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.)

Born: July 19, 1946 in Bucharest, Romania.

Childhood Hero: “The first picture of Roy Emerson in Romanian newspaper. I didn’t have anyone to look up to. I play tennis the way I feel.”

Hobbies/Interests: “I’m into cars. I collect Brancusi sculptures. He was a unique Romanian sculptor. Died in 1957. And collecting old watches. I have about 70 or 80 watches. I buy them because I love all watches. Probably because I didn’t have any as a kid. Watch soccer and hockey. Hockey is so fast. You only realize how difficult it is when you try to skate. Amazing game. A little bit like soccer.”

Nicknames: “Nasty — which is going to stay forever (smiles). And Nasty Boy — from Jimmy Connors.”

Favorite Movies: “Movies with Clint Eastwood. I know him personally. I met him at La Costa in California. He was taking lessons. We played pro-am and became friends. He invited me to L.A. (Scoop Malinowski: “How was Eastwood as a tennis player?”) He’s 6-foot-6, he’s huge! Very tall. Very slow. Slowest person in the world. Good in golf though.”

Musical Tastes: “Elvis, definitely. The Beatles, Rolling Stones.”

Favorite Books: “I’m not patient. I don’t read much. I like the cassettes. Easier. I have a problem with concentration.”

Early Tennis Memory: “I remember holding a racquet in my hand and going to the soccer field. I always carried my racquet with me. I loved soccer and tennis. Soccer helped a lot with coordination. Sprints and short stops — a big help for me.”

First Job: “Army Lieutenant (age 22). Then I was a Major when I was 30.”

Favorite Meal: “Italian. I lived two years in Italy. I had Italian food every day. It wasn’t enough (smiles).”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Any fruit flavor.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1991. That mean everything.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Connors — he’s godfather for my kids. I’m godfather for his kids. Ion Tiriac. Vitas Gerulaitis was a friend. Guillermo Vilas. Adriano Panatta. Tom Okker. Manuel Orantes.”

Funniest Tennis Players: “Eddie Dibbs. Arthur Ashe said, I can take one of you in the locker room, but not both! We used to drive him crazy (smiles).”

Favorite Tennis Players To Watch: “Pete Sampras. Miloslav Mecir. John McEnroe — the biggest talent. Ken Rosewall. Rod Laver. Pancho Gonzalez. Connors. Bjorn Borg, Agassi. Kuerten. All the champions. They all have something special about them. I go for the natural, born-to-be tennis players. Guys like that I’m looking for.”

Interesting Fact: “I’ve never been in a fight in my life. Which is amazing. I was an animal on the court. I think my temperament is balanced. I’m calm off the court. To be that intense on the court, and to be balanced off — good for me. Off the court, anyone can kill me. On the court, I’m opposite.”

Residences: New York, Bucharest, Paris.

Career Accomplishments: The holder of 57 titles including Roland Garros in 1973 and the U.S. Open in 1972. A two-time Wimbledon runner-up, Nastase won Grand Slam doubles titles at Roland Garros (with Tiriac in 1970), Wimbledon (with Connors in ’73) and U.S. Open (with Connors in ’75). Reached #1 in the world in 1973 and led Romania to three Davis Cup finals.

Ht: 5-10 Wt: 200 pounds

DOB: Nov. 25, 1950 In: Oakville, Ontario.

Hockey Inspirations: “Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull. As a young kid I liked the way they worked and represented themselves.”

Nicknames: “Hound Dog.”

Early Hockey Memory: “Getting a chance to play in some pretty unique tournaments with our team the Ontario Butter Beeps. We played in Kingston, Ontario in a tournament and got Gordie Howe’s gloves as a trophy. They bronzed and silvered his gloves. Never forget that.”

Favorite Movies: “Anything with Steven Seagal or Clint Eastwood. And John Wayne, too.”

Last Book Read: “Popular Mechanics. I like to read for things I need, not for relaxation. I like to tinker with things.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Discovery or National Geographics.”

Musical Tastes: “Anything from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The Hooters, Earth Wind & Fire, stuff nobody would know today.”

Current Car: “2009 Toyota Sequioa SR 5.”

First Job: “Cutting grass for my township.”

Favorite Meal: “Raised on a farm – steak and any fresh vegetables.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “I always go for half and half – chocolate and vanilla.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I guess greatest moment of my career would be just making it to the NHL. 12 teams – getting picked by the Philadelphia Flyers (third round, 32nd overall in 1970).”

Most Painful Moment: “Watching Dave Schultz get a hat trick (laughs). Painful…when the whole season comes down to the last minute, a point you lose for whatever reason, during the season, and the whole season’s over because of it. It’s a huge letdown.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I always liked Chicago Blackhawks. Obviously, Flyers. I like the Detroit Red Wings jersey.”

Favorite Arenas: “All the Original Six arenas. You could never duplicate Chicago Stadium. The Montreal Forum. The Garden. Boston Garden. Just awesome.”

Closest Hockey Friends: “Probably have to go with Schultzie.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “There’s a ton. Larry Goodenough would be my first choice. Dennis Ververgaert would be my second.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “I think probably I gotta give Chris Nilan a nod. And obviously Clark Gillies, Bob Nystrom, Garry Howatt. Whoever was tough back in that era, was fun to have fun with. Billy Smith was one, too. A whole list of characters.”

Funny Memory: “Me and Dave Schultz going against Pierre Bouchard and Larry Robinson. In 1980, I end up in Washington. Pierre Bouchard ends up in Washington. We end up in condos next to each other, three doors apart. One day he’s playing with my kid. Something is wrong with this picture – five years ago he was beating the s— out of me (smiles).”

Strangest Game: “1975 playoffs with Buffalo. There’s no air conditioning in The Aud; the fog was coming down. They’re skating around with sheets trying to lift the fog. Jim Lorentz killed a bat. Rick MacLeish picks up the bat with his bare hand to throw it out. Doesn’t he know what rabies are? All that happened in one game.”

Most Memorable Goal: “That’s really easy when you don’t score many, you remember them both (smiles). Eleven seconds into the third period, to sink Buffalo, to win the Stanley Cup.”

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: “To me, it’s not embarrassing. I went offside on a three-on-0 breakaway. I thought, if they don’t want to head-man the puck, shoot, I’ll go offsides. Took heat for that one.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I had the great fortune to play against Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard – I was collecting autographs when I was 19. I had the pleasure to play against Gretzky, Messier – huge players. I never got the chance to play against Lemieux. Now, Ovechkin, Crosby, Richards goes out and gives it everything he has. He’s fun to watch out there.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like to see people who are up front, honest. Say what they say, handshake, then they do what they say. And I think being respected by your teammates is very important.”