African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame Annual Induction in Harlem, New York
Oakland, CA - The African American Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to honoring Black and other ethnic sports legends, will induct Alex (The Bronx Bomber) Ramos along with nine others at The Adam Clayton Powell State Building on Saturday, August 16, 2008.
The luncheon will begin with a “VIP Reception with the Stars,” followed by lunch and the induction ceremony. The Adam Clayton Powell State Building is located at 163 West 125th Street.
Alex Ramos has over 30 years of experience in the sport of boxing, dating back to training at 11 years old in the Bronx, New York. He was one of the most celebrated amateur boxers ever to come from the State of New York, winning four New York Golden Gloves titles, Public Athletic League National Champion, Empire State Games Champion, Junior Olympic Gold Medalist, AAU National Champion, and a member of the USA Boxing Team from 1978-1980. Ramos became the USBA Middleweight Champion and the 1986 California Middleweight Champion.
Among the seven community leaders honored at the event will be Joe Louis Reliford. He will receive the Hall’s Trailblazer Award. At 12 years old, he played one inning in a minor-league baseball game on July 19, 1952, with the Fitzgerald Pioneers, then a farm team for the Kansas City A's, now called the Oakland A's. From center field, he threw out a runner trying to advance to third base, and robbed the Statesboro Pilots’ best hitter of a home run.
Reliford broke the color barrier in the Georgia State Baseball League as a player, although he actually was a batboy! After the game, the opposing fans mobbed him in jubilation as they stuffed money into his pockets. He paved the way for Frank Robinson and Willie McCovey, among others, to play in Georgia. His great catch in 1952, was recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. The same year, Reliford received a resolution from the Georgia State Senate for unintentionally making American baseball history.
He went on to play in the Georgia State Negro Leagues for the Fitzgerald Lucky Stars against Hank Aaron and others. He and Aaron are the only two black baseball icons in the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
The complete list of inductees and other honors can be viewed at www.afrosportshall.com.
New Jackie Robinson Hall of Fame Plaque To Be Dedicated June 25 in Cooperstown
--Rachel Robinson to Appear in Cooperstown to Celebrate Jackie Robinson’s Legacy--
Cooperstown, NY - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will dedicate a new Hall of Fame plaque for Jackie Robinson on June 25th in the Hall of Fame Gallery. The plaque unveiling ceremony has been rescheduled from its original unveiling date of May 3rd.
Following the ceremony, Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, will be the featured guest in an installment of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Voices of the Game Series with a special appearance by Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow. The one-hour discussion and question-and-answer session is part of the Voices of the Game Series. Tickets can be purchase by calling 607-547-0397.
A civil rights activist, professor, nurse, wife and mother, Mrs. Robinson is a woman of enormous accomplishments. As part of the Voices of the Game Series event, Mrs. Robinson will discuss her work and the efforts achieved jointly with her late husband through education. In 1973, one year after Jackie’s death, Mrs. Robinson created the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide college scholarships, extensive mentoring and leadership training. Sharon Robinson, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, is also an educational consultant for Major League Baseball. Sharon has authored several non-fiction books about her father, as well as a novel.
The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF) provides four-year college scholarships to minority students who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership capacity and financial need. The more than 1,200 Foundation alumni are both leaders in their professional fields and consummate ambassadors of Jackie’s legacy of community service. The Foundation is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary. Currently, 259 Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars attend 93 colleges and universities in 30 states. Since the inception of the program, JRF Scholars have maintained a 97% graduation rate, more than twice the national average for minority students.
Larry Holmes (Former Heavyweight Champion) Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
Last month (June 2008), Larry Holmes was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Holmes was born November 3, 1949, in Cuthbert, Georgia. Although a native of Georgia, Holmes has spent the majority of his life in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley region, giving rise to his boxing nickname, "The Easton Assassin."
As a professional heavyweight, Holmes won his first 48 bouts, beating, among others, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Tim Witherspoon, Gerry Cooney, James "Bonecrusher" Smith and Muhammad Ali. As champion, Holmes successfully defended his title (organizational or lineal) 20 times, second only to Joe Louis who had 25 defenses. He fell just one short of matching the record of Rocky Marciano, who retired undefeated after 49 wins in 49 bouts, when he lost to light-heavyweight champion Michael Spinks by a unanimous and controversial decision in 1985. After losing the rematch with Spinks on a disputed split decision, Holmes promptly retired from the sport at age 36.
Subsequently, Holmes made a series of comebacks. He unsuccessfully fought for the title three more times, losing to Mike Tyson in 1988, by TKO in 4; Evander Holyfield in 1992, by unanimous decision after 12 rounds; and Oliver McCall in 1995, by UD in 12 rounds. He finally retired at the age of 52 after defeating Butterbean by UD after 10 rounds, 29 years after his first bout (against Rodell Dupree, by UD after 4 rounds), with a record of 69-6.
At the beginning of his career, in the early to mid 1970s, Holmes was a sparring partner to then heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose training camp was in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. However, Holmes trained predominantly in the Lehigh Valley.
Holmes first gained credibility as a contender when, in 1978, he upset hard-punching Earnie Shavers, winning almost all 12 rounds. Holmes' victory over Shavers set up a title shot between Holmes and WBC Heavyweight Champion Ken Norton in Las Vegas on June 9, 1978.
Holmes won the title, defeating Norton on a split decision. The 15-round slugfest, featuring virtually nonstop action, was the culmination bout of an elimination series for the lineal championship vacated via Muhammad Ali's retirement. Holmes won a closely-contested fight that was decided in the final round, which is cited by boxing experts and historians as one of the greatest rounds in the history of the sport.
Holmes defended his title against contenders of varying quality, but the most emotional night of his reign came when he faced his friend, the legendary Muhammad Ali (October 1980), who was returning to the ring in an attempt to win the heavyweight title for an unprecedented fourth time. Although looking fit and trim, Ali was already on medication for what developed into Parkinson's disease (or syndrome) and was unable to recover his former skills or stamina. Holmes dominated the fight until Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, finally retired his fighter after the 10th round, giving Holmes a win by TKO (the only no decision loss of Ali's career).
Holmes successfully defended the WBC belt 17 times until December 11, 1983, when he voluntarily relinquished that title for the championship of the new International Boxing Federation. In 1982, Holmes gained some measure of notoriety when he fought Gerry Cooney; a White boxer who many thought had a chance to unseat Holmes. A lot of racial tension was involved with this fight, with Cooney considered "the Great White Hope" and the best white heavyweight since Rocky Marciano. Strangely, during the prefight introductions, Holmes was announced first and Cooney second, although champions are traditionally announced second. Despite bitterness and racial tension among fans of both fighters, the two became friends. In the 1990s, a movie called The Great White Hype starring Damon Wayans and Peter Berg was loosely based on the Holmes-Cooney fight. Holmes defeated Cooney by TKO in the 13th round.
Holmes' string of 20 successful heavyweight title defenses is surpassed only by Joe Louis with 25. The next highest on the list, Lennox Lewis, had 15. Other boxers in other weight classes also have met or surpassed 20 title defenses. Joe Calzaghe has 21 successful super middleweight defenses. Bernard Hopkins had 20 successful defenses at middleweight. Sven Ottke (super-middleweight) and Ricardo Lopez (flyweight) had 21 defenses each. The only boxers (at any weight) with more defenses than Holmes, Hopkins and Calzaghe, are Dariusz Michalczewski (light heavyweight) with 23, and Louis.
Some of these boxers have had championship reigns of similar length, but none has been as "busy" in consistent title defenses. Even Joe Louis slowed to a pace of one title defense per year, while Holmes had at least three per year with the exceptions of 1982 and 1984 (2 and 1 per year, respectively). With a total of eight, Holmes shares (with Tommy Burns) the record for most consecutive knockouts in title fights.
Candice Parker Wins the 2008 Honda-Broderick Cup as the Top Collegiate Female Athlete
At a press conference at the Columbia University Low Memorial Library in New York, N.Y., Honda, Inc., announced Candace Parker as its 2008 Honda –Broderick Cup winner. In her reception speech, Parker thanked Honda for its continued support of the award and women’s athletics throughout the years.”
Parker opted out of her final year of eligibility, but graduated in May from the University of Tennessee with a degree in sport management. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
She finished her career at Tennessee with a plethora of school records, including most dunks, free throws made and attempted in a game; most dunks, blocks, free throws made and attempted in a single season; and as the career leader in dunks, blocks, free throws made and attempted. She became just the fourth 2,000-point scorer and was the eighth Lady Vol to amass 900 rebounds in program history.
In 2008, her accolades included ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year and first-team Academic All-America honors, unanimous first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC), SEC All-Tournament Team and SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, the U.S. Basketball Writers’ Association National Player of the Year, the Associated Press Player of the Year and unanimous first-team All-America honors. Parker also received ESPN.com National Player of the Year, State Farm All-America, WBCA National Player of the Month in January, and Oklahoma City Regional and NCAA Final Four All-Tournament and Most Outstanding Player honors.
The Naperville, Ill., native averaged 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.3 steals in 38 games in her last collegiate season, while leading her team to a 36-2 record and the program’s eighth NCAA Championship.
Previous Honda-Broderick Cup recipients included:
o Lucy Harris, Delta State Basketball
o Ann Meyers, UCLA, Basketball
o Cheryl Miller, University of Southern California, Basketball
o Jackie Joyner, UCLA, Track and Field
o Teresa Weatherspoon, Louisiana Tech
o Dawn Staley, University of Virginia, Basketball
o Lisa Fernandez, UCLA, Softball
o Mia Hamm, University of North Carolina, Soccer
o Chamique Holdsclaw, University of Tennessee
o Natasha Watley, UCLA, Softball
o Ogonna Nnamani, Stanford, Volleyball
Former NASCAR Employee (1st African American Female Technical Official) Files Discrimination and Harassment Suit with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Mauricia Grant, a former traveling Nationwide Series official with NASCAR from January 2005 until being fired in October 2007 alleges in a 40-page filing with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that she was subjected to racist and sexual discrimination and harassment by White co-workers. She is suing NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
The 32-year-old Grant, who is black, alleged she was referred to as "Nappy Headed Mo" and "Queen Sheba," by co-workers, was often told she worked on "colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.
In addition, Grant said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of whom allegedly exposed themselves to her. She also claimed she was subjected to graphic and lewd jokes.
The lawsuit lists 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination beginning when she was hired in January 2005 through her October 2007 firing.
In the lawsuit, Grant said she complained numerous times to her supervisors about how she was treated, to no avail. On one occasion, Grant said Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash, her immediate supervisor, was dismissive of her complaints, explaining her co-workers were "former military guys" with a rough sense of humor. "You just have to deal with it," she says Balash told her.
On another occasion, she alleged Balash participated in the harassment.
The lawsuit details a series of those alleged incidents:
- Grant was forced to work outside more often than the white male officials because her supervisors believed she couldn't sunburn because she was black.
- While riding in the backseat of her car pool at Talladega Superspeedway, co-workers told her to duck as they passed race fans. "I don't want to start a riot when these fans see a black woman in my car," she claims one official said.
- When packing up a dark garage at Texas Motor Speedway, an official told Grant: "Keep smiling and pop your eyes out 'cause we can't see you."
- When she ignored advances from co-workers, Grant was accused of being gay. She also claimed co-workers questioned the sexual orientation of two other female officials.
NASCAR cited a poor work performance in ending her employment. The lawsuit claims other than a previous warning for using "street" language, Grant had never been disciplined for job performance and routinely received positive reviews.
In addition, the suit claims official Heather Gambino was fired in 2006 for complaining about a sexually hostile work environment. The suit also claims former official Dean Duckett, who is black, was reprimanded and ultimately fired last November for using "aggressive language toward a white co-worker."
New Coaches Selected: Michael Curry – Detroit Pistons; Terry Porter – Phoenix Suns; and Vinny Del Negro – Chicago Bulls
Michael Edward Curry is the new Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons. Curry was hired in June 2008 to replace fired Flip Saunders. Curry also played in the NBA from 1993 to 2005.
A 6'5"guard/forward from Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Georgia, and Georgia Southern University, Curry played eleven seasons (1993-1994; 1995-2005) in the NBA as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Bullets, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers. Though he never averaged more than 6.6 points per game in a season, Curry was well respected throughout the league for his strong defense and leadership qualities, and for several years he served as president of the NBA Players Association.
Prior to becoming Head Coach of the Pistons, Curry served as an Assistant Coach for Detroit and also as the NBA's Vice-President of Player Development.
Curry holds a Masters Degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University Sports Center.
He received a three year deal, worth $2.5 million per season to coach the Pistons.
Also in June 2008, Terry Porter was hired as the new Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns. Porter replaces Mike D’Antoni, who was hired to coach the New York Knicks. Porter inherits a talented but aging roster that features Shaquille O’Neal, Amare Stoudemire, and Steve Nash.
Porter was hired as the Head Coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in August 2003. He spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, his first season in coaching after a distinguished 17-year NBA playing career with Portland, Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio. Porter’s teams compiled a remarkable record of 815-547 (.598) during his career, and only once failed to make the postseason.
In 1,274 career games, Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals during a stellar career that included two All-Star berths (1991, 1993), two trips to the NBA Finals (1990, 1992) and 15,586 career points. He is 10th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,160).
Vinny Del Negro, the new Head Coach of the in Chicago Bulls, spent two seasons with the Phoenix Suns front office, serving as Director of Player Personnel for one year, before being promoted to Assistant General Manager prior to the 2007-08 campaign. He worked three seasons (2003-06) as a color analyst for the Suns broadcast teams, including color commentary his last two years.
Del Negro played professional basketball for 14 seasons, including 12 years in the NBA and two years in the Italian A1 League. In the NBA, he played for five different teams (Sacramento, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix). He was a member of the San Antonio Spurs for six seasons (1992-98) and was selected to San Antonio’s 25th Anniversary Team as one of the top 25 players in Spurs history, after helping San Antonio claim two Midwest Division Titles. He appeared in 38 games with Phoenix during the 2000-01 season prior to being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade, but he never suited up for the Clippers.
New York Giants 15-year Veteran Michael Strahan and Baltimore Ravens 12-year Veteran Jonathan Ogden Retire
Michael Anthony Strahan, the New York Giants’ 15-year defensive end, announced his retirement. He played college football at Texas Southern University and was drafted in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft by the New York Giants. Strahan was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 2001.
He holds the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22.5, breaking New York Jets great Mark Gastineau’s total of 22 in the 2001 season.
Strahan retired with 141.5 career sacks, 794 career tackles, 4 career interceptions, 21 forced fumbles and 2 career touchdowns in 200 games over a 15 year career. Throughout the greater part of the 2004 season, Strahan was injured with a torn pectoral muscle, which limited him to only 4 sacks. He rebounded in 2005, returning to the Pro Bowl, with his protégé, Osi Umenyiora as the two combined for 26 sacks, while anchoring the Giants' defense.
On October 23, 2006, with a sack of Drew Bledsoe in a Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys, Strahan tied Lawrence Taylor for the Giants franchise record for most career sacks with 132.5. On September 30, 2007, he sacked Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, increasing his career total to 133.5, setting a new franchise record.
On Sunday, February 3, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Strahan had 2 tackles and 1 sack in Super Bowl XLII. Bolstered by a strong defense and unrelenting pass rush, the Giants went on to win the game 17-14, over the then-undefeated New England Patriots, giving Strahan his first Super Bowl victory in 15 seasons as an NFL starter.
Jonathan Phillip Ogden, the Baltimore Ravens’ 12-year offensive tackle, announced his retirement.
During the 1996 NFL draft, Ogden was selected by the Ravens in the first round with the fourth overall choice, the first ever draft pick made by the Ravens.
In his twelve-year career, he started 177 games and consistently performed as one of the best offensive linemen in the league, perhaps even one of the greatest of all time. Ogden is a nine-time All-Pro and an eleven-time Pro Bowler at left tackle, earning trips to Hawaii from 1997 to 207. He has also caught two passes in his career - both for one yard and both for touchdowns. He has recovered 10 fumbles and recorded 10 tackles in his NFL career. Ogden is a rare blend of size, power and agility, excelling in both run blocking and pass blocking. Ogden allowed fewer adjusted sacks than any other left tackle in the National Football League in 2006.
In 2000, Ogden won a championship ring with the Ravens when they defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. Ogden announced his retirement on June 12, 2008, after a career that spanned 12 seasons, every one with Baltimore.
Following the Disappointments in 2002 and 2004, USA Basketball Announces 2008 Olympic Team
Following the disappointments in 2002 and 2004, USA Basketball looked to move in a different direction. It appointed Jerry Colangelo to be solely responsible for selecting the team. Colangelo made it clear that he would ask players for a three-year commitment—the 2006 Worlds and the 2008 Summer Olympics. The head coach chosen for the team was Duke University Coach Mike Krzyzewski with assistants Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University, Mike D’Antoni of the New York Knicks, and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trailblazers. While some prominent players, such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, stated that they did not plan to play for the team, superstars Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James publicly announced their commitment for the 2006 Worlds and 2008 Olympics. Allen Iverson, despite being the captain for the 2004 Olympic team, was not invited to train with the team. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were named co-captains of the 2006 USA World Championship Team.
The 2006 USA World Championship Team easily went through the group stage and went to the semi-finals, winning their games by an average of 25 points. However, against defending European Championship winner Greece, the US suffered a 101-95 defeat, putting in a dismal defensive effort (the Greeks shot .625 for the game) and resulting in the third consecutive failure of a US Team to reach a final in international basketball. The team rallied for a win over defending Olympic Champion Argentina (who had previously earned a win over the U.S. in both the 2002 Worlds and the 2004 Olympics) to take home the Bronze Medal.
On May 23, 2007, it was reported that several USA players would not be able to compete in the FIBA Americas Championship during the summer of 2007 because of injuries. Those seven players were Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, Brad Mille, Lamar Odom, Paul Pierce, and Dwyane Wade.
In response, USA Basketball announced eight new players would be added to the USA Men's National Basketball Team. Those eight players were Carlos Boozer, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Greg Oden, Tayshaun Prince, and Deron Williams.
Featuring Olympic gold medalist Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) and four 2004 Olympians, USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo announced the 12-players who will represent the United States in the Aug. 8-24 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. The player selections were approved by the USA Basketball Executive Committee, and will be nominated to the United States Olympic Committee to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games.
The official 12-man roster:
Center - Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic
Guard - Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers
Guard - Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks
Guard - Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets
Guard - Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks
Guard - Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz
Guard - Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat
Forward - Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz
Forward - Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets
Forward - Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons
Forward - LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Forward - Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors
