Champion Athletes

Susan Howlet Butcher was an animal lover, a business woman, a wife and a mother. She was also called "the best competitive dog sled racer in the universe." Before her, there were many women who competed in sports, but not many who entered the race called the Iditarod, one that took her 1,152 miles across the Alaskan wilderness, enduring 100 m.p.h. winds, artic blizzards, snow blindness, wild animals, thin ice, sleep deprivation, avalanches, and every other hardship nature can inflict in the land of the midnight sun. Butcher won this race four times in five years, so often that "Iditarod," as well as the sport of mushing, became synonymous with her name.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, her love of the wilderness and animals drew her to Alaska when she was 20 years old. Starting out with only two dogs, doing odd jobs during the summer months in order to live through the long winters, she eventually rose to become the most famous dog musher in the world. She also became an outspoken advocate for wildlife and the environment, and educated the public about the proper care of animals.

Butcher lived with her husband, fellow dogsled racer David Monson, in the remote area of Eureka, where they raised two daughters and a pack of wonderful sled dogs. For many years after her retirement from competition, Susan Butcher owned and operated Trailbreaker Kennels in Eureka. In 2006, she died of leukemia at the age of 51. In the years following her death, the State of Alaska honored her in a number of ways. In 2008, the state legislature established Susan Butcher Day, to be observed on the first Saturday of March each year. Later that year, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks announced the creation of the Susan Butcher Institute, to develop public service and leadership skills among young Alaskans.

One of the greatest players in professional football history, Franco Harris was selected as the NFL's "Player of the Decade" after his 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the nation's top running backs at Penn State University, he was drafted in the first-round by Pittsburgh in 1972, and in the next 12 years, accumulated a remarkable 29 NFL records, including seven consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, most yards rushing and most touchdowns in post-season championship games. He set the Super Bowl career record for yards rushing while leading his team to four Super Bowl football championships, highlighted by his "Immaculate Reception," a 50-yard touchdown catch in 1972 that defeated Oakland in the final five seconds, a play hailed as "the most dramatic moment in playoff history." He retired in 1984, less than 200 yards short of the all-time rushing record in professional football. Franco Harris was nominated for the Academy of Achievement by his former Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno, after Paterno attended the Academy's 1983 Summit in Coronado, California. In this audio podcast, recorded during the Academy of Achievement's 1984 Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Franco Harris speaks of the opportunities that football brought into his life. He encourages the Academy's student delegates to care for both their bodies and their minds. He discusses the positive aspects of football and its relationships with philanthropy and the larger community.

The greatest fielding third baseman in the history of baseball, Brooks Robinson spent all 23 seasons of his major league career playing for the Baltimore Orioles. He was selected four times as his team's Most Valuable Player, played in 18 consecutive All-Star games, and received 16 consecutive Golden Glove awards as the best third baseman in the American League. Since his retirement in 1977, he has provided color commentary for the Orioles' television broadcasts and served as President of the Major League Baseball Players' Alumni Association. In 1983, his first year of eligibility, Brooks Robinson was officially elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in a landslide, receiving 92 percent of the votes cast. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1984 gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Brooks Robinson recalls his childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player and the years he spent practicing and perfecting his skills until it became a reality. He shares some advice he received from a mentor about the power of the three Ps: practice, perseverance, and prayer.

Joseph Vincent Paterno (1926 - 2012) was the head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for six decades. Nicknamed "JoePa," he set the record for the most victories by a major college football coach, coached more bowl game wins (24) than any other coach in college football history, and was the first Division I coach to reach 400 victories. Paterno coached five undefeated teams (1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1994) that won major bowl games. Born in Brooklyn, Joe Paterno attended Brown University, where he played both quarterback and cornerback. He graduated in 1950 and joined his former college coach Rip Engle as an assistant coach at Penn State that same year. With over 60 years on the Penn State coaching staff, Paterno held the record for most seasons for any football coach at any university. In 2009, he passed the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg for most years as head coach at a single institution in Division I. He led Penn State to two national championships (1982 and 1986). Paterno and his wife Sue were revered for their charitable contributions to academics at Penn State. The university's library was renamed in his honor. In 2006, he was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year. The following year, Coach Paterno was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Penn State's 2011 win over Illinois gave Paterno his 409th victory, making him the winningest coach in the history of Division I football. The end of Paterno's career was shadowed by the child abuse scandal that engulfed the Penn State campus later that year. After offering to retire at the close of the season, Joe Paterno was dismissed -- along with the President of the University and other administrators -- for failing to deal decisively with allegations that a former assistant coach had assaulted children on university property. Joe Paterno addressed the Academy of Achievement at its 1983 Summit in Coronado California, a few months after winning his first college football championship and earning Coach of the Year honors. In this podcast, recorded on that occasion, Coach Paterno speaks to the student delegates about the melding of athletics and academics in the college environment.

A legend in the world of college basketball, Dean Smith coached the Tarheels of the University of North Carolina for 36 years. Known as "the genius of Chapel Hill" he saw his team through 11 Final Four semi-finals and led them to two national championships. Although he won fame in the South, Smith was a son of the Great Plains, born in Emporia, Kansas. Both his parents were schoolteachers; his father also coached high school basketball. Young Dean Smith played basketball, baseball and football, both in high school and at the University of Kansas, which he attended on an academic scholarship. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he joined the coaching staff of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and in 1961, at age 30, was named head coach. In the 1960s, Smith helped end racial segregation in college basketball, recruiting his university's first African American scholarship player. In a game often beset with scandals, Smith earned a reputation for running a clean program, with 96.6 percent of the student athletes in his charge completing their degrees. Smith's players excelled on the court as well, dominating Atlantic Coast Conference year after year. Smith won his first national championship in 1982, with a team that included Sam Perkins, James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Later that year, he joined the Academy of Achievement at its Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he warned the students against misplaced values and the need for external validation. Smith led North Carolina to a second national championship in 1993. At the time of his retirement in 1997, he held the record for victories in men's basketball.

When Ralph Sampson graduated from high school in Harrisonburg, Virginia, he was the most heavily recruited college basketball prospect in the country. As center for the University of Virginia Cavaliers, the seven-foot-four Sampson was the first player in the team's history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. At Virginia, he earned three Naismith Awards as the National Player of the Year, and an unprecedented pair of John Wooden Awards, while also ranking as an Academic All-American. When he spoke at the Academy of Achievement's 1982 Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, as heard in this podcast, he emphasized the value of education, noting that he had already turned down numerous offers to play professional basketball so that he could continue his education. The excitement surrounding Sampson continued as he graduated from the collegiate game to the NBA; he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times in only four years. Number 1 pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, he joined the Houston Rockets, and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He would play on four All-Star teams over the course of his ten seasons in the NBA, most of them playing for Houston. Sampson spent his last seasons with the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Bullets, before retiring in 1992. Although his career was cut short by injuries requiring knee surgery, he is remembered fondly by basketball fans across the country, and especially in his native Virginia, as "a giant of finesse and agility."

Wayne Gretzky was hailed as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League and was acclaimed by legions of sportswriters, other players, and the NHL itself as "the greatest hockey player who ever lived." Sports fans affectionately dubbed him "The Great One" and "The Great Gretzky." Upon his retirement on April 18, 1999, he held forty regular season scoring records, fifteen playoff records, and six All-Star records. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in a season – a feat he accomplished four times. All the teams in the National Hockey League have retired Gretzky's jersey number, 99. Raised in Ontario, Canada, he honed his skills at a backyard rink and played minor hockey at a level far above his peers. His father, Walter Gretzky, taught his son Wayne, during hockey drills and gave him the advice "skate to where the puck's going, not where it's been." Wayne was a classic sports prodigy with extraordinary skills. Despite his unimpressive stature, strength, and speed, Gretzky's intelligence and reading of the game were unrivaled. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player eight years in a row. After his retirement, he was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. During the 1981-82 season, he broke the record for scoring in one season, with 92 goals and 202 points in 80 games. Sports Illustrated named him 1982 "Sportsman of the Year." And, that same year, the 21-year-old legendary "Boy Wonder" of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team also participated in the 1982 Achievement Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spoke to the student delegates about his life and his rapid rise to professional sports superstardom.

The legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys football team, Tom Landry (1924-2000) led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories. A native Texan, he was an All-Regional fullback in high school. During World War II, he flew 30 B-17 missions over Germany. After the war, he returned to Texas, and co-captained the University of Texas football team, earning All-Southwest Conference honors. He was an All-Pro with the New York Giants before becoming the team's defensive coach. He became the first head coach of the newly formed Dallas Cowboys in 1960, surviving one disastrous winless season before leading the team through 12 consecutive winning seasons. Over 29 seasons with the Cowboys, he earned the awe of his peers for his intricately calibrated strategy on the gridiron, revolutionizing the game in the years when football ascended to its peak of national popularity. Tom Landry was at the height of his success when he spoke to the Academy of Achievement, discussing his early career and the role of religious faith in his life.

The career of Jim Plunkett is one of the most inspiring in the history of professional football. Time and again, he overcame hardship, injuries and professional disappointments that would have discouraged a less determined man. Plunkett was born in San Jose, California to Mexican-American parents (the Irish surname came from his great-grandfather). Both of his parents were blind, and his father earned a meager living selling newspapers. Jim worked throughout his junior high and high school years to supplement the family income, but still found time for track, baseball, basketball and wrestling. He excelled at football, throwing a 60-yard pass when he was only 14. Jim won a football scholarship to Stanford University, but was unable to play in his freshman year while he recovered from surgery for a thyroid tumor. In his senior year, he led Stanford University to victory over Ohio State in the 1970 Rose Bowl and received the year's Heisman Trophy. The first decade of Plunkett's professional career was less distinguished. His performances with both the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers were disappointing, and at age 33 he was warming a bench for the Oakland Raiders. He had gone an entire season without throwing a ball when the Raiders' starting quarterback was sidelined by an injury and Plunkett was given one more chance. Plunkett guided Oakland to nine victories in 11 games, winning Oakland a "wild card" place in the playoffs. Four playoff victories followed, and Plunkett's Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. Plunkett was named Most Valuable Player. After the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, Plunkett threw a 99-yard pass in a game against the Washington Redskins, the longest throw possible in professional football. Resuming his role as starting quarterback, he led the Raiders to a second championship in Super Bowl XVIII, defeating the Redskins 38-9. Plunkett retired after the 1986 season. He is now active as a broadcaster, covering the Raiders for local radio and television. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1981 Summit in Dallas, Texas, Plunkett speaks about his life, education, and career as a pro football player. He recalls the decisive role that education has played in his life, and assures the Academy's student delegates that almost any goal can be achieved if you’re willing to work hard enough.

The legendary quarterback Roger Staubach was the star of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s, famed for his daring fourth quarter plays. A high school standout in basketball, baseball and football, he attended the United States Naval Academy, where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy as the nation's outstanding collegiate football player of the year. He served in the U.S. Navy for four years, serving one tour in Vietnam, before joining the Dallas Cowboys in 1969. In Dallas, he was regarded as an inspirational leader. Sportswriters praised his agile, zig-zag scrambling on the field, and he repeatedly brought his team to victory with startling come-from behind plays in the fourth quarter. The most famous of these came in the 1975 playoff with the Minnesota Vikings, when he threw a 50-yard pass to score the winning touchdown in the closing seconds of the game. Staubach told reporters he had said a Hail Mary after throwing the ball; since then, Americans have used the phrase "Hail Mary pass," to refer to any risky last minute ploy to reverse a seemingly inevitable outcome. Staubach led his team to nine winning seasons, and was the starting quarterback in four Super Bowl games, winning the championship in Super Bowls VI and XII. When he retired from football in 1980, he was the highest-rated passer of all time. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Following his football career, he concentrated on a highly successful commercial real estate venture, the Staubach Company. In this audio podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1981 Summit in Dallas, Texas, Roger Staubach reflects on his career with the Cowboys. He recalls Coach Tom Landry's system of meticulous planning and setting specific goals. Staubach extols the importance of setting goals in sports, life and business. He points out that success in any field requires hours of unspectacular preparation and urges the Academy's student delegates to focus on their own goals and learn something new every day.