Bleacher Report has teamed up with the Los Angeles Times to bring us an epic list of “The 25 Most Inspirational Athletes in Sports History.” Who comes to mind first for you?
Let’s take a look at a few athletes who made the cut, and learn — or maybe just remind ourselves — what made each individual so special.
- Pat Tillman. The Arizona Cardinal football player seemingly had it all — money, adoration, a career that allowed him to play the sport he loves. But after Sept. 11, 2001, he proved himself to be “one of the most patriotic athletes that this country has ever seen,” Bleacher Report writes. He left the bright lights of athletic stardom and enlisted in the Army in 2002. In 2004, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. In honor of Tillman, his No. 42 was retired by the Cardinals; his college team, the Arizona State Sun Devils, retired his No. 40 jersey.
- Michael Oher. You likely know Oher’s story if you watched the award-winning movie “The Blind Side” starring Quinton Aaron as Oher and Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, the Mississippi mom whose family took in Oher when, as Bleacher Report writes, the teen had “no parental supervision and nowhere to turn.” Thanks to the Tuohys’ support, Oher became a football star at the University of Mississippi, garnering All-American honors, and he currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
- Jesse Owens. The track and field great participated in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany at a time when Adolf Hitler was touting the “Aryan race” as the superior race. Owens bravely won four gold medals. Unfortunately, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt didn’t give Owens his due when he returned home to America. “Hitler didn’t snub me — it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram,” Owens said. Roosevelt’s successor Harry S. Truman also failed to honor Owens. But in 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, honored Owens with the title “Ambassador of Sports.”
Check out the full list of inspiring athletes to learn about people who transcended their sports by giving hope to others.