Hurts me to the core to see him today. He rose to the pinnacle of world attention by giving his absolute all, the man famous for "going to the well" when lesser men had long given up, turned tail and ceded surrender- whether in his personal life, or his professional... one often melded into the other. Still, so many of these photographs brought a welcomed smile to my face, I was fortunate indeed to have grown up in his era of youthful vitality, rebellion and accomplishment in the very short time he allotted himself. Happy Belated Birthday, Champ...
Make sure to read the humorous recounting by photographer Harry Benson...
2 comments:
You've got to be as old and decrepit as us to remember him in his prime, Stan. I feel sorry for people who don't -- who weren't around to experience his greatness as an athlete and as a man. And who never saw him pull the toupee off of Howard Cosell's head.
He was once the most famous and admired person in the world. People forget that, too. Or they've never known, which is sad.
People loved him was because he was the champ, because he was so damn good looking, because he said "No" to the draft (and to American imperialism), because he could make you laugh, and, not incidentally, because he was a Muslim (if not an orthodox one).
He was the greatest. No joke.
All that, and so much more.
One notable athlete recently said he wanted to be a modern day Ali- he's probably already made more money than Ali, but he'll never approach him as a man...
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