Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a hero. I have two that I can mention. Muhammed Ali and Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics won a NCAA Championship, Olympic Gold Medal, and 11 NBA Championships.
Muhammed Ali according to most boxing experts was the greatest boxer of all time. I remember when a boxer, Kenny Norton, broke Ali’s jaw. Ali won the fight by defeating Norton.
But set those two things aside. They’re my heroes for what they did outside of their sports.
After being awarded the Key to the City of Boston, Russell, promptly after the game that night, took a taxi to the mayor’s house. At midnight he woke up the Mayor. “Here,” said Russell, “you can have your key back.” The reason. Russell and two teammates were turned away at a restaurant because they were black.
Russell was a voice of conviction. He stood up for African-Americans and civil rights to bring about change. That my friends took fortitude and courage.
Everybody loves an autograph, especially a sports hero. For many, many years Russell did not give autographs. “Why would anyone want my autograph when they could shake hands with me?” I would have loved to of shaken Russell’s hand.
Muhammed Ali
“There’s not a man alive who can whup me. I’m too fast. I’m too pretty. I should be a postage stamp. That’s the only way I’ll ever be licked.”
As they say, ‘There will never be another Muhammed Ali who stormed into the boxing world.
First it was the Olympics where he won the gold medal. Ali early on in his career made a lot of people uncomfortable. Racism was alive and dominant in the United States during Ali’s career. Ali was black, loud, boisterous, opinionated, and let the world know what he believed in.
The Vietnam War was raging. Young men and women, over 56,000 died in that conflict (as some put it.)
When drafted by the Army, Ali refused to sign up. “I ain’t got any quarrel with them Vietcong. No vietnamese ever called me a ___________” Because of that statement which Ali would never back away from, it would cost him three and a half years of his prime boxing career.
Russell and Ali had many things in common that captured the attention of a white kid in the upper Midwest. It wasn’t Russell’s championships or Ali’s “Thrilla in Manila.”
It was their strength and sacrifice in speaking out on the many elephants in the room.
And then there is ‘the’ hero. Jesus Christ. He’s my hero because of…oh let’s let the Apostle John say it.
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books to be written.”
As great as Ali and Russell were like all of us we stand in the shadow of the greatest hero.
CASE CLOSED! Jesus is the hero and other heroes imitate.
