Athletes

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Born: Jan. 17, 1942

	Occupation:	Boxer
	What made him famous?	He was a three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world (1964-67, 1974-78, 1978-79)

Did you Know?

Muhammad Ali was born Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. He announced himself a Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964.

Ali won the Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal at 18 in 1960.

		His favorite slogan was "I am the greatest", which was first used in 1962
		In the 1980s, Ali revealed he was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
		He lit the Olympic torch in 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
		He was among the TIME magazine's list of 100 most important people of the century in 2000.
		He has nine children, seven girls and two boys.

As Mrs. Lonnie Ali looks on, President George W. Bush embraces three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world Muhammad Ali after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005, during ceremonies at the White House. White House photo by Paul Morse

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong

Born: Sep. 18, 1971

	Occupation:	Cyclist
	What made him famous?	He has won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005

Did you Know?

		At the age of 25, he learned that he had cancer.
		The disease had spread to his abdomen and lungs and threathened his brain.
		Armstrong has said that in battling cancer, "knowledge is power and attitude is everything".
		He created the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to inspire and empower people living with cancer to live strong.
		He has won every Tour de France, the world's premier bicycling race, since 1999.
		For more information about Lance Armstrong, visit the following sites: Lance Armstrong.com Lance Armstrong Foundation

Michelle Kwan

Born: July 7, 1980

Occupation:	skater, student
What made her famous?	She has won the U.S. National Championships nine times, the World Championships five times (1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003), and two Olympic silver medals (1998: silver, 2002: bronze)

Did you Know?

		Michelle's Chinese name is Kwan Wing Shan.
		Michelle Kwan is the youngest of three children in a Chinese-American family migrated from Hong Kong.
		She speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.
		Michelle was only 5 years old when she and her sister Karen started taking ice skating lessons. They were inspired by their brother Ronald, who played hockey.
		Michelle won the Junior World Championships in 1994, when she was 13 years old.
		She was named the first American public diplomacy on November 9, 2006 by the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
		For more information go to: U.S. Figure Skating http://www.usfsa.org/

Figure skater Michelle Kwan, center, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes, during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, November 9. Kwan, the American figure skater who holds nine national championships and five world titles, will become a nonsalaried U.S. diplomat.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Born: Feb. 17, 1963

	Occupation:	Basketball Player
	What made him famous?	Five-time NBA Most Valuable Player

Did you Know?

		He was born in Brooklyn in 1963.
		The Jordan family moved to North Carolina when Michael Jordan was very small and he grew up in Wilmington.
		Jordan played for Laney High School and went on to play for Dean Smith at UNC where Jordan was twice College Player of the Year.
		After being picked by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft, Jordan was named NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season.
		He broke many of the league records in scoring and steals, and in the meantime, added two Olympic Gold Medals from the 1984 and 1992 Games.
		He retired briefly in 1993 to try his hand at semi-professional baseball, but returned towards the end of the 1994/95 season and eventually led the Bulls to three more of their six league championships.
		In 2001, he became an active player again. He retired a final time after the 2002-03 season.
		*More information:* Michael Jordan Career Retrospective http://www.nba.com/jordan/