hit 714 home runs, a record that wouldn’t be broken until 1974 with Hank Aaron’s 715th home run.

Starting out as a stellar pitcher and hitter, a rarity, he led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series. His trade to the Yankees was controversial and it solidified his greatness as a hitter and outfielder. His greatness was hardly expected. At St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, he earned the distinct label, “incorrigible.” He was sent there for skipping school and sneaking beer. In the Roaring Twenties he earned similar distinctions in the press for drinking and womanizing. His legendary presence and charismatic ways attracted media. His lifestyle physique is also legendary. According to Vin Scully, the reason the Yankees put the players in pinstripe uniforms was in order to make the Babe appear slimmer.

Ted Williams—War Hero and Hall of Famer

If you could ask Ted Williams to tell you which is the best team he ever played for, he would answer, unhesitatingly, as he did then, “The United States Marine Corps.” He served in World War II and the Korean War. Those two wars interrupted his baseball career. In 1943 he was drafted to serve three years in WWII. He returned in 1946, undeterred, playing his first World Series and winning his first American League MVP Award. In 1952 and 1953 he was shipped back out to serve as a Marine aviator in the Korean War. He retired from playing in 1960, but not before winning the Triple Crown and the batting champion for the sixth time. At one point he held over a .400 batting average. No other player has batted over .400 since Williams. A legendary legacy. Perhaps, if he hadn’t been called to duty, he would have a World Series, or two, under his belt.

“Bullet” Bob Feller

Characterized by his dramatic high-kick wind-up pitch, Bob Feller’s fastball was ruthless. Ted Williams once said Feller was, “The fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career. He had the best fastball and curve I’ve ever seen.” He was a menacing force, not just on the field, but as a gunner on the seas of battle in WWII as well. When the U.S. was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Feller responded. In his 20s, during the prime of his career, Feller volunteered, for what amounted to sacrificing four seasons, to serve the War effort. Late into retirement, he did not regret the sacrifice, saying he didn’t miss anything.

At 17, Fuller started with the Cleveland Indians. His bullet-like pitch whizzed by batter after batter, helping the Indians win the World Series in 1948. He won the Triple Crown in 1940 and was an 8-time All-Star. Add to that, Hall of Famer and War hero. Feller has one of the greatest American stories. Growing up on a farm, building his strength by hard work, carving out a baseball field by plowing fields to practice his skills, he lived the American dream, heroically.

Roger Bannister’s “Moment of a Lifetime”

Considered humanly impossible, Roger Bannister beat the four-minute mile record by running four miles just under the wire at 3:59.4 minutes. Also, Bannister competed in the 1952 Olympics, finishing fourth in the 1500-meter final, and setting a British record. As one of the UK’s most promising track stars, his Oxford education came first. After finishing Oxford, he left athletics behind. Later, he was knighted in 1975 and Sir Roger Bannister continued as a neurologist and director at the National Hospital in London.

His quest to beat the four-minute mile came after he set the British record in the 1952 Olympics. Determined to break the barrier of human limitations, he showed up at the Oxford running track on May 6, 1954 with two pacer runners, an announcer and a cheering crowd excited to see an Olympic athlete surpass humanity. He did it! And collapsed in exhaustion. The record was beaten in just 46 days by John Landy. Today, the record stands at 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

Michael Jordan’s Supercars

Despite the fact that the Michael “Air” Jordan No. 23 jersey has reverently been retired to the rafters, the number is yet in effect. Several of the iconic player’s collection of supercars feature number 23 on personalized plates. The greatest basketball player of all time has always had a fondness for performance machines. Only the love of the game precedes Jordan’s love of fast luxury cars. As a rookie player, he preferred American made muscle, like the Corvette and the Cadillac in his garage. As he racked up a few of his six NBA Finals MVP Awards, and five all league regular season MVP awards he turned his interests to Europe and found the Ferrari and the Porsche. Once he found German cars, he added several Mercedes to his growing stash. Pictured here is his Corvette 448 ZR1, one of his firsts, customized with 450 horsepower. He also rides a couple stunning Aston Martin Volantes. The Air Jordan VI shoe was designed around his Porsche 911. Out of Jordan’s garage, our favorite is the Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren 722 edition. It’s a rare crossbreed, and, packed with 650 horsepower, it’s fast!

Jesse Owens – 1936 Olympic Champion

It’s unnerving to witness a stadium full of outstretched Nazi salutes, but Jesse Owens performed unswervingly. As a sprinter, he didn’t just beat opponents to the finish line, he left fellow Olympians in the dust. Owens is one of the world’s best track and field athletes. Garnering international fame, he received four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics. His feats, apparently bursting the Fuhrer’s bubble, caused Hitler to leave the stadium while thousands of Germans chanted, “Jesse Owens.” Some say it was an intentional snub.

The 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany was a spectacular affair. The massive propaganda production was the perfect opportunity for the Nazis to flaunt German superiority. Broadcast globally on the world’s newest cameras, the first “live” television event unveiled Berlin’s brand-new stadium—the world’s largest—holding 100,000 proud Germans and enthusiastic international guests. Under the Third Reich’s years-long intricate planning, the world was dazzled into forgetting all about the Holocaust. Next door to the monumental stadium, a state-of-the-art athlete campus treated the world’s Olympians like nobility. Through the eyes of delighted athletes, the Olympic village also served to promote the splendor of Nazi Germany. As planned, later it would become a military camp. Adolf Hitler was already preparing WWII military strategy, in just three years German armies would invade Europe.

Pictured above, Owen salutes the American flag while he is honored for a gold medal with silver and bronze medalists, Lutz Long and Naoto Tajima, respectively. Owens won gold medals for the 100-meter and 200-meter dash. He also won a gold medal for the long jump, leaping 7.94 feet, and breaking the all-time Olympic record in the process. He won another gold for the 4 x 100-meter relay. Owens left Berlin with respect for the German people and a new friend, fellow track champion Lutz Long. At the Olympic village, he was treated like a white person, better than he was treated at home.

Coach Red Auerbach

Outside the requisite locker room champagne spray revelry anointing championship teams, there’s the cigar. The victory cigar represents refined triumph, the only way to celebrate total domination with decorum. The tradition of cigars and sports dates back a long time. Babe Ruth was known for his penchant to puff only the highest quality, hand-rolled stogies. Jazz legend Karl Malone opened up a primo smoke shop. Michael Jordan was introduced to the ritual in 1991. After winning the championship, Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf, handed him his first cigar. Wayne Gretzky’s first was a fat Cuban in 1988 after the Stanley Cup victory.

However, it was Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics coach who cemented the indelible image of the post-win cigar. Pictured here, Auerbach and his team celebrate winning the 1963 Eastern Conference Championship. Auerbach would go so far as to smoke cigars on the bench during the game! But only those final minutes when his team had already won.

Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV is significant because it marks the last year the NFL and the AFL existed as separate leagues. After the game, the two leagues merged and became the NFL as we know it today. At Super Bowl IV, the Minnesota Vikings from the NFL were crushed by the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. The rivalry between the NFL and the AFL persisted. Many believed the NFL was the superior league, but this Super Bowl loss defied the sentiment. The championship match took place on January 11, 1970. Wet conditions at the old Tulane Stadium in New Orleans created what looked more like a mud bowl.

In this image, Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud, No. 3, scores a field goal. The Chiefs kicker converted two extra points and slipped in three field goals. Stenerud was one of the best kickers in football.

The First World Series

The first World Series was a football game. Madison Square Garden’s promoter was looking for ways to fill his venue and so he held a football tournament that was called the World Series in December of 1902. The event wouldn’t stick, few of the best pro football teams showed up. So, ten months later, MLB played its first official World Series game on October 1, 1903. Major League Baseball kept the name.

The 1903 World Series matched the Boston Americans to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The American League champions, the Boston Americans, swept the series winning the last four of the nine-game tournament. However, the first three games were won by the Pirates. Previous to the World Series win, the National League had been considered strongest. Cy Young led the Boston American’s pitching staff. He was the all-time wins leader that year, coming up on top 28 out of 37 games. The Boston Americans (later the Red Sox) were gloriously celebrated in Boston as the team became world champions on October 13, 1903. Pictured above is an overflow crowd at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds during Game 3 of the first World Series. Over 16,000 fans attended. The venue would later be renovated into Fenway Park, the revered Red Sox home field.

The First NBA Finals

The first NBA Finals took place April 16-22 in 1947. Technically, it was the Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship series, but the NBA and the BAA merged following this series. The Philadelphia Warriors, pictured here, advanced to meet division champs Chicago Stags. They played five games in seven days. The first two were played in Philadelphia, the next two in Chicago, and the fifth game back in Philadelphia where the Warriors beat the Stags for the fourth time. It was an exciting finish. Tied at 80, Warriors Howie Dallmar sunk a jump shot, winning the game with less than a minute on the clock. Look at these coaches in suits and ties. Basketball has always seemed a bit more dignified than the rest of professional team sports.

The First Stanley Cup

You have to go back a long time to find the origin of the Stanley Cup. The first championship series was played in 1894. On March 15 of that year, the Montreal Hockey Club was presented the lavish trophy for defeating the Ottawa Generals. English nobleman and Canadian lawmaker, Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, lord of Preston, developed a great interest in hockey and donated the first trophy called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. The winning team victoriously holds the trophy for a year and has their organizations’ names inscribed.

The National Hockey League (NHL) didn’t come together until 1926. Prior to that the Stanley Cup was held by other leagues that eventually merged into the NHL. Pictured here is the Boston Bruins the year they sparred with the Ottawa Senators. The Senators shut-out the Bruins, won the series 2-0 and took the Cup. Angry at the loss, the Bruin’s demonstrated a dearth of decorum by violently swarming the referee at the final buzzer. They look like a decent group here.

Muhammad Ali’s First Fight

Cassius Clay, an 18-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, was a tough opponent. He had recently returned from the Summer Olympics in Rome with a gold medal for his weight class. He entered the professional boxing circuit that very year.

Known as Cassius Clay until his conversion to Islam, Muhammad Ali’s first professional boxing match took place on October 29, 1960 at Freedom Hall in Louisville. He faced off against Tunney Hunsaker who worked as a police officer in West Virginia outside of the ring. Clay won the match in 6 rounds. He collected $2,000 for the win and Hunsaker was paid $300 for his efforts. Though they battled fiercely all six rounds with Hunsaker suffering a black eye, the two remained friends throughout their lives. “He’s awfully good for an 18-year-old and as fast as a middleweight,” Hunsaker said of Clay after the fight.

Ali Wins the Gold

Ali’s love of boxing started early. When he was only 12 years old growing up in Louisville, he serendipitously ran into his first boxing coach. In a rage, looking for the culprit who had stolen his bike, Cassius Clay met officer Joe Martin in the basement gym. Officer Martin taught Ali how to box. Weeks later, Clay won his first amateur match! His greatness was just beginning to bud. By the time he was 18, Ali won the U.S. Olympic trials in San Francisco which soon placed him in Rome at the 1960 Olympic Games. He won a gold medal for the light-heavyweight division.

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Ali once described his boxing style with poetic ease. He had panache and a unique flair that was a natural galvanizer for black pride and the civil rights movement. When he opposed the Vietnam War by refusing to serve, he garnered a lot of respect in those circles, and, a lot of criticism from the pro-U.S.A. crowd. For that stance, he was arrested, found guilty of draft-dodging and stripped of his boxing titles. He appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. They overturned his conviction in 1971. Missing four years of fighting, the sentence virtually ended his career. At the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Ali was symbolically welcomed back as he lit the Olympic torch.

Wildcats versus Bears

Back in the day when Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars were the sneaker of choice, University of Kentucky Wildcats were winning their first championship. Led by legendary coach Adolph Rupp, the Wildcats overcame the Baylor Bears at this 1948 NCAA tournament. At the Final Four that March, Kentucky, Baylor, Holy Cross and Kansas State battled to go on to the national championship with Kentucky eliminating Holy Cross and Baylor knocking out Kansas State. At the Championship game held at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 1948, the Wildcats clobbered the Bears 58-42.

This victory set Kentucky up for a winning streak. Under Rupp’s solid leadership, the Wildcats picked up four titles in five years. In Rupp’s 41-year coaching career, his team won 876 games. The program holds more wins than any other. More recently, in 2012, the Wildcats won their eighth NCAA championship.

UCLA’s (First) Perfect Season

Another legendary college basketball coach is John Wooden. When he joined UCLA’s basketball program in 1948, he turned the team around. Wooden, the “Wizard of Westwood,” produced 10 NCAA championships in 12 years. Seven of those titles occurred consecutively. UCLA won more straight titles than any other team. The record leaves college basketball programs in the dust, no other team has won more than two straight titles. The first NCAA title came in 1964, pictured here, with a perfect season to boot. Under the Wizard’s magic, UCLA achieved four perfect 30-0 seasons total: 1964, 1967, 1972, and 1973. Since Wooden retired in 1974, UCLA fell into a long slump, winning the championship just once in 1995.

University of Texas at El Paso’s Historic 1966 NCAA Title

It’s University of Texas’ only NCAA championship, but it is probably the most significant college basketball title win. On March 19, 1966, Texas Western faced off against Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats. Rupp was a phenomenal coach, but he had a reputation as a bigot. When his all-white team lined up against Texas Western Miners during the heart of the civil rights movement, the world was watching. Texas, a team with five African Americans, the first all-black lineup at a NCAA game, beat the all-white Wildcats. Their victory was a mortifying defeat for bigot-Rupp. Texas Miners’ championship win proved the great strength of black athletes to the world. This dramatically increased the numbers of black players who were recruited. On the 50th anniversary of the NCAA title, President Obama said, “They didn’t know it at the time, but their contribution to civil rights was as important as any other.”

Roger Staubach’s 1963 Heisman Trophy

Shown here receiving the 1963 Heisman, Roger Staubach is best known as the Cowboy’s precision star quarterback. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 and took the team to the Super Bowl five times during his 11-year career. Out of those five championships, the Hall of Famer earned two Super Bowl rings. When he received the Heisman, he was at the U.S. Naval Academy. And, before he went pro, he went off to Vietnam to serve a tour of duty. As one of the Naval Academy’s best athletes, his No. 12 jersey was ceremoniously retired in 1981.

O.J. Simpson’s 1968 Heisman

O.J. Simpson was an unstoppable running back for the Trojans during his time at the University of Southern California, leading the national rushing record in 1967 and 1968. He won the Heisman Trophy as a senior at USC in 1968. That year he rushed 1,709 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. “The Juice” went on to have a stellar pro career with the NFL. In the ’90s. It was a huge let down for all sports enthusiasts and the black community when he was caught, live on TV, fleeing, albeit slowly, in his white Bronco attempting to escape arrest for murdering the mom of his two kids and another person. In Las Vegas, Simpson was charged with robbery, assault and kidnapping in 2007. Kind of tarnishes that Heisman trophy.

Bear Bryant

Paul “Bear” Bryant was best known for wearing a houndstooth fedora and coaching at Alabama. His nickname comes from the time he wrestled a bear at a carnival for $1. The carnival never paid him, but he did receive a bite on the ear from the bear. During his coaching career he fended off accusations of racism. But, as a coach at Kentucky, when he offered the idea of desegregation, the University administration told him no. His organization was certainly racist. Alabama, Bear’s alma mater where he played ball as a student, had similar rules about recruiting only whites. Bryant coached at his alma mater for 25 years. With Bear as coach, Alabama Crimson Tide won six national titles and thirteen Southeastern Conferences. The legendary college coach died just 28 days after retiring from Alabama.

Joe Namath

Joe Namath was one of Coach Bryant’s star players. Namath led the Alabama Tide to the 1964 national championships and only lost 4 games in 3 seasons. Bear called him, “the greatest athlete I ever coached.” When Namath went pro, he became the Super Bowl III MVP champion and NFL Hall of Famer. His outstanding quarterbacking for the NY Jets earned him the 1972 passing yards leader record. In retirement, he went on to host a talk show and became an aspiring TV star. “Broadway” Joe is known for bravely predicting the Jets Super Bowl III win on camera. He’s pictured here winning it. His most memorable television performance may have occurred when he drunkenly proposed kissing his ESPN interviewer during the network’s live coverage of a Jets game. He apologized and checked into rehab.

The 1967 “Ice Bowl”

The 1967 NFL championship playoff game was played on ice. On New Year’s Eve, the Lambeau Field turf-heating system failed, and the freezing-cold contest quickly earned the Ice Bowl name. It was so cold the referees could not use their whistles. One froze to a ref’s lip and, as he ripped it from his mouth, the blood on his lip froze instantly. The refs were forced to shout, “Stop!” instead. The record-low temperature was 13 degrees below zero. With an Arctic-influenced wind chill factor, gusts of -48 degrees ripped through the stadium. It was cold. Yet 50,000 die-hard fans packed the sold-out Lambeau Field stadium risking freezing to watch the Dallas Cowboys face off against the two-time Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers.

Vince Lombardi, the infamous Packers coach, took the team to its third straight Super Bowl, technically the fifth-straight NFL playoff game. But on that frozen field, the 17-21 win did not come easily. The Cowboys nearly took the game in the last quarter. But the Packers pulled it together and went on to win Super Bowl II, in Miami, Florida, leaving the inclement weather behind.

The 1919 “Black Sox” Scandal

The Chicago White Sox, known as the White Stockings in the early 1900s, hit the professional baseball scene powerfully, winning the 1906 pennant and the 1906 World Series. In 1917 they won the World Series again. The first World War shortened the 1918 season, but by 1919 the White Sox team, pictured here, were back at the World Series facing the Cincinnati Reds.

During this series, rumors and scandal painted the White Sox black. The team despised their club owner, Charles Comiskey. He underpaid his top team players and disallowed them to trade to another team. Eight of the players, apparently needing money, hooked up with the mafia to rig the outcome of the 1919 World Series. The mafia was supposed to pay the Sox $20,000 per loss, but they didn’t pay up. The White Sox lost to the Reds, the team that was ostensibly fixed to win. The series lasted eight games. Once the scandalous details came out, the Commissioner of Baseball banned the accused players from baseball for life, forever branded as the black sheep of baseball.

Jackie Robinson

One of the most famous athletes who battled racism to play the sport he commanded is Jackie Robinson. Credited with breaking MLB’s color barrier, he changed assumptions and beliefs of Americans. Having to deal with segregation in the South in his home state of Georgia, banned from white-only spaces, his dignified accomplishments on the baseball field excelled with an unmistakable talent. He became a role model for the civil rights movement.

In 1947 Jackie Robinson broke into the MLB with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers effectively ended Negro league segregation. Robinson proved himself right off the bat winning Rookie of the Year that same season. And continued to prove himself playing in six consecutive All-Star Games. He was the 1949 MVP. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997 his uniform was solemnly retired.

Carlton Fisk’s Epic Home Run

The 1975 World Series has gone down in the halls of history as one of the one of the greatest World Series ever played. The Boston Red Sox met the Cincinnati Reds and the competitive clash kept fans riveted. One of the most memorable moments is Carlton Fisk’s unforgettable game-winning home run. It was close!

It happened six games into the Series at the very bottom of the 12th inning, with the score tied 6-6. A joyfully riotous crowd was pulsating through the stands. Fisk stepped to the plate, smacked the ball, and, as he watched it heading toward the left field foul-pole, he waves his arms, directing the ball to stay fair. The ball cooperated by bouncing off the left field foul-pole, making it a fair ball. The camera stayed on Fisk, as the legend goes, because the cameraman had been frightened by a rat and didn’t want to move, so, fixated, it caught the epic image of Fisk jumping for joy after successfully directing his home run hit. The walk-off homerun and that extraordinary image won the game and the hearts of all serious baseball enthusiasts, but not the Series. The exhilarating event ended 4-3, Cincinnati, with the Reds becoming the World Series Champions.

The 1980 Moscow Olympics

This classic image comes to sports from the Cold War era. Arising from a background that cements the Summer Games as a showdown between communism and capitalism, with emotions running high, this young Polish man prepares to compete in the high jump pole-vault. A stadium full of Russians booed the Pole as he readied his vault. Unwaveringly, Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz grabbed his pole and vaulted himself over the wire, setting a new world record and clinching the gold. In a smooth, jubilant gesture, Kozakiewicz turned to the booing crowed and gave them the international sign for “buzz-off.” The image went viral, in an old school black-and-white sort of way. Everyone saw it, except the Soviets. It was barred in that Bloc. The Soviet ambassador to Poland attempted to strip the athlete of his medal. It made him a hero in Poland where they resented Soviet control, it also caused him so many hassles by the communists that he finally defected to Germany.

Abebe Bikila’s Epic Olympic Moment

Virtually unknown, running the marathon race without shoes, Abebe Bikila’s Olympic gold medal finish made a huge splash. When he clinched the quintessential Olympic Games competition, the world was captivated by this striking image. The Ethiopian runner came to the 1960 Rome Summer Games from east Africa, becoming the first east African to win a gold. Abebe won the long-distance race by 25 seconds, finishing the marathon in just 2:15:16.2.

A son of a shepherd and a soldier in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, Abebe was discovered by a Swedish coach. Abebe always ran and trained shoeless. But he did purchase a pair of running shoes in Rome. The shoes caused blisters, so he ran barefoot. In 1964, Abebe found a pair of shoes that fit him, and he won the Olympic gold again! This time at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, breaking his own record by 3 minutes. Sadly, he died at age 41 due to complications resulting from a horrific car accident four years earlier that paralyzed him.

Jim Brown on the Lacrosse Field

As an exceptionally gifted dual-athlete, Jim Brown was inducted into the College Lacrosse Hall of Fame, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. He was even inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brown was the best running back ever. But, by all accounts, the unstoppable football player was an even more formidable force for the Lacrosse team. He was a master, practically scoring goals behind his back. He was second in the nation scoring and a First-Team All-America selection. And he loved the sport. He loved it more than football. Looking back Brown said, “I could fully express myself in lacrosse.” He went on to say, “I was a midfielder, I was a center, I had the face-off. I could learn tricks. I could physically knock a person down legitimately.” Yikes! That sentiment kind of reminds us of his hapless golf partner and that series of accusations and arrests he racked up! Here he is in a rare photo posing with his lacrosse stick.

The 1960 Winter Olympics and Team USA

The 1960 Winter Olympics was held at our very own Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe in California. The Soviet Union dominated the games across all sports and ice hockey was no different. This year, Team USA would give the Soviets some bang for their puck. The Canadians were also expected to win the gold. Team USA, on the other hand, was not expected to make it past the first rounds. Au contraire, Team USA beat Australia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and, miraculously, even mighty Team Canada with a final score of 2-1.

This set the scene, pictured above, for Team USA to confront Team Soviet Union. On February 27, the contentious scrape on the ice ended closely with the U.S. winning 3-2. It was the first time in history a U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets! But they still didn’t have a medal. The final match for the gold medal in hockey took place the next morning against Team Czechoslovakia. The Americans easily won the match 9-4 and Team USA won its first Olympic hockey gold medal.

“Johnny U” Unitas

This old school quarterback great was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and played ball at the University of Louisville. In 1956 he joined the NFL. During his first full season with the Baltimore Colts, Unitas threw more passing yards and more touchdown passes than any other quarterback. He led the Colts to their first winning record in franchise history and earned the league MVP Award.

He began to be known as “The Golden Arm.” He took the Colts to the Western Conference title and then to the NFL championship. With his trusty arm they won that championship against the New York Giants 23-17. But it was a close game. The two teams battled gloriously—it was called the greatest game ever played. Tied at the end, it went into sudden death overtime, making it the first overtime in NFL history. Unitas was a hardworking quarterback who defined modern quarterbacking. He held the record for throwing a touchdown pass for 47 games, consecutively. His record stood for 52 years! It wasn’t broken until 2012.

Alan Page

Alan Page’s spectacular NFL career is only overshadowed by his second career. He always wanted to be a lawyer, so he finished law school while he played for the Minnesota Vikings. Drafted out of Notre Dame in 1967, Page became part of a menacing defensive line. His quick snap intimidated opponents and he followed through, leading the league with 148.5 career sacks, an all-time record. Page is, quite simply, the greatest lineman in football history. He’s in the Football Hall of Fame, and he was the first defensive player to win the MVP Award. His second career is phenomenal in its own right. After 15 seasons with the NFL he retired and began pursuing his legal career. Page served as Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 to 2015. He retired at age 70. Most recently, he was honored by the United States with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Trump awarded it to him on November 16, 2018.

Lew Alcindor

Lew Alcindor was a legendary college basketball player who single-handedly led UCLA to three consecutive national titles. He was the most astounding college basketball player the world had ever seen. In his senior year, he announced his name: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Keenly affected by the violence of the time and the unfair treatment of blacks, Alcindor took a pro-black stance and adopted the name of his Muslim brothers. Not only that, he also refused to play in the Olympics. His experiences prompted this response, “Yeah, I live here, but it’s not really my country.” His dunks for the Bruins were brutal and invincible. When the NCAA committee banned dunks at college games, it seemed a little racist. People started calling it the “Alcindor rule.” The new rule forced the star athlete to develop the “skyhook,” a shot just as lethal.

The 1992 Dream Team

Here’s Larry Bird chilling with Charles Barkley and the United States men’s Olympic basketball team, best known as the Dream Team. Barkley, an 11-time All Star and a 1-time All-Star MVP, is remembered for sayinghis Sun’s team would beat the Bulls for the title, but he also known for never attaining a championship ring. Bird’s career was epic. He was a 12-time All Star with three championship rings and two MVP Finals Awards. He was a dominating force for the Boston Celtics. The Dream Team, which featured other of the NBA’s most epic players, crushed worldwide opponents and easily secured the gold. After men’s basketball floundered badly in the 1988 Olympics, going home with the bronze, professional players were brought off the bench to compete at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic games in Spain. The lineup also featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and David Robinson. Like trying to compete against the Harlem Globetrotters, other teams were merely honored for the opportunity to be on the same court with these basketball legends.

The Cy Young Legacy

Born in 1867, Denton True “Cy” Young was one of the first major league American pitchers and also the best. He holds a seemingly unbeatable record for winning games. He won 511, almost 100 more games than the runner up. He pitched until 1911. When he died in 1955, the annual Cy Young Award was established to honor his legacy by celebrating the best pitcher of the year. The Hall of Famer holds the record for most career innings pitched, most career games started and fourth in most career shutouts with 76. He pitched for five professional teams during major league baseball’s budding years. Young is remembered for winning two games for the Boston championship team in the first modern World Series.

Bob Cousy

Clad in his Chuck Taylor’s, Bob Cousy is shown demonstrating phenomenal ball handling acumen. Weaving up and down the court, his spectacular dribbling was inevitably punctuated with perfect passes, making him the lead in NBA assists. His skills were so fun to watch, announcers compared him with the Harlem Globetrotters. Spending most of his career as point guard for the Boston Celtics, Cousy, a Hall of Fame player, won six NBA championships! He was the MVP in 1957, during the first championship series, and a 13-time All Star. Upon retirement he became an NBA coach and then an ’80s Celtics sportscaster.

The 1966 World Cup

This 1966 World Cup game was, quite possibly, the most epic moment in modern British history. When England defeated West Germany 4-2 at Wembley Stadium, British excitement was unbounded. With the game tied 2-2, time expired in the match. West Germany scored on a foul kick in the last 60 seconds, making it the second World Cup in history to go into extra time. England’s two overtime goals sealed their victory. Triumphantly, the England football team procured their first FIFA trophy. It’s also the team’s only trophy. The match, which was the last to be broadcast in black and white, and, also, the first to be televised in color, was, notably, the team’s last World Cup celebration. Maybe one day England will again prevail and hold the coveted World Cup trophy, one more time.