Athletes
Track & Field
Milt Campbell
Born in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1933, Milt Campbell won the Olympic decathlon gold medal at the 19
Jim Thorpe
Born in Oklahoma Territory in 1887, Jim Thorpe was a Native American multi-sport athlete who won bot
Kinue Hitomi
Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1907, Kinue Hitomi was Japan's first female Olympic medalist, winning
Paavo Nurmi
Born in Turku, Finland in 1897, Paavo Nurmi was the 'Flying Finn' who won nine Olympic gold medals a
Abebe Bikila
Born in Jato, Ethiopia in 1932, Abebe Bikila ran the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon barefoot and won - t
Kōkichi Tsuburaya
Born in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture in 1940, Kokichi Tsuburaya won bronze in the marathon at the
Emil Zátopek
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1922, Emil Zatopek was the 'Human Locomotive' who achieved the unprecedent
Jesse Owens
Born in Alabama in 1913, Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, silently defy
Wilma Rudolph
Born in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1940, Wilma Rudolph overcame childhood polio that left her unable
Baseball
Babe Ruth
Born in Baltimore in 1895, Babe Ruth transformed baseball from a game of strategy into a spectacle o
Jackie Robinson
Born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919, Jackie Robinson shattered Major League Baseball's color barrier on A
Kazuhisa Inao
Born in Beppu, Oita Prefecture in 1937, Kazuhisa Inao earned the nickname 'Iron Arm' as the legendar
Eiji Sawamura
Born in Mie Prefecture, Japan in 1917, Eiji Sawamura was a legendary pitcher in the dawn of Japanese
Lou Gehrig
Born in New York in 1903, Lou Gehrig was the 'Iron Horse' who played 2,130 consecutive games as the
Katsuya Nomura
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1935, Katsuya Nomura was the first postwar Triple Crown winner as a catc
Ted Williams
Born in San Diego, California in 1918, Ted Williams was the legendary slugger who pursued 'the scien
Roberto Clemente
Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1934, Roberto Clemente achieved 3,000 career hits and won twelve Go
Football
Ferenc Puskás
Born in Budapest in 1927, Ferenc Puskas was Hungary's treasure and the core of the 'Magical Magyars.
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Born in Buenos Aires in 1926, Alfredo Di Stefano was 'The Blond Arrow' who led Real Madrid to five c
Lev Yashin
Born in Moscow in 1929, Lev Yashin was the 'Black Spider' - the greatest goalkeeper in football hist
Fritz Walter
Born in Kaiserslautern in 1920, Fritz Walter captained West Germany to the 'Miracle of Bern' at the
Garrincha
Born in Pau Grande, Rio de Janeiro state in 1933, Garrincha bewildered defenders with his naturally
Johan Cruyff
Born in Amsterdam in 1947, Johan Cruyff embodied 'Total Football' as the Dutch genius who won three
Pelé
Born in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1940, Pele won the World Cup at seventeen and became known as 'The K
Boxing
Joe Louis
Born in Alabama in 1914, Joe Louis held the world heavyweight boxing title for twelve years as the '
Rocky Marciano
Born in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1923, Rocky Marciano is the only undefeated heavyweight champion
Sugar Ray Robinson
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1921, Sugar Ray Robinson is the most technically accomplished fighter i
Muhammad Ali
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942, Muhammad Ali revolutionized boxing with his 'float like a butt
Jack Johnson
Born in Galveston, Texas in 1878, Jack Johnson became the first Black world heavyweight boxing champ
Martial Arts
Masahiko Kimura
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1917, Masahiko Kimura is considered the strongest judoka in history -
Kanō Jigorō
Born in Mikage, Hyogo Prefecture in 1860, Jigoro Kano systematized traditional jujutsu into modern '
Bruce Lee
Born in San Francisco in 1940 and raised in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee was the founder of Jeet Kune Do and
Tennis
Suzanne Lenglen
Born in Paris in 1899, Suzanne Lenglen was the 'Goddess of Tennis' who completely dominated the spor
Fred Perry
Born in Stockport, England in 1909, Fred Perry broke through tennis's class barriers as a working-cl
Arthur Ashe
Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1943, Arthur Ashe shattered tennis's racial barriers as the first Blac
Swimming
Hideko Maehata
Born in Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in 1914, Hideko Maehata was the first Japanese woman to win a
Hironoshin Furuhashi
Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in 1928, Hironoshin Furuhashi was the swimmer known as the 'F
Duke Kahanamoku
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1890, Duke Kahanamoku was an Olympic swimming gold medalist and the 'Fat
