Nội dung

R John Randle 1967American football player P laying for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, John Randle was a leading defensive tackle in the 1990s. Though small for a defensive tackle in this time period (only 6’1” and 267 lbs.), he once played in 176 consecutive games and started in 140 consecutive games. Randle also had eight consecutive seasons in which he had at least ten quarterback sacks, and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl six times. Randle was born on December 12, 1967, in Hearne, Texas, where he and his older brother Ervin (who was also a football player who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1985-92) were raised by their single mother, Martha. His mother was employed as a maid, and Randle grew up very poor. The family lived in a shack until he was a senior in high school. It was not until Randle began attending Hearne High School that he began to play football, following in the steps of his brother. At Hearne High, he was both an offensive and defensive lineman. Randle was also a member of the track team. Because of his poor SAT scores, however, he had to go the junior college route. Plays College Football After spending two years at Trinity Valley Community College, Randle entered Texas A & M in Kingsville, a Division II school. As a senior in 1990, he earned Little All-America honors, and graduated with a degree in sociology. Signs With the Vikings as Free Agent During the 1990 NFL draft Randle was not selected in part because of his small size for the position he played. His play at Texas A & M did merit a workout with the Atlanta Falcons, but they declined to sign him because they believed he was out of shape. A week later, the Minnesota Vikings invited him to training camp, and Randle was later signed to a free agent contract. He played his heart out to prove his value to the team. John Randle It took several seasons for Randle to emerge as a defensive force. In 1990, he only had one quarterback sack. In 1991, Randle started eight games and had 8.5 sacks. By 1992, he established himself as solid player and began his consecutive game start streak. Randle proved his worth as a leader in quarterback sacks and forcing fumbles. Though Randle continued to post improved numbers in the mid-1990s, it was not until 1996 that he had a break-out season. This was due in part to a coaching change, but also to Randle’s emerging approach to the game. He began to trash talk more on the field, getting into his opponents’ heads. Randle also would paint his face, and developed his own physical pre-game ritual. Randle continued to improve in 1997, with a careerhigh 15.5 sacks, the most in the NFL that season. Though he was a great defensive player, he had more to 1263 Randle Notable Sports Figures Chronology Awards and Accomplishments 1967 1989 1990 1990 1993-98, 2001 2000 1992 1996 1997-98 1998 2001 Born December 12, in Hearne, Texas Daughter Brittany born on October 10; married wife Rosie Graduates from Texas A&I earns Little All-America honors; signs with the Minnesota Vikings Begins a consecutive game starter streak on November 29 Divorces wife Rosie Leads NFL in sacks with 15.5 Signs largest deal ever for a defensive lineman with Vikings Released by Vikings; signs with the Seattle Seahawks; marries Candace on February 14 offer with his instinctual, relentless play that wore down offenses. Paula Parrish in the Star Tribune wrote, “his bigger contributions, according to teammates and his defensive coordinator, continued to be the intangibles— his leadership, his electricity, his experience.” In 1998, Randle became a free agent, but was the Vikings’ designated transition player. (That is, Minnesota had the right to match any offer Randle received.) He had a hard time getting a deal done with the Vikings, and considered signing with the Miami Dolphins, among other teams. Randle ended up signing a five-year deal worth $32.5 million with $20 million guaranteed. This was the largest contract ever for a defensive lineman. During the first season of his contract, Randle only had 10.5 sacks (his lowest number in years) and was not chosen to play in the Pro Bowl. In 2000-01, Randle was still playing relatively well, but had a disappointing season with only eight sacks and 31 tackles. Though he was sometimes double and triple-teamed, some observers believed his skills were in decline. Randle believed his career was incomplete without a Super Bowl ring and believed that Minnesota was not progressing in that direction. Because the Vikings wanted to give him a pay cut, he asked to be traded. Instead, the team released him. When his career in Minnesota ended after 2000-01 season, he had recorded the third most sacks, with 114, and the third most fumbles caused, with 24, in team history. Signs with Seattle In 2001, Randle was signed by the Seattle Seahawks. The team’s coach and general manager, Mike Holmgren, had previously been the coach of the Green Bay Packers, a team Randle excelled against. Randle signed a five-year deal worth $25 million, including a $5 million signing bonus. Randle immediately proved his worth, with a great 2001 season. He had 11 sacks, and went to the Pro Bowl. He began the 2002 season on the injured list recovering from knee surgery—his first major injury—but played well during the rest of the season. The injury 1264 Earns Little All-America honors Plays in Pro Bowl Chosen as starting tackle on the NFL Team of the Decade by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee brought his consecutive game streak to an end at 140. Randle led the Seahawks with seven sacks in 12 games. Randle’s stretch of eight consecutive seasons where he recorded ten or more sacks was the second most in NFL history after Reggie White. Coach Holmgren told Chuck Carlson of the Capital Times, “He’s got a lot of energy. He’s the type of player you want on your team because his motor is so great, his heart is so great and he goes 150 percent all the time. Everybody wants guys like that.” CONTACT INFORMATION Address: c/o Seattle Seahawks, 11220 NE 53rd St., Kirkland, WA 98033. FURTHER INFORMATION Periodicals Allen, Percy. “Knee Injury Ends Randle’s Streak at 140.” Seattle Times, (November 12, 2001): D6. Allen, Percy. “Seahawks Quickly Get Handle on Randle.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, (March 4, 2001). Banks, Don. “A Method to His Madness.” Star Tribune, (January 3, 1998): 1C. Banks, Don. “Randle Becomes $32.5 Million Man.” Star Tribune, (February 18, 1998): 1C. Banks, Don. “Randle Visits Eager Dolphins.” Star Tribune, (February 17, 1998): 4C. Banks, Don. “Unsettled, Randle proves to be Quite Unsettling.” Star Tribune, (September 22, 1998): 1C. Barreiro, Dan. “Randle has Reasons to Smile These Days.” Star Tribune, (July 26, 2000): 1C. Bruscas, Angelo. “Can’t Hold Candle to Randle.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, (December 30, 2002): D8. Bruscas, Angelo. “Energizer Charging Hawks Randle’s Return Should Provide Lift for Defense.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, (October 12, 2002): D4. Carlson, Chuck. “Vikings’ Randle Backs Talk.” Capital Times, (November 28, 1997): 1B. Ditrani, Vinny. “Vikes’ Lineman Has a Big Bite.” The Record, (December 27, 1997): S2. Farnsworth, Clare. “Randle is Too Hard to Handle.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, (July 31, 2001): C1. Hartman, Sid. “Randle Says It’s Time to Start Over.” Star Tribune, (March 4, 2001): 3C. Notable Sports Figures Redgrave Career Statistics Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Yr Team TOT SOLO AST SACK FF BK INT TD 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN SEA SEA 21 58 56 59 42 44 46 58 41 38 26 35 15 12 32 45 54 32 34 36 48 30 30 25 26 13 9 26 11 5 10 10 10 10 11 8 1 9 2 1 9.5 11.5 12.5 13.5 10.5 11.5 15.5 10.5 10.0 8.0 11.0 7.0 1 2 0 3 3 1 4 2 3 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 539 408 131 132.0 29 0 1 0 TOTAL MIN: Minnesota Vikings; SEA: Seattle Seahawks. Jensen, Sean. “Roving Randle Keeps Vikings’ Opponents Guessing.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, (October 10, 2000). King, Peter. “Home Free.” Sports Illustrated, (March 2, 1998): 74. Parrish, Paula. “Randle Again Looms Large.” Star Tribune, (September 23, 1996): 12C. Powell, Jaymes. “John Randle’s Sack Milestone Just Part of a Package.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, (November 13, 1999). Reusse, Patrick. “High Expectations Not New for Randle.” Star Tribune, (August 8, 1998): 1C. Reusse, Patrick. “Randle: He Keeps Going and Going…” Star Tribune, (November 19, 1998): 1C. Williamson, Bill. “Randle Seeks Trade After Poor Season.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, (January 31, 2001). Williamson, Bill. “Vikings Expected to Release Randle.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, (February 28, 2001). Youngblood, Kent. “One Speed.” Star Tribune, (August 2, 1999): 1C. Youngblood, Kent. “Positively Pumped Up.” Star Tribune (April 29, 2000): 1C. Youngblood, Kent. “Stats Don’t Reflect Randle’s Solid Play.” Star Tribune, (September 13, 2000): 1C. Other “Green, Vikings Agree to Buyout.” ESPN.com. http:// sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1305597&type= news (January 25, 2003). “John Randle.” ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ nfl/players/stats?statsId=1422 (January 13, 2003). “John Randle.” NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/players/ playerpage/4128/bios (January 13, 2003). Sketch by A. Petruso Steve Redgrave 1962British rower S ir Steve Redgrave is the greatest competitive rower in history, one of the greatest Olympians ever and, arguably, Britain’s greatest sportsman of the twentieth century. His feats as an oarsman are legendary—gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games; nine World Championships; a string of four unbeaten seasons; and countless awards in Thames River competitions. “Most of us dream of winning one gold medal, but to do it at five Olympics is something else,” Australian rower Bo Hanson told Time International. “It’s just a shame he had to race against us.” Pursuing his Passion Redgrave, the son of a carpenter, was a frustrated, dyslexic student when he left school at age sixteen to become a rower—and began more than two decades of six-day-a-week, five-hour-a-day training sessions. “When you’re dyslexic, you are always trying to get around situations, to find another way to do some things,” Redgrave told Diane Pucin of Knight-Ridder Newspapers. “If you find something you are quite good at, then you tend to stick with it. Some people call me obsessive, but I think it was just that, at a time in life when you need to fit in, I found something that I was good at.” Redgrave claimed his first Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles in the coxed four race. Two years later, in 1986, he won the first of his nine World Champion gold medals and won three gold medals in 1265 Redgrave Notable Sports Figures Chronology 1962 1984 1986 1986 1988 1992 1993 1996 1996 1999 2000 Steve Redgrave the Commonwealth Games: in the single sculls, coxless pairs and coxed four events. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Redgrave teamed with Andrew Holmes and they blew away the field to win gold in coxless pairs. The next day, on a whim, they rowed in the pair with coxswain race—and won the bronze medal. Relentless Holmes retired after the Seoul Games; Redgrave teamed with Matthew Pinsent, an Oxford-educated vicar’s son, in 1990. “The two shared nothing but a love of rowing, yet that was enough to make them inseparable,” Brian Cazeneuve wrote in Sports Illustrated. “When fans would ask Redgrave, who is dyslexic, to write a special inscription with his autograph, he sometimes called on Pinsent to watch over him so he wouldn’t reverse the letters.” The pair was relentless on the water, going undefeated for five years and winning gold medals in coxless pairs in four World Championships and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The 1996 Games in Atlanta offered Redgrave a shot at his fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal and a place in the history books. Danish sailor Paul Elvstrom had won gold medals at four consecutive Olympic games from 1948 to 1960 and Americans Al Oerter (1956-1968) and Carl Lewis (1984-1996) matched that mark in track and field. The Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich leads all athletes with six golds in consecutive games between 1932 and 1960 (no games were held in 1266 Born March 23 in Marlow, England Wins first Olympic gold medal at Los Angeles games Becomes triple gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, winning the single scull, coxless pairs, and coxed four Wins first World Championship Wins second Olympic gold medal as well as a bronze at Seoul games Wins third Olympic gold medal in Barcelona; flagbearer for British Olympic Team Completes first of four consecutive unbeaten seasons (1993-96) during which he records 61 straight victories in the coxless pairs event Wins fourth Olympic gold medal in Atlanta; flagbearer for British Olympic Team Receives honorary degree from the University of Durham Wins ninth World Championship With victory at Sydney Games, becomes second athlete ever—and the first in an endurance sport—to win gold medals at five successive Olympics. 1940 or 1944.) Redgrave downplayed the distinction of joining this elite group as he headed into the 1996 games. “I row to do my very best,” he told Pucin, “and it is silly to think about pressure. There isn’t a lot of hype in this sport. It is filled with good people who are never arrogant, and so the people who win will have done their best. That’s what’s important. If I win another gold, that is wonderful. If not, then that is too bad, but that’s all.” A Brief Retirement Redgrave and Pinsent won the coxless pairs in Atlanta; Redgrave’s place in history was secure, but he was physically and mentally exhausted. “If anyone sees me go near a boat again,” he gasped after racing to his fourth Olympic gold, “they have my permission to shoot me.” Redgrave’s rash retirement did not last, however. Four months later, he was back in training. “He has lived with the job so long now he doesn’t know any other way,” said his wife, Ann, a physician with the British rowing team. “My training as a doctor tells me people just can’t switch off like that.” Redgrave, Pinsent, Jim Cracknell and Tim Foster began preparations for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where they would compete in the coxless four. Some commentators suggested the move to a fourman race was due to Redgrave’s dwindling abilities. The team worked hard, however, averaging “370 kilometers a week on the water, plus weights sessions in the gym,” Time International reported. “About 65 percent of the rowing time is just grinding out the kilometers at 18-20 strokes a minute, at a heart rate of 140. Two or three times a week they do more intensive exercises to up the heart rate, and once a week get up to competitive pace of 36 strokes a minute, which has the heart racing nearer to 170-180 beats a minute. It would be a grueling schedule for an athlete in perfect health. But Redgrave, 38, is Notable Sports Figures not.” Redgrave was diagnosed with colitis, appendicitis, and diabetes after the 1996 Olympics. To manage his diabetes while in training, he consumed 6,000 calories a day in six meals, each followed by an insulin shot. “There are no athletes who compete in an endurance sport with diabetes,” he said, “so there’s no form guide.” A Lasting Legacy The Britons prevailed in Sydney, and Redgrave had Olympic gold medal number five. He was the second athlete ever—and the first in an endurance sport—to win gold medals at five successive Olympics. “Steve told us, ‘Remember these six minutes the rest of your life,’” Foster said. At the medal ceremony, Redgrave received his gold from Princess Anne of Britain, and International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch presented him with a special medal commemorating his fifth straight gold medal. Redgrave lives in Marlow, England, with his wife, Ann, and their three children. He is off the water, but he’s pushing as hard as ever. Redgrave has launched his own line of men’s sportswear and has secured endorsement deals for a cholesterol-lowering spread, a brand of snack foods, and the luxury carmaker Jaguar. Also, the Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust has a goal of raising £5 million over five years for philanthropic efforts focused on children’s health. In Sports Illustrated, Cazeneuve summarized Redgrave’s legacy: “If rowing has given value to Redgrave’s life, he in turn has ennobled the gentleman’s pursuit with his workingman’s dedication.” CONTACT INFORMATION Reece Awards and Accomplishments 1984 Gold medal in coxed four, Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California 1986 Gold medal, coxed pairs, World Championships 1986 Gold medal in single sculls, coxless pairs, and coxed four, Commonwealth Games 1987 Silver medal in coxed pairs, World Championships 1987, 1991, Gold medal in coxless pairs, World Championships 1993-95 1988 Gold medal in coxless pairs and bronze medal in coxed pairs, Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea 1989 Silver medal in coxless pairs, World Championships 1990 Bronze medal in coxless pairs, World Championships 1990 Indoor World Rowing Champion, World Rowing Championships 1992 Gold medal in coxless pairs, Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain 1996 Gold medal in coxless pairs, Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia 1997-99 Gold medal in coxless four, World Championships 1997, 1999 Gold medal in coxless four, World Cup 2000 Gold medal in coxless four, Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia 2000 Voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001 Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, receiving Commander of the Order of the British Empire status Pucin, Diane. “Redgrave Ready to go for Fourth Rowing Gold.” Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service (July 20, 1996). Vecsey, George. “Five Games, Five Medals for a Determined Briton.” New York Times (September 23, 2000). Ware, Michael. “Kings’ Row: Britain’s Steve Redgrave Strokes His Way to Immortality, While New Zealand’s Rob Waddell Doesn’t Miss a Beat.” Time International (October 2, 2000). Address: Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. Online: Steve Redgrave Web site: http://195.172.104.2/. Sketch by David Wilkins SELECTED WRITINGS BY REDGRAVE: (With Nick Townsend) A Golden Age: Steve Redgrave, the Autobiography, BBC Worldwide, 2000. Gabrielle Reece 1970- FURTHER INFORMATION Periodicals “Britain’s Redgrave Gets Special Reward.” New York Times (December 30, 2000). Cazeneuve, Brian. “Never Say Never: Britain’s Steve Redgrave, the Greatest Oarsman Ever, Isn’t the Retiring Type.” Sports Illustrated (October 9, 2000). Noble, Kate. “On Golden Ponds.” Time International (July 10, 2000). Noble, Kate. “Steve Redgrave.” Time (October 2, 2000). American volleyball player G abrielle Reece is not only known for her physical prowess, but also for her beauty. She has made a name for herself in the world of sports by merely being herself, and she has graced the world with her beauty by modeling to make a living while doing what she truly loves, which is playing volleyball. Reece has made great strides in challenging the world’s perception of femininity and size, being 6’3” and weighing 160-170 pounds. She has never been ashamed to tell people her weight, 1267 Reece Notable Sports Figures Chronology 1970 1972 1972 1975 1977 1978 1983 1984 1986 1986 1988 1988 Gabrielle Reece and it is obvious why, as she is quite fit. Reece’s goal in life is to change people’s perceptions of what it is to be a woman and an athlete. She is not one to mince words and her straightforward communication is refreshing. Reece continues to intrigue the world, with her latest pursuit being golf. It is clear she is a woman of many talents and is always up for the challenge. Around the World in 15 Years “Sometimes I think the only reason my mother was put on earth was to give birth to me,” says Reece in her book Big Girl in the Middle. It was clear to her early in life that if things were going to get done, it would have to be by herself, as she found her mother to be unreliable. After being born in California and spending the first two years of her life in Trinidad, she was abandoned by her mom in Long Island at the age of three. Reece’s mother left her with friends who were reliable, but unfortunately at the age of seven, her mother requested she come live with her and her new husband. This was devastating for Reece. From there she lived in Puerto Rico then on to St. Thomas in the Caribbean. All of this turmoil caused Reece to act out with frustration. Her mother had the insight to realize her daughter was going nowhere good living in St. Thomas, so they uprooted and moved to Florida. That was the best move she could have made, because that is where Reece finally found an outlet for all her tension through sports. At the Catholic high school she attended in St. Petersburg, Florida, she was recruited 1268 1991 1992 1993 1994 1997 1997 1997 1999 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002 Born January 6, 1970 in La Jolla, California Divorce of Reece’s mother and father Mother leaves Reece in Long Island with friends to go off and pursue a job training dolphins in Mexico City Reece’s father is killed in a plane crash Mother sends for Reece to be sent to Puerto Rico to live with her and her new husband Moves to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands Diagnosed with an ulcer Divorce of mother and stepfather Moves to Florida where she begins participating in sports at a Christian high school Offered opportunity to model in Europe, which she declines due to her mother’s disapproval Offered volleyball scholarship by Cecile Reynaud with Florida State University Begins modeling half the year in New York, going to college the other half Earns Bachelor of Arts from Florida State Begins playing beach volleyball professionally Works on MTV Sports and MTV’s show The Extremists Begins playing for team Nike Co-authors book Big Girl in the Middle Marries long-time boyfriend, Laird Hamilton on November 30 Ends four-person volleyball career Begins two-person volleyball career Begins training with Gravity Golf Begins working on golf with Butch Harmon School of Golf Files for divorce from Hamilton on January 20 Appears in Discovery Channel’s 15th edition of Shark Week Reconciles with husband Hamilton for basketball and volleyball simply due to her height. Reece eventually realized she really enjoyed playing and had found her niche in the world. Florida is also where Reece was led into the modeling scene. A friend of the family encouraged her to get some portraits done and take some modeling classes. That same friend sent Reece’s photos to an agent who was ready to fly her off to Paris, France immediately. Her mother put the breaks on that, as at seventeen she felt her daughter was too young. Looking back, Reece concurs with her mother’s decision, as she was not ready for that kind of life. Staying in Florida allowed her to really develop her skills in volleyball and learn some selfdiscipline. After Reece was in college the agent called on her again, and that is when she took off as a model. She had an agreement with the volleyball coach at Florida State that when she was playing volleyball, that should be the focus, but the off-season was her choice. This caused some problems with the other players who would train during the off-season, but obviously this did not phase Reece. Once Reece’s college career had ended, she was at a loss for what to do with her life. She did some modeling, but she knew that was not where her passion was. In an interview with the Daily Paragraph, Reece stated, “modeling was a vehicle for me and I never viewed it as anything else but that. Sport felt instinctively like the Notable Sports Figures right place to go.” A friend intervened and suggested she try beach volleyball. She went professional in 1992 and left modeling behind for good. She became quite accomplished in the four-person beach volleyball circuit, earning many awards. During this time she became known for her risk-taking personality. This won her a few hosting positions for MTV. She hosted a show called The Extremists and MTV Sports. She took time off from volleyball from 1997 until 1999, during which she wrote a book and married husband Laird Hamilton. In 1999 she went back to the beach to play two-player volleyball. Two-player volleyball was a lot more work, and she discovered she was not as well suited for it. Developed Passion for Golf Reece was approached by David Lee, a former PGA Tour journeyman, about a “nontraditional teaching method” for golf according to Alan Shipnuck with TL Golf. Lee proposed that she agree to work on this method for a year and a half. Reece states in the article “my greatest strength in all of this, besides my discipline, is my curiosity.” It is this curiosity and discipline that helped her realize she liked the challenge of golf, but was not satisfied with the training techniques of the Gravity Golf program. In January 2001 she began working with the Butch Harmon Golf School. Butch Harmon’s school takes a much more traditional, yet high-tech approach to training golf. They examine your strokes through computer models to see where improvements needs to be made. Reece has been working with them for the past couple years and intends to train for the LPGA Qualifying School in 2004. Reece Awards and Accomplishments 1992 1994-95 Named Most Valuable Player, 4-woman Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Awarded Offensive Player of the Year, 4-Woman Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Through all of these journeys, Reece has remained true to herself and who she is. She concedes to the issues she addresses saying, “The thing I don’t like about this fear of being big is that it feeds into this general female thing of wanting to be less – less powerful, less assertive, less demanding, less opinionated, less present, less big,” Reece wants to make it clear that it is okay to show all sides of yourself. She encourages people to be whom they truly are to make a better life for themselves, rather than living up to what everyone else is expecting. Barbara Harris with Shape states, “She is leading us in a direction not only of someone with a healthier body image, but of also being your own person.” In an article about her book for Newsday, Reece expressed, “I’m hoping the book is motivating for younger girls, to give them a wake up call.” She shares that she regrets not getting involved in sports earlier than age 15. Reece wants to give that chance to other girls. She is obviously making some sort of impact, as she was ranked the ultimate fitness role model by Shape readers two years in a row. CONTACT INFORMATION Unfortunately when Reece quit volleyball, her life became askew. Her new passion for golf invaded her life and took over every facet. That left no space for her husband Laird. Reece filed for divorce in January of 2001. Fortunately time heals all wounds. After nearly a year apart, the couple reconciled and have been together ever since. She feels the same way about her pursuit of golf. “I’ve never quit anything in my life. I started this, and I need to finish it. Even if I’m a bust, I have to finish this journey,” she stated to Shipnuck. Address: Gabrielle Reece, c/o Crown, 201 East 50th St., New York, NY 10022. Reece was interviewed for the cable channel Lifetime’s program Intimate Portrait, where she was able to share in her own words the story of her life. Lifetime named her as “one of the 20 most influential women in sports” and “a new female idol.” The program outlined Reece’s amazing attitude and how she is able to accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She shares how her early life was quite turbulent. Reece was able to express how participating in sports turned her life around and gave her focus. She also explains how she survived the tumultuous years and admitted that it made her a better person because she had to learn to rely upon herself. Reece feels that everything she has is due to her hard work and love and relationships she has encountered along the way are the perks. FURTHER INFORMATION SELECTED WRITINGS BY REECE: (With Karen Karbo) Big Girl in The Middle. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1997. Books “Gabrielle Reece.” The Complete Marquis Who’s Who. Marquis Who’s Who, 2001. “Gabrielle Reece.” Sports Stars. Series 1-4. U•X•L, 1994-98. Periodicals Blauvelt, Harry. “Spikes Now on Feet Volleyball Star Reece Shoots for LPGA tour.” USA Today, (April 26, 2001): 01C. Coats, Bill. “Ruling at the Net Gabrielle Reece Makes Her Point in Beach Volleyball.” St. Louis Dispatch, (June 30, 1996): 01F. 1269 Reece Notable Sports Figures Davies, Gareth. “Sport: Modeling Took Second Place to Sport.” Daily Telegraph, (February 2, 1998). “The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World 1992: Gabrielle Reece.” People, (May 4, 1992): 74. Fish, Mike. “Women in Sports: Growing Pains: Selling of Female Athletes: Sponsors Struck with Reece’s Looks, Not Skills.” Atlanta Constitution, (September 25, 1998): D01. Reed, Susan and Meg Grant. “Lookout: Volleyball, Anyone? Model Gabrielle Reece’s Favorite Spikes are Not on Her Heels.” People, (October 16, 1989): 97. Silver, Michael. “Big Girl in the Middle.” Scorecard – Book Reviews.Sports Illustrated, (August 25, 1997): 20. Skotnicki, Monique. “When You Fish Upon a Star.” Newsday, (August 9, 2002): 03. “Super Power: Super Strong, Superfit: Adrienne Shoom Gets a Look at the Body According to Pro Beach Volleyball Superstar Gabrielle Reece.” Flare, (May 1, 1998): 118-23. Other “Gabby scores (again).” Shape. http://www.shape.com/ shapelife/p/2038.jsp?requestedPage=4. (December 15, 2002). “Gabrielle Reece.” Lifetime Intimate Portrait. http:// www.lifetimetv.com/shows/ip/portraits/9820/9820_ index.html. (January 2, 2003). “Gabrielle Reece.” Volleyball.org. http://www.volleyball. org/people/gabrielle_reece.html. (December 15, 2002). “Gabrielle Reece Dove 80 Feet in Search of the Rare Shovel-Nose Shark.” Discovery Channel. http://dsc. discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek2002/ celebrities/celebrities.html. (1/2/2003). “Model Gabrielle Reece seeks divorce.” AP Online. (March 9, 2001). Shipnuck, Alan. “The Glorious Quest of Gabrielle Reece: Can a World-Class Cover Girl and Superstar Athlete Find Success and Happiness on the LPGA Tour? This One is Determined to Try.” TLGolf. http://www.tlgolf.com/features/0701reece.html. (December 15, 2002). Sketch by Barbra J Smerz Harold “Pee Wee” Reese 1918-1999 American baseball player M ajor League Baseball player Harold “Pee Wee” Reese was considered one of the greatest of all Brooklyn Dodger players. A superb defensive shortstop, 1270 Pee Wee Reese a capable hitter, and a student of baseball who used his intelligence as much as his athletic abilities to beat opponents, Reese, however, earned his place in baseball history for far more than his ball playing talent. Ultimately he will be remembered as the man whose courage, and sense of justice and fair play greatly helped smooth the entry of Jackie Robinson onto the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers. Reese’s support of Robinson hastened the integration of African-Americans into major league baseball at a time when it was still pervaded by racism. Youth in Kentucky Harold Henry Reese was born on July 23, 1918 in Ekron, Kentucky. His father, Carl, was a railroad detective, and his family lived for the most part in Louisville. Harold was a small boy growing up, but it was not his stature that brought him his famous nickname. Folks started calling him “Pee Wee” when the fourteen-yearold Reese won a national marbles tournament. A “pee wee” is a kind of marble. Despite providing Reese with the trappings of a normal boyhood, Louisville was still a segregated city in the American South. “When I was growing up, we never played ball with blacks because they weren’t allowed in the parks,” Reese told Ira Berkow of the New York Times. “And the schools were segregated, so we didn’t go to school with them.” Reese later admitted he had never shaken the hand of a black man until he greeted Jackie Robinson on the first day of the Dodger’s 1947 Notable Sports Figures Reese Chronology Awards and Accomplishments 1918 1937 1938-39 1939 1940 1941 1942, 1947-54 1943-45 1947 Born July 23 in Ekron, Kentucky Plays for New Covenant Presbyterian Church team Plays for Louisville Colonels of American Association Acquired by Boston Red Sox Sold to Brooklyn Dodgers Plays in first World Series National League All-Star 1932 1943, 1947-54 1947 1949 1952 1952 Serves in U.S. Navy Jackie Robinson joins Brooklyn Dodges as first African American in major league baseball Plays in World Series 1953 1984 1949, 1952-53, 1955-56 1954 1955 1958 1959 1984 1984 1997 1999 Bats career high .309 Brooklyn celebrates “Pee Wee Reese Night” Retires from baseball Coach for Los Angeles Dodgers Elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown Elected to Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball Hall of Fame Diagnosed with lung cancer Dies in Louisville spring training. Kentucky had much darker secrets than segregation. When Reese was about ten-years-old, his father took him to a tree and solemnly told the boy that black men had been lynched on the tree. The story impressed Reese deeply, and when he became a father himself, Reese showed his own sons the same tree. Reese did not play on his high school baseball team, probably because of his size. After he graduated and took a job as a cable splicer for the local phone company, however, Reese joined the New Covenant Presbyterian Church team. In the church league, Reese proved to be a talented shortstop and at the end of the 1937 season he was signed by the Louisville Colonels of the minor league American Association (AA). By the end of his second season with the Colonels, Reese had become the star of the team. He was a sterling infielder, with a fielding average of .943 whose speed and smarts enabled him to lead the league in both triples and stolen bases. In 1939 Reese was acquired by the Boston Red Sox who, unable to find a place for him in their line-up, sold him the following year to the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League (NL) for $75,000. He joined the team for the 1940 season. He had an unremarkable rookie season, but Reese came into his own in 1941, and under his field leadership, the Dodgers won the National League pennant. In 1942 Reese married Dorothy Walton, with whom he would have two children, a daughter Barbara and a son Mark. Shortly after their marriage, Reese enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and shipped out to fight in the Pacific theater of the Second World War. Like many another ball-players in the early 1940s, Reese lost some of the best years of his playing life in the service of his country in the Second World War. Sailing home from National Marbles Champion National League All-Star Leads National League with 104 bases on balls Leads National League with 132 runs scored Leads National League with 30 stolen bases Reaches base safely three times in one inning, a National League record Leads National League with 15 sacrifice hits Elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame and Brooklyn Dodgers Baseball Hall of Fame Guam in 1945, a shipmate brought Reese the news that the Dodgers had just become the first team in the major leagues to sign a black player, Jackie Robinson. Reese was unfazed, till he learned that Robinson was a shortstop. “My God, just my luck, Robinson has to play my position!” Reese told Berkow of the New York Times. “But I had confidence in my abilities, and I thought, well, if he can beat me out, more power to him. That’s exactly how I felt.” Reese held onto his shortstop position. Robinson was used at first base, and later moved to second. Playing with Jackie Robinson In spring 1947, when Brooklyn brought Robinson up from its Montreal farm club, tensions were high at the Dodger training camp. Reese took the lead in making a place for Robinson on the team despite resentments. Reese was the first to shake Robinson’s hand and the first to play cards with him in the clubhouse. Not long after spring training began, a group of southern players, led by Dixie Walker, circulated a petition stating that they would not play if Robinson were allowed on the team. Reese, the team captain and a Southerner himself, bluntly refused to sign it. That action, many believe, effectively put an end to the uprising. That was not the end of attacks on Robinson however. Once the season began, Robinson’s presence gave rise to virulent racist provocation at ball parks throughout the United States. Witnessing a particularly violent eruption of racist heckling against Robinson in Cincinnati, Ohio, Reese walked onto the field and put his hand on Robinson’s shoulder, a powerful expression of solidarity. “Pee Wee kind of sensed the sort of hopeless, dead feeling in me and came over and stood beside me for a while,” Robinson is quoted in Arnold Rampersad’s biography Jackie Robinson. “He didn’t say a word but he looked over at the chaps who were yelling at me . . . and just stared. He was standing by me, I could tell you that. I will never forget it.” Reese became Robinson’s closest friend on the Dodgers, as well as his mate in a deadly double-play tandem after Robinson was switched to second base. 1271 Reese Notable Sports Figures Career Statistics Yr Team Avg GP AB R H HR RBI BB SO SB E 1940 1941 1942 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO BRO LA .272 .229 .255 .284 .284 .274 .279 .260 .286 .272 .271 .309 .282 .257 .224 .224 84 152 151 152 142 151 155 141 154 149 140 141 145 147 103 59 312 595 564 542 476 566 617 531 616 559 524 554 554 572 330 147 58 76 87 79 81 96 132 97 94 94 108 98 99 85 33 21 85 136 144 154 135 155 172 138 176 152 142 171 156 147 74 33 5 2 3 5 12 9 16 11 10 6 13 10 10 9 1 4 28 46 53 60 73 75 73 52 84 58 61 69 61 46 29 17 45 68 82 87 104 79 116 91 81 86 82 90 78 56 39 26 42 56 55 71 67 63 59 62 57 59 61 62 60 69 32 15 15 10 15 10 7 25 26 17 20 30 22 8 8 13 5 1 18 47 35 26 25 31 18 26 35 21 23 25 23 25 19 10 .269 2166 8058 1338 2170 126 885 1210 890 232 407 TOTAL BRO: Brooklyn Dodgers; LA: Los Angeles Dodgers. Playing next to Jackie Robinson seems to have spurred Reese to the finest performances of his career. Beginning in 1947, Reese appeared in eight consecutive AllStar games. He had his best all-around season in 1949, batting .279 and leading the National League in runs scored. In 1954, he batted for a career high average of .309. Under Reese’s captainship, the Dodgers won five National League pennants between 1949 and 1956. It wasn’t until 1955 that Brooklyn finally managed to win the World Series, thanks in great measure to a spectacular play in the deciding game, in which Reese cut off a throw from the outfield after a fly out, spun blind and fired the ball to first to double off a runner there. The play helped preserve the Dodger’s lead. Reese hung up his spikes at the close of the 1958 season. When he retired, the Dodgers offered him the job of manager, a position he had already turned down twice as a player. He declined the job a third time, preferring to work with the team as a coach, a position he held for a single season. He subsequently worked as a baseball broadcaster for NBC and CBS, and as a representative for Louisville Slugger, the country’s most respected maker of baseball bats. Reese underwent surgery for prostate cancer in the 1980s and in 1997 was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died on August 14, 1999 at his Louisville home. As an eight-time All Star who led the Dodgers to seven pennants and one World Series victory, Pee Wee Reese would have won a place in the hearts of Brooklyn Dodger fans whatever else he had done. His courageous public support of Jackie Robinson earned him a more important spot not just in the history of baseball but in the history of the civil rights movement of the mid-century. Joe Black, a black pitcher who joined the Dodgers a couple years after Robinson, told Jet magazine, “When 1272 I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, ‘Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.’ With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts.” FURTHER INFORMATION Books Golenbock, Peter. Teammates. Gulliver Books, 1990. “Harold “Pee Wee” Reese.” Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, Book IV. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Kahn, Roger. The Boys of Summer. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. Schoor, Gene. The Pee Wee Reese Story. New York: J. Messner, 1956. Periodicals Berkow, Ira. “A Baseball Celebration—Standing Beside Jackie Robinson; Reese Helped Change Baseball.” New York Times (March 31, 1997): C1. Block, Hal. “Pee Wee Reese remembers the start of a baseball revolution.” Associated Press (March 30, 1997). Independent (August 19, 1999): 6. Kindred, Dave. “An artist at life.” Sporting News (August 30, 1999): 62. “Pee Wee Reese Has Lung Cancer.” Newsday (March 9, 1997): B12. Weil, Martin. “Shortstop Pee Wee Reese Dies; Brooklyn Dodger Admired for His Support of Jackie Robinson.” Washington Post (August 15, 1999): C6. Sketch by Gerald E. Brennan