Tiger Woods turned professional back in 1996 at the age of twenty. He had an outstanding amateur career, and much was expected of him right from the outset. Tiger Woods would exceed people’s expectations to become one of the most successful golfers of all-time.
In this photograph, Woods tees off in the final round of the Masters Tournament on April 8, 2001. He won by two strokes over David Duval, and went on to win a total of four Masters tournaments throughout his career. It was that year, he would complete the “Tiger Slam,” in winning four consecutive major championship victories.
ANTWAAN RANDLE EL
Many NFL athletes are known for their athletic prowess and versatility. they start in college and carry on to University playing football, basketball, and baseball, too. Antwaan Randle El is one of them.
Antwaan Randle El’s physicality would be tested in the NFL, as is shown in this photograph. His head would be turned around by Chris Akins like an owl’s, as seen in this photo. Impressive.
MIKE TYSON AND EVANDER HOLYFIELD
When Evander Holyfield fought “Iron” Mike Tyson in their heavyweight bout on June 28, 1977, he knew he had to take advantage of his height and reach to negate his opponent's power. Tyson had tremendous strength, and was the world’s scariest knockout fighter who relentlessly attacked his opponents from post to post.
Evander Holyfield’s fighting style would soon frustrate Tyson, as it did during their first fight. In this rematch, however, fans wouldn’t see the end of the fight as Tyson was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield’s ear twice; a moment Tyson would never live down.
JOE MONTANA
Photographed above is Joe Montana, known aptly as “The Comeback Kid.” Following his success in college football, he signed signed up with the San Francisco 49ers, where he would showcase his skills as a quarterback. He competed in the NFL for 16 years, but during his early stint in San Francisco he’d already won 4 Super Bowls. He was the first to win the Super Bowl MVP Award three times.
This photograph captures Joe Montana during the Super Bowl XXIII in January of 1989. This was a tight matchup against the Bengals where Joe would lead his team in the waning minutes, marching 92 yards down the field to finally win the game 20-16.
VINCE LOMBARDI
Vince Lombardi is a great motivator. His thoughts on football, and sports in general remain popular to this day, almost four decades on from his death. This photograph shows the great coach being lifted up by the Green Bay Packers after he led them to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory, after which, more would follow. They played against the Oakland Raiders and won with a score of 33-14.
Vince Lombardi was named Coach of the Year twice in the years 1959 and 1961. A year after his death, his name was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.