Mike Tyson won 44 matches by knockout during his career.
It seems like just yesterday when “Iron Mike” Tyson was the young up-and-coming boxer that many expected to be the greatest slugger in boxing history. Believe it or not, that was nearly 30 years ago and today Tyson turns 50.
Today, Tyson is known more for his movie and television cameos, crazy tattoos and occasional crazy behavior. Yet 30 years ago, he was known for his devastating power and a knockout punch that put fear in even the best boxers in the world.
In July of 1986, Tyson needed only 30 seconds to knockout Marvis Frazier, the son of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Later that year he defeated Trevor Berbick to claim the heavyweight crown. He easily won his first nine title defenses, including wins over renowned boxers such as Larry Holmes, Tyrell Biggs and Michael Spinks.
His career and life started to unravel after his shocking loss to unknown Buster Douglas in early 1990. His nasty divorce from Robin Givens was a national story and he served time in jail for rape.
Perhaps his most lasting memory is of biting the ear of Evander Holyfield during their second fight in 1997. He fought 10 more times during his career, but was just 5-3-2 in those matches to finish his career with a 50-6-2 record and 44 wins by knockout.
Below are links to some of Tyson’s greatest boxing highlights.
Mr. Hockey earned NHL All-Star honors in five decades.
Before there was the “Great One” (Wayne Gretzky), the king of the hockey world was “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe. During a 32-year career that spanned parts of five decades, Howe, who passed away Friday at age 88, was a dominating performer and skilled performer who was able to compete at a high level even past the age of 50.
Howe joined the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL as an 18-year old rookie in 1946. During his 25 seasons in Detroit he led the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup titles while winning six scoring titles and six Hart Memorial Trophies as the league MVP.
During the 1968-69 season, at the age of 40, Howe scored a career-high 103 points (the NHL expanded from a 70 game to 76 game season in 1967-68). He was named an All-Star in 22 of his 25 seasons with the Red Wings.
After retiring in 1971, Howe returned to the spot in 1973 as a member of the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. There he played with his sons Mark and Marty and soon proved that he was still among the best hockey players in the world. He was named league MVP in 1974 (an award renamed the next year as the Gordie Howe Award). He also led the Aeros to two WHA championships.
He moved to the New England Whalers in 1977 and after the WHA folded the renamed Hartford Whalers joined the NHL in 1979. Howe, at the age of 51, played in all 80 games of the 1979-80 season while helping the Whalers make the playoffs.
In a fitting tribute, Howe was named to the All-Star team with the game being played at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Howe completed his career having been selected to NHL All-Star teams in five decades. Also appearing in that game was 19-year-old Wayne Gretzky.
Below are links to some of the great highlights of Howe’s career available on YouTube.
Though he had previously won an Olympic gold medal, Muhammad Ali burst on the scene with a stunning defeat of Sonny Liston and was the most recognized boxer in the world for generations.
Though boxing legend Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74, images of his amazing career and life will live on forever in video and photos. Below are links to some YouTube videos featuring some of the greatest moments from his legendary career.
While Ali had many great “sound bites” and television moments, his time on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and most especially with Howard Cosell probably propelled him to superstardom as much as any other activities from within his career.
Al Unser Jr., held off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 to win his first Indy 500.
In this edition of our Vintage Video, we are looking at the closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500.
The 1992 Indy 500 is memorable for many reasons.
It started with pole setter Roberto Guerrero spinning out and crashing on the pace lap.
Then, Michael Andretti, the son of legendary driver Mario Andretti, dominated the race leading 160 laps and building a seemingly insurmountable 30-second lead.
However, with 11 laps remaining Michael fell victim to what many have called the “Andretti curse” as his fuel pump failed and forced him out of the race.
That left the door open for another second generation driver as Al Unser, Jr. took the lead and held off Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds to become the third member of the Unser family (joining his father and uncle Bobby) to claim victory at the Brickyard.
Another notable component of the 1992 Indy 500 is that it included more former champions than any previous race and was the final Indy appearance for A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva and Gordon Johncock.
Despite being injured in game five of the NBA Finals, Willis Reed made a dramatic appearance in the decisive 7th game to help lead the Knicks to victory.
As the current NBA season heads towards what promises to be an exciting conclusion, we are starting a new Sports Then and Now series looking at vintage sports videos by remembering one of the most dramatic moments in NBA Playoff history.
Heading into the decisive seventh game of the 1970 NBA Finals, the big question was whether New York Knicks center Willis Reed would be able to play against Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After averaging 32 points per game in the first four games of the series, Reed suffered a leg injury early in game 5. Fortunately for Knicks fans, Walt Frazier scored 21 points and Cazzie Russell 20 as New York rallied from a fourth quarter deficit to win the pivotal game 107-100.
With Reed out of the lineup in game six, Chamberlain scored 45 points to lead the Lakers to a dominating 135-113 win to force a decisive seventh game.
Entering the final game, there was great question as to whether Reed would be able available to play.
In a famous scene, announcers Chris Schenkel and Jack Twyman are talking about the availability of the 6-foot-11 center when he suddenly emerges through tunnel to roaring applause from the Madison Square Garden squad.
Reed then set the tone for the game by drilling two early baskets to give the Knicks a quick lead. Though he did not score again, Reed’s early presence lit the fire in the Knicks and Frazier took control of the game with 36 points, 19 assists and five steals.
New York went on to win 113-99 to claim their first NBA Championship.
Below is the YouTube video of the game broadcast. Enjoy!
The December Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month was once famously shuffled out of a window during the AFL-NFL player wars and went on to become one of the top big-play receivers of his era.
After playing college football at the tiny, historically black, Prairie View A&M University, Otis Taylor was selected in the 1965 draft by both the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL and Philadelphia Eagles from the NFL. He ultimately signed with the Chiefs and became a key weapon for a Kansas City team that appeared in two of the first four Super Bowls. Read the rest of this entry →
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.
Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.
Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.
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