Ht: 5-11 Wt: 178

DOB: May 25, 1986 In: Warren, Ohio

College: Michigan.

Football Inspirations: “Probably Jerry Rice and Charles Woodson.”

Nicknames: “People call me Rio, obviously for Super Mario.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Play video games, I like to read Sports Illustrated, shoot around, I love basketball, I like to shoot around basketball a little.”

Favorite Movies: “Life – Eddie Murphy and Martin.”

Favorite TV Show: “Martin.”

Musical Tastes: “Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy.”

Last Book Read: “Can’t remember the name of it. I had to do this essay in college.”

First Football Memory: “When I had four touchdowns against Madison, Ohio, back in high school – Shawn Crabel’s team. He plays for New England, went to Michigan.”

First Job: “I worked for the Scrappers, it’s a baseball team. I would be at the concession stand.”

First Car: “GL 550 Mercedes Benz (white).”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Cap’n Crunch. Berries.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Just butterflies, every game, whether it’s a sorry team or not.”

Favorite Web Site: “You Tube.”

Favorite You Tube Video: “Tight Eyez – he’s a dancer, Cali, out west.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Just putting on a Giants uniform, just believing that I’m here, not believing that I’m going through this experience.”

Most Painful Moment: “I got hit in practice my last year at Michigan, when I was a junior. I got hit by Ryan Monday, he plays for the Steelers, he got drafted last year. I thought I broke my jaw. Couldn’t eat for a couple days.”

Favorite Uniforms: “Giants. The red jerseys.”

Funny Football Memory: “It was a game in eighth grade. It was loud. We played in the stadium – Paul Brown Stadium. It was packed. We came out at halftime like the kids did, of a Browns game. I was in motion. I thought he said, Hut. I took off running, I turned around and the rest of the team is still right there, in their three-point stances [smiles]. And everything felt kinda stupid.”

Funniest Giants: “Jonathan Goff. Jonathan Goff being himself. He’s funny. He don’t even know but he’s funny [smiles].”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “That I played against? Probably AJ Hawk. He be everywhere where the ball be. He be right there.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like Ahmad Bradshaw run the ball. Because he still already to the ground, hard to tackle. He run the ball hard. He’ll make you miss or he’ll run through you. Pick their poison, whatever they want. Get shook or get run through.”

Last Vacation: “Last summer, went to South Carolina. Went to Myrtle Beach.”

Interesting Fact: Mario ranks #4 in Michigan history with 27 TD catches, surpassed only by Braylon Edwards (39), Anthony Carter (37) and Desmond Howard (32).

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like to see people who keep it real. Just up-front, honest.”

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 238

DOB: August 10, 1958 In: Akron, Ohio

Childhood Heroes: “Muhammad Ali was a favorite of mine, of course. Martin Luther King was also a very strong role model. He showed no fear.”

Favorite Movies: “The Great Gatsby. That’s the one that sticks out in my mind. I felt it was such a great movie, the whole thing, the suffering he went through. It’s similar to my life, the highs and lows.”

First Car: “1974 yellow Ford Pinto.”

First Job: “Picking up and delivering lunch for workers at a construction site during summer (age 8). I also had jobs of hauling bricks. Then I was a busboy at Holiday Inn when I was 13.”

Favorite TV Shows Of All-Time: “Game shows. I’m a game show fanatic. Cosby. Wild Wild West. Rat Patrol.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “When I won the Heavyweight championship (KO 1 Mike Weaver in Las Vegas in December 1982). My greatest sports moment ever. The second-fastest KO in heavyweight history (63 seconds). I’m still in the record books for that.”

Most Painful Moment: “Losing the title (by KO 10 to Gerrie Coetzee in second title defense).”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Australia. No doubt about that. The beaches, the wine country, the reefs. I’m just so enchanted by Australia. Almost the same land mass as America but only 12 million people. Lots of undeveloped land. I love the place.”

Pre-Fight Meal: “Fish, pasta, some type of vegetables, water, maybe hot tea.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Grits.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate and vanilla.”

All-Time Favorite Fights: “Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Tony Zale, Jake Lamotta, all of his fights were so great. Each fight was a different plateau for him. He was so versatile. He could adapt to so many different styles. The best boxer I ever saw.”

Nicknames: “Thor. Baromus – my cousins used to call me that when I was a kid. I had no idea what they were talking about. (Also Michael went by the popular ring name – Dynamite.)”

Favorite Book: “Eastern Star. Muhammad Ali gave it to me when I was 17. That is probably one of the most knowledgeable books that I’ve read. It gave me insight on life. Ali took me under his wing. He taught me more about life than boxing.”

Musical Tastes: “Jazz, George Howard, James Ingram, Ronnie Laws, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, so many that I like. I could go on for days [smiles].”

Early Boxing Memory: “I had one win and two losses when I first started to box when I was 11 [smiles]. My friend Randy McGrady started with me, he used to tease me about that. He used to call me ‘One and two.’ He made me work harder, train harder. Then I went like 50 fights without a loss. I owe a lot to him.”

Favorite Sport Outside Boxing: “Basketball. So fast, so many dimensions to it. You need a great center, a great guard, forward, great depth, a great rebounder. And you need to have great offense and defense.”

People Most Admired: “Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King. Don King. Cricket Miller – she’s a little girl that’s paraplegic that I know. Here’s a person that is confined to a wheelchair for life and she has so much energy, vibrance, vigor. Every now and then when I talk to her, she’s depressed. But she always wants to do things. I just admire her so much for her strength. My mom.”

Future Ambition: “To get the most coveted prize in sports – the Heavyweight championship of the world. Say a prayer for me and I’ll do the rest.”

(Note: This interview was conducted at Madison Square Garden in 1992 after Michael’s KO 3 win over Danny Sutton in the Paramount Theater.)

Status: Head coach of the Syracuse University basketball team. You can wager online betting on NCAA basketball action at click here

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 205

DOB: Nov. 17, 1944 In: Lyons, N.Y.

Childhood Heroes: “Jack Nicklaus, Henry Aaron, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Golf.”

Nickname: “Bobo. P.J. Carlesimo calls me that one. I don’t know why.”

Early Basketball Memory: “The high school coach (Dick Blackwell) used to take all of us sixth graders to have a practice for five hours on Saturday mornings. He wanted to have a good team. We lost four games in six years. We had a good group, we knew each other well.”

First Car: “1958 cream-colored Ford Thunderbird convertible. With red seats. I rode it into the ground. We used to go to practice with 12 guys in it.”

Favorite Movies: “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, westerns.”

All-Time Favorite TV Shows: “Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law.”

Musical Tastes: “Bruce Springsteen. I saw him in concert in Syracuse. I liked him. He’s got tremendous energy. He’s a great performer.”

Favorite Meal: “Veal, fish.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I don’t eat breakfast.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Not too much. Just try to get relaxed. Get ready. Think of some of the little things we’re gonna try to do. Try not to get too uptight over it. What is this? Some kind of offbeat psychological profile [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, you know, if you win the National Championship, that’s the only thing. There’s nothing that can top that (defeated Kansas 81-78 in New Orleans in 2003).”

Most Painful Moments: “Oh, I think in ‘87 when we lost to Indiana. We had a good chance to win the game and it just slipped away at the end. So those are always … when you lose the National Championship, that’s pretty painful [laughs].”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Oh, I don’t know. There’s a lot. Everybody’s fierce. There’s a million, they’re all very fierce. Off the top of my head … Chris Mullin of St John’s. He just wouldn’t let us beat them. He was that kind of player. Patrick Ewing. Gerry McNamara.”

Funniest Person I’ve Encountered in College Hoops: “Abe Lemmons.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Bermuda.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods. Wayne Gretzky. Michael Jordan. Steffi Graf. Deion Sanders. Derek Jeter. Emmitt Smith. Jerry Rice. Muhammad Ali — my favorite boxer of all-time. Sugar Ray Robinson — the best fights I ever saw were Robinson with Carmen Basilio, ‘The Onion Farmer’ from Canastota, N.Y., home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “People who really dedicate their lives to helping other people and charitable causes. There are people who do that without asking for or receiving anything. Those are the people you have to admire.”

Future Ambition: “I’d like to play on the Senior Golf Tour, but I know I’m not good enough [smiles].”

Ht: 5-11 1/2 Wt: 215

DOB: January 12, 1944 In: Beaufort, South Carolina

Childhood Hero: “My father (Ruben).”

Hobbies/Interests: “CB radios – at one time. Shooting guns, rifles, at targets.”

Nicknames: “Billy, Billy Boy – family names.”

Early Boxing Memory: “Boxing was on TV every Wednesday and the neighborhood would gather at one place to watch, at
our place. The wives played cards on the veranda. And the husbands watched the fights. I used to flicker in front of the
TV screen imitating the boxers. I remember one of my father’s neighbors said, This kid will be champ! He’ll become the next Joe Louis. Everybody knew Joe Louis then. I decided to become champ of the world.”

Favorite Movies: “Clint Eastwood in The Good The Bad & The Ugly, westerns.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Gunsmoke, The Hillbilly Bears.”

Musical Tastes: “Bobby Womack, Johnny Taylor, the Blues.”

First Job: “Maintenance at Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia (age 18).”

First Car: “1959 purple Chevy Caprice.”

Childhood Ambition: “To be the champ of the world. I used to stuff an old sack with rags and corn husks and put it on a tree. After school, at night I’d hit that sack for an hour.”

Favorite Meal: “Shrimp, okra and rice.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Oatmeal.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Ali, 1971. The most renowned fight of all time.”

Favorite Non-Boxing Sport To Watch: “Football. My mother wouldn’t let me play. She was afraid of it.”

Favorite Fights: “Jack Dempsey-Gene Tunney I, Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns I, Joe Louis-Max Schmeling.”

Funniest Boxers Encountered: “Emile Griffith, Kenny Norton.”

Closest Friends From Boxing: “Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, George Foreman.”

Toughest Opponent: “The most difficult for me was George Foreman. He was huge, powerful.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Atlantic City, N.J.”

People Most Admired: “My father, mother (Dolly), the Lord.”

Future Ambition: “Live, and be able to help people.”

Family: Sons, Marvis, Hector, Ruben, Derrick, Brandon, Joseph; daughters, Rene, Jacquelyn, Weatta, Jonetta, Natasha.

(Frazier-Ali sculpture by North Carolina-based artist Barrymore Alan Moton.)

Status at the time: Seattle Mariners shortstop.

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 195 (now he’s 230)

DOB: July 27, 1975 In: New York, NY

Childhood Heroes: “Cal Ripken. Ozzie Smith – just like magic. Dale Murphy.”

Nicknames: “Big Dog, Junior Jr.”

Early Baseball Memory: “I gave up baseball in eighth grade. Thought I was better at basketball and football. I’m glad I came back…Winning the Pony League championship in San Francisco for the Miami team (age 11). (How did you do?) I did all right. I wasn’t a big part of the team hitting-wise but I was a good defensive player. I really enjoyed it. That was awesome. For three months we traveled all over the U.S. And we finally made it to the pinnacle. And we won.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Weightlifting, fishing, golf, play basketball.”

Favorite Movies: “Scarface, Goodfellas.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Silver Spoons. Ricky Schroeder. I liked him. Kind of funny. How I grew up a little bit, without the money. I liked his family. And Martin.”

First Job: “Summer camp with Rich Hoffman Baseball School (age 15).”

First Car: “1972 four-door Chrysler (white). Old, Lincoln type. Gave me character [laughs].”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken, fettuccine alfredo, with fruit punch.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Lucky Charms.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate chip.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Nervous and excited at the same time. (Visualize?) I visualize all the time – going 4-for-4, making nice plays and all that. Doesn’t always go that way [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Being invited to the All-Star Game (‘96). Stepping on the field, my first at-bat.”

Most Painful Moment: “Being demoted five times to the minor leagues (in ‘95). A real hard time…crying, hard times, felt terrible.”

Closest Baseball Friends: “I have four of them, is that all right? (Of course.) Derek Jeter, Alex Gonzalez, Jeffrey Hammonds and Jose Canseco.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Ken Griffey Jr.. He’s always got something funny to say, always cracking on someone.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Chipper Jones. He played against us one year in the Florida State finals with a broken hand. And he pitched real well, something like a two-hitter. Alex Fernandez. Roberto Alomar. Jay Buhner. Randy Johnson.”

Interesting Fact: “How I take as much pride as being a good person off the field as on the field. Meaning…I don’t revolve my whole life around baseball.”

Last Halloween Costume: “Batman.”

Favorite Vacation Spot(s): “Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, California, New York.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Michael Jordan. Dan Marino. Ken Griffey Jr. Barry Bonds. Chris Evert. Fred Couples – I got the chance to meet him at the Buick Open when we were in Detroit. Gabriela Sabatini. Anfernee Hardaway. Sugar Ray Leonard. Isiah Thomas.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like honesty. And I like considerate people.”

This is my first interview with Derek Jeter who at the time was playing AAA with the Columbus Clippers in 1994. We did this by phone…

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 180

DOB: June 26, 1974 In: Pequannock, NJ

Childhood Heroes: “Dave Winfield, Barry Larkin – shortstop, went to Michigan, always been a big fan of his.”

Nickname: “Jete.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jalen Rose, Joe Montana, Tyrone Wheatley, Winfield, Larkin, Jennifer Capriati.”

Early Baseball Memory: “Playing for my dad (Charles) when he was coach. He was pretty lenient. When you’re growing up everyone wants to play for your dad. I played shortstop and second base (age 10-11).”

First Job: “Mowing lawns in Kalamazoo, Michigan (age 15).”

First Car: “1981 gray Datsun 310.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Sleep, watch movies, I don’t have too many hobbies.”

Childhood Dream: “Always wanted to be a baseball player. My dad played in college. I always wanted to play for the Yankees.”

Favorite Movie: “Major League.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Martin, Incredible Hulk.”

Musical Tastes: “Mariah Carey, Christopher Williams, R&B.”

Best Book Read: “Fab Five. It’s about some young people going to Michigan. Really interesting.”

Favorite Meal: “Spaghetti, meatball, and a Coke.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Frosted Flakes.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Being drafted. Getting the phone call at my house in Kalamazoo, right around noon. I was with my family. Felt happy. Relieved that it was over. Happy it was the Yankees, they were always my favorite team. We went out to eat.”

Little Known Fact: “I love to sleep. I don’t know if its little known. It keeps you out of trouble. I get a good 12 (hours) in every day. Sometimes all at once, sometimes I mix it up.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “Have fun. Try not to think about it too much. I usually just watch TV or listen to music.”

Toughest Competitor Encountered: “Mariano Rivera. Pretty confident, doesn’t back down to anyone.”

People Most Admired: “Drug and alcohol abuse counselors. Social workers. My dad does that. Pretty tough job – trying to help out other people. Worrying about yourself is hard enough.”

Memorable High School Achievement: “Named Player of the Year – USA Today in ‘92.”

Future Ambitions: “Play in the Major Leagues. Be the best I can. Win championships. And finish school (Michigan).”

—————-

Then we updated his Biofile several times over the years at Yankee Stadium…

Favorite Movies: “Seven – I’m a big Samuel L. Jackson and Morgan Freeman fan. Scarface and Gladiator. Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts movies.”

Musical Tastes: “R&B, hip-hop, Black Rob, 50 Cent In The Club, Jay-Z, Jodeci.”

Favorite TV Show: “SportsCenter.”

Favorite Meal: “Chicken parmigian.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the World Series, the very last out. I wanted to push Charlie (Hayes) who caught the last out [smiles] out of the way. A dream come true. I don’t know if I can describe it. It depends on what your dream is. My dream was always to win a World Series. So it was a dream come true. The celebration was great. I celebrated for a month [laughs].”

Most Painful Moment: “Getting sent down in ‘95. Got called up in the middle of the season for a couple of weeks. Getting sent down was the worst. I was in Columbus for most of the season till September.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I just go out and play to be honest with you. I don’t sit around and think too much.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “To me it’s all funny. I have a good time in the locker room. I’m laughing the whole game. I don’t know if its too funny. It wasn’t too funny at the time. When I was in rookie ball, I hit .202. Terrible year, started off like 0-for-20-something with 14 strikeouts. Then I went back to my locker after one game and, do you remember those big red wiffle bats? They had it hanging from my locker, like, Maybe you should try using this. It wasn’t too funny at the time but now I look at it, it was funny.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Roger Clemens.”

Closest Baseball Friends: “Alex Rodriguez. Gerald Williams – he was like a big brother for me. Tino. Sojo. Tim Raines – one of the best teammates I ever had.”

Funniest Player: “Tim Raines, by far. Oh man, you’ve just got to be around him. Everything’s a joke with him. He laughs non-stop all day long. He’s great for the team.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jordan. Barkley. Dave Winfield. Barry Larkin. Alex Rodriguez – I’m good friends with him so I like watching him. Peyton Manning. Michael Vick. Pete Sampras – he seems like he’s quiet and then he goes out and just wins. That’s what he does. Doesn’t talk too much or anything like that. Just goes about his business. Seems like he has no reason to talk about it, just go out and show them. I like that. I enjoy watching tennis. I like Serena. Tiger Woods. Larry Holmes. I was a Larry Holmes fan. Roy Jones – I’m his biggest fan. The Michael Jordan of boxing – the best.”

Early Baseball Memory: “My mom used to pitch wiffle balls to me in our backyard before my high school games. We lived right next to the high school.”

Major League Debut: “My first game was in Seattle (‘95). I went to Seattle, my dad came, my mom couldn’t because my sister had a softball game. I never played in a dome before, I went 0-for-5.”

Favorite Sport To Watch: “Basketball.” To Play: “Basketball.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Puerto Rico.”

Ht: 6-2 Wt: 210

DOB: March 26, 1960 In: San Diego, CA

Childhood Heroes: “Muhammad Ali. (Meet him?) First time I met him he was at San Diego State, he was doing some pre-fight publicity there. I had an opportunity to meet him there. I think I was maybe 10-11 years old. Just shook his hand.”

Nicknames: “None I can really think of right now.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “I’m a big golfer. I love golf. Love chess. Very few people play chess. Played tennis a long time ago, don’t play any more.”

Favorite Movies: “Oh gosh man, there’s a lot of them. Hard to pin down. I’d have to say sports films – let’s say Hoosiers. Brian’s Song. Field Of Dreams I really liked a lot. I’m sure I’m missing some.”

Musical Tastes: “I’m not into [laughs]. I’m into all music. I have an appreciation for all music.”

Favorite Meal: “Breakfast. I love pancakes, man [laughs]. Pineapple upside down pancakes. You gotta go in Hawaii to get ‘em.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Granola.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chunky Monkey, man [smiles].”

Early Football Memory: “Ten years old, played Pop Warner football. I was a defensive back. And they never challenged me [smiles]. They’d run my way a few times in a game, then they figured out that wasn’t a good thing to do, so.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “That’s kind of hard to say. I’ve had so many of them. I guess really just playing my final game. For me, personally, a culmination of a long dream of playing in the NFL. And excelling at it, the level I wanted to. Because it was my last game of my professional career. That’s what I had set out to do as a kid. Just a great moment because I realized everything that I wanted to do. And that day was a special day because I was no longer gonna do what I wanted to do.”

Most Painful Moment: “Really didn’t have any. No painful moments. There’s no such thing as pain and failure in my world. By virtue of trying to succeed. And so every time I went out there, I succeeded, where most people were afraid to attempt to do. The journey, beginning and end, was great. Even what people consider painful moments with the Raiders and so forth. It was all a wonderful journey. Great experience. Learned a lot. Benefited from all those things. So there’s no pain whatsoever. It’s all perspective.”

Closest NFL Friends: “I’ve got a lot. Ronnie Lott is probably my best friend.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “It’s always yourself, man. It’s the one challenge. It’s really never the guys that you face. It’s about you. It’s about you excelling every single day. Crossing that line that you haven’t crossed before. Biggest challenge is self. Never the opponent. All due respect to all the players that I played against. It was me.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I like to watch all the running backs. I have a lot of favorite players. I’m a fan of all the guys that are playing. I don’t choose one particular team. I have friends who play for all teams so I just sort of pull for the individual rather than the team. I’m a big tennis fan. I like all of them.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Intellect. Courage. My two biggest qualities I admire most in people.”

Career Accomplishments: Super Bowl MVP 1983; Super Bowl Champion with Raiders in 1983; 1981 Heisman Trophy winner at USC; Six Pro Bowl appearances; Rushed for 12,243 yards, caught 587 passes and scored 145 touchdowns; inducted to NFL Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ht: 5-8  Wt: 126

DOB: March 2, 1953  In: Panama City, Panama

Boxing Inspiration:  ”Ismael Laguna.”

Nickname:  ”The Scorpion.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities:  ”Studying history, reading, housework.”

Favorite Meal:  ”Fish.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Quaker Oatmeal.”

Pre-Fight Feeling:  ”Combat. Boxing is very impressionable. I always would study my opponent and stare them down. Concentrate on any kind of fault the opponent would have. For the most part, I was very relaxed. But there were some times when I would feel pressure, in terms of my emotions. That’s depending what country I was boxing in. In London, England against Barry McGuigan I felt a lot of pressure (lost a 12 round decision in his 20th defense in 1985). Due to the country itself, the way I was treated by the people, so on and so forth.”

Greatest Sports Moment:  ”When I became champion of the world. When they stopped the match and raised my hand, I was the happiest man on the planet (TKO 13 Cecilio Lastra in Panama City in 1978).”

Most Painful Moment:  ”When I lost against Alfonso Zamora (KO by 2 in 1976 for World Bantamweight title). Because my mother had a lot of illusions that I would win that fight.”

Toughest Opponent:  ”Orlando Omares. He’s the only fighter that actually had me see the ring upside down [smiles]. But afterward, I knocked him out (TKO 9 in 1975).”

Favorite Boxers To Watch:  ”Sugar Ray Robinson. Davey Moore. Sonny Liston – aside from having a very strong punch, he was a very technical boxer. Cassius Clay. Boxers from which I can learn something from them. Boxing has nine punches. Many don’t reach that repertoire in boxing. They only go with five or six punches. They don’t know the whole rules of the sport. To be a boxer you have to know the nine punches. When you know the nine punches you will become a world champion.”

Which Fight Were You At Your Very Best:  ”1980 against Sa-Wang Kim in Seoul, Korea. I made a short trip to Hawaii right before the fight. And I became very prepared by doing a lot of snorkeling. And I was able to go underwater for seven minutes holding my breath! And that helped me become very healthy. Great shape. I grabbed Sa-Wang Kim and almost killed him. Knocked him out with a body shot (to solar plexus) in the eighth round. I hit him so hard when he went down, his feet and legs were going like this: (Pedroza demonstrates with his fingers bouncing uncontrollably).”

How Would You Like To Be Remembered:  ”A grand champion and a very humble person.”

Favorite Vacation Spot:  ”I enjoyed my visit to the International Boxing Hall of Fame very much (Canastota, NY in 1999).”

People Qualities Most Admired:  ””Humble people. Because I believe in God. There’s nothing valid in being vain. How much is gold and silver and diamonds really worth when you can’t take it with you when you’re gone? The most beautiful thing is the nobleness of the human being.”

Family:  Wife, Jeanette, six children.

Ht: 6-1  Wt: 195

DOB: August 9, 1967  In: Fort Myers, FL

Nicknames:  Prime Time, Prime, Neon Deion.

Childhood Heroes:  ”Had four of ‘em – Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, O.J. Simpson and Julius Erving.”

Childhood Dream:  ”To be successful. And take care of my family. I knew I was going to be a success no matter what.”

Favorite Movies:  ”The Five Hearbeats, The Mack – Black history.”

Musical Tastes:  ”Rap, R&B, Marvin Gaye.”

Favorite Meal:  ”Fried lobster, my wife’s baked beans, with sweet iced tea.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Butter pecan.”

First Car:  ”1974 red Toyota Celica. Had it in ‘82 when I was 16.”

First Job:  ”Hustler. Just hustlin’.”

Pre-Game Feeling:  ”Tired. Relaxed. Just think about the game. Think about playing great, having a great time. Helping my team win. Out there (on the field) – deeply focused and intense. I feel invincible.”

Early Football Memory:  ”I always wanted to make sure my parents (Mims, Connie) didn’t have to work again for the rest of their lives.”

Hobbies/Interests:  ”Fishing. Fishing’s relaxing, man. Most relaxing thing in my life. It’s therapy for me. I don’t think about business, sports. All I think about is catching the next fish. Collecting comic book superhero capes.”

Greatest Sports Moment:  ”Being able to earn enough money to not have to have my mom work again for the rest of her life.”

Most Painful Moment:  ”Any time I lose.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch:  ”Shaquille O’Neal. Magic Johnson. Mike Tyson – he’s a winner, the best. His desire for success can’t be faded. Rickey Henderson. Andre Agassi – he’s exciting. Gabriela Sabatini. Payne Stewart.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal:  ”Honey Frosted Wheaties.”

Interesting Fact:  ”I’m a businessman first.”

People Qualities Most Admired:  ”Magic Johnson. The person I admire most. He’s a great athlete. And a businessman. Very charismatic, very caring. He’s a people’s person.”

Career Accomplishments:  NFL cornerback, wide receiver, kick and punt returner from 1989-2005 with Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens; Eight-time Pro Bowl selection; Two-time Super Bowl champ (With SF and Dallas); Won Jim Thrope Award in 1988; Two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year; Totaled 53 career NFL interceptions (1,331 INT return yards) and 22 NFL touchdowns; MLB outfielder from 1989-2001 with New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants; .263 career MLB batting average.

(Note: This Biofile was done at Shea Stadium in 1995 while Sanders was a member of the San Francisco Giants.)

Ht: 5-10   Wt: 211

DOB:  February 26, 1973  In: New Orleans, LA

Football Inspirations:  ”I just loved sports period. I’m a sports fanatic. Too many to name. I could go on and on. I don’t want to leave anybody out!”

Nicknames:  ”I cannot share that with anyone [laughs].”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities:  ”I read and I play golf. And I read and I play golf [laughs].”

Early Football Memory:  ”I always played with the big boys when I was little. Getting hit the first time playing. And going home crying and my older brother (Raymond) taking me back to the park and making me play [smiles].”

Pre-Game Feeling:  ”Sleepy. Whatever I’m reading. Whatever I’m listening to – it depends.”

Favorite Movies:  ”They come and go, change all the time.”

Musical Tastes:  ”Rock, rap, R&B. Tupac, TLC, Boyz II Men, Lisa Loeb, Nine Inch Nails.”

Greatest Sports Moment:  ”It’s hard to say. I’ve had so many [laughs] highlights in my career. I guess it’s the big one – the Super Bowl with the Rams (2000).”

Most Painful Moment:  ”Ah man. Sophomore year (at San Diego State). Tore a ligament in my knee and couldn’t play against the Hurricanes (Miami in ‘92).”

First Job: “Football. And I was part-time custodian in high school.”

First Car:  ”1989 Nissan Sentra.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered:  ”A guy who used to play for Air Force Academy – Virgil Simmons. One of the toughest players I ever played against.”

Favorite Meal:  ”I like my mom’s fried chicken.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal:  ”[Laughs] Pops.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  ”Pralines and cream.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch:  ”Marion Jones. Michael Jordan. Barry Sanders. Greg Maddux. Agassi. Sampras. Becker. Golf.”

Career Accomplishments:  Three-time All-American at San Diego State; Super Bowl champion; Seven-time Pro Bowl selection; 10th leading rusher of all time; 1994 Pro Bowl MVP; One of only three NFL players (along with Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber) to total over 10,000 rushing and 5,000 receiving yards and only player to surpass 12,000 and 6,000.