When an athlete or coach or someone involved with a team is celebrated in any form it can lead to many emotions. Happy, sad, tears, joy. On July 4, the 80th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s legendary speech at Yankee Stadium on his appreciation day, a look at the cream of the crop.
15. Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks wanted to inspire the 1980 United States Olympic hockey team. And that he did with this speech, which was recreated by Kurt Russell in the movie “Miracle.”
14. Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne and Notre Dame were 5-4 in 1928. However, the season lives on because of the Irish’s game on Nov. 10 against Army at Yankee Stadium, Rockne told his players the story of the tragic death of George Gipp, the star halfback who passed away in 1920. As the legend goes, Gipp was in his hospital bed, when he asked Rockne to have the team “Win just one for the Gipper” some day. Rockne used the story to rally the underdog Irish to a 12-6 victory against the Black Knights.
13. Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali could work his mouth better than anyone. He was in vintage form before fighting George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974, in the “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali won the fight in the eighth round, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing.
“Last night I had a dream, When I got to Africa,
I had one hell of a rumble.
I had to beat Tarzan’s behind first,
For claiming to be King of the Jungle.
For this fight, I’ve wrestled with alligators,
I’ve tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning
And throw thunder in jail.
You know I’m bad.
just last week, I murdered a rock,
Injured a stone, Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.
I’m so fast, man,
I can run through a hurricane and don’t get wet.
When George Foreman meets me,
He’ll pay his debt.
I can drown the drink of water, and kill a dead tree.
Wait till you see Muhammad Ali.”
12. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant accepted his MVP award for the 2013-14 season and paid tribute to his mom. He said, thanking her profusely for everything he gave him and the rest of their family. “When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP.”
11. Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe is another of the great mouths of sports. When he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, he paid tribute to his older brother, Sterling, whose stellar career as a Green Bay Packer was cut short. “My big brother, Sterling, I’m the only player of 267 men that’s walked through this building to my left that can honestly say this: I’m the only pro football player that’s in the Hall of Fame, and I’m the second-best player in my own family,” Shannon Sharpe said.
10. Walter Payton
Walter Payton’s life was far too short. He, too, delivered powerful words. These still resonate: “I am going to close by saying life is short, it is oh so sweet. There are a lot of people that we meet as we walk through these hallowed halls, but the things that mean the most are the friendships that you meet and take along with you.”
9. Dennis Eckersley
A great reliever, Dennis Eckersley was totally honest — blunt — about how he fixed his life in this speech: “I knew I had come to a crossroads in my life. With the grace of God, I got sober and I saved my life. I was a new man, a renewed man. It took a great deal of acceptance to come to terms with being an alcoholic, but acceptance was the key to my sobriety. If I had not gained acceptance at that time in my life, I would not be standing here today. My career would not have taken me this far.”
8. Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman is colorful, controversial, troubled and talented. This all came up in his Hall of Fame speech: “You know, I could have been anywhere in the world. I could have been dead. I could have been a drug dealer. I could have been homeless — I was homeless. And a lot of you guys here that’s been here and a lot of you guys here in the Hall of Fame know what I’m talking about; living in the projects and trying to get out of the projects and, ah, I did that. But, but it took a lot of work and a lot of bumps — bumps in the road.”
7. LaDainian Tomlinson
The great Chargers’ running back LaDainian Tomlinson is another who hit the mark with a Hall of Fame speech. A snippet: “All our ancestors, unless we’re American Indian, came from another country, another culture,” Tomlinson said. “Football is a microcosm of America. All races, religions and creeds, living, playing, competing, side by side.”
6. Curtis Martin
Curtis Martin brought down the house in Canton when he was inducted into the Pro Football HOF. The running back was honest and to the point about what he had to overcome as a player and person.
5. Drew Brees
Drew Brees took the time to thank many people after breaking Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards in a single season in 2011. “It’s about us,” the Saints’ quarterback said, as he thanked the equipment managers, the owners, his teammates, and everyone he could think of.
4. Jack Buck
The late, great Jack Buck was on point — per usual when he addressed the St. Louis fans six days after 9/11:
“Since this nation was founded under God
more than 200 years ago,
we’ve been the bastion of Freedom,
the light which keeps the free world aglow.
We do not covet the possessions of others;
we are blessed with the bounty we share.
We have rushed to help other Nations;
anything … anytime … anywhere.”
War is just not our nature.
We won’t start, but we will end the fight.
If we are involved,
We shall be resolved,
To protect what we know is right.
We’ve been challenged by a cowardly foe,
Who strikes and then hides from our view.
With one voice, we say there’s no choice today,
There is only one thing to do.
Everyone is saying the same thing,
And praying that we end these senseless moments we are living.
As our fathers did before, we shall win this unwanted war.
As our children will enjoy the future we’ll be giving.
3. David Ortiz
David Ortiz is a legend and hero in Boston. He needed not hit a home run or deliver in the clutch after his speech on 4/20/13 after the Boston Marathon bombings. “All right, Boston,” Big Papi said, clapping his hands. “This jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say ‘Red Sox.’ It says ‘Boston.’ We want to thank you, Mayor [Thomas] Menino, Governor [Deval] Patrick, the whole police department for the great job that they did this past week.”
And then, the kicker.
“This is our f——- city. And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”
2. Jim Valvano
Jim Valvano’s speech at the 1993 ESPYs is legendary. Battling cancer, which took his life shortly thereafter, the former North Carolina State coach left everyone weeping. “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”
1. Lou Gehrig
And on July 4, 1939, the great Lou Gehrig addressed the crowd at Yankee Stadium after being diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that would later bear his name. Gehrig said he was “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
