Wolfs' A-Z Sporting Greats

There are those Sportspersons who have a 'Great Sporting "moments" and those whose achievements are either defined or perhaps enchanced by their longevity.'
Here find; (in more depth than name), with background details and info, are those - in my humble opinion - to deserve such a title.

 

A = Muhammad ALI
* BOXER *


Born: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. - January 17th, 1942 - - Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died June 3rd, 2016 (aged 74)

If ever 'The Greatest' could be attributed to anyone, then the owner of the 'Louisville lip' surely can lay claim to having such a title connected to them


Muhammad Ali - Wikipedia

 

Tom 'The Dynamite Kid' Billington Dynamite Kid - Wikipedia​

 

B = (Sir) Don BRADMAN
* CRICKETER *



Full name Donald George Bradman
Born 27 August 1908 - - Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia
Died 25 February 2001 (aged 92)

Don Bradman - Wikipedia

 

I forget to add 'C'.

 

To be fair Doc "

" is hardly A Sporting 'Great'

 

C = Jimmy CONNORS
* TENNIS *
. . . .
Connors 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.

Born: 2 September 1952 (age 69 years),- - - Belleville, Illinois, United States
Grand slams won (singles): 8

Jimmy Connors - Wikipedia

 

D = Alfredo Di STEFANO
* SOCCER *



Born: 4th July 1926, Barracas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died: 7th July 2014, Gregorio Marañón Hospital, Madrid, Spain

The hero of the most successful club team in history, the great Real Madrid team of the late 50s.
He was the inspiration for 5 Consecutive European Cup wins (1956-60), - - scoring in the final in each year.
He scored 216 goals in 283 appearances for Real Madrid.
Despite playing for ARGENTINA, COLUMBIA and SPAIN, -circumstance meant he never played in a world cup.

Alfredo Di Stéfano - Wikipedia

 

E = Jessica ENNIS-HILL
* ATHLETICS* ( Heptathlon + Pentathlon )



Birth name Jessica Ennis
Born 28 January 1986 - - - Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles.
As a competitor in Heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time WORLD champion (2009, 2011, 2015), and 2010 EUROPEAN champion.
She is also the 2010 world indoor Pentathlon champion.

Jessica Ennis-Hill - Wikipedia

 

F = Roger FEDERER
* TENNIS *



Born 8th August 1981 - Basel, Switzerland

Roger Federer has won more single Grand Slams than any other male tennis player at 20, - - - including at least one of each Grand Slam.
He has 7 Wimbledon titles and also holds the record for most weeks at world no.1 including 5 years consecutively, first gaining the status in 2004 and still no. 1 in 2018.
Federer is remarkably popular, winning fans award for favourite player for 12 years straight.

Roger Federer - Wikipedia

 

G = Wayne GRETZKY
* ICE HOCKEY*



Born January 26th, 1961 - Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Widely considered the best Ice Hockey player of all time, he is the ALL-TIME NHL RECORD Points, Goals and Assists scorer (having more assists than any other player has points!).
He won an incredible 9 MVPs, is the only player to have scored 200 points in a season, something he did 4 times.
He won a total of 4 stanley cups with the Oilers and holds more than 60 NHL records.

Wayne Gretzky - Wikipedia

 

H=Graham Hill
Motor Racing




Graham Hill
British racing driver
Norman Graham Hill OBE was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in 1962 and 1968 as well as being runner up on three occasions. Wikipedia
Born: 15 February 1929, Hampstead, London
Died: 29 November 1975, Arkley, Barnet
Spouse: Bette Hill (m. 1955–1975)
Children: Damon Hill, Brigitte Hill, Samantha Hill

 

I = Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC:
* SOCCER*



Full name Zlatan Ibrahimović
Date of birth 3 October 1981 - Place of birth Malmö, Sweden

Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time.
Ibrahimović is one of the most decorated active footballers in the World, = plying his trade in Sweden, Holland, Italy, Spain, France, England and the U.S. of A. - in the process winning 31 trophies in his career.
He has scored over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and has scored in each of the last four decades

Zlatan Ibrahimović - Wikipedia

 

J = Michael JACKSON:
* BASKETBALL*



Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Born February 17th, 1963 - - -Brooklyn, New York

A true 'Great' of the game, achieving numerous team and individual accolades and awards/
His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."
He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process.

Michael Jordan - Wikipedia

 

K = Billie-Jean KING:
* TENNIS*

. . . .

Born: Billie Jean Moffitt - November 22nd, 1943 - Long Beach, California, U.S.A.

• The record 20 championships won at Wimbledon.
• Being one of Nine women to form the Virginia Slims tour.
• Becoming President of the Women’s Tennis Association.
• The first tennis player named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year and the first female to ever receive the honour.
• One of the first female athletes to disclose her homosexuality and champion LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights.
• The founder of Women’s Sports Magazine and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
• Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year..
• Earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2009.

Billie Jean King - Wikipedia

 

L = Ivan LENDL: (Player & Coach)
* TENNIS* - Highest ranking : No. 1 (February 28, 1983)
. . . .

Born March 7, 1960 - Ostrava, Czechoslovakia - - RETIRED: 1994
*
Singles - Career record
Grand Slam Singles results:
Australian Open W (1989, 1990)
French Open W (1984, 1986, 1987)
Wimbledon F (1986, 1987)
US Open W (1985, 1986, 1987)

Other tournaments:
Tour Finals W (1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987)
Grand Slam Cup SF (1991)
WCT Finals W (1982, 1985)

Team competitions
Davis Cup W (1980)

Coaching career achievements
..... Andy Murray (2011 – 2014, 2016 – 2017) = (Champion)
- (x2) Wimbledon,
- (x1) US Open,
- (x2) Olympic Gold Medal 2012, 2016

. . . .
Ivan Lendl - Wikipedia

 

M - THURMAN MUNSON

He's not a hall of famer but I think Thurman Munson is a good one to acknowledge. His career was cut short after he died in a plane crash. His numbers are higher than some other catchers who are in the baseball HOF. It isn't easy to be named captain of the Yankees but he was a deserving candidate and is honored in the Yanks' monument park.

 

N = Jack NICKLAUS:
*GOLF*

Full name Jack William Nicklaus - Nickname The Golden Bear
Born January 21st, 1940 - Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

He won 117 professional tournaments in his career.

Nicklaus turned professional at age 21 toward the end of 1961, and became the first player to win the Masters Tournament two years running; he also won The Open Championship, becoming at age 26 the youngest player to win all four golf majors.
. . . . . . . . . .
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1974
PGA Player of the Year 1967, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
Bob Jones Award 1975
Payne Stewart Award 2000

• In 2005 ,he made his final appearances at the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship.

Presidential Medal of Freedom 2005
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award 2008
Congressional Gold Medal 2015
.
Today, Nicklaus heads Nicklaus Design, one of the world's largest golf course design and construction companies.
.
Jack Nicklaus - Wikipedia