Muhammad Ali, who is dead at 74, gave me many laughs over the years and once left me in tears when in 1996 he lit the cauldron for the Olympics in my hometown, Atlanta. Janet Evans, gold-winning Olympic swimmer, ran the torch up the ramp and at the last minute Ali stepped from the shadows to surprise the world. Obviously suffering the effects of Parkinson’s, he carried through with grace and determination as a surprised global audience of 3.5 billion watched.
He was an Olympian as Cassius Clay. In 1960 in Rome he won the gold for boxing. When he returned home he was denied seating in a restaurant. He threw his gold medal in the river. While he was no doubt one of the greatest athletes ever, he also was a fighter for justice. He had the courage of his convictions. Another of my heroes, South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, said Ali was an inspiration for him. Imagine that.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.