“Sometimes people forget that you’re a human being, and that you’re no different than any other mortal.”
--American athlete Jesse Owens
“Sometimes people forget that you’re a human being, and that you’re no different than any other mortal.”
--American athlete Jesse Owens
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Introduction Reviews & Awards Links & Activities “THANKS, KING”: JIM THORPE
(1888-1953)
A Sauk and Fox Indian, hero of the 1912 Olympics, considered by many to be the best all-around athlete in American historyUP TO HIS NECK IN FLOWERS: DUKE KAHANAMOKU
(1890-1968)
Legendary Hawaiian swimmer and surfer, credited with introducing surfing around the worldTHE POWER OF PICKLED EELS: BABE RUTH
(1895-1948)
Considered the best player in American baseball history, most famous for hitting more than 700 home runsTHE GHOST WHO GALLOPED: RED GRANGE
(1903-1991)
Electrifying football player often credited with single-handedly popularizing the sportLOOKING GOOD WITHOUT CLOTHES: JOHNNY WEISSMULLER
(1904-1984)
Record-breaking American swimmer, winner of five gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, later famous as Tarzan“WHAT FOR?”: GERTRUDE EDERLE
(1906- )
Pioneering American swimmer who created a sensation in 1926 as the first woman to swim across the icy English ChannelGETTING GOOSEBUMPS: BABE DIDRIKSON ZAHARIAS
(1911-1956)
Influential American star of golf and many other sports, winner of three Olympic medals, considered the greatest modern woman athleteMONEY MAD?: SONJA HENIE
(1912-1969)
Norwegian-American figureskater who was the world champion for ten years in a row, the dominant figure in her sportA GLASS OF WATER ON HIS HEAD: JESSE OWENS
(1913-1980)
Legendary African-American track-and-field star of the 1936 Olympics in GermanySTAR OF EVERYTHING: JACKIE ROBINSON
(1919-1972)
Trail-blazing African-American baseball star, considered by some to be America’s most significant athlete“I MUST CLIMB SOMETHING!”: SIR EDMUND HILLARY
(1919- )
New Zealand mountain-climber and outdoor adventurer who made history by climbing Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, in 1953EYES LIT UP LIKE A PINBALL MACHINE: MAURICE RICHARD
(1921-2000)
French-Canadian record-breaking hockey star, the hottest player of his day and one of the leading goal scorers in historyPOODLES AND RHINESTONES: MAUREEN CONNOLLY
(1932-1969)
American tennis player who was the first woman in history to win all of the world’s major tennis tournaments“ARRIBA! ARRIBA!”: ROBERTO CLEMENTE
(1934-1972)
Black Puerto Rican baseball player famous for 3,000 hits--the first Latino elected to the Baseball Hall of FameA TIGERBELLE IN THE FRESH AIR: WILMA RUDOLPH
(1940-1994)
African-American runner who in 1960 was the first woman to win three gold medals at a single OlympicsEMERGING FROM HIS SHELL: ARTHUR ASHE
(1943-1992)
African-American tennis champion, the top-ranked player in the world in 1975THE OLD GRAY SOCKS: PETE MARAVICH
(1947-1988)
The leading career and single-season scorer in college basketball historyDRAGONS, DRAGONS, DRAGONS: BRUCE LEE
(1940-1973)
Chinese-American martial artist of legendary skill, the major influence on the growth of martial arts in the WestCOFFEE, BOXER SHORTS, AND PAJAMAS: PELE
(1940- )
Brazilian soccer superstar-- the most popular player of the most popular sport in the worldHOW TO BENEFIT FROM BEING TALL: FLO HYMAN
(1954-1986)
Famous African-American volleyball player who led the U.S. team to a silver medal in the 1984 OlympicsAll “Lives of” artwork copyright © by Kathryn Hewitt. Published by Harcourt, Inc. and reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.
