Athletes & Coaches (C - Sports)

<p>Orlando Bowen was a linebacker in the CFL from 2000-04. He began his career with the Toronto Argonauts and ended it while playing for the Hamilton Tigercats. His career was sadly cut short after a severe concussion suffered at the hands of two corrupt police officers. </p><p>In 2004, while waiting to meet friends while in a parking lot, Orlando was approached by two undercover officers who accused him of dealing drugs. The officers then physically beat Bowen who suffered significant injuries to the head.

<p>Two-time World Cup Champion and co-captain of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, Megan Rapinoe is a fan favorite and one of the team’s most technical players.</p><p>A vocal leader on and off the pitch, Megan helped lead the USWNT to the 2019 Women’s World Cup Championship scoring some of the biggest goals of the tournament. Megan took home the tournament’s two top honors – the Golden Boot for top scorer, and the Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament.

<p>In 1992, when Manon Rhéaume stepped on the ice as goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, she became The First Woman of Hockey—the first and only female to play in an NHL game.</p><p>Manon was also the first female to sign a contract as a professional hockey player, leading to a successful six-year career in the minor leagues. To this day, no other woman has played in any of the four major sports—the NHL, NFL, NBA, or MLB.

<p>Aly Raisman, team captain of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics teams in 2012 and 2016, is the second most decorated American gymnast of all-time with six total Olympic medals. </p><p>The most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Games, Raisman captured the hearts of millions as she became the first American gymnast to win gold in the floor exercise. One of only two U.S.

<p>As the first openly LGBTQ+ professional to play in the NFL, R.K. Russell articulates how truth is essential to not only survive but to thrive.</p><p>In addition to being a professional football player in the NFL, he is also a published poet, writer, and artist. R.K. dedicated his life to football. He learned the responsibility and hard work it took to become a Big Ten Starter, an All-Conference player, and a reliable teammate. Off the field, he began to take his studies more seriously, write long-form creative pieces, and discover his sexuality. R.K.

<p>The subject of a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome, Anthony Robles shares his extraordinary, against-all-odds story of becoming a three-time NCAA champion wrestler, despite being born with one leg. </p><p>One of the most inspirational athletes in sports history and a true symbol of courage and perseverance, Anthony Robles was born with one leg and grew up to become an unstoppable phenomenon in NCAA wrestling, competing against able-bodied challengers, ultimately winning the NCAA Champion title, and inducted into the National Wrestling Hall

<p>Joe Theismann is an entrepreneur and the former star quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Since retiring from the NFL, Theismann has become a staple of sports broadcasting. The former Washington Redskins quarterback joined ESPN in 1988 after spending two seasons as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports.</p><p>Theismann played football at the University of Notre Dame, where he received All-American honors for his efforts in leading the Fighting Irish to consecutive Cotton Bowls and was the runner up for the Heisman Trophy.

<p>Since making history at the age of 14 as the first and youngest female champion in the Skip Barber Racing Series, Julia Landauer has amassed dozens of racing series wins.

<p>Throughout a remarkable 18-season major league playing career at catcher, first base and third base, Torre compiled a .297 batting average, 2,342 hits, 252 home runs, and 1,185 RBI with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1960–68), St. Louis Cardinals (1969–74) and New York Mets (1975–77).

<p>Inky Johnson, the former collegiate football player permanently injured on the field, shares his dramatic story of overcoming hardship and life-threatening injury. His motivational words inspire others to embrace adversity, face their own daily challenges, and live life with a greater purpose.</p><p>Inky is a former University of Tennessee defensive back who refused to allow misfortune on the football field to stop him from pursuing a life of purpose.