First Running Memory: ‘In eighth grade when I ran my first cross-country race. And I asked my dad for tactical advice. And he said, ‘Just get out in front, don’t let anyone pass you.’ Pretty simple advice but it worked. (Did you win?) I took second that day actually.”

Running Inspirations: “Bernard Lagat, for sure. Prefontaine. Rich Kenah. Coach (Frank) Gagliano, who was my first professional coach, he coached Rich. He’s always asking me when I’m going to get Rich’s PR which is 1:43.3, so that’s inspiration.”

Last Book Read: “The Far Pavilions.”

Nicknames: “They called me Noogie when I was playing soccer, I don’t know why.”

Favorite Movies: “Zoolander, Forrest Gump.”

First Job: “Golf ball picker upper at a golf course.”

First Car: “Chevy Blazer.”

Current Car: “Nissan Frontier.”

Favorite Meal: “Pad Thai, Thai food.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Jamocha almond fudge.”

Pre-Race Feeling: “Anxiousness.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Probably the Olympic Trials in 2008. (Why?) Because I was the most nervous for that race and it was the biggest relief to have made the team.”

Most Painful Moment: “Worlds in 2011. Because I had a real high expectation going in. And I think that I was in shape to medal and tactically messed up.”

Childhood Dream: “Doctor.”

Funny Career Memory: “Too many to name. Hanging out with all the athletes here is great. (Who is the funniest?) Ryan Gregson, funny kid from Australia. And Will Lear from America. Gregson has so much energy. I just love hangin’ out with the guy. Will Lear and I go way back from our days in college, so a lot in common with Will.”

Strangest Race: “The semifinal at Berlin Konky went down and I had to take the lead from 500 out. That was a pretty weird race.”

Embarrassing Running Memory: “When I was in high school, a girl (Molly) I was really interested in, on the track team, pulled my shorts down while we were running our warm-up lap. And took my underwear with them [laughs]. So that was pretty embarrassing, in front of the whole track team.”

Favorite Sport Outside Running: “Ice hockey.”

Toughest Competitor Encountered: “Good question. Bernard Lagat is a pretty fierce competitor. I like watching Roger Federer quite a bit. I think he’s a tough competitor, for sure. I love watching tennis. I think those guys are probably the greatest overall athletes in the world, just given their stamina, power, durability. I love watching tennis players. (Do you play?) Not well, it’s pretty sloppy but I like to play [smiles].”

Last Vacation: “It was almost two years ago. I went to Mexico with my sister’s boyfriend’s family last New Year’s.”

Favorite Place To Compete: “Hayward Field. My home.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Outgoingness and friendliness. Confidence.”

DOB: September 1, 1923 in Brockton, MA Passed: August 31, 1969

Childhood Heroes: “Tony Lanzeri, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis – he spoke so reverently of him. Felt he was as classy a guy as he had ever met.”

Nicknames: “The Rock, The Brockton Blockbuster, The Champ, King of the Hill.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Absolutely loved reading – philosophy, religion, meditating, baseball.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “September 23, 1952. In Philadelphia, he had just thrown a right cross in the 13th round – coming from certain defeat – to win the Heavyweight championship of the world from Jersey Joe Walcott. And besides the birth of his daughter (Mary Anne), one of the greatest moments of his life was when he asked our father to retire from working in the shoe factory. My dad was the proudest guy in the world. And I think Rocky was even prouder.”

Most Painful Moment: “The day he knocked out Joe Louis (1951). His boyhood hero. Actually knocked him through the ropes (8th round). Afterward, Rocky said, ‘His career is over and I was the one that had to do it.’ It really did bother him.”

Favorite Movie: “On The Waterfront.”

Musical Tastes: “Big Band.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “Rocky was a hard, hard worker before a fight. The rigors he went through. I don’t know if anyone came close. When he trained, he was like a monk. He gave up all the Italian foods, no women would enter his life. Literally lived like a monk. He spent a great deal of his time reading. Whenever he went into the ring, he knew in his mind, he was in the very best shape. He knew the opponent could not be in the shape he’s in. Tremendous confidence.”

“He knew in his mind, the power of positive thinking, before the book even came out. He knew when he hit them, they had to go down. He was so positive about it, he could lay down before a fight and fall asleep. A tremendous ability. I saw it with my own eyes.”

(Would he look at his opponents after entering the ring?) He never would look at his opponent. He had his own feeling about that. In the ring he was really a different person. He was, I hate to say it, a killer. Outside the ring he was so much different. Opponents often tried to intimidate him. Rocky always had to have his eyes slightly down. He didn’t want to know anything about the opponent, his family, who he loved, who loved him. It was not personal, just a job to do. After a fight, Rocky never did not go over and see if his opponent was okay.”

Favorite Meal: “Obviously, mom’s (Pasqualena) pasta. But his number one favorite was mom’s homemade lentil soup.”

First Job: “Worked in a factory that made shoe soles.”

Toughest Opponents: “Carmine Vingo and Jersey Joe Walcott.”

Hardest Puncher Encountered: “Vingo. Rocky met him at Madison Square Garden in 1949. Vingo was an Italian from New York City who had nothing but glory days ahead of him. A possible future champion. Rocky said Vingo hit him the hardest in his career.”

Worst Injury: ‘I can tell you from personal observation. Ezzard Charles, 1954. No one really knows what kind of punch did it, maybe an uppercut. It slit underneath Rocky’s nose. Like a slice by a knife. Horrible cut. The doctor came in and was very close to stopping it. The cut was bleeding profusely. Rocky went out and stopped him in the next round, with a straight right, left, right. I remember going into the locker room after, to give my big brother a big hug and a kiss, when he was talking with the reporters. When I saw that cut it almost made me throw up.”

Funny Boxing Memory: “He had a fight early in his career against Don Mogard I think. Before the fight, they met accidentally in the hallway. The guy looked real nervous. He said, ‘I know you’re gonna be a great, great fighter. I’m going to earn a few bucks…I’ve fallen on hard times.’ He let it know he wasn’t excited about being in the ring with Rocky. I guess he was asking Rocky to take it easy on him. And the fight ended up going the distance.”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: “Willie Pep. His number one favorite from Hartford, CT. A real sharp dresser. Rocky was in awe of him. A Deion Sanders type of guy way back then [laughs]. Joe Louis. Muhammad Ali. Tremendous respect for Ali. They met each other many times. Ali always referred to Rocky as ‘The Champ.’ Ali was at the wake (in Brockton in 1969) after Rocky’s airplane accident. A reporter asked Ali a question and Ali said, It wasn’t ‘the time to conduct an interview here. I’m here to pay my respects to one of the greatest fighters to ever live and a great man and a dear friend.’ I was nearby when he said that. I always had the greatest respect for Muhammad Ali.”

Favorite Vacation Spots: “Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Italy.”

Childhood Dream: “Being a Major League Baseball player.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Absolutely adored his mother and father. They were simple people whose love was unconditional. He admired people who succeed in life. Especially if they could succeed in an honorable way. And could give something back to where they came from. A big believer in that.”

www.thebiofile.com

(Thanks to Peter Marciano for making this Biofile with Rocky Marciano possible.)

DOB: January 21, 1952 In: Long Beach, CA

Baseball Inspirations: “Don Drysdale and Frank Howard. They’re my guys. Frank Howard was my hero.”

Nicknames: “Otter. (Why?) The guy in Animal House. They just slapped that on me. Who knows. Wake up one day and you got a nickname. It’s like, Oh, whatever.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Reading, bicycling, snowboard, play music, golfing, I have five kids.”

Favorite Movie: “Well, Field Of Dreams is the best movie ever made.”

Musical Tastes: “I likie anything. Broadway musicals, rock ‘n roll, blues, classical. When I was playing in Puerto Rico, I loved it down there. I love reggae. Love it all. Wherever I’m at. To me it’s hard to listen to reggae – reggae does not go in Houston, Texas. And likewise Dwight Yoakum does not go in Jamaica. When I played in Puerto Rico, my wife and I were dancing to salsa by the time we got out of there.”

Early Baseball Memory: “How much time do you got? Hours and hours? First pitch, first strikeout, first, all the firsts. First home run I gave up. First home run I hit. First all the kids – because I had four of my kids were born during the season. So I remember all that.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Was pitching in the playoffs 1987, pitching the final out of the game, to beat St. Louis 4-2. And it was a complete game, that was pretty neat.”

Most Painful Moment: “Breaking down. Ripping the rotator cuff July of 1989. And having played for 17 years, wanting to get to the World Series, finally got there and couldn’t play.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “We’re talking about stuff that happens to us all the time. Too many.”

First Job: “Paperboy – Post Advocate.”

Favorite Meal: “Fresh fish grilled, with fresh vegetables, salad.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “Don Robinson – The Caveman. Bob Brenley. Rennie Martin. Steve Nicosian. My partner Duane Kuiper. Tug McGraw – my roomate in Philadelphia. Bruce Sutter – my roommate coming up in the minor leagues. And playing with him in Chicago – great guy.”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Pete Rose. Pete took everything personal. Having played against him and with him in Philadelphia, and he was one of the guys who truly lived up to expectations. He took every at-bat personal. It was intense. You know exactly when he got in the batter’s box. He was awesome. Loved him. Bill Buckner was incredible also.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I like all the old ones – Giants, the Cardinals, the Cubs, the Dodgers, the Tigers, the Yankees, I like all the classic ones. The Braves are a sweet uni. I like ‘em all. I don’t think there are many bad uniforms in the big leagues. Other than a few, I kinda like ‘em all.”

Favorite Ballparks: “Our ballpark is fabulous. Unbelievable. The only thing bad with that is that I didn’t play there. I like Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, the old ones. Great yards.”

Embarrassing Baseball Memory: “Oh geez, where do I start.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “People who persevere through adversity. People who go through tough times and don’t make any excuses. I like that.”

Family: Wife, Jennifer; Children, Tessa, Baker, Chase, Jarek, Weston.

Career Accomplishments: 1986 All-Star; 20-game winner in 1986, 124-117 career record with 1478 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA; won five Emmy Awards for his TV commentating work.

Ht: 6-5 Wt: 185

Age: 21

Birthplace: Montenegro

Residence: Ontario, Canada

First Tennis Memory: “A lot of time with the ball machine. I think that’s how I started out, mostly. That’s where I started to get my level up. And my dad (Dusan) was there picking up the balls and I’d be just standing and hitting tennis balls non-stop .”

Tennis Inspirations: “Pete Sampras, by far the biggest one. Spent many hours watching his matches. Not just once – twice, three, four times. And sort of he was the inspiration who taught me to work so hard on the serve.”

First Famous Tennis Player You Met: “Tommy Haas, I think. I probably embarrassed myself [smiles]. I think I had a photo with him and Nick Bollettieri, and I saying, ‘Tommy, we’ve met before, we’ve met before. Will you please sign my picture?’ I remember that. Probably not Tommy [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning San Jose and then defending it. First title and then able to back it up is amazing.”

Most Painful Moment: “The pain you feel when you make that slip and when you realise how long you’re going to be out for during Wimbledon.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “There’s a lot of things that happen but I can’t point out one thing. But being in the locker room with…there’s some really special characters on the Tour. And guys that make this Tour and being on it for so many, it’s fun. (Which players come to mind on that?) Djokovic is a funny guy, got a great personality. There’s many guys like him that sort of bring up the energy in the locker room [smiles].”

Strangest Match: “One time I think I was playing a Challenger against a guy in the top 200. The guy was obviously better than me but I was sort of sticking with him and I had 40-love serving. And a guy off the court fainted on the side. Paramedics had to come. Took almost 15 minutes. We stopped. And I don’t think I won a game after that. I think it was 4-all and I lost 6-4 6-0. (Where?) Granby. I got a wildcard into main draw.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Coach and Almagro.”

Favourite Players To Watch: “I’ll watch probably the finals of most tournaments. Probably Djokovic. I enjoy watching Federer, Nadal, Soderling, probably all the guys in the top 10.”

Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “Most embarrassing…I don’t know…Lost 0 and 0 in juniors. It was a long time ago. Maybe under 12’s. Somewhere in Europe I think.”

Favourite Ice Cream Flavour: “Strawberry.”

Favourite Meal: “Steak before match.”

Favourite Sports Outside Tennis: “Basketball.”

Current Car: “My parents’ Honda Civic.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty. People that are genuine. People that are caring. And people that just go and take care of the common courtesies. When you walk by them in the locker room and I’ll say Hi and all these kinds of things. Because you see them so many times a day. You don’t just want to be walking cold shoulder by a lot of people. I think this is one of the most important things on the Tour.”

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 240

DOB: November 9, 1979, in Houston, Texas

Childhood Heroes: “I really didn’t have any childhood heroes.”

Nicknames: “I want to skip that one, there’s a lot of them [smiles].”

Hobbies/Interests: “I like fishing, hunting and playing PlayStation.”

Early Baseball Memory: “I can remember when I was four-years-old, I was on the All-Star team in T-ball. I played catcher. If you know anything about T-ball and catching, the catcher does nothing except when they swing and miss, you put the ball back on the tee for them. That was me, the All-Star catcher [smiles].”

Favorite Movies: “‘Tombstone’, ‘Weekend At Bernie’s’, ‘Shawshank’.”

Musical Tastes: “Country, any kind of country. Pretty much anything.”

Favorite TV Shows: “‘Friends’, and ‘Simpsons’.”

Childhood Dream: “I was going to be a doctor all the way. But it didn’t work out.”

First Car: “A white Dodge truck.”

First Job: “This is it, baseball [smiles].”

Current Car: “Lamborhini.”

Favorite Meal: “Mexican food.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I would have to go with Froot Loops.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”

Pre-Game Feeling: “I’m just relaxed. I really don’t get nervous. Just wondering when the wait is going to be over. Another day. This is your job. You’ve got to go out there and take it seriously.”

Greatest Sports Moment(s): “So far, I’d say the greatest moment would have to be just making the big leagues. (Adam was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on July 20, 2001. He played that night in Florida and got his first hit in his second at-bat against Matt Clement.) And being an All-Star (in 2002).”

Most Painful Moment: “I haven’t had any really painful ones.”

Worst Injury: “I guess that would be in 2000. I broke my thumb and had 17 stitches taken over my eye. The third baseman ran into me on a pop-up.

Closest Baseball Friend: “I’ve got a bunch.”

Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “I’m gonna have to go with someone like Kent Mercker — he’s funny. Do they have to be in baseball still? (No.) Pete Harnisch, he was the best. He was hilarious. Funniest human being on earth [smiles].”

Toughest Competitors: “You gotta go with people like Clemens. And I’ll tell you what — Jake Peavy is up there too.”

Funny Baseball Memory: “We were in A-ball. My buddy’s name was Randy Stegell and he had a pretty good game, so he had an interview on TV. He never had that before so he was really excited. So we kind of got him with shaving cream in the face [smiles]. And he kind of took it personal. So I get out of the shower and get dressed and go to put my shoes on and my freakin’ shoes are filled with shaving cream. He thought that was really funny.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “I like Tennessee … Gatlinsburg. It’s in old folks’ territory, but I like it.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I’m gonna have to say Toronto’s.”

Favorite Ballpark: “Houston.”

Embarrassing Baseball Moment: “I haven’t had any real embarrassing stuff. Just normal stuff, like droppin’ flyballs. Nothing really out of the ordinary.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I liked watching Larry Walker. I liked Bo Jackson back in the day. (Basketball?) I’m not a big basketball guy … since Hakeem (Olajuwon) left Houston. (Boxing?) I like Bernard Hopkins. (Tennis?) Besides Anna Kournikova — she’s my all-time favorite — I like Andy Roddick. And Maria Sharapova (Golf?) Steve Elkington. Gotta go with my boy. We’re pretty good friends.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I think honesty … to me. And I don’t like selfish people. So you’ve got to be honest and not selfish.”

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 167

DOB: November 27, 1978 In: Karvina Czech Republic

First Tennis Memory: “My father, tennis coach in Karvina.”

Inspirations: “My tennis inspiration – I’m taking all my inspiration from somewhere else because I see a lot of great athletes playing well in a higher number of ages. And this is what is inspiring me to do the same in my sport.”

First Famous Tennis Player You Met: “Hmm, good question…Thomas Muster. He was playing an exhibition against Slava Dosedel in Czech Republic, in a town where I lived for a few years. And I think I was 12 or 13, I just had to warm him up for the exhibition. And I was badly nervous [smiles].”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I think, singles-wise, my first title, definitely, in Rotterdam (2006). And winning doubles with Leander in Australian Open. Winning Grand Slam is always a memory which stay with me forever.”

Most Painful Moment: “When I got in 2006 to top ten. I had a great year, I felt on top of my game. And I woke up in the morning and I didn’t feel my right hand. I had a dislocated disk in the neck and couldn’t play tennis for six months.”

Favorite Tournaments: “Grand Slam – Australian Open. Super Nine – Indian Wells. The other – Dubai, Basel.”

Why Do You Love Playing Tennis: “Because I grew up playing tennis, I love the competition. I love the one to one – it’s like in a boxing arena. The one to one – there is no draw. You win or lose. I like that gamble. That’s the only gamble I do in my life – playing tennis. I don’t do gambling in casinos and stuff. I have a passion for tennis. And it’s the thing I know best in my life, so far.”

Which Match Did You Feel Your Very Best: “I think that was the finals of Rotterdam when I won my first title. There I played really good.”

Strangest Match: “Definitely they happen in the Davis Cup, that’s where all the strange things happen. As I remember it was 2007 in Prague when we played against Switzerland when they had on the team Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. And I played the final match against Wawrinka at two-all and I was two sets to love up. And suddenly on one of my serves, my knee didn’t hold up. I didn’t know what happened and I had to finish that match really injured. And I don’t know how, I don’t know where it came from, but I was able to close out the match in the third set. And the atmosphere and everything that comes with it was just amazing feeling which I will never forget.”

Three Athletes From Other Sports You Like To Watch: “Jaromir Jagr in hockey. Peter Cech in soccer, he’s goalkeeper for Chelsea. And Tiger Woods in golf.”

Funniest Players Encountered: “I think Gael Monfils is very funny. I used to watch Yannick Noah in the times before, he was a little funny. Mostly the past generation, they were bringing to the game something special, something where the crowd laughed. They brought up some energy with the umpires. It was more of a show which I like.”

Current Car: “BMW.”

Last Book Read: “Pavel Nedved, soccer player of Czech Republic.”

Ht: 6-4 Wt: 220

DOB: Sept. 29, 1963 In: Hamilton, Ont.

First Hockey Memory: “Down on the Hamilton Bay. My dad and his uncles, his brothers, we all used to go and skate on Hamilton Bay. That was before I started playing hockey really, it was about going down and spending time with the family on the Bay.”

Nicknames: “Andy, basically. And then there was one Andy in Toronto, so then it was Chucky. Pretty much Andy.”

Hockey Inspirations: “Lots – obviously my family, my father. And then the Leafs. A lot of the old Leafs, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler. Those are players that I watched.”

Last Book Read: “Probably a Grisham book.”

Current Car: “Is a Lincoln Navigator.”

First Job: “Worked for a veterinarian.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Quite a few, but probably the ‘04 Stanley Cup.”

Most Painful Moment: “Knocking all my teeth out with slap shot. (By who?) Not sure, I didn’t see it coming, so no idea (laughs).”

Favorite Uniforms: “Probably the Leafs. Tradition.”

Favorite Arena: “Old Boston Garden. Old, old Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo.”

Closest Hockey Friends: “Probably John Tucker. We played together in Buffalo and now we live together here in Tampa.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Mike Foligno. (Why him?) Mike Foligno for sure. Days in Buffalo, then our days in Toronto together. Never a dull moment.”

Most Memorable Goal: “Probably the 500th. In New Jersey.”

Funny Hockey Memory: “One time, Hartford to Boston in a bus, we stopped. I was supposed to go out, because I was a rookie, and get one of the guys’ bags. And the bus drove away. So I had to chase the bus down for a little bit. I had to walk probably a half-mile to catch up to the bus. (Who got you on that?) Lindy Ruff and Mike Foligno were the ones who started it.”

First Famous Hockey Player You Ever Met: “Bobby Hull. Neighbor was Bill Friday, who was a referee. And met him at a dinner when I was seven or eight-ish. He was the first NHL player that I ever met.”

Strangest Game: “Probably some of the snow-out games in Buffalo. We played the Rangers one time in the early ‘80s with a thousand people in the stands. Those are the kinds of games you remember.”

Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: “Growing up it was lacrosse. Now I would say I watch a lot of football.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “That they’re honest. That they’re friendly.”

Ht: 6-foot Wt: 193 pounds

DOB: June 24, 1990 In: Stouffville, Ont.

First Hockey Memory: “Skating in the backyard rink. They made a rink – my dad and my grandpa used to make it – and we’d be out there every day. Had my parents yell at me from inside, trying to get me to go inside to do homework and I wouldn’t get off there.”

Nicknames: “DZ, Delly, Del-Rock. The one that sticks here has been Del-Z, it’s probably my least favorite one (Del-Z?) Yeah, it’s a terrible one, I can’t stand it, but the guys have been pickin’ on me about that one. But I’ve had a bunch of nicknames.”

Hockey Inspirations: “My dad grew up playing. My brother played. And I kinda just followed in their footsteps pretty much. They never played pro or anything. But being from Toronto, you basically had to love hockey, it’s the only way to go there. I grew up loving it and still do to this day.”

Last Book Read: “It’s not good when you gotta think about it. Theo Fleury’s book, I forgot the name of it.”

Favorite Movies: “Pretty much anything with Will Ferrell in it. Anchor Man, Old School.”

First Car: “‘99 red Grand Prix.”

Current Car: “X5 Audi (black).”

Greatest Sports Moment: “Scoring my first goal in my first game at Madison Square Garden and the crowd chanting my name.”

Most Painful Moment: “MSG, can’t remember what game it was, I went to hit someone, clipped their leg, went face first into the boards. Broke my nose. Or in Pittsburgh, getting cut open by a skate. One of the two.”

Favorite Uniforms: “I like the old school New York Statue of Liberty ones. We haven’t worn those since I guess a couple of years ago, but those are my favorite ones.”

Favorite Arena: “Toronto – just because it’s home.”

Closest Hockey Friends: “Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Steve Eminger, probably those three.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Sean Avery. (Why, what’s it about him?) Just some of the things he says, which I’ll keep to myself (smiles).”

Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Two of them I can name – I remember my first year, Bill Guerin. Just because he was a veteran guy, he got away with a lot of stuff in front of the net. I remember him beating me with like nine or 10 crosschecks and – couldn’t do anything. I gave him one back and got called for a penalty. So it wasn’t too fun.”

Most Memorable Goal: “The first one.”

Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: “Soccer.”

Funny Hockey Memory: “After my first year, going back home, I ran a hockey school and I remember showing one of the kids how to backwards skate and I heel pecked and fell right on my ass. All the kids were laughing at me.”

Last Vacation: “Las Vegas – for my 21st birthday.”

Strangest Game: “My first year against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. I was matched up against Crosby that night. Didn’t play too bad of a game, but I ended up being minus-5 at the end of the night. And really only one goal was my fault. Not too happy to walk away minus-5 for one game. Tough to get back in the plus column after that.”

Personality Qualities Most Admired: “Sense of humor, trustworthy and caring.”

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.)