GREAT U.S. ATHLETES

Many of the finest U.S. athletes left their mark not only in sports. They went on to become role models, educators, politicians, speakers for the disadvantaged, advocates of social change. A large number of prominent U.S. professional athletes are active in domestic and international charities and have their own philanthropic foundations.

Gertrude Ederle – The first woman to swim across the English Channel

A winner of one gold and two bronze medals in the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Gertrude Ederle became famous as the first woman to swim across the English Channel. On August 6, 1926, she took 14 hours and 31 minutes to cover the 33.8-kilometer distance between France and England. In fact, she had to swim some 56 kilometers because of bad weather. Only five men where able to perform the feat before her, and she broke the record of the fastest of them, Enrique Tiraboschi of Argentina, by more than two hours.

Ederle returned to America to national acclaim and renown. In New York City, she was greeted by a ticker tape parade with 2 million people attending. Hard of hearing since childhood, she went deaf by the 1940s. She spent much of the rest of her life teaching swimming to deaf children in New York City.  More Information

Muhammad Ali  - One of the best boxers in the 20th century

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in 1942, Muhammad Ali is considered one of the best boxers in the 20th century. He was named “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated, the “Athlete of the Century” by CQ Magazine and the “Spcareer was winning the gold medal in the light-heavyweight category in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. In the 1960s and 1970s, he managed to defeat almost every top heavyweight of the era.orts Personality of the Century” by the BBC. The highlight of his amateur boxing

Like his idol, Jack Johnson, Ali is a colorful and controversial personality. He was much criticized for his association with Malcolm X and for joining the Nation of Islam. Citing religious reasons, he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. He was convicted of draft evasion, banned from boxing and stripped of his heavyweight title. In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed his conviction. Ali returned to boxing and regained the heavyweight championship for a second and third time. He retired in 1981 and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984. In his retirement he has been active in charity work, including providing food and medical supplies to the needy throughout the world. More Information

Bill Bradley – Distinguished U.S. senator

A distinguished U.S. senator and 2000 contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bill Bradley first achieved fame as an excellent basketball player. A high school basketball star, he was showered with dozens of college athletic scholarships but chose Princeton University in New Jersey, which did not offer athletic scholarships. He led Princeton men’s basketball team to its highest rankings ever, while scoring an average of more than 30 points per game. He also was the captain of the gold-winning 1964 U.S. Olympic basketball team. Despite his intense athletic career, he also excelled academically and received a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford in England. After Oxford, he played basketball in Italy for a year and then joined the New York Knicks, helping them win two professional basketball championships. In 1977, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1978, after having retired from basketball, Bill Bradley successfully ran for a U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey. He served there for 18 years and in 2000 competed with Al Gore for the Democratic presidential nomination. Although he lost in the primaries, he was able to highlight such issues as universal health care and campaign finance reform. Bradley is the author of six books, including two on sports: Values of the Game and Life on the Run. More Information

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. –  Accomplished basketball player and an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention

Johnson is known for his optimism, cheerfulness and showmanship in basketball. After retiring from professional basketball he became an advocate for HIV prevention and safe sex. He also became a “social entrepreneur,” opening theaters, coffeehouses and other venues in various underserved communities throughout the country. His Magic Johnson Foundation assists children, youth and inner city communities by providing education, as well as social and medical services, including HIV/AIDS prevention. More Information

Michael Jordan – One of the greatest basketball players

Jordan is also known for donating his time and money to various charitable causes. He donated his salary for the 2001-2002 season to relief efforts after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He has been involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the United Negro College Fund and the Special Olympics, and he has contributed money to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. He also hosts the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, which donates a significant portion of its proceeds to charity. "More Information

Mia Hamm – Top American women soccer player

A top American football (called soccer in the United States) player, Mia Hamm was also the youngest person to play football for the United States. She joined the national team at the age of 15. In 1991 and 1999, she helped win the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Women’s World Cup. She also has earned two Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004 and a silver medal in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, she was named the FIFA World Player of the Year. She is the all-time leading scorer among both men and women in international football competition, with 158 goals scored.

Hamm’s successes serve to encourage many young women in the United States and elsewhere to pursue sports.  She also has served charitable causes, having created the Mia Hamm Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients and strives to increase opportunities for young women in sports. Hamm has helped promote and popularize women’s football in America. More Information

Michelle Kwan – Five-time World Champion and the first American Public Diplomacy Envoy

Michelle Kwan is the most successful competitive figure skater in U.S. history, winning five world championships, nine national championships and two Olympic medals. Kwan is a native of California and the child of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. Besides English, Kwan speaks Cantonese, a dialect used in Hong Kong and southern China, and is learning Mandarin, the official language of China. Kwan began skating at a young age and won her first competition when she was 7. At age 13 she made it to the U.S. Olympic team at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. She won medals at the next two Winter Olympics, and nine medals at World Championships (five gold, three silver, one bronze). Her skating career has spanned more than 10 years. Kwan has had an accomplished career off the ice and has written a number of books.

Kwan has been active performing charity work as a spokeswoman for the Children's Miracle Network, the Champions Across America program that honors children achievers struggling with severe medical challenges. Kwan also helped create the Chevrolet/Michelle Kwan R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Scholarship Program that gives college scholarships to outstanding female athletes.

Kwan also is a U.S. public diplomacy envoy. In that capacity, she has traveled to Russia, China and Argentina. In an interview with America.gov she said: “I’m trying to make a connection with people all over the world." More Information