Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr
Born: 16 April 1947
Harlem, New York

American basketball player who led UCLA to three national titles between 1967 and 1969. Named Player of the Year twice, and Most Valuable Player six times.

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr
Born: 17 January 1942
Loiusville, Kentucky

World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Dominant heavyweight fighter during the 60s and 70s, winning the world title on three separate occasions. Charismatic, outspoken and nicknamed "The Greatest", Ali was a celebrity as well as the athlete who could "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee". He retired from boxing in 1981. Recently a set of four prints made of Ali by Andy Warhol sold for more than USD$80,000.

Angelo Siciloano
Born: 1893
Italy
Died: 1972

US Body builder. Grew up as a skinny, sickly child. Bullied by other children it was this that inspired him to become muscle-bound. He chose the name "Atlas" after the Greek Titan, who according to Greek mythology supports the broad sky on his head and unwearying arms, at the Earth's limits. His physique has been used in more than 75 statues around the world.

Gyozo Braun
1911 - 1972

Hungarian born English Table Tennis player.

Lawrence Peter Berra
Born: 12 May 1925
St Louis, Mo

Baseballer. Famous Yogi Berra Quotes:
"I didn't say the things I said", "Ninety percent of baseball is mental, the other half is physical", "I made a wrong mistake", "Never answer an anonymous letter", "The future ain't what it used to be".

Arthur Edward Breasley
Born: 1914
Wagga, NSW, Australia

Champion jockey.

Jimmy White
Born: 2 May 1962

Enduring Snooker legend Jimmy White changed his name to "Jimmy Brown" briefly during the 2005 season, to reflect the colour of the condiment produced by his major sponsor (HP Sauce).

Elegio Sardinius-Montalbo
Born: 6 January 1910
Havana, Cuba

One of the finest featherweights to enter the ring, he was the first prominent Cuban fighter. His career was curtailed by a flamboyant lifestyle in New York City.

Manuel Benitez Perez

Spanish Bull Fighter.

Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton
17 Marquis de Portago
Born: 11 October 1928
London, England
Died: 12 May 1957

Racing Driver. Great sportsman in his youth, fencing, playing polo, ridgin and flying. Member of the Spanish Olympic bobsleigh team, a very successful jockey in French steeplechasing, he took part in Britain's most famous horse race - The Grand National on two occasions. His car suffered a tyre failure at 180mph, the crash killing Alfonso, his co-driver and 10 spectators.

William Harrison Dempsey
Born: 24 June 1895
Manassa, Colorado

World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. His family was so poor that at the age of 8 he started farming. His early boxing often took place in back rooms of frontier saloons under the name "Kid Blackie". In 1915 his prize purse was $2.50 for one match, 11 years later his purse was $711,000 for his first match with Gene Tunney. Dempsey earned more than USD$3,500,000 in all in the ring.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira
Born: 25 January 1942
Lourenco Marques, Mozambique

Portugal's all time top scoring footballer.

George Wagner
Born: Seward, Nebraska
Died: Late 1963

Wrestler and the orginal "Gorgeous George". He grew his hair long and curly and dyed it blonde. Wearing gold plated bobby pins in his hair and long sequened robes, George would enter the ring escorted by one of his ring butlers, who would then spray his opponents with perfume or disinfectant, all to the sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance" (the same entrance music used by Randy Savage today). There have been many imitators but none compared to Gorgeous George.

Stephanie Bellars
Born: 1976
Saratosa, Florida

Female wrestler, dating Randy Savage.

Terry Gene Bollea
Born: 11 August 1953 (just 10 pounds and 7 ounces)
Augusta, Georgia

One of the best known wrestlers of the WWF. Started bodybuilding. After studying business administration and music at the University of South Florida. Terry worked as a part time body builder, part time bouncer, very part time musician and full time bank teller. Terry also liked playing guitar with his buddies. The story has it - and separating fact from reality is difficult in the world of pro-wrestling - that one night while working as a bouncer Hogan met up with wrestler Jack Brisco who immediately saw the potential of this golden haired 6ft 5 inch 300 pounder.

Earvin Johnson
Born: 8 August 1959
Lansang, Michigan

One of the 50 greatest players ever to play in the NBA. In 1991 he announced that he is infected by the HIV virus. His number "32" is retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pierre Eugene Alfred Bouillon
Born: 22 December 1905
Paris, France
Died: 11 June 1955

Grand Prix Driver. Took the name Levegh in memory of his uncle who had been a pioneering driver. A brilliant skater, ice hockey player and tennis player, Levegh was over fifty when Mercedes invited him to drive a 300SLR at Le Mans in 1955, and was involved in a horrifying accident in which he was killed, along with 84 spectators.

Leonard Stephen Durtanovich
Born: 13 February 1950
Bridgetown, Western Australia

Australian Test Cricketer. Son of Yugoslav parents.

Cornelius McGillicuddy
Born: 1862
Died: 1956

American baseball player, manager and executive.

Norman Shelby
Born: 13 October 1872
Died: 18 April 1940 (overdose of sleeping pills)

Boxer. Possible inspiration for "the real McCoy". Spent eight years in San Quentin penitentiary for killing a lover.

James Cleveland Owens
Born: 12 September 1913

Born into a desperately poor family, his nickname was JC, for James Cleveland, but it was mistaken for Jesse. The name stuck. Winning 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics he proved Adolf Hitler wrong who had said that all Jews and Blacks would fail. One of the greatest athletes of all time, he changed the world of sports forever.

Edson Arantes Do Nascimento
Born: 23 October 1940
Tres Coracoes ,Brazil

Soccer player, who played in 4 World Cups, widely regarded as the greatest soccer player ever.

Guiglermo Papaleo
Born: 19 September 1922
Middletown, CT

The most victorious Champion in the history of boxing, winning 230 bouts.

Nelson Piquet Souto Maior
Born: 17 August 1952
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Piquet was crowned Brazilian kart champion in 1971 and 1972. His racing debut was kept secret from his family. Because of that, he put the name Piket instead of Piquet on his car, so as to not be recognized by the family. Nelson, son of Clotilde Piquet and the late Estácio Souto Maior, Health Minister during the João Goulart regime, lived much of his life in Brasília following the city's founding in 1960.

Bobby Moore
Born: 19 November 1949
Portland, Oregon

Football player: St. Louis Cardinals, 1972-73; Buffalo Bills, 1974-76; Seattle Seahawks, 1976; Minnesota Vikings, 1976-82; sportscaster, NBC,1982--. Author: RASHAD: Vikes, Mikes, and Something on the Backside, 1988.

A four-time All-Pro nominee, played in National Football League's Pro Bowl(All-Star) Team, 1979; named to National Football Conference (NFC) All-Star team by the Sporting News, 1978, '79; inducted into University of Oregon Hall of Fame, 1987; won a Sports Emmy from "InSport," 1990.

Walker Smith
Born: 3 May 1921
Detroit, MI

Boxer. Remembered universally as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in boxing history. He dominated the Welterweight division, and won the Middleweight Championship a record 5 times. He earned his nickname "Sugar" when a lady, seated at ringside after an amateur bout, commented that Ray looked "as sweet as sugar".

Ronaldo Luis Nazario da Lima
22 September 1976
Rio De Janerio, Brazil

Brazil's greatest soccer talent since the great Pele.

George Herman Ruth
Born: 6 February 1895
Baltimore, Maryland
Died: 16 August 1948

George Herman "Babe" Ruth was an American original, Baseball's first great slugger and the most celebrated athlete of his time. The southpaw hurler debuted with the Red Sox, winning 89 games in six years while setting the World Series record for consecutive scoreless innings. "The Sultan of Swat" converted to the outfield fulltime after his sale to the Yankees in 1920 and led New York to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He finished with 714 home runs, leading the league 12 times, including a remarkable 60 round trippers in 1927. Bats: left. Throws: left. Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1936 215 votes of 226 ballots cast: 95.13%.

Rena Mero
8 August 1967
Jacksonville, Florida

Women's champ of the pro World Wrestling Federation in 1998.

Randy Poffo
Born: 15 November 1952

WWW wrestling champ. Enters the ring to the sound of "Pomp and Circumstance", just like the original Gorgeous George, and now dates Gorgeous George #2.

Ayrton Senna de Silva
Born: 21 March 1960
San Paulo, Brazil
Died: 1 May 1994 (Formula 1 crash)

Recognised as "the King of racing", he started from poll postion an amazing 40% of the time, and the first row an equally amazing 52% of the time.

Orienthal James Simpson
Born: 9 July 1947

Once recognised as one of the greatest American Footballers, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968, All-Pro 5 times, MVP in 1973, also appeared on TV and in movies. His career ended when he was arrested as a suspect in the double-murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted on October 3, 1995.

Tommy Burgudd

Known by most fans for his connections with ABBA. He performed as a drummer with the group in a few studio sessions, and became a good friend of Bjorn Ulvaeus. ABBA put their name on his car in 1981 as a form of "goodwill sponsorship", mostly to attract other sponsors. He won the European Truck Racing Championship in 1995.

Dwayne Douglas Johnson
Born: 3 May 1972
Hayward, California, USA

WWF wrestler, sometimes credited as Rocky Maivia.

Richard Ihetu
Born: 3 June 1932
Calabar, Nigeria
Died: 26 January 1988

The greatest boxer ever produced by Africa.

James Joseph Tunny
1898 - 1978
Born: New York City

Boxer. World heavyweight champion (1926-8) and twice defeated Jack Dempsey during the 1920s "golden age" of sport.

James George Janos
Born: 15 July 1952 (or 1951)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

WWF wrestler who was elected as Governor of Minnesota in 1998. Enjoyed a very successful career in the ring, and even made a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

William Grover
Born: 1903
Paris

Winner of the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix driving a British racing green Bugatti in April 1929, winner of the French GP in 1930 at Le Mans, and the 1931 Belgian GP. A hero of WWII, working for the French Section of the Special Operations Executive. He was captured, and held in a concentration camp, where he suffered the most brutal treatment. He was last seen at the end of March 1945, it is believed he was executed.

Robert George Willis
Born: 30 May 1949
Sunderland, Co Durham

Cricketer, playing for England, played in the Ashes series in the 70s. He added Dylan into his name as a tribute to his musical hero Bob Dylan.

Eldrick Woods
Born: 30 December 1975
Cypress, California

One of the best golfers in the history of the sport. Turned Pro in 1996 and his career winnings already exceeds USD$55 million. Tiger has won 58 tournaments, 43 of those on the PGA Tour. His titles include The Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005), the PGA Championship (1999, 2000), the US Open (2000, 2002), and the British Open (2000).

Anthony Florian Saleski
Born: 29 May 1913
Gary, IN

Boxer. Nicknamed "Man Of Steel", was the World Middleweight Champion for over 6 years and a very popular fighter.

Frank Urban Zoeller Jr
Born: 11 November 1951
New Albany IN

Golfer. Winner of the 1979 Masters and US Open Championships.