Renée Richards said she just wanted equal gender treatment. But she challenged the notion of fairness when after a male -to-female sex-change operation, she fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open.

It was brief, but with it's flashy and talented stars, the NBA rival American Basketball Association changed the way the game was played forever. The NBA agreed to take on the ABA’s four most successful franchises: the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the New York (later Brooklyn) Nets and the San Antonio Spurs.

Jesse Owens was the world's greatest athlete when he went Germany to compete in the Olympics in 1936, and he proved it, much to Adolph Hitler's chagrin. He won four gold medals, for the 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay.

Ted Williams was one of the greatest hitters to ever play Major League Baseball. He had power and hit for high average. He's the last ball player to hit over .400 in a full season. When it came time to vote on admitting him to the Hall of Fame, it was a no-brainer.

Nadia Comaneci, the little Romanian gymnast, was a five-time Olympic gold medal winner and the Olympic Games' first perfect 10 at the Montreal games in 1976 when she was just 15-years-old.

Tracy Austin was just 16 when she became the youngest women's US Open singles female champion in 1979. She won it again in 1981. She also won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1980. She won the WTA Tour Championships in 1980 and the Toyota Championships in 1981. That's a hall of fame career.