Sports Then and Now

Mike Cuellar

We recognize as the Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month for August one of the key pitchers for the Baltimore Orioles during their championship run of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sometimes timing is everything. After toiling away in the minors and on primarily losing teams for a decade, a seemingly insignificant trade following the 1968 season proved to be all that Mike Cuellar needed to become one of the top pitchers in baseball. Read the rest of this entry →

Cynthia Cooper

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month for July stole the show during the first year of the WNBA in 1997 and helped create the first dynasty in the women’s basketball league.

Despite having a number of younger stars like Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes in the league, Cynthia Cooper stole the show in the early years of the WNBA as she was the league MVP during the first two seasons and helped lead the Houston Comets to the first four league titles. Read the rest of this entry →

Lee May

The June Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of the forgotten sluggers of baseball history.

For more than a decade, Lee May was one of the most feared sluggers in baseball.  He blasted 20 or more home runs and drove in 80 or more runs for 11 straight seasons while playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles. Read the rest of this entry →

Rick Mears

The May Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of only three drivers in history to win the historic Indianapolis 500 four times.

However, what is particularly impressive about the record of Rick Mears is that he reached his record-tying total in just 15 Indianapolis 500 starts, compared to 27 for Al Unser and 35 for A.J. Foyt. In fact, Mears finished in the top 5 an amazing nine times in his 15 appearances in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Read the rest of this entry →

Fernando Valenzuela

It was 30 years ago that the April Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month became a national phenomenon as he captured the hearts and spirits of baseball fans across North America.

The rise of Fernando Valenzuela was exactly what the baseball world needed at a time when labor unrest started to lift its ugly head. Read the rest of this entry →

Monte Towe

The March Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month helped lead the North Carolina State Wolfpack to an NCAA Championship despite always being the smallest man on the court.

The 5-foot-7 Monte Towe never let his size (or lack thereof) minimize his impact on the court as he was the floor general for a Wolfpack team that went 79-7 during his three seasons as the starting point guard. Read the rest of this entry →