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.”

Status: New York Times Pulitzer-Prize winning sports columnist. Author of 21 books.

DOB: May 6, 1929  In: Troy, New York

Childhood Hero:  ”Stan Musial. I lived in Brooklyn but I liked the Cardinals more than the Dodgers. Stan was my guy. Great hitter. I liked him from the time he was a rookie in 1941. That great pennant race with the Dodgers. And he hit – I’ll look it up right now – .412 in the last 12 games. When he was 20. I met him years later in the 1950’s when I was covering the Dodgers for The Brooklyn Eagle.”

Childhood Dream:  ”I wanted to be a sportswriter. We had no television back then. We got all of our sports news out of the newspaper. I loved to read, so then I wanted to write. And then I wanted to write about sports. I was 12 at the time.”

Early Career Memory:  ”The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was I was the last man to cover the Brooklyn Dodgers for The Brooklyn Eagle in 1953. When I got the beat I was only 24. I was fortunate. The paper folded in early ‘55. When it folded, I went to The Journal-American. I had the great experience of covering The Boys Of Summer.”

Pre-Writing Feeling/Mindset:  ”Sit down and figure out how I’m gonna write what I want to say. Try to get my notes squared away. Looking over the notes for two-three minutes, that makes it easier. If I don’t do it, if a deadline is tight, sometimes I’m groping. That two-three minutes can save half an hour. From the notes, the lead will jump out at you.”

Favorite Movies:  ”Casablanca, Bridge Over The River Kwai, Treasure Of The Sierra Madre.”

Musical Tastes:  ”Old bands, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Anne Murray, Whitney Houston.”

Favorite Meal:  ”A good steak, spinach, with vodka on the rocks.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:  ”Butter pecan.”

First Job:  ”Produce clerk at my Uncle Al’s produce department at the Grand Union in Schenectady, New York (age 14).”

Favorite TV Show:  ”Mary Tyler Moore Show. I’d stop whatever I was doing and watch that – 9 o’clock on Saturday nights.”

Greatest Sports Moment:  ”When I shot a 74 playing golf once. The only time I ever broke 80! I have no idea how it happened. A complete aberration. At Sunnydale in Westchester in 1984. I remember that week I shot 87, 87, 74, 87. I was flabbergasted. It was so easy. I wondered why I couldn’t do this every day. Then I was right back at 87 the next day. But I did it once. I had a day.”

Most Painful Career Moment:  ”Watching Muhammad Ali against Larry Holmes. We’ll never have anybody like Ali. One of the greatest athletes of all time. You knew he shouldn’t have been fighting and why was he doing it? Holmes took it easy on him but he still had to hit him. Ali was getting beaten up. It kept going on and on. Finally Herbert Muhammad (Ali’s manager) signaled to Angelo Dundee to stop it (11th round).”

Most Treasured Possession:  ”I’m not a big memorabilia guy. I have a few things. I could say the certificate you get for winning the Pulitzer Prize (in 1981 for Distinguished Commentary). If my house was on fire and I could run in and get one thing, that would be it.”

Favorite Athletes:  ”The great athletes, no matter what the sport. They make you appreciate their skill.”

Funny Career Memory:  ”About 30 years ago, Al Davis (Oakland Raiders owner) complained to me that I always described him as ’sinister.’ I said to him, ‘I thought you’d consider that a compliment, Al.’ He said, ‘Yeah, but you don’t know, my mother reads The Times.’”

Favorite Sportswriters:  ”Red Smith – just a great writer. Great American writer. Jimmy Cannon. Bill Heinz. Arthur Daley.”

People Qualities Most Admired:  ”People who do their job better than anyone else. Over a long period of time. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Whatever job that may be – writer, mailman, policeman, fireman. Consistent, dedicated. That’s what made the Cal Ripken streak so incredible. There are people who go to work everyday who are Cal Ripkens in their own way. If you can depend on someone to do a good job – everyday – that, to me, is what makes people special.”

Interesting Fact:  ”I still write my letters on an old, portable Olivetti  typewriter that I’ve had for 40 years. It still works, enough. When I get letters from readers, I’ll write back two or three paragraphs. I’m looking at it now. It’s got a lot of mileage.”

Future Ambition:  ”None [laughs]. I have no ambitions. I’ve obtained all my ambitions, really. My only ambition is to only do a good job. Keep writing what I think is a good column.”

DOB: Jan. 30, 1957  In: Springfield, MO

Ht: 6-1   Wt: 180

Golf Inspirations:  ”Jack Nicklaus – a person I tried to model myself after. My dad (Bill).”

Hobbies/Interests:  ”Cooking, music, hunting, fishing, dancing.”

Nicknames:  ”Propayne, Stewpuss, Payner.”

Early Golf Memory:  ”Winning Father/Son three hole tournament at Hickory Hills Country Club when I was four.”

Favorite Movies:  ”Raiders Of The Lost Ark movies, Lethal Weapon movies, Patton – what a great movie that was.”

Favorite TV Show:  ”Seinfeld – pretty funny show.”

Musical Tastes:  ”Old rock and roll, big band – great to dance to. Good country. Huey Lewis. Grateful Dead. Stephen Stills. Vince Gill.”

First Job:  ”Cleaning up for one hour a night at a book/record store. And JC Penney’s salesman in the sports department.”

First Car:  ”1964 green VW Bug – hand-me-down from my sister in my sophomore year in college. Great car. Always started.”

Favorite Meal:  ”Steak – cooked myself on the barbecue. Marinated in a special sauce.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal:  ”Nutri-Grain Almond Raisin, Just Right. Try to eat healthy.”

Favorite Sport Outside Golf:  ”Basketball.”

Greatest Sports Moment:  ”Everyone thinks the U.S. Open. The 1979 Missouri State Amateur championship – my dad won the Missouri senior championship that same year. That was special for me.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch:  ”Michael Jordan. Charles Barkley – we’re friends. Carl Lewis. Bjorn Borg. Wayne Gretzky – pretty awesome. Joe Montana. Orel Hershiser. (Anybody in golf?) Jack Nicklaus. Seve Ballesteros. I just loved to watch Seve when he was playing well.”

Favorite Golf Courses:  ”Monterey Peninsula. Cypress Point. St. Andrews. Pebble Beach.”

Closest PGA Tour Friends:  ”Paul Azinger. Dan Pohl. Mark O’Meara. Roger Maltbie. Wayne O’Grady. Ian Baker-Finch.”

Funniest Golfer Encountered:  ”Paul Azinger.”

Interesting Fact:  ”Never been in a fight in my life. Always found it easier to walk away. Let ‘em all you names.”

People Qualities Most Admired:  ”My father, my mother. A lot of people – for different reasons.”

Future Ambition:  ”Make a difference in someone’s life.”

Family: Wife, Tracey; son, Aaron; daugher, Chelsea.

Career Accomplishments:  Winner of two U.S. Open titles (1991, 1999) and 1989 PGA Championship; Won a total of nine career PGA Tour titles as well as seven international titles.

Ht: 6-0 Wt: 163

DOB: August 22, 1964 In: Vaxjo, Sweden

Tennis Inspiration: “As in person? Just like the game. Just like the game. (No players?) Because I started before Borg. I started without seeing tennis on TV so there couldn’t be any player, you know what I’m saying?”

Hobbies/Interests: “I play golf in the summer. And downhill skiing. And play a little music sometimes.”

Favorite Movie: “The Last Waltz.”

Favorite TV Show: “Same thing, I don’t have any since I didn’t grow up here. Never watch TV anymore.”

Musical Tastes: “Bob Dylan, Dire Straits, two favorites.”

First Tennis Memory: “Is hitting against the wall in a tournament where my two older brothers played when I was about seven or eight.”

First Job: “First job? I don’t have a job [smiles].”

Favorite Meal: “Swedish meatballs and small red potatoes, boiled.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Wow, ice cream flavor, which is nougat flavor they have in Itali – nocciola.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “Not thinking about the match really. Five minutes before I’d start thinking about it. I had that for free that I was able to tell after five minutes of the warmup what kind of plan I was gonna have. So not really, I was pretty relaxed before.”

Last Book Read: “Actually, the last one I read was an autobiography of Bob Dylan, the one he wrote himself called Chronicles.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I still hope it’s ahead of me [smiles].”

Most Painful Moment: “I’m sure that’s ahead of me [laughs].”

Favorite Tournaments: “French Open, Australian Open, U.S. Open.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “Yeah, Michael Pernfors and I played here on center court here in ’93. And we started at – I think it’s still the latest match on center court – it finished at 2:50 in the morning. And we were going to the fifth set and were really, really good friends. And he just won the Canadian Open and I just started playing again – I didn’t play for two years. So, but I knew big brother complex even though he’s older, so it gets to two sets all, he runs to the bathroom and he comes back and he’s gonna serve with new balls and he holds up the balls and he says to me, ‘New balls and…new legs.’ And I’m like F you [smiles]. And then we went to the press conference together, after I won 6-4 in the fifth, hysterical, lying next to each other on the table top. He should be pissed. But it’s too hard, too close of a friend.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “Not really. I was gonna say sometimes you toss the racquet on the ground and it hits you in the nuts, that’s embarrassing.”

Favorite Players To Watch: “I like watching Federer, I like watching Nadal, Djokovic. And I always like people who grind it out on the clay courts. I love to watch Gasquet play on clay. (WTA?) I liked watching Mauresmo, she was so different from the other girls. She did something with every ball and there’s a thought into every shot. Sometimes it gets pretty thoughtless out there. It’s nice to see you can still win tennis matches, win grand slams without a weapon and just think your way through it. And hit the right shot at the right time. So I did like watching Mauresmo.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Michael Pernfors and Joachim Nystrom.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Diego Perez from Uruguay. I don’t know if you ever heard of him. Hysterical. Just really funny on the court, really funny off the court. Off the court it’s okay to be funny, he just talks all the time. I said, Listen, Diego – he didn’t have a job – you have to talk the same shit to another person. Keep doing the same thing. Just talk to the right people. Then they’ll give you a job. You can sell anything. But he’s a promoter.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Connors, McEnroe, Becker, I’d say. Because I didn’t play Borg. Actually Edberg. You have to throw Edberg in there too.”

Best You Ever Felt On Court: “Finals in French Open 1985 against Ivan Lendl. Because I lost the first set 6-3 or something. I was like, Oh wow, here we go again. I had that feeling at the end of the set. Because he had beaten me the last three or four times. I had beaten him earlier but he came back to beat me. And I said, F*** it. I’m gonna start serving and I’m gonna come to the net on everything. Early in the second set. And that’s like unheard of on clay, for me anyway. So I start coming to the net. And I realized in 15 minutes, okay, that was that. Like, it’s over. Because there was no way I could lose the match from now on. Because he was just shocked. Like, what is going on here? So serve and volley and come in. So I won three sets after that. So that was unbelievable. Grand slam final against Ivan Lendl. And I had the feeling I’m gonna lose the match. That’s not the way you feel usually against Lendl but that one I did. And the U.S. Open final happens to be against Lendl too. I think that was a much better match. And I work really hard for that. So those two are the ones. The one in ’85 because I played so shitty getting into the finals and so shitty in the first set. I was so disappointed in the whole tournament even though I was in the finals. And then suddenly ten minutes after, wow, I’m gonna win the French Open. Pretty cool. Then here playing against Ivan. I’ve had so many people come up to me and tell me that final against Lendl in ’85, that’s one of the better finals I’ve seen. I don’t have that often. Because I don’t play perfect tennis. I’ve never felt this good at certain matches, but that’s not really true because when I was playing really well I didn’t really feel well, everything was just going in, you know? Feeling good for me was when you’re not playing that well and you figure out that this is the way I have to play, I have to play around my bad side and still find a way to make him worse as well. That made me feel good, not hitting winners.”

Favorite Vacation: “I’ll take the Caribbean, on the beach.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like to see somebody that they have an opinion and the guts to say it. And that behaves the same, very level. You can get pissed, you can be sad, you can be crying, you can laugh, whatever, that’s fine. But you still say Good morning to the people that you know and say Thank you to everybody that opens the door for you, blah, blah, blah. So I’m very into manners, respect for every person, not just the better people. The guy in the street, the guy who works at the hotel door. And have an opinion, have the guts to say it and listen to whatever other people think. But don’t just get rolled over just because somebody else thinks it.”

Photo Credit: Henk Abbink.

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 154

DOB: February 4, 1973 In: Los Angeles, CA

Childhood Heroes: “Alexis Arguello, Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez.”

Age Started Boxing: “Seven.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Golf. One thing about golf, you can never be too good. It’s a challenge, the patience, the
frustration. I think golf is tougher than boxing actually.”

Nicknames: “Golden Boy and The Hooker – because of my left hook.”

Favorite Movies: “Pretty Woman and now, Rocky (6). Rocky was actually a pretty good movie. This last
Rocky movie, I actually enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised [smiles].”

Favorite TV Shows: “Favorite TV show, wow. Actually, American Idol. I have to admit I’m a big fan of American Idol [smiles].”

Musical Tastes: “All kinds, techno.”

Last Book Read: “Swimming with the Sharks. Business. And The Ring [smiles].”

First Job: “Washing dishes at my aunt’s Mexican restaurant (Tina’s) in downtown Los Angeles when I was 10.”

First Car: “1992 burgundy Camaro Z 28.”

Childhood Ambition: “I always wanted to work at McDonalds – the register. And I still thought about doing that, even after I turned professional. To have that feeling of working and getting paid by the week.”

Favorite Meal: “Has to be my wife’s meatloaf. Amazing meatloaf [smiles].”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Fruity Pebbles.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “French vanilla.”

First Boxing Memory: “When I was about seven, I had my first nosebleed. I took my gloves off and started crying. I wanted to get my mother [smiles]. I’ll never forget that.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “Oh my, pre-fight feeling is everywhere…butterflies, nervous and anxious.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Olympic gold 1992, by far. That was the best feeling ever.”

Most Painful Moment: “Probably the loss to Bernard Hopkins. Not because the body shot hurt or – just that frustration I felt afterwards. The fact that he paralyzed me for 10 seconds, and after 12 seconds I was fine. It’s boxing. It’s a body shot that was well-located, well-calculated. I mean, I went for history (the unified Middleweight title). I tried to fight the best, the bigger man, and I – at least I tried. I couldn’t do it but I tried.”
Worst Injury: “Fortunately just bruised around my eye.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Cancun.”

Funny Boxing Memory: “Yeah [laughs], I’m not sure who it was. I was fighting, we were in a clinch and all I hear is this guy just pass gas. And I didn’t laugh but inside I was just cracking up and that was pretty funny.”

Embarrassing Boxing Memory: “I gotta think about that one. In boxing you mean? (Or something from your life related to boxing or celebrity.) At a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe I was teeing off and I shanked the ball and hit somebody. And on TV. It’s very embarrassing. All big celebrities, you have Jordan playing, everybody playing. And it’s actually a serious tournament. And you had a hundred people there and I shank the ball. Luckily it only hit them on the shoulder.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. Greg Norman. Jack Nicklaus. Chi Chi Rodriguez. I like that thing he does after he makes a good putt. Roy Jones was awesome to watch. Manny Pacquiao. Sugar Shane Mosley. Bernard Hopkins.”

Favorite Fights: “Douglas-Tyson, Pryor-Arguello I and II.”

Favorite Non-Boxing Sport To Watch: “Basketball.”

Funniest Boxer Encountered: “Felix Savon (the great Cuban Olympic heavyweight champion). He’s a funny guy. We were like buddies at the Olympics.”

Early Boxing Memory: “I remember winning my first tournament. I had stopped this kid in the first round. I didn’t know I’d win a trophy. Then they handed me one. I was like, Gosh, I want another one.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like to see genuine people. I like to see people who are honest. I like those qualities.”

Ht: 5-11 Wt: 200

DOB: March 2, 1985 In: Spring Valley, CA

Childhood Heroes/Inspirations: “I didn’t have any heroes. I had guys that I looked up to – probably Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders, people like them.”

Nicknames: “Just President [smiles]. I got that in college.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Hmm, shopping, playing video games, hang out with friends, go see movies.”

Favorite Movies: “Any Given Sunday.”

Favorite TV Show: “Conan O’Brien.”

Musical Tastes: “Rap, hip-hop, R&B.”

Early Football Memory: “Yeah, second game I played Pop Warner, I rushed for eight touchdowns, 544 yards and like two extra points (age 9).”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I’m hyped, I’m ready to go. Energized. And ready to get on the field.”

First Job: “Worked for a chiropractor’s doctor’s office when I was in high school.”

First Car: “1996 Ford Ranger (burgundy color).”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican food.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Fruity Pebbles.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Oooooh, cookie dough.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “My moment? Winning the Super Bowl and winning the National Championship.”

Most Painful Moment: “Losing the National Championship.”

Embarrassing Football Memory: “When I fumbled the ball against UCLA my freshman year, trying to jump over a pile.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Me, myself and I.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Deion Sanders. Barry Bonds. Michael Jordan. Mike Tyson. (In tennis?) I don’t watch those. (Golf?) Tiger Woods. (NHL?) Wayne Gretzky. (NASCAR?) What’s the guy’s name…oh, Jeff Gordon. (Why him?) Because he’s the best. I don’t even watch him, I know he’s the best [smiles].”

Favorite Uniforms: “Saints.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Good people. People who are good people. I think that’s important.”

Ht: 5-6 Wt: 110

DOB: November 24, 1971 In: Carolina, Puerto Rico

Childhood Hero: “Well, for the racetrack, I have to say Angel Cordero.”

Hobbies/Interests: “I have no hobby [laughs]. Only my children and my wife. That’s my hobby.”

Nickname: Johnny V.

Favorite Movies: “Wow. I gotta say Dirty Dancing. The Star Wars movies are great movies.”

Favorite TV Show: “Friends.”

Musical Tastes: “All kinds. I like dance music.”

First Job: “Cleaning windows in a hotel in Puerto Rico – Travelodge in San Juan.”

First Car: “Toyota Corolla (gray).”

Early Racing Memory: “It was the Breeder’s Cup race in ‘88. Angel Cordero won one of the races. I watched it on TV, that was in Puerto Rico.”

Favorite Meal: “Anything. I like my rice and beans.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”

Pre-Race Feeling: “Not much. Just a lot of homework. A lot of homework and thinking, What I’m gonna do the best for my horse. How should I be placing it? And also watch the races, race by race. And a lot of prayers [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Wow. Well, winning the Belmont Stakes with Rags To Riches (2007). Winning two Breeder’s Cup one day. Winning stakes races in Saratoga. And winning the Travers has been the highlights of my career.”

Most Painful Moment: “Many falls [laughs]. Many falls. That’s what I gotta say, yeah.”

Favorite Racetrack: “Saratoga.”

Funny Memory: “I remember Angel telling me the story how some horse – they made him bark at him. If you bark at him, he’ll run for it [smiles]. I think that was funny. He tried anything, so. Angel told me stories about people telling him instructions about horses. I thought that was a really funny one. It made him run faster.”

Embarrassing Memory: “For myself? I don’t know. Embarrassing for me – screwing up the race. That’s the most embarrassing thing. When you think you can win the race and you messed up the race. That’s embarrassing.”

Favorite Horses: “Oh my God, there’s so many. If I was going to have to name it I would have to name them all [laughs]. I rode so many good horses that were early in my career that actually put my name in different places. There’s a lot or horses that touch my heart, just because they won, lift up my career.”

Childhood Dream: “I look back, I never thought I was gonna be a jockey. That came later, as a teenager. Childhood dream…I just thought I was gonna be a lawyer or accountant, something to do with financials. I was always interested in numbers and money and stuff like that.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Kindness.”

Family: Wife, Leona; daughter, Lerina; son, Michael.

Status: Hall of Fame manager, trainer and TV commentator.

DOB: May 30, 1922 In: Rockaway Beach, N.Y.

Childhood Heroes: ”Van Lingo Mungo, Joe Strip, Ralph Kerchival – guys you never heard of. Way before your time.”

Nicknames: ”Radar. I had a pretty good set shot.”

Early Boxing Memory: ”The first fight I had Ralph ‘Tiger’ Jones beating Ray Robinson (1955) and I just bought a house and I was wondering how I was gonna pay for it. And that helped me ease my mind a little bit.”

Favorite Movie: ”Casablanca.”

Favorite Boxing Movie: ”The Champion with Kirk Douglas.”

Musical Tastes: ”Glenn Miller, Moonlight Serenade.”

Favorite TV Show: ”NYPD Blue.”

Favorite Meal: ”Spaghetti and meatballs.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: ”Strawberry.”

First Job: ”Busboy at Reis Park in Rockaway Park.”

Greatest Career Moment: “When Emile Griffith knocked out Benny Paret and won the welterweight championship (KO 13 in 1961). It was the first time that I had a world champion and the spectacular way that Griffith did it made it even more exciting.”

Most Painful Moment: ”Gerry Cooney getting knocked out by George Foreman. Cooney looked so great in training. Really looked like it shouldn’t have been a contest. He went into the ring and just froze.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: ”I don’t get nervous at all. Just think about what the fighters should do and that’s about it. I always used to bring my fighter into the dressing room early, to give them plenty of time to prepare. Like some of these guys now they like to come in at the last minute and show that they’re a big shot. Get the fighter to calm down and maybe even take a little nap. And when they get up, talk to them about the important things we’ve been working on.”

Childhood Ambition: ”Be in athletics. It worked out fine. I went to NYU and studied physical education. They had boxing in the Army service before I went to NYU. They had an intramural program. A PAL boxing coach started out for $1,000 a year [laughs]. I boxed in the Army. Boxed a lot of guys who were heavier than me. Only got stopped once, by a guy by the name of Hillhouse. Hit me with everything.”

Funny Boxing Memory: ”I’ve seen guys who went to the ring who forgot to put their trunks on, when they took their robe off. Golden Gloves show one night, right in the middle of a round the lights went out. And it was completely black in the auditorium. And when the lights came back on again, the one guy was out cold!”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: ”Oscar De La Hoya. Willie Pep. Ray Robinson. Roy Jones. Lennox Lewis. I think he’s a little too big for Holyfield. Holyfield’s had a lot of tough fights. I’d like to see Holyfield retire.”

Most Treasured Possession: ”Hall of Fame ring in 1993.”

Funniest Boxers Encountered: ”Being around me not too many of them had a good sense of humor. I don’t remember too many guys fooling around.”

Favorite Fights: ”Leonard-Hagler. Ralph ‘Tiger’ Jones-Eduardo Lasse from Argentina. One of the greatest fights I’ve seen and unfortunately my guy lost.”

People Qualities Most Admired: ”Boxers are a unique brand. Any sportswriter will tell you they’re the easiest to interview. They respect each other. It’s not a team sport. There’s no place to hide. They get out there, they’re on their own. It’s a great character builder for anybody to participate in the sport. Absolutely best conditioned athletes in the world. Just to walk up those four steps and wait for that first bell takes all the courage in the world.”

How Would You Like To Be Remembered: ”Worked hard with a lot of young kids, developed them into good fighters and good human beings. Most of my fighters are still around and they’re all pretty successful.”

Ht: 6-foot-2 Wt: 210 pounds

DOB: July 6, 1957 In: Sudbury, Ont.

Hockey Inspirations: “Growing up, for me, it was Bobby Orr. Living in Canada, I loved his style, how he dominated the game, his end-to-end rushes, he just stood out. I was a big fan of Bobby Orr’s.”

First Hockey Memory: “Is of being a little boy playing on a rink that was designed for a small community, back in northern Ontario. Just being there all the time.”

Nicknames: “Doogie.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “I love playing golf and tennis. I trade on the stock market.”

Favorite Movies: “I’m a big Harrison Ford fan, so all of his movies. Tom Hanks, his movies. Cast Away is one of my favorites.”

Last Book Read: “Don’t read books, I read articles. I read newspapers – USA Today is my favorite. But I don’t read a whole book. I read different, a lot of articles about health and fitness.”

Musical Tastes: “Different types, I can like Neil Diamond to U2 to Bon Jovi.”

Favorite TV Show: “King of Queens, Seinfeld.”

First Job: “Delivering newspapers – The Sudbury Star.”

First Car: “Pinto (brown).”

Current Car: “It’s a Jaguar XK8 (blue).”

Favorite Meal: “Spaghetti and meatballs.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Probably not a moment, but a small time. Making it to the Stanley Cup final with the New York Rangers (1979). That whole series against the Islanders, that whole experience might have been my best moment and experience.”

Most Painful Moment: “The day I didn’t have a job in the NHL as a player.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I still love the New York Rangers uniforms.”

Favorite Arenas To Play: “Madison Square Garden.”

Closest NHL Friends: “I’ve been away. I’ve been living in Southern California and Florida, so I kind of detached myself from players. Recently, in the past two years I’ve come back to New York. So since being back to New York, Chris Kotsopoulos has been someone that I’ve re-united with. And Ron Greschner.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Barry Melrose and Nick Fotiu.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Particular players? Boy, there’s some…if you would have said craziest…I’ve competed against some tough players. Fiercest, probably, I played against Bobby Clarke and so many of those Flyers were fierce. Probably Terry O’Reilly. (How about the craziest?) I don’t want to mention (smiles).”

Most Memorable Goal: “Probably my first in the NHL. It was like, ‘I’ve made it.’ Against Cleveland. It was in Cleveland. I scored against my best friend, who I believe was on the ice – John Baby. We played together on a junior team and we ended up playing against each other and I ended up scoring against his team in Cleveland.”

Funny Hockey Memory: “Being around Nick Fotiu and roommates with Nick Fotiu, he was always up to something. There’s a lot of stuff I’m not going to mention. But being around Nick Fotiu was fun because he was always up to some prank.”

Strangest Game: “The game we played against Boston and the players went up in the stands. At The Garden. The Boston Bruins players were up in the stands fighting with the fans. We were in the midst of a small brawl on the ice that was about to start. We were all on the ice about to start, all of the sudden the fan hit the Bruin and that broke that up and we ended up sitting there watching.”

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: “After they initiated, shaved my head. I love my long hair and didn’t like that look. (Who got you?) Nick Fotiu, John Davidson, Dave Maloney, Greschner, all those guys that were part of the team. They blind-folded me so I couldn’t tell.”

Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: “Golf.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Current would be Ovechkin, Stamkos. In the past, Gretzky, Lemieux. I played with both of those guys. (Tennis?) I became friends with John McEnroe, so I always enjoyed watching John. Not just for his skills, but for his personality. (Keep in touch with him?) Yes I do. He’s a big Ranger fan. (Ever play tennis with him?) I did a long time ago. And he encourages me to call to hit now, but I don’t want to embarrass myself. I could rally with him, but not try to win a game off him. I could rally with him and keep the ball in play. I’ve played tennis a long time. I’m going to take him up on that.”

People/Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty.”

DOB: September 7, 1949 In: Newark, NJ

Music Inspirations: Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilkins.

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: I like to cook. I like to sew. I like studying the Bible. I like shopping [smiles]. I’m a shoe fan.

Favorite Movie: The Incredibles [laughs].

Last Book : The Bible.

Favorite TV Show: Smallville.

Musical Favorites: I like Beyonce, Norah Jones and Alicia Keys. And Brian McKnight, J.T. Taylor.

First Job: Was a sales auditor at Bamberger’s department store in Newark, NJ.

Current Car: Mercedes S550, silver.

Childhood Dream: A teacher. Which is something I will do.

Greatest Career Moment: Greatest moment in my career was probably when I received the LEGEND Award was presented to me in Monte Carlo by Prince Albert (2002 at World Music Awards).

Most Painful Moment: Most painful moment of my career…when I realized tha Polydor Records had dropped my contract.

Most Memorable Performance: Probably when I did the performance before being inducted into the Disco Music Hall of Fame (in 2005). I did a marathon version of “I Will Survive” because it was right after my divorce.

What would you say was your finest, best performance? Just a few days ago (October 2009) I did a symphony concert in Spain and the people applauded for like five minutes.

Personality Qualities Most Admired: I like honesty, forthrightness, integrity.

Check out her web site: www.gloriagaynor.com