film actor and athlete, was born Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode in Los Angeles, the son of Baylous Strode, a brick mason whose mother was a Blackfoot Indian, and Rosa Norris Strode, whose ancestors included Cherokees. Because of his imposing size—6 feet 4 inches and 215 pounds at his peak—and his physical strength and coordination, Strode first achieved renown as an athlete. At Thomas Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, he earned honors in both football and track and field (shot put, high jump, high and low hurdles), which resulted in an athletic scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles. However Strode's scholastic credentials were insufficient, so he first had to prove himself academically. Over the next two years he took special classes, while also training for the Decathlon event at the 1936 Olympic Games though he was not selected for the team He finally ...
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Strode, Woody
James I. Deutsch
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Walcott, Joe
Luckett V. Davis
professional boxer, was born in Barbados, British West Indies. Facts about his parents, his education, and his early years are unknown. After coming to the United States in 1887, he worked as a cook, waiter, and elevator operator in Boston and became an amateur boxer and wrestler. Although unusually short (5 feet 1.5 inches) and almost always at a disadvantage to opponents in reach, he enjoyed immediate success because of his unusual upper-body strength, quickness, and agility. He joined a touring troupe of boxers and wrestlers under the management of Tom O'Rourke, meeting all comers in either sport. By 1893 Walcott was a recognized professional boxer in the lightweight division.
Walcott soon grew into a welterweight, winning nearly all of his fights. On 1 March 1895 he boxed a draw in a nontitle battle with the world champion, Mysterious Billy Smith becoming a contender for the title ...
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Yarbrough, Manny
Jahaan Martin
sumo wrestler, judo and mixed martial arts competitor, and football player, was born Emmanuel Yarbrough in Rahway, New Jersey, and holds the Guinness record as the largest living athlete in the world Affectionately known as Tiny a nickname he earned at Morgan State University because of his large size he stood six feet seven inches and at one point tipped the scale at well over eight hundred pounds In sixth grade Manny was already five feet eleven inches and 260 pounds Coaches and school administrators wanted him to play football but at age eleven he was not ready for the intensity of the game and refused to play However by the time he entered high school his confidence had grown and so too had his body in ninth grade Manny was six feet four inches and weighed 320 pounds As a high school senior starting tackle ...
