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W Honus Wagner 1874-1955 American baseball player C onsidered by many baseball experts the greatest shortstop of all time, Honus Wagner was one of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s five original inductees in 1936. Among his fellow inductees were Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. At first glance, Wagner looked somewhat ungainly and awkward. Stocky, barrel-chested, and bow-legged, he nevertheless exhibited great speed, which, in tandem with his heritage, earned him the nickname of “The Flying Dutchman.” Wagner compiled a lifetime batting average of .326 and managed to top .300 for an incredible fifteen consecutive seasons. John McGraw, the legendary manager of the New York Giants for more than thirty seasons, said of Wagner: “While Wagner was the greatest shortstop, I believe he could have been the number one player at any position he might have selected. That’s why I vote him baseball’s foremost all-time player.” Born in Western Pennsylvania Wagner was born in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, on February 24, 1874, one of nine children born to Peter and Katheryn (Wolf) Wagner, who had immigrated to western Pennsylvania from Germany’s Bavaria in 1866. Big, clumsy, and bowlegged from birth, Wagner was called Honus (a German term often applied to awkward children) by his family. He also acquired the nickname “Dutch,” a corruption of “Deutsch,” the German word for German, and fairly common in this heavily Germansettled region of Pennsylvania. Wagner was raised in Chartiers, Pennsylvania, not far from Mansfield. The two towns, close to Pittsburgh, were eventually merged and renamed Carnegie. His father worked in the mines, where twelve-year-old Honus joined him in 1886. Young Wagner labored in the mines during the day, but most evenings and Sunday afternoons found him playing sandlot baseball with his brothers and neighbors. By the time he entered the mines, Wagner had already acquired star status on his neighborhood team, the Oregons. His older brother, Albert, was thought by many in the area to be the better ballplayer, but Al never Honus Wagner really took the game seriously. He did, however, recognize Honus’s potential and encouraged his younger brother to learn every playing position. In time, the brothers graduated from sandlot play to positions on area church and company teams, often earning up to five dollars a week in pay and tips. Honus and brother Al began playing semiprofessional baseball in 1894 for Mansfield, a member of the Allegheny League. The following year the Wagner brothers jumped to the Carnegie Athletic Club and in 1895 joined the Steubenville, Ohio, team, part of the newly formed Inter-State League. In his first game for Steubenville, Honus hit a home run. Not long thereafter, Honus Wagner was signed by manager Ed Barrow to play for Paterson (New Jersey) in the Atlantic League. Older brother Al meanwhile went north of the border to play for a team in Toronto. So impressive was the younger Wagner’s per- 1695 Wagner Notable Sports Figures Chronology Awards and Accomplishments 1874 1886 1894 1896 1897 1895 1896 1897 1900 1901 1909 1916 1928 1933 1942 1955 Born in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, on February 24 Begins work in the coal mines at the age of 12 Plays with older brother Al for Mansfield in the semipro Allegheny League Breaks into professional baseball, playing for Steubenville (OH) in Inter-State League Signs to play first base for Paterson (NJ) in the Atlantic League Makes major league debut playing center field for Louisville on July 19 Joins Pittsburgh Pirates after Louisville folds Begins playing shortstop, position for which he would become famous Leads Pirates to victory over the Detroit Tigers and Ty Cobb in the World Series Marries Bessie Baine Smith Loses electoral race for Allegheny County Sheriff Becomes a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates Appointed deputy country sheriff Dies in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, on December 6 formance for Paterson that he soon became the object of a bidding war between a number of major league baseball clubs. Louisville eventually took the prize, paying Paterson $2,100 for the rights to sign Wagner. Breaks Into Major Leagues On July 19, 1897, Wagner made his major league debut for the Louisville Nationals, playing center field, and occasionally filling in at second base. In the sixtyone games he played for Louisville in 1897, Wagner compiled a batting average of .338. His batting average slipped a bit in 1898, falling to .299, but Wagner proved his versatility, playing first, second, and third base. His batting average bounced back in 1899, when he hit .336. However, at the end of the season the Louisville team disbanded, and Wagner, along with his close friend Fred Clarke, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clarke played left field for the Pirates and also managed. In 1900, Wagner won the first of eight batting championships with an impressive batting average of .381. Happy to be playing near his hometown, Wagner resisted tempting offers from American League teams to lure him away from Pittsburgh. Wagner in 1901 began playing shortstop, the position for which he became best known. He also led the National League in doubles and runs batted in with an average of .353 and won the first of five stolen-base titles. His ungainly appearance was deceptive, for as awkward as he looked, Wagner could turn on the speed when it was needed. He established a career record of 722 stolen bases, a record that stood until it was eventually broken by Ty Cobb. The Pittsburgh Pirates, thanks in large part to Wagner’s superlative batting, was the strongest club in the early days of the National League, finishing first in 1901, 1902, 1903, and 1909. In the very first World Series, a best-of- 1696 1898 1901 1903 1904-11 1907 1909 1917 1936 Batted .348 for Paterson (NJ) in Atlantic League Compiled batting average of .338 during his first season in the major leagues First of eight National League batting championships with .381 average Led National League in doubles and runs batted in Led Pirates to National League championship with .355 batting average Acclaimed best player in the National League Batting average of .350 tops league average by 107 points Pirates win World Series over the Detroit Tigers Retired from Pirates with all-time records for games, at-bats, hits, runs, stolen bases, and total bases Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame nine series in 1903, Pittsburgh faced off against Boston of the American League. It was not Wagner’s finest moment, however, and he batted only .222 during the series. Boston took the series, five games to three. Despite his less-than-stellar performance in the first World Series, Wagner led the National League as its best player for the next eight seasons, his batting average never dipping below .320. He acquired a reputation as one of the game’s best bad-ball hitters, and this in an era when the rules allowed pitchers to hurl spitballs and battered, muddy balls usually stayed in the game for lack of replacements. In the World Series of 1909, the thirtyfive-year-old Wagner and the Pirates faced off against the Detroit Tigers and their twenty-two-year-old wunderkind, Ty Cobb. The Pirates took the series, and Wagner outbatted Cobb .333 to .231. Retires from the Pirates in 1917 Wagner played for the Pirates until 1917, when he was forty-three years old. In the latter years of his baseball career, he struggled against the effects of aging and multiple injuries but still managed to perform impressively. He last compiled a batting average of .300 or better during the 1913 season, although his average never dropped lower than .252 in his remaining years of play. In 1916, Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, the daughter of another professional baseball player. The couple had two daughters, Betty and Virginia. After his retirement from the Pirates, Wagner continued to play semiprofessional ball in the Pittsburgh area until he was well past fifty. His one run for political office—the sheriff of Allegheny County—in 1928 ended in failure, but in 1942 he was appointed deputy county sheriff. In between, he served briefly as sergeant-at-arms in the Pennsylvania legislature. He also returned to professional baseball in 1933, this time as a coach for the Pirates. In 1936, Wagner, along with Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth, were the first players to be inducted into the newly opened National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1955 Wagner, by then eighty-one years Notable Sports Figures Wagner Career Statistics Yr Team Avg GP AB R H HR RBI BB SO SB E 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 LOU LOU LOU PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT .338 .299 .336 .381 .353 .330 .355 .349 .363 .339 .350 .354 .339 .320 .334 .324 .300 .252 .274 .287 .265 61 151 147 135 140 136 129 132 147 142 142 151 137 150 130 145 114 150 156 123 74 237 588 571 527 549 534 512 490 548 516 515 568 495 556 473 558 413 552 566 432 230 37 80 98 107 101 105 97 97 114 103 98 100 92 90 87 91 51 60 68 45 15 80 176 192 201 194 176 182 171 199 175 180 201 168 178 158 181 124 139 155 124 61 2 10 7 4 6 3 5 4 6 2 6 10 5 4 9 7 3 1 6 1 0 39 105 113 100 126 91 101 75 101 71 82 109 100 81 89 102 56 50 78 39 24 15 31 40 41 53 43 44 59 54 58 46 54 66 59 67 59 26 51 39 34 24 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 47 34 38 40 51 64 36 17 19 27 37 38 49 42 46 53 57 53 61 53 35 24 20 26 21 23 22 11 5 16 43 28 13 48 32 52 51 60 52 49 50 49 52 47 32 24 43 38 35 10 .326 2792 10430 1736 3415 101 1732 963 327 722 824 TOTAL LOU: Louisville Nationals; PIT: Pittsburgh Pirates. old, attended the unveiling of a statue in his honor at the Pirates’ Forbes Field. (The statue was later relocated to Three Rivers Stadium.) Later that year, on December 6, he died at his home in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. One of the most dynamic forces in baseball, Wagner was active in professional ball for nearly forty years, more than thirty-five of which were spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, first as a player and later as a coach and manager. One of his greatest admirers throughout his baseball career was John J. McGraw, the longtime manager of the New York Giants. According to McGraw, Wagner had a “sixth sense of baseball” when it came to defense, knowing just where to play certain batters on certain pitches. In perhaps his highest tribute to Wagner, McGraw once observed: “Wagner is a whole team in himself.” FURTHER INFORMATION Books American Decades CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Group, 1998. Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 5: 19511955. American Council of Learned Societies, 1977. Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement. Volume 20. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Hageman, William. Honus: The Life and Times of a Baseball Hero. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing, 1996. Hittner, Arthur D. Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball’s “Flying Dutchman.” Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1996. Periodicals Neff, Craig. “Scorecard: Honus or Bogus.” Sports Illustrated (June 4, 1990): 15. “Saga.” Bulletin Index (September 7, 1939). Weir, Tom. “Top Shortstops Brought More Than Glove to Work: Honus Wagner Established Standard with Success at Plate, on Basepaths.” USA Today (August 27, 1999): 6C. Other “Clarke, Fred C.” HickockSports.com. http://www. hickocksports.com/biograph/clarkefr.shtml (October 15, 2002). “Fred Clarke.” National Baseball Hall of Fame. http:// www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/ hofer_bios/Clarke_Fred.htm (October 15, 2002). “Honus Wagner.” Baseball Almanac. http://www. baseball-almanac.com/players/p_wagner0.shtml (October 15, 2002). “Honus Wagner: Career Batting Statistics.” CNN/Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/ mlb/stats/alltime/player/batting/12792.html (October 14, 2002). “Honus Wagner.” http://members.aol.com/stealth792/ wagner/wagner.html (October 14, 2002). “Honus Wagner.” National Baseball Hall of Fame. http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_ honorees/hofer_bios/wagner_honus.htm (October 14, 2002). 1697 Wagner Notable Sports Figures “Player Pages: Honus Wagner.” The Baseball Page. com. http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/ wagnershonus/default.htm (October 15, 2002). Sketch by Don Amerman Grete Waitz 1953Norwegian marathon runner D istance runner Grete Waitz has set world records in the 3,000 meter, 8 kilometer, 10 kilometer, 15 kilometer, 10 mile, and the marathon. She was the first woman to run a marathon in under 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the first female world champion in the marathon. She has won the New York City Marathon nine times. A Norwegian Tradition Born Grete Andersen in Oslo, Norway in 1953, Waitz grew up with the Norwegian tradition of exercise and outdoor activity. Norwegians customarily hike during the summer and cross-country ski in the winter, as well as engaging in other sports; she told Michael Sandrock in Running with the Legends that Norway is “a sports heaven.” Waitz loved to run, and her two older brothers, Jan and Arild, encouraged her and included her in their games with other boys. Waitz’s mother thought their games were too rough for her and bought her a piano, but she preferred running to playing it. When she went on errands to the grocery store, she timed herself to see how fast she could get there and back, and on the way she raced cars and buses. When she played cops and robbers with other children, none of them could catch her. By the time she was 12, she had participated in handball, gymnastics, and track, but she loved running most of all. She joined the Vidar Sports Club in Oslo, at the encouragement of her neighbor, Terje Pedersen, who was a world record holder. At the club, she participated in the high jump, long jump, and shot put, winning her first prize, a silver spoon, in a ball-throwing contest. Although she did not do well in short races of 60 or 80 meters, she did better at distances of 300 meters or longer, and began training for the 400 and 800 meters. She also began making longer runs of 6 miles, keeping up with the boys. Waitz often got up before dawn to run, a practice she continued throughout her running life. In 1969, when she was 16, she won the Norwegian junior champi- 1698 Grete Waitz onships in the 400 and 800 meters. In 1971, she won the Norwegian open 800 and 1,500 meters, and set a European junior record of 4:17.0 in the 1,500. Although Waitz also ran at the Helsinki European Championships in 1971, she did not qualify for the 1,500. According to Sandrock, she later said, “I was disappointed, perplexed, angry, and only 17 years old.… My bitterness fed my desire to excel. Just as with my parents, this denial of support strengthened my determination.” In 1972, when Waitz was 18, she experienced a tragedy—her boyfriend and coach became ill and died. Waitz stopped eating and running, but her teammates from the track club helped her through the difficult time and encouraged her to use her running and training to help heal her grief. Competes in 1972 Olympics In First Marathons, Waitz commented, “My two older brothers set a wonderful example for me and since we were always in friendly sibling competition with one another and I tended to follow their training habits, other girls found me tough to bear. That’s probably one of the reasons I made the 1972 Olympic team at 18 years old.” Waitz competed in the 1,500 meters in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Although she did not expect to win a medal, she enjoyed the experience and had fun with her friends on the team. She ran a personal best of 4:16 in the 1,500 meters, but the competition was so talented Notable Sports Figures Waitz Chronology Cool Controlled Grace 1953 1965 1969 1972 1975 1976 1978 1979 1984 1990 “I knew I was out of my league and hadn’t trained properly. Finally, exhausted and hurting, I crossed the finish line. Immediately, I was swarmed by the media, pushing microphones and cameras in my face. I didn’t understand what they were saying and tried to run away from them.... I had no idea that I had set a course and world record.” Born in Oslo, Norway Joins Vidar Sports Club and participates in track and field Wins first national competition Competes in Olympic Games Marries Jack Waitz Competes in Olympic Games Wins the first of nine New York City Marathons Quits her teaching job to run full-time Competes in Olympic Games, wins silver medal in the marathon Retires from competition, becomes advocate of women’s sports Source: Waitz, Greta, First Marathons, edited by Gail Waesche Kislevitz, Breakaway Books, 1999. plowed road to run on. Resolutely, she ran back and forth on it for eight miles. that she did not make it into the final competition. However, she realized that she could eventually become a great runner if she continued to train. In that same year, Waitz began studying at a teacher’s college in Oslo, fitting her training into the early hours before school. In 1974, she won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the European Championships, and was named Norwegian Athlete of the Year. As Waitz matured, she began running longer distances, and in 1975, set a world record in the 3,000 meters. It was only the second time she had raced that distance. In that same year, she was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters. Competes in 1976 Olympics In 1976, Waitz returned to the Olympics, but this time she knew what to expect and trained more seriously. In fact, she had not missed a day of training for more than two years, and she was expected to win a medal. However, there was no women’s 3,000-meter race, and she had to enter the 1,500 meters, the farthest distance women were allowed to run in the Olympics at the time. Although she made it to the semifinals, she placed eighth—not good enough to make it to the finals, even though she had set a personal best and Scandinavian record in the 1,500. Waitz was attacked in the Norwegian press, and she became angry: she had trained twice a day for two years, despite having a full-time job as a teacher and spending two hours each day commuting to her work. According to Sandrock, she said, “I became a victim of the Norwegian expression, ‘A silver medal is a defeat’— if you don’t win, you lose.” In 1977, Waitz decided in the future to run without the support of the Norwegian Federation scholarship. Waitz won world cross-country titles in 1978, 1979, 1981, and 1983. During this time, she worked as a schoolteacher, training during her time off. In the winter, she switched to cross-country skiing, which kept her in shape while giving her legs a break from running. At one point, according to Sandrock, she was running during the winter but could find only a quarter-mile of Wins New York City Marathon In 1978, Waitz was considering retiring, but her husband convinced her to try running a marathon. Waitz was reluctant at first, but eventually called the New York City Road Runners Club to get an invitation to run the event. She was turned down. Although she was a champion, she had never run the 26.2-mile distance. Waitz was disappointed, mainly because she and her husband, Jack Waitz, were hoping to have a vacation in New York but could not afford to go unless they were sponsored by the club. However, soon after this, Fred Lebow, president of the club, called with an offer. He suggested that she run as a “rabbit,” setting a fast pace for the elite women, She would not be expected to run fast for the entire distance, but only for a portion of the course. Up to that point, the farthest Waitz had ever run was 12 miles, less than half the marathon distance. She had no idea what to expect, so when the race began, she went out fast. By the 19th mile, she began to tire, and she had lost track of how much farther she had to run because she was used to reading distances in kilometers, not miles. Nevertheless, she continued to run. Like everyone who runs the New York City marathon, she looked desperately for any sign that she was close to Central Park, where the finish line was. Each patch of trees in the distance gave her hope, then despair when it turned out not to be the park. Finally, she reached the finish line. She had registered so late that her bib number was not listed in the official guide to the runners, and no one knew who she was. When Fred Lebow asked who had won, all anyone could tell him was “Some blond girl,” according to Peter Gambaccini in Runner’s World. Mobbed by reporters, she had no idea that she had won. In addition, she had set a new women’s world record for the distance with a time of 2:32.30, two minutes faster than the old record. Back home in Norway, Waitz returned to her teaching job, but her students had trouble comprehending how far she had run because they were not used to distances expressed in miles. When she told them it was 42 kilometers, they still did not understand. Finally, accord- 1699 Waitz Notable Sports Figures Awards and Accomplishments 1975 1976 1978 1978 1978 1979 1979 1979 1980 1980 1980 1981 1982 1983 1983 1983 1983 1984 1984 1984 1985 1986 1986 1988 2000 World record, 3000 meters, 8:46.6 World record, 3000 meters, 8:45.4 Winner, New York City Marathon World record, marathon, 2:32.30 World cross-country champion World record, 10 miles, 53:05 Winner, New York City Marathon World record, marathon, 2:27.33 World record, 10K, 31:00 Winner, New York City Marathon World record, marathon, 2:25.41 World cross-country champion Winner, New York City Marathon Winner, New York City Marathon World record, marathon, 2:25.29 Winner, world marathon championships World cross-country champion Winner, New York City Marathon World record, 15K, 47:53 Silver medal, marathon, Los Angeles Olympics Winner, New York City Marathon Winner, New York City Marathon World record, 8K, 25:03 Winner, New York City Marathon Inducted into Distance Running Hall of Fame Wins Silver in Los Angeles Olympics In 1984, Waitz went to the Los Angeles Olympics. That year was the first that women were allowed to compete in the marathon. Previously many observers believed the event was too grueling for women to complete, but in the preceding 15 years women, including Waitz, had proved this prejudice wrong by performing strongly in non-Olympic marathons. Waitz was expected to win, but came in second to Joan Benoit Samuelson, winning a silver medal. Waitz did not make excuses for coming in second, but praised Benoit for her excellent race. She was relieved to have finally won an Olympic medal: now the pressure for her to win one for Norway was gone. Grete Waitz ing to Sandrock, she told them it was the distance between Oslo and a town that was 26 miles away. They were shocked. In 1979, now a running star, Waitz quit teaching in order to run full-time. She knew that, if she could set a world record in the marathon despite being totally unprepared for the distance, she could do even better if she trained for it. She went on to win the New York City marathon eight more times; she won 13 of 19 marathons that she entered between 1978 and 1988. In 1979, 1980, and 1983 she set new world records in the event. She won the World Marathon Championships in 1983, beating the second-place runner by three minutes. In that same year, Waitz founded the 5-km Grete Waitz Run in Oslo, Norway; 3,000 runners participated. 1700 Waitz ran in the 1988 Olympic Marathon in Seoul, Korea but did not finish the race, hampered by knee surgery she had undergone before the race. Later that year, however, she made a comeback, winning the New York City Marathon for the ninth time. “Everything feels good,” she said before the race, according to Marc Bloom in Runner’s World. American runner Joan Benoit Samuelson, who came in third, told Bloom, “Losing to Grete is an honor. She owns New York.” In 1990, Waitz retired from competition to devote her time to serving as a spokesperson for women’s sports. Since retiring from competition, Waitz has used her ability to help others who have difficulty in running. In 1992, Waitz ran the New York City Marathon with Fred Lebow, who was suffering from brain cancer. Because of his illness, he could only run very slowly, and the two took 5 hours, 32 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the Notable Sports Figures Where Is She Now? Waitz and her husband divide their time between their homes in Oslo, Norway, and Gainesville, Florida. Waitz still runs the New York City marathon every year, but does it for the enjoyment, not as a competitor. She often signs autographs and talks to runners at an expo held before the race. Although she enjoys encouraging other runners to stay fit and do their best, she has said, according to Sandrock, “I have no more interest in competing.” She is a spokesperson for Avon Running-Global Women’s Circuit and for Adidas. course; when they finished, Waitz cried, knowing that Lebow’s condition was terminal and it was the last time she would run with him. In 1993, Waitz waited at the finish line for runner Zoe Koplowitz, who had multiple sclerosis, to finish the course. Koplowitz took 24 hours to complete the marathon distance. Waitz wrote in First Marathons, “No one had a medal for her, so I rushed back to my hotel to get my husband’s medal for her.” In 1991, Waitz was named Female Runner of the Quarter Century by Runner’s World magazine. Walcott “Grete Waitz: Queen of the Marathon,” in Running with the Legends, edited by Michael Sandrock, Human Kinetics, 1996. Waitz, Greta, “Cool Controlled Grace,” in First Marathons, edited by Gail Waesche Kislevitz, Breakaway Books, 1999. Periodicals Bloom, Marc, “Grete Waitz,” Runner’s World, (December, 1991): 52. Bloom, Marc, “Revival of the Fittest,” Runner’s World, (January, 1989): 30. Gambaccini, Peter, “The Queen,” Runner’s World, (November, 1994): 64. Other “Grete Waitz,” Distance Running Hall of Fame, http:// www.distancerunning.com/ (January 27, 2003). Sketch by Kelly Winters In First Marathons, Waitz wrote, “I prefer to train in the dark, cold winter months when it takes a stern attitude to get out of bed before dawn and head out the door to below-freezing weather conditions. Anyone can run on a nice, warm, brisk day.” Legacy of a Trailblazer Michael Sandrock wrote in Running With the Legends, “Waitz has no rival in terms of depth and breadth of career. Her place as the pioneer of women’s marathoning is secure, and it is not farfetched to say that women’s marathoning entered the modern era when Waitz entered New York in 1978.” Sandrock pointed out that when Waitz began running, there are no women’s 3,000-meter, 10,000-meter, or marathon races in the Olympics, no women-only races, no prize money for women, and very little regard from the running press for women runners. For example, when Waitz entered an Oslo 3,000-meter event, one journalist wrote “Oh, save us from these women running seven laps around the track,” according to Sandrock. By the time she ran her tenth New York City Marathon in 1990, the status of women’s running was nearly equal to that of men’s. Waitz, like other champions of her time, was a trailblazer throughout this change. CONTACT INFORMATION Address: 3448 NW 104th Way, Gainesville, FL 32606. Jersey Joe Walcott 1914-1994 American boxer O ne of the most persistent boxers of the 20th century, Jersey Joe Walcott refused to give up his dream of winning the world heavyweight title. Long after most boxers would have abandoned all hope, Walcott battled on. On July 18, 1951, he became, at the age of thirtyseven, the oldest boxer ever to become the heavyweight champ, knocking out Ezzard Charles in the seventh round to finally take the title he had so long pursued. For more than four decades, he held the distinction of being the oldest boxer to win the heavyweight title, until 45year-old George Foreman won the crown in 1994. After retiring from the ring, Walcott remained active in boxing as a referee and later became chairman of the New Jersey State Boxing Commission. Sadly, his tenure in the latter position was marred by charges that he had taken bribes. Despite this stain on his reputation, Walcott will forever stand as an inspiration to dreamers everywhere that perseverance can pay off. Born in Merchantville, New Jersey FURTHER INFORMATION Books “Grete Waitz,” Great Women in Sports, Visible Ink Press, 1996. He was born Raymond Arnold Cream in Merchantville, New Jersey, on January 31, 1914. When he was only thirteen years old, his father, an immigrant from Barbados, died. Young Walcott quit school and began looking for any kind of work he could find to help 1701 Walcott Notable Sports Figures Chronology 1914 1927 1930 1941-45 1945 1953 1965 1994 Born in Merchantville, New Jersey, on January 31 Quits school to help support family after father dies Turns professional on September 9 Works in Camden, New Jersey, shipyard, fighting rarely Embarks on comeback trail under guidance of promoter Felix Bocchicchio Retires from boxing Officiates at Ali-Liston fight on May 25 Dies in Camden, New Jersey, on February 25 the ring to make ends meet. His ring career took a positive turn after the unschooled Walcott began to work with trainer Jack Blackburn, who helped to teach him more about the art of boxing. His association with Blackburn ended abruptly when the trainer received an offer from a couple of gamblers to come to Chicago to train an amateur champion named Joe Louis. As a condition for accepting the job, Blackburn wangled an invitation for Walcott to accompany him and join the gamblers’ Chicago stable of fighters, but Walcott came down with typhoid and was unable to make the trip. Jersey Joe Walcott support his family. Not long thereafter, he stopped in one day at Battling Mac’s Gym in Camden, New Jersey, where he soon became a regular, sparring with some of the fighters who called the gym home. He was just a skinny kid and nothing particularly remarkable as a boxer in those early years, but he stayed with it and began fighting on the club circuit of southern New Jersey and nearby Philadelphia. Walcott made his professional boxing debut in 1930 at the age of sixteen, knocking out Cowboy Wallace in the first round of a match in Vineland, New Jersey. He won his next five matches before losing, on November 16, 1933, in a rematch with Henry Taylor in Philadelphia. Early in his professional career, the young New Jersey boxer decided his last name of Cream seemed wholly inappropriate for a fighter who hoped some day to be a champion. He decided to borrow the name of his father’s favorite boxer from the islands, Joe Walcott, a former welterweight champion who was also known as the “Barbados Demon.” To personalize his new name, he added “Jersey,” to signify the state of his birth. Blackburn Takes Over as Trainer Over the next several years, Walcott fought in dozens of matches, winning most of them but losing occasionally. However, boxing failed to provide a dependable source of income. After he married and started a family, Walcott was forced more and more to take jobs outside 1702 Without Blackburn’s guidance, Walcott’s boxing career once again seemed to lose direction. He continued to box when he could but was forced increasingly to work at low-paying jobs outside the ring to support his family. Walcott began to lose hope. Then came a call from Blackburn, telling him that Joe Louis, training for a fight with Max Schmeling, was looking for sparring partners. Walcott eagerly headed for the Louis training camp, but on his very first day on the job, he dropped Louis with a left hook, abruptly ending his stint as sparring partner. Loses to Four Top-Ranked Fighters The situation grew even gloomier for Walcott in the latter half of the 1930s. Four times during that period, he squared off against one of the ten top-ranked fighters— Al Ettore in 1936, Tiger Jack Fox in 1937 and 1938, and Abe Simon in 1940—in his weight class, only to lose every match. By the early 1940s, Walcott was working in the Camden shipyards, and his boxing career seemed all but over. He fought only five matches from 1940 through 1944, one of which was his loss to Simon. Salvation came in the form of Felix Bocchicchio, a Camden area sports club owner and gambler. Bocchicchio offered to manage Walcott, who at first refused, saying, “Fighting never got me nothin’ before, and all I want now is a steady job, so my wife and kids can eat regular. I’m over 30 and just plain tired of it all.” Fortunately for Walcott, Bocchicchio was not so easily dissuaded. He bought food and coal for Walcott’s family, got the boxer’s license renewed, and finally persuaded Walcott to give it a try. Jersey Joe returned to boxing with a vengeance, winning eight of Notable Sports Figures Walcott Awards and Accomplishments Related Biography: Boxer Ezzard Charles 1930 Ezzard Charles won the National Boxing Association heavyweight crown in a fifteen-round decision over Jersey Joe Walcott on June 22, 1949. But two years later, on July 18, 1951, Walcott turned the tables on Charles, knocking him out to take the heavyweight title for himself. The following year, Charles failed in an attempt to recapture the title from Walcott, who lost it barely three months later to Rocky Marciano. 1945 1946 1951 1951 1952 1969 1990 Won first professional fight, knocking out Cowboy Wallace on September 9 Won fights against top 10 contenders Joe Baski, Lee Murray, Curtis Sheppard Won fights against Jimmy Bivins and Lee Oma but lost to Joey Maxim and Elmer Ray Won heavyweight title against Ezzard Charles, July 18 Edward J. Neil Trophy for Fighter of the Year Successfully defends title against Charles on June 5 Inducted into the Ring Hall of Fame Inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame his nine bouts in 1945, three of them against top ten fighters Joe Baski, Lee Murray, and Curtis Sheppard. The following year he beat top ten contender Jimmy Bivins, following which Bocchicchio lined up a fight for Walcott with another leading contender, Lee Oma, in Madison Square Garden. Walcott took the match in a ten-round decision. Later that year he experienced something of a setback, losing to Joey Maxim and Elmer Ray in back-to-back bouts. But Walcott bounced back in 1947, beating Maxim in January, Ray in April, and Maxim again in June. Walcott Almost Upsets Joe Louis Prominent boxing promoter Mike (“Uncle Mike”) Jacobs in late 1947 set up what was supposed to be a tenround charity exhibition match between World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis and Walcott. It turned into a title match after the New York State Athletic Commission ruled that any match of more than six rounds with Louis had to be for the title. Odds makers gave Walcott little chance against the Brown Bomber. Before a sold-out crowd of 18,000, Walcott suckered Louis with a right-hand lead and then dropped him with a left hook in the very first round. Spectators were incredulous, applauding wildly for the plucky Walcott. Walcott wasn’t through. In the fourth round, Louis, confused by the “Walcott Shuffle,” which involved shifting the feet around so that first the left and then the right were the lead, and pivoting the body to match, was dropped again by the challenger. Perhaps sensing that he was comfortably ahead on points, Walcott took it easy on Louis in the final rounds of the fight. Nevertheless, boxing fans, as well as Louis, were all convinced Walcott had cinched the fight. Referee Ruby Goldstein agreed, observing, “Walcott punched his ears off.” But the two judges—Frank Forbes and Marty Monroe—gave the fight to Louis. Years later, Walcott recalled: “After the fight, Joe put his arm around me and whispered in my ear, ‘I’m sorry.’ I looked across the ring, and I could tell that Louis thought he had lost the fight. In fact, he wanted to leave the ring, but his handlers held him back.” He was born Ezzard Mack Charles on July 7, 1921, in Lawrenceville, Georgia. After a brilliant amateur boxing career, Charles turned pro in 1940 and went on to win twenty consecutive fights in the first eighteen months of the decade. He temporarily left boxing in 1943 to enlist in the U.S. Army. Charles eventually moved up in weight class and became the heavyweight champion from 1949 until 1951. His attempts to recapture the title, first from Walcott and later from Marciano, all ended in failure. Charles retired from boxing in the late 1950s. In 1966 he was stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease that before long confined him to a wheelchair. Charles died on May 28, 1975. The following year, on June 25, Louis and Walcott met once again, although this time Louis was clearly the dominant force, knocking out Walcott in the 11th round. Shortly after winning his rematch with Walcott, Louis announced his retirement from the ring. The retirement of Joe Louis after just over eleven years as heavyweight champ set the stage for a match between Walcott and Ezzard Charles for the now-vacant World Boxing Association heavyweight title. The two faced off on June 22, 1949. Walcott lost a 15-round decision to Charles and promptly announced his retirement. Manager Bocchicchio had other ideas for Walcott, who was now 35. The two took a short vacation together, after which they issued a press release announcing that Walcott had changed his mind and would continue his boxing career. Walcott won a match in Sweden against Ollie Tandberg and once again hinted at retirement. Again, Bocchicchio persuaded him to continue boxing. Wins First Four Matches of 1950 In 1950 Walcott won his first four matches of the year, only to lose to Rex Layne on November 24. He also lost his first rematch with Charles on March 7, 1951. But on July 18, 1951, Walcott made boxing history when he knocked out Charles in the seventh round to become the oldest boxer ever to win the world heavyweight title. In 1952, Walcott fought a series of exhibition bouts with Jackie Burke before squaring off against Charles once again on June 5. Walcott successfully defended his title, winning a fifteen-round decision over Charles. Just over three months later, however, Rocky Marciano knocked out Walcott in the 13th round to take the heavyweight title. In a rematch with Marciano on May 15, 1953, Walcott was knocked out in the first round. Just after his second defeat by Marciano, Walcott announced his retirement from boxing. Walcott continued to live in the Camden area after leaving boxing. Shortly after retiring from the ring, he 1703 Walcott took a job as a parole officer for juvenile offenders. He later had a brief stint as a boxing referee, officiating at the second match between Cassius Clay (before changing his name to Muhammad Ali) and Sonny Liston. He was widely criticized for his handling of the match. In the early 1980s, Walcott was appointed chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. During the course of his time on the commission, charges surfaced that Walcott had accepted bribes from undercover agents. Walcott died at the age of 80 on February 25, 1994, in Camden, N.J. In one of his last public appearances, Walcott traveled across the Delaware River to Philadelphia in 1992 to attend the first outdoor professional boxing show since the 1950s. Speaking haltingly to the assembled crowd, Walcott said, “I tried to be a champion for everybody. I did my best. I tried to make a way for our young people.” The deafening applause was proof that in the minds of the spectators anyway Walcott had succeeded. FURTHER INFORMATION Books “Ezzard Mark Charles.” Dictionary of American Biography: Supplement 9: 1971-1975. New York: Scribner, 1994. “Joe Walcott.” Almanac of Famous People, 6th edition. Detroit: Gale Group, 1998. Periodicals Notable Sports Figures “Time Tunnel: Jersey Joe Walcott; The Long, Long Journey.” East Side Boxing. http://www.eastside boxing.com/news/Jersey-Joe-Walcott.php (October 26, 2002). Sketch by Don Amerman Jan Ove Waldner 1965Swedish table tennis player J an Ove Waldner has been called the “Mozart of table tennis” because of his ability to play many different compositions on the table. If not Mozart, Waldner is certainly the Michael Jordan of his sport. His domination and nearly mythical status among the sport’s players and fans is unprecedented in the history of the game. Although table tennis doesn’t enjoy the respect reserved for the world’s more recognized sports, Waldner, in countries that take the sport seriously, is widely recognized as the best player of all time. He is one of two players in the sport’s history to win all three major titles—at the World Championships, the Olympics and the World Cup. He is also known for possessing the finest serve technique in the European game. Davis, Samuel. “Jersey Joe Walcott Is Remembered.” Philadelphia Tribune (March 4, 1994). Jefferies, Eddie. “Ex-Heavyweight Champ’s Calling Card Was Perseverance: Walcott Dead at 80.” New Pittsburgh Gazette (March 2, 1994). Matthews, Wallace. “No Champion Out of Ring.” Newsday (February 27, 1994): 18. Mee, Bob. “Obituary: Jersey Joe Walcott.” Independent (February 28, 1994). Born October 3, 1965 in Stockholm, Sweden, Waldner quickly became interested in the sport to which he would ultimately devote his life. At the age of six, he asked his parents if he and his brother could participate in a small local tournament. With the encouragement of his parents, Waldner would go on from there to become the Swedish champion for his age group by the time he was nine years old. He turned professional at the age of fifteen and won his first tournament, and a Porsche, at the age of sixteen. Other Pride and Prejudice “Enshrinees: Jersey Joe Walcott.” International Boxing Hall of Fame. http://www.ibhof.com/walcott.htm (October 25, 2002). “Jersey Joe Walcott.” New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. http://www.njboxinghof.org/cgi-bin/henryseehof.pl? 286 (October 25, 2002). “Jersey Joe Walcott: 1914-1994.” Kelta’s Kavern. http:// www.cyberenet.net/~kelta/jerseyjoe.html (October 25, 2002). “Jersey Joe Walcott: The Improbable Champion.” The History of the Sweet Science. http://www.game masteronline.com/Archive/SweetScience/Jersey JoeWalcott.shtml (October 26, 2002). While Waldner enjoys a faithful fan base in Sweden, table tennis hasn’t been given the respect its players and fans believe it deserves. In China, the sport’s other powerhouse, the sport is played by the masses. The Chinese play in clubs and schools and even on cement slabs in the park. In the United States, however, the game is largely recreational and usually called PingPong, a name given to the game when Parker Brothers first manufactured a set of equipment more than fifty years ago. Although in some corners of the world the game is wildly popular and highly competitive, it has never risen above its recreational reputation in much of the Western world. 1704