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Meet the Hall of Famers

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  Jim Thorpe

  Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Thorpe was raised in the Sac and Fox nation in Oklahoma. Both of his parents were of mixed American Indian and European ancestry. His Indian name of Wa-Tho-Huk roughly translates to Bright Path. Thorpe was an outstanding athlete, excelling in multiple sports throughout his amateur and professional careers. He won gold medals in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics for the pentathlon and decathlon. In his professional career, he had notable success in American football, basketball and baseball. His greatest achievements were in football, a game which he helped popularize. In 1920, Thorpe became the first president and the top player of the newly formed American Professional Football Association (APFA). Two years later, APFA became the National Football League (NFL). The NFL is the premier U.S. professional football league. Thorpe played professional football until 1928.

  His legacy lives on. The Jim Thorpe Association, based in Thorpe’s native state of Oklahoma, gives scholarships and awards to athletes who follow in his path. The association maintains the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and encourages students to excel in health and fitness, academics and self-esteem through the Bright Path Youth Programs. Thorpe’s versatility and excellence in sports earned him the accolade as “the greatest athlete in the world.”

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  Babe Ruth

  In a 1999 sports poll, George Herman (“Babe”) Ruth was named the third-greatest U.S. athlete behind Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. He started his major league baseball career with the Boston Red Sox in 1914 at the age of 19. In 1919, he was traded to the New York Yankees, where he played for the rest of his career, with the exception of 1935. Ruth started out as a pitcher, but soon became famous for his awesome skill at the bat. He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in a season and hit a total of 714 home runs in his career, a record that was not broken until 1974.

  Ruth revolutionized and popularized the game of baseball in the United States. He also was instrumental in promoting it abroad. In 1934, he was part of a baseball all-star tour of Japan. Partly as a result of this tour, Japan organized its first professional baseball league in 1936. Raised in an orphanage from the age of 7, Ruth had a special fondness for sick and disadvantaged children. He often visited orphanages and children’s hospitals and participated in many charity events, and he founded his own charity, called the Babe Ruth Foundation.

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  Michelle Kwan

  Michelle Kwan is the most successful competitive figure skater in U.S. history, winning five world championships, nine national championships and two Olympic medals. Kwan is a native of California and the child of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. Besides English, Kwan speaks Cantonese, a dialect used in Hong Kong and southern China, and is learning Mandarin, the official language of China. Kwan began skating at a young age and won her first competition when she was 7. At age 13 she made it to the U.S. Olympic team at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. She won medals at the next two Winter Olympics, and nine medals at World Championships (five gold, three silver, one bronze). Her skating career has spanned more than 10 years. Kwan has had an accomplished career off the ice and has written a number of books.

  Kwan has been active performing charity work as a spokeswoman for the Children's Miracle Network, the Champions Across America program that honors children achievers struggling with severe medical challenges. Kwan also helped create the Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship Program that gives college scholarships to outstanding female athletes.

  Kwan also is a U.S. public diplomacy envoy. In that capacity, she has traveled to Russia, China and Argentina. In an interview with America.gov she said: “I’m trying to make a connection with people all over the world."

  Related articles: U.S. Skater Calls Lessons of Being a Champion Athlete Universal and U.S. Olympic Skater Kwan Urges Students to Follow Their Dreams

  Related Video: Michelle Kwan Travels to Argentina

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  Jackie Robinson

  The first African American to play in baseball’s major leagues in the modern era, Jackie Robinson started his sporting career on college varsity teams. After serving in the military during World War II he began playing in the Negro Leagues. In 1946, he was the first African American to break baseball’s color line when he was assigned to the Montreal Royals. In 1947, he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. As the first black player in the majors, Jackie Robinson faced racial abuse from many of the players and the fans, yet he never stooped to responding. His accomplished career paved the road to full integration in baseball, with many first-class players from the Negro Leagues finding places on the nation’s top teams.
  
  Off the field, Robinson was a tireless advocate of civil rights. After retiring, he helped establish Freedom National Bank of New York as well as other minority-owned companies. He served on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He corresponded with Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, as well as with civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. After his death, Robinson’s wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which provides scholarships for higher education to minority youth.
  
  Related articles:
  Tribute to Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Benefits Charities
  Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Broke Color Barrier in 1947

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  Muhammad Ali

  Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in 1942, Muhammad Ali is considered one of the best boxers in the 20th century. He was named “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated, the “Athlete of the Century” by CQ Magazine and the “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC. The highlight of his amateur boxing career was winning the gold medal in the light-heavyweight category in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. In the 1960s and 1970s, he managed to defeat almost every top heavyweight of the era.

  Like his idol, Jack Johnson, Ali is a colorful and controversial personality. He was much criticized for his association with Malcolm X and for joining the Nation of Islam. Citing religious reasons, he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. He was convicted of draft evasion, banned from boxing and stripped of his heavyweight title. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed his conviction. Ali returned to boxing and regained the heavyweight championship for a second and third time. He retired in 1981 and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. In his retirement he has been active in charity work, including providing food and medical supplies to the needy throughout the world.

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  Roberto Clemente

  Clemente was a trailblazer for Latino baseball players, starting the trend of Hispanic players from Central America and the Caribbean excelling in U.S. Major League Baseball. Born in Puerto Rico, Clemente was playing for a local league when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was drafted by the Pittsburg Pirates in 1954 and played for the team for 18 seasons. “I don’t believe in color” was his response to racial prejudice he faced in the early years of his U.S. career. He won 12 consecutive Golden Glove awards for his fielding prowess and one National League Most Valuable Player award. He also was named the most valuable player in the 1971 World Series. In 1973, Clemente was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame, with the standard five-year waiting period waived because of his untimely death.

  Clemente’s life was cut short by a tragic accident. A huge believer in helping the underprivileged, he took it upon himself to help deliver an earthquake relief mission to Nicaragua. He was flying in a plane loaded with supplies December 31, 1972, when, shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. A biographer said about him: "This was a man who could have lived a luxurious life away from the troubles of society and the poverty he faced as a child, yet he was not like that. He gave up his life trying to help other people in need." Clemente’s willingness to use his position in the service of the needy has been an inspiration to countless others. Major League Baseball has created the Roberto Clemente Award given to baseball players who best demonstrate Clemente’s values. The Roberto Clemente Foundation in Pittsburgh, established by his son in 1993, aims to improve the lives of inner-city youth.

  See more about Clemente in the award-winning online Smithsonian Exhibition: “Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente”

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  Arthur Ashe

  A trailblazing African-American tennis player, Arthur Ashe grew up in Richmond, Virginia. To avoid having to travel far away from the still-segregated city to play tennis, Ashe moved to St. Louis to finish high school and pursue his passion. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles on a tennis scholarship and went on to become the only African-American man to win the U.S. Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon. In 1969, a year after winning the U.S. Open, Ashe was denied a South African visa to play in the South African Open. He used this incident to publicize the evils of apartheid. In 1973, he was granted a visa and he became the first black professional to play in the South African national championships.

  Ashe retired in 1980 after suffering a heart attack. In 1992, he announced that he had contracted AIDS as the result of a tainted blood transfusion during heart surgery. He devoted the rest of his life to fighting the social stigma associated with the disease. After his death, his body lay in state at the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Virginia. He was the first person granted this honor since the confederate general Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. In 1996, a statue was dedicated to Ashe on Richmond’s Monument Avenue. The stadium in Queens, New York, where the U.S. Open tournament is played is named after him.

  Related article: Trailblazing African Americans Enriched the Sport of Tennis

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  Cal Ripken Jr.

  One of the most successful and most consistent American baseball players is Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken played third base and shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team for his entire career -- from 1981 to 2001. He was nicknamed “Iron Man” for playing in 2,632 consecutive games over 16 seasons and breaking the 56-year-old record set by Lou Gehrig. Cal Ripken was named to the Major League Baseball All-Star game19 times and was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2007.

  Since retirement in 2001, Ripken has been active in sports and public life. He has made many charitable donations, including support for research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). With members of his family, he created the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation -- in memory of his father -- which is dedicated to providing underprivileged children with baseball, softball and other programs that teach life skills such as leadership and sportsmanship. The foundation also has partnered with Major League Baseball to help expand the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program. In 2007, Cal Ripken became a special sports envoy for the U.S. State Department, and is involved in helping America’s public diplomacy efforts.

  Related article: Baseball Icon Cal Ripken Using Sports to Bridge Cultures

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  Michael Jordan

  One of the greatest basketball players ever in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls from 1984 to1993 and from 1995 to 1998, leading the team to six championships. From 2001 to 2003, he played for the Washington Wizards. Jordan holds an NBA record of six championship finals Most Valuable Player awards. He also helped to win two Olympic gold medals in basketball in 1984 and 1992.  "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us," said Magic Johnson, a basketball legend in his own right.

  Jordan is also known for donating his time and money to various charitable causes. He donated his salary for the 2001-2002 season to relief efforts after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He has been involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the United Negro College Fund and the Special Olympics, and he has contributed money to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. He also hosts the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, which donates a significant portion of its proceeds to charity.

  Related article: U.S. Olympic Basketball Continues Quest for Gold

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  Lance Armstrong

  An amazing cyclist and a hero to many people battling cancer, Lance Armstrong won his first cycling tournament at age 13 and became a professional at 16. By 1996, he was the Number 1 world-ranked cyclist. In the same year, tragedy struck: Armstrong was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer. His chances of survival were considered less then 50 percent.  Lance underwent chemotherapy and was able to recover. He then began his amazing comeback. He went on to win an unprecedented seven consecutive victories in the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005. He retired from professional cycling after his seventh win.

  Armstrong’s experiences with cancer led him to become an advocate for cancer victims. Within months of being diagnosed, he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which provides practical information and tools for people with cancer. The foundation works for cancer prevention, access to screening and care and improvement in the quality of life of cancer survivors. It also invests in research.

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  Mia Hamm

  A top American football (called soccer in the United States) player, Mia Hamm was also the youngest person to play football for the United States. She joined the national team at the age of 15. In 1991 and 1999, she helped win the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Women’s World Cup. She also has earned two Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004 and a silver medal in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, she was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. She is the all-time leading scorer among both men and women in international football competition, with 158 goals scored.

  Hamm’s successes serve to encourage many young women in the United States and elsewhere to pursue sports.  She also has served charitable causes, having created the Mia Hamm Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients and strives to increase opportunities for young women in sports. Hamm has helped promote and popularize women’s football in America.

  Related article: Women’s Professional Soccer Starts in 2009 in United States

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  Tiger Woods

  He began playing golf at the age 2. At 8, he won the 9-10 boys event at the Junior World Golf Championships. He left Stanford University after two years to become a professional golfer. He was selected Player of the Year in 1997 and in 1999 through 2007. He became the youngest winner of the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes and the first winner of African-American or Asian-American descent. Tiger Woods is the first golfer to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. Claiming a multiracial descent -- Asian, African American, and American Indian as well as white -- Tiger Woods has dominated a sport long considered the enclave of white elites and has helped to increase and diversify public interest in the game.

  Woods has established many charity projects focusing on young achievement. The Tiger Woods Foundation encourages young people to explore their interests and career goals. The foundation includes the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a 3,300-square-meter educational facility in Anaheim, California. It supports charities that help provide opportunities for underserved youth. It also promotes golf among underprivileged youth.

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