Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Bob Sanders

Demond "Bob" Sanders was born on 24 February, 1981 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Bob Sanders is an American football safety for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Bob Sanders played college football at the University of Iowa. Bob Sanders was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and is known for being the integral part of the Colts' postseason defense that led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XLI. Nicknamed "The Hitman" because of his hard hits and tackles. Another nickname that has stuck is "The Sandman" because of his last name.

Born with a name Demond that was difficult for many to pronounce correctly, Bob Sanders asked his mother if his name could be changed. Bob Sanders' mother suggested "Bob" as a nickname, and the name stuck. Bob Sanders' parents are Jean and Marion Sanders.

Bob Sanders attended Erie Central High School as a freshman before transferring to Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie, Pennsylvania and was a student and a letterman in football as a running back and as a safety. In football, he was a 4-year letterman, a 2-time All-Conference selection. As a junior, he was a 3rd-team All-State selection. As a senior, he was a team captain, and a 1st team All-State selection and finished his senior season with 900 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while leading his team to a 13-1 record and a trip to the state championship game. Bob Sanders graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School in 2000. Bob Sanders also had 7 sacks in a high school state championship. Bob Sanders also kick boxed during his childhood.

Bob Sanders was highly recruited out of high school (Cathedral Preparatory School) due to his lack of size, but he was offered and accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Iowa. Bob Sanders recorded 12 tackles and forced a fumble in his 1st career start against Wisconsin, and he was named Honourable Mention All-Big Ten as a freshman. In 2001, Bob Sanders started 11 games and led Iowa in tackles, garnering him the nickname "Hitman."

Bob Sanders fully enforced his nickname on the practice field at Iowa during practice drills as a freshman; he was such a physical player that during tackling drills, most of his teammates walked to the back of the player line if they knew they were going to have to go against Bob Sanders. Bob Sanders was eventually taken out of specific full-contact drills after he separated the shoulder of running back Fred Russell during one play.

As a junior, Bob Sanders helped lead Iowa to its 1st undefeated conference season in 80 years and was a key part of the 5th best rushing defense in the country. Bob Sanders started 12 games and made several key plays for the 2002 Hawkeyes. Bob Sanders blocked a Purdue field goal attempt which was returned for an Iowa touchdown, resulting in a potential 10-point difference as Iowa narrowly defeated Purdue, 31-28. Bob Sanders also forced a fumble in the 2nd half of a game against Michigan as Iowa was clinging to a 1 point lead. Iowa scored a touchdown and cruised to a 34-9 victory. The Hawkeyes compiled an 11-2 record and shared the Big Ten title in 2002 along with Ohio State, the eventual BCS National Champion in that year. Bob Sanders was named 1st-Team All-Big 10 and a 4th-Team All-American.

Bob Sanders was issued the number 33 at Iowa because his high school number, 20, was unavailable when he was a freshman. When the player wearing No. 20 left the team, he requested to change his jersey, but was prevented from doing so because his No. 33 jersey had become quite popular in the replica jersey market.

Bob Sanders was hampered early in his senior season by a foot injury. Bob Sanders returned to score his 1st career touchdown against Illinois on a fumble return. In his final home game against Minnesota, Bob Sanders recorded 16 tackles and forced 3 fumbles as he was named the Big 10 defensive player of the week. Bob Sanders led the nation in forced fumbles in 2003. Bob Sanders was named Iowa's defensive team captain and MVP after the season. Bob Sanders was named 1st-Team All-Big 10 for the 3rd consecutive year, and he was named a 2nd-Team All-American.
Bob Sanders recorded 348 tackles in his career at Iowa and became a fan favourite due to his heavy hits and relentless play. Bob Sanders graduated from Iowa in 2003, majoring in African-American World Studies.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Bob Love

Robert (Bob) Earl “Butterbean” Love was born on 8 December, 1942, in Bastrop, Louisiana. Bob Love is a retired American professional basketball player who spent the prime of his career with the NBA's Chicago Bulls. A versatile forward who could shoot with either his left or right hand, Bob Love now works as the Bulls' Director of Community Affairs.

After starring at Morehouse High School (now defunct) in Bastrop, Louisiana, Bob Love played basketball for Southern University, where he also became a brother of Alpha Phi Omega. Bob Love earned All-America honours in 1963, and in 1965, the Cincinnati Royals selected the 6’8” forward in the 4th round of the 1965 NBA Draft. Bob Love failed to make the team, and instead spent the 1965-66 NBA season in the Eastern Basketball League. After averaging over 25 points per game, Bob Love earned the EBL Rookie of the Year Award and gained enough confidence to try out for the Royals once more. Bob Love made the team on his 2nd attempt and played 2 seasons for the Royals, largely in a reserve role. In 1968, the Milwaukee Bucks selected him in the NBA Expansion Draft and traded him to the Chicago Bulls in the middle of the 1968-69 season.

Bob Love flourished while playing for Dick Motta's Bulls. In 1969-1970, he became a full-time starter, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds. The following 2 seasons he averaged 25.2 and 25.8 points per game, appeared in his 1st 2 All-Star Games, and earned All-NBA 2nd Team honours both seasons. Bob Love also appeared in the 1973 NBA All-Star Game, and he would average at least 19 points and 6 rebounds every season until 1976-1977. Bob Love was named to the NBA's All-Defense 2nd Team in 1974 and 1975.

Bob Love's No. 10 jersey was the 2nd jersey number to be retired by the Chicago Bulls. Jerry Sloan's No. 4 was the 1st. Bob Love's 1995 wedding ceremony to Rachel Dixon took place at the United Center.

Bob Love retired in 1977 with career totals of 13,895 points and 4,653 rebounds. Bob Love suffered from a severe stuttering problem, which prevented him from finding meaningful employment after his playing days were over. At one point, Bob Love was a busboy making $4.45 an hour. Eventually, the owner of the restaurant where Bob Love washed dishes offered to pay for speech therapy classes, and in 1993 he returned to the Chicago Bulls as their director of community relations. One of his duties in this position involves regularly speaking to school children. Bob Love has also become a motivational speaker.

Bob Love wrote a book, The Bob Love Story: If It's Gonna Be, It's Up to Me, in 1999.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Bo Jackson

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson was born on 30 November, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama, USA. Bo Jackson is an American athlete and a former multi-sport professional. Bo Jackson played at the highest level of sports in the United States in both American football and baseball.

In football, Bo Jackson played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League. In baseball, Bo Jackson played left field and designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, and the California Angels of the American League in Major League Baseball.

Although a hip injury severely impaired his professional career, Bo Jackson was the 1st athlete to be named an All-Star in 2 major sports. Before his professional career, he earned the 1985 Heisman Trophy, the prize annually awarded to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States. Bo Jackson also ran a 4.12 40 yard dash.

In 1989 and 1990, Bo Jackson's name became known beyond just sports fans through the "Bo Knows" advertising campaign, a series of advertisements by Nike promoting a cross-training athletic shoe named for Bo Jackson.

Bo Jackson, the 8th of 10 children, was named after Vince Edwards, his mother's favourite actor. Bo Jackson's family described him as a "wild boar," as he would constantly get into trouble. The nickname was eventually shortened to "Bo."

Bo Jackson attended McAdory High School, where he rushed for 1,175 yards as a running back in his senior-year football season. That year, Bo Jackson also hit 20home runs in 25 games for McAdory's baseball team.

In June 1982, Bo Jackson was selected by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the MLB draft, but he instead chose to attend Auburn University on a football scholarship. Bo Jackson was recruited by head coach Pat Dye and then Auburn assistant coach Bobby Wallace. At Auburn, he proved to be a tremendous athlete in both baseball and football.

Bo Jackson graduated from Auburn with a degree in adult education.

Bo Jackson batted .401 with 17 home runs and 43 RBI in 1985. In a 1985 baseball game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, Bo Jackson led Auburn to victory with a 4-for-5 performance, with 3 home runs and a double. Bo Jackson launched his last home run that day into a brand new light standard. Bo Jackson was declared ineligible to play in the 1986 baseball season after taking a flight to Florida to undergo a physical examination for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During his time playing for the Auburn Tigers football team, he ran for 4,303 career yards, which was the 4th best performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker of Georgia. Bo Jackson finished his career with an average of 6.6 yards per carry, which set the SEC record (minimum 400 rushes).

In 1982, Bo Jackson's freshman year, Auburn Tigers played Boston College in the Tangerine Bowl, where Bo Jackson made a one-handed grab of an option pitch that quarterback Randy Campbell lobbed over the head of a defender. Auburn Tigers went on to win the game.

In 1983, as a sophomore, Bo Jackson rushed for 1,213 yards on 158 carries, for an average of 7.7 yards per carry, which was the 2nd best single-season average in SEC history (min. 100 rushes). In the 1983 Auburn Tigers-Alabama game, Bo Jackson rushed for 256yards on 20 rushes (12.8 yards per carry), which at the time was the 6th-most rushing yards gained in a game in SEC history and the 2nd best yard-per-rush average in a game (min. 20 attempts) in SEC history. Auburn Tigers finished the season by winning the Sugar Bowl, where Bo Jackson was named Most Valuable Player. In 1984, Bo Jackson's junior year (most of which Bo Jackson missed due to injury), he earned Most Valuable Player honours at Liberty Bowl.

In 1985, Bo Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the 2nd best single-season performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker's 1,891 rushing yards for the University of Georgia in 1981. That year, he averaged 6.4 yards per rush, which at the time was the best single-season average in SEC history. For his performance in 1985, Bo Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy in what was considered the closest margin of victory ever in the history of the award, winning over University of Iowa Quarterback Chuck Long.

Bo Jackson's football number 34 was officially retired at Auburn Tigers in a halftime ceremony on October 31, 1992. Bo Jackson is 1 of only 3 numbers retired at Auburn Tigers, the others being 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan's number 7, and Pat Sullivan's teammate and favourite receiver, Terry Beasley (88). In 2007, Bo Jackson was ranked #8 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.

Bo Jackson qualified for the 60-yard dash in his freshman and sophomore years. Bo Jackson considered joining the USA Olympic team, but sprinting would not gain him the financial security of the MLB or NFL, nor would he have sufficient time to train, given his other commitments.

Bo Jackson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 1st pick of the 1986 NFL Draft, but he opted to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals, the defending World Series champions, instead. Bo Jackson spent most of the season with the Memphis Chicks in the minor leagues before being called up for regular duty in 1987, where he had 22 home runs, 53 RBIs and 10 stolen bases as an outfielder for the Royals.

Bo Jackson began to show his true potential in 1989, when he was voted to start for the American League All-Star team, and was named the game's MVP for his play on both offense and defense. Bo Jackson's great plays in the game included a monstrous home run off Rick Reuschel of the San Francisco Giants which landed an estimated 448 feet from home plate - in his 1st All-Star at-bat. Bo Jackson also beat out an infield hit that resulted in the game-winning RBI. In addition to this, he had a stolen base, making him 1 of only 2 players in All-Star Game history to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game (the other is Willie Mays). Baseball announcer Vin Scully (calling the game for NBC-TV) was moved to comment, "And look at that one! Bo Jackson says hello!"

In 1990, he raised his batting average, but the uncertainty of his 2 sport loyalties may have swayed Royals management to not utilize him as much as he could have been.

On 5 June, 1989, Bo Jackson ran down a long line-drive deep to left field on a hit-and-run play against the Seattle Mariners. With speedy Harold Reynolds running from 1st base on the play, Scott Bradley's hit would have been deep enough to score him against most outfielders. But Bo Jackson, from the warning track, turned flat footed and fired a strike to catcher Bob Boone, who tagged the sliding Reynolds out. Bo Jackson's throw reached Bob Boone on the fly. Interviewed for the "Bo Jackson" episode of ESPN Classic's SportsCentury, Harold Reynolds admitted that he thought there was no way anyone would throw him out on such a deep drive into the gap in left-center, and was shocked to see his teammate telling him to slide as he rounded 3rd base.

On 11 July, 1990 against the Baltimore Orioles, Bo Jackson performed his famous "wall run," when he caught a ball approximately 2–3 strides away from the wall. As he caught the ball at full tilt, Bo Jackson looked up and noticed the wall and began to run up the wall, 1 leg reaching higher as he ascended. Bo Jackson ran along the wall almost parallel to the ground, and came down with the catch, to avoid impact and the risk of injury from the fence.

After a poor at bat he was known to snap the bat over his knee, or with his helmet on, over his head. This is illustrated in Bo Jackson's 1991 Score "Bo Breaker" card.

Before Bo Jackson finished his career in California he spent 2 years playing for the Chicago White Sox, mostly as a Designated Hitter, as his hip injury hampered his ability to play the outfield. It was with the White Sox that he made his only post-season appearance in the 1993 American League Championship Series, which Chicago lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in 6 games.

While with the Sox, Bo Jackson promised his mum that once he returned from his hip replacement surgery that he would hit a home run for her. Before he could return, his mother died. In his 1st at bat after surgery he hit a home run to right field. Bo Jackson had the ball engraved in his mother's tombstone.

In his 8 baseball seasons, Bo Jackson had a career batting average of .250, hit 141 home runs and had 415 RBIs, with a slugging average of .474. Bo Jackson's best year was 1989, with his effort earning him all-star status. In '89, Bo Jackson ranked in the league in both homers and RBI with 32/105.

Bo Jackson was drafted 1st overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Buccaneers, not wanting their new draftee to injure himself playing baseball for Auburn Tigers that year, took Bo Jackson on a trip in a private plane that cost him his college eligibility. They also gave Bo Jackson an ultimatum to choose baseball or football. This prompted him to sign with the Kansas City Royals. Since he did not sign with a team by the 1987 draft, his rights were forfeited by Tampa Bay and his name was thrown back into the draft. The Los Angeles Raiders selected Bo Jackson in the 7th round with the 183rd overall pick. The Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis supported Bo Jackson and his baseball career and got Bo Jackson to sign a contract by offering him a salary that was comparable to a full-time starting running back but allowing Bo Jackson to only play part-time until the baseball season was done.

Joining the Los Angeles Raiders midway through the 1987 season, Bo Jackson rushed for 554 yards on 81 carries in just 7 games. Over the next 3 seasons, Bo Jackson would rush for 2,228 more yards and 12 touchdowns: a remarkable achievement, in light of the fact that he was a "2nd string" player behind Marcus Allen.

Bo Jackson turned in a 221-yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football in 1987 against the Seattle Seahawks. During this game, he ran over Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth, who had insulted Bo Jackson and promised in a media event before the game to contain Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson also made a 91-yard run to the outside, untouched down the sideline. Bo Jackson continued sprinting until finally slowing down as he passed through the entrance to the field tunnel to the dressing rooms with teammates soon following. Bo Jackson scored 2 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown in the game.

In his 4 seasons in the NFL, Bo Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns with an average yards per carry of 5.4. Bo Jackson also caught 40 passes for 352 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bo Jackson's 221 yards on 30 November, 1987, just 29 days after his 1st NFL carry, is still a Monday Night Football record.

On 13 January, 1991, during a Los Angeles Raiders playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bo Jackson suffered a serious hip injury while being tackled by linebacker Kevin Walker. The injury ended his football career and seriously threatened his baseball career. After Bo Jackson was tackled and lying in pain on the ground, he allegedly popped his hip back into place. In an interview on Untold, his Royals' teammate George Brett, who attended the game, said he asked the trainer what had happened to Bo Jackson. The trainer replied "Bo says he felt his hip come out of the socket, so he popped it back in, but that's just impossible, no one's that strong."

Following surgery and rehabilitation on his injured hip, it was discovered that Bo Jackson had avascular necrosis, as a result of decreased blood supply to the head of his left femur. This caused deterioration of the femoral head, ultimately requiring that the hip be replaced. Bo Jackson missed the entire 1992 baseball season. When he announced soon after his surgery that he would play baseball again, many thought that goal to be unrealistic, especially at the Major League level.

Before returning to his true professional sports, Bo Jackson tried his luck in basketball. Being a natural athlete, Bo Jackson played briefly for a semi-pro basketball team in L.A. Bo Jackson quickly retired.

Bo Jackson was able to return to the Chicago White Sox in 1993, and at his 1st at-bat, against the New York Yankees, he homered on his 1st swing. The next day Nike ran a full-page ad in USA Today; it simply read "Bo Knew."

Bo Jackson would hit 16 home runs and 45 RBIs that season; yet while his power remained, he no longer possessed his blazing speed. During his time with the White Sox, Bo Jackson had no stolen bases. For the 1994 season, he was signed as a free agent by the California Angels for 1 final season, where he hit another 13 home runs in 201 at bats, before retiring.

Bo Jackson became a popular figure for his athleticism in multiple sports through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bo Jackson endorsed Nike and was involved in a popular ad campaign called "Bo Knows" which envisioned Bo Jackson attempting to take up a litany of other sports, including tennis, golf, luge, auto racing, and even playing blues music with Bo Diddley, who scolded Bo Jackson by telling him "You don't know diddley!"(In a later version of the spot, Bo Jackson is shown playing the guitar expertly, after which an impressed Diddley says, "Bo...you do know Diddley, don't you?")

Another clip, envisioning Bo Jackson playing ice hockey, was followed by Wayne Gretzky shaking his head in disbelief and dismissing the effort with a quick "No." (In his autobiography, Gretzky says his negative rejoinder came in frustration after multiple takes of him saying "Bo knows hockey!" that the director didn't like. Bo Jackson also said the bits showing Bo playing hockey were actually filmed on a wooden floor, with Bo Jackson in stocking feet.) T shirts sold by Nike capitalizing on their successful ad campaign had a list of Bo Jackson's sports - both real and imagined - with hockey crossed out.

In a later spot, Bo Jackson sees all the hoopla surrounding him and says, "I have rehab to do! I don't have time for this!", after which boxer George Foreman says, "But I do!" and steps in to finish the commercial, now re-dubbed "George Knows."

Bo Jackson also poked fun at the ad campaign during a guest appearance on a 1st season episode of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. In the scene, he played basketball with Clark, portrayed by Dean Cain. Bo Jackson clearly is the better athlete, until Clark uses his flying abilities to catch the ball. Bo Jackson replies, "Bo don't know that!"

Bo Jackson also made an appearance during in an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with Will Smith where he asks Will, as "his close personal friend", some advice on what to cook for a party saying "an' when it comes to cooking, Bo Jackson don't know diddley".

Bo Jackson's legend was further cemented by his digital counterpart, affectionately known as "Tecmo Bo", in the video game Tecmo Super Bowl for the Nintendo Entertainment System. "Tecmo Bo" is one of the best running backs -- and arguably the most lethal athlete -- in video game history. Players using "Tecmo Bo" have been able to rush for 800-900 yards per game and run all over the field on one play and run out the time of a whole quarter without being tackled.

In retirement, his legend is intertwined with what many 25-35 year-olds recall as the 2nd golden age of home video gaming. Bo Jackson has commented that fans will often come up to him and regale him with stories not of his actual football feats, but rather memorable Tecmo Bowl plays.

Bo Jackson also had his own video game for the original Game Boy portable gaming system, Bo Jackson's Hit and Run. The game featured both baseball and football, but had no pro licenses for either sport and could not use any team or players' names. Released around the same time was Bo Jackson Baseball for the Nintendo NES system and IBM compatible computers. The game was heavily criticized by game reviewers and obtained poor sales results.

Bo Jackson had also made an appearance in the recent video game NFL Street 2 released in 2004 as the half back in the Gridiron Legends team. Unlocked by performing a wall move on a hotspot on the sportsplex field, he is available in the pickup pool for pickup games where you pick 7 players from the NFL. When playing the street event "open field showdown", if you had not made an extremely fast character already in own the city mode or NFL challenge, he will always be picked by the computer. If you completed NFL challenge, you can choose him to be on your team or any other Gridiron legend once you complete the mode.

Following on the heels of this widespread fame, Bo Jackson appeared in ProStars, an NBC Saturday morning cartoon. The show featured Bo Jackson, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Jordan fighting crime and helping children (although none of the athletes featured actually provided their voices).

In 2007, Nike released a set of Nike Dunk shoes honouring Bo Jackson. The set featured 3 colourways based on previously released Nike shoes: the "Bo Knows" Trainer I, Trainer 91, and Medicine Ball Trainer III.

In 1993, Bo Jackson was honoured with the Tony Conigliaro Award. In 1995, he completed his bachelor of science degree at Auburn to fulfill the promise he made to his mother.

Through the 1990s, Bo Jackson dabbled in acting, having made several television guest appearances 1st on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990 as well as Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Married with Children. Bo Jackson later appeared in small roles in the films The Chamber and Fakin' Da Funk.

Bo Jackson served as the President of the HealthSouth Sports Medicine Council, part of Birmingham, Alabama based HealthSouth Corporation. Bo Jackson was also spokesman for HealthSouth's "Go For It": Roadshow.

Bo Jackson was given the honour of throwing out the ceremonial 1st pitch before Game 2 of the 2005 World Series.

In 2006, Bo Jackson appeared on the Spike TV sports reality show, Pros vs. Joes. In his 2nd appearance, he easily defeated amateur athletes in a home run-hitting contest. When he bunted instead of swinging on his final try for a home run, the announcer stated, "Bo knows taunting."

In 2007, Bo Jackson came together with John Cangelosi to form Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex, an 88,000 square foot multi-sports dome facility in Lockport, Illinois. Bo Jackson is part-owner and CEO of the facility.

To this day he and his family live in Burr Ridge, Illinois.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Bill Walton

William Theodore "Bill" Walton III was born on 5 November, 1952 in La Mesa, California, USA. Bill Walton is a retired American basketball player and current television sportscaster. The “Big Red-Head”, as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s and winning 3 straight College Player of the Year Awards and went on to have a prominent career in the NBA. Bill Walton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on 10 May, 1993 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year. Bill Walton is the father of current Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton.

Bill Walton is the son of Gloria Anne (née Hickey) and William Theodore "Ted" Walton. At the age of 17, he played for the United States men's national basketball team at the 1970 FIBA World Championship.

Bill Walton played college basketball for John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1971 to 1974, winning the national title in 1972 over Florida State and again in 1973 with an 87-66 win over Memphis State in which the big redhead from San Diego made an impressive 21 of 22 field goal attempts and scored 44 points. Some regard this as the greatest ever offensive performance in American college basketball. The Walton-led 1971-72 UCLA basketball team had a record of 30-0, in the process winning its games by an average margin of more than 30points. Bill Walton was the backbone of 2 consecutive 30-0 seasons and was also part of UCLA's NCAA record 88 game winning streak. The UCLA streak contributed to a personal winning streak that lasted almost 5 years, in which Bill Walton's high school, UCLA freshman (freshmen were ineligible for the varsity at that time), and UCLA varsity teams did not lose a game from the middle of his junior year of high school to the middle of his senior year in college.

Bill Walton was the 1973 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Bill Walton also received the USBWA College Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year as the top college basketball player in the country 3 years in a row while attending UCLA, at the same time earning Academic All-American honours 3 times. Some college basketball historians rate Bill Walton as the greatest who ever played the game at the college level. In Bill Walton's senior year during the 1973-74 season, the school's 88 game winning streak ended with a 71-70 loss to Notre Dame. Coincidentally, the Bruins' last loss was to Notre Dame and Austin Carr in 1971 (89-81). Bill Walton admits the loss to Notre Dame (coached by Digger Phelps) to end the 88-game streak still bothers him more than any other loss in his career. During the same season, UCLA's record 7 consecutive national titles was broken when North Carolina State defeated the Bruins 80-77 in double overtime in the NCAA semi-finals. With Bill Walton's graduation in 1974 and legendary Bruin coach John Wooden's retirement after UCLA's 1975 national title, the unprecedented UCLA dynasty came to an end.

Bill Walton was drafted number 1 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was hailed as the saviour of the franchise. Bill Walton's 1st 2 seasons were marred by injury (at different times he broke his nose, foot, wrist and leg) and the Blazers missed the playoffs both years. It was not until the 1976-77 season that he was healthy enough to play 65 games and, spurred by new head coach Jack Ramsay, the Trail Blazers became the Cinderella team of the NBA. Bill Walton led the NBA in both rebounds per game and blocked shots per game that season and he was selected to the NBA All-Star Game but did not participate due to an injury. Bill Walton was named to the NBA's 1st All-Defensive Team and the All-NBA 2nd Team for his regular season accomplishments. In the postseason, Bill Walton led Portland to a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals (famously outplaying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the series) and went on to help the Trail Blazers to the NBA title over the favoured Philadelphia 76ers despite losing the 1st 2 games of the series. Bill Walton was named the Finals MVP.

The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their 1st 60 games before Bill Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the 1st in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. Bill Walton nonetheless won the league MVP that season (1978) and the Sporting News NBA MVP, as well. Bill Walton played in his only All-Star Game in 1978 and was named to both the NBA's 1st All-Defensive Team and the All-NBA 1st Team. Bill Walton returned to action for the playoffs but was reinjured in the 2nd game of a series against the Seattle SuperSonics. Without Bill Walton to lead them, Portland lost the series to Seattle in 6 games. As it turned out, Bill Walton would never play for the Trail Blazers again. During the offseason, Bill Walton demanded to be traded, citing unethical and incompetent treatment of his and other players' injuries by the Blazers' front office. Bill Walton did not get his wish and sat out the 1978-79 season in protest, signing with the San Diego Clippers when he became a free agent in 1979.

Bill Walton spent several seasons alternating between the court and the disabled list with his hometown San Diego Clippers. After the 1984-85 campaign, Bill Walton called on 2 of the league's premier teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. After several players on the Celtics said they liked the idea of having Bill Walton as a teammate backing up Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach made the deal happen. One anecdote that particularly illustrates Bill Walton's decision to choose the Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers is about Larry Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office when Bill Walton called and said that if Bill Walton felt healthy enough to play that it was good enough for him, as opposed to Los Angeles Lakers GM Jerry West, who was hedging his interest in Bill Walton pending a doctor's report. Boston Celtics acquired Bill Walton by sending popular forward Cedric Maxwell to the San Diego Clippers along with a 1st-round draft pick. Providing a reliable backup to Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Bill Walton received the NBA 6th Man Award that season en route to the NBA Championship, becoming the only player to have ever won an NBA Finals MVP, 6th Man Award, and regular season MVP. Bill Walton is the last player to win a 6th Man Award the same year he played on an NBA Champion-winning team.

Bill Walton injured himself again the following season, but returned for the 1987 playoffs. Bill Walton spent the 1987-88 season on the injured list. Bill Walton attempted a comeback in February 1990, but injury intervened and he retired from the game. Bill Walton's ankle problems became so severe years later that he had both his ankles surgically fused. Bill Walton's saga of injury and failed rehabs was connected to the use of pain killers by the doctor who was assigned to his case. Bill Walton has said repeatedly in his broadcasts that he is just as much to blame for taking the medication as the doctor was for giving it to him. Yet his experience with injuries and the circumstances surrounding them have come to serve as a warning for professional athletes who undergo major injury as well as being an interesting case study for medical ethics. Bill Walton's injuries, along with his 1978-1979 year-long protest, gave him an unpleasant, if not odd, record. Bill Walton holds the record for the most games missed during an NBA playing career, when taking into account the number of years he was officially listed as a player on a team roster.

Bill Walton was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, and had his number 32 retired by the Blazers in 1989. In 1996, he was named as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of all time.

Since his retirement as a player, Bill Walton has overcome a severe stuttering problem to become a successful and controversial NBA colour commentator for NBC(1990-2002), Los Angeles Clippers (1990-2002) and ABC/ESPN (since 2002).

Bill Walton's trademark catchphrases include, "That's a terrible call! Terrible," "Where in the world is [x]?" (for a player who has disappeared from a game), "What is a foul?", "Dial a violation," "He couldn't even inbound the ball!", "Throw it down, big man! Throw it down!", and "Basketball is a game played by men competing for the ultimate prize". In addition after a predominantly one-handed player makes a basket going to his strong hand Bill Walton will summarize the action and then say, "He's left-handed by the way Marv" or "Someone should tell player x that player y is left-handed and promises to be so for the remainder of the game," intimating that perhaps the defender should defend that side of the player. Bill Walton typically is paired up with Steve "Snapper" Jones for NBA games due to him and Steve Jones having a point-counterpoint banter during games. Despite their frequent on-air argumentative banter they are actually good friends as was evidenced in Bill Walton's short lived 2003 TV series Bill Walton's Long Strange Trip.

In addition, his commentary during games is notable for his frequent use of hyperbole. In one instance where Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs had a pass deflected out of bounds by a defender, Bill Walton stated, "Tony Parker just made the worst pass in the history of Western civilization!" Often this is done to intentional or perhaps unintentional comedic effect. Bill Walton also is rumoured to have challenged Marv Albert to a wrestling cage match and was considered "out of line" for the provocation. During one game he announced, Bill Walton stated, "I am the hero, I am No. 1, I can go in there and shake and bake all those youngins and teach them some real basketball so they can stop their complaining".

Bill Walton currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his wife Lori. Bill Walton and his 1st wife, Susie, have 4 sons: Adam, Nathan, Luke, and Chris. Luke, although not as tall as his father, played collegiately for the University of Arizona and now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers as a forward. Another of Bill Walton's sons, Chris, played for San Diego State University. Nate, his middle son, played basketball at Princeton University but then entered the corporate world and earned his MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. (Bill Walton himself attended Stanford Law School for 2 years but never graduated.) Nate was also on the ballot for the 2003 California Recall Election, receiving 1,697 votes. Bill Walton's other son, Adam, also played NCAA basketball at LSU.

Bill Walton is also a well-known fan of the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Neil Young, Phish, and Bob Dylan. Bill Walton attended more than 650 Grateful Dead concerts, including traveling with the band to Egypt for its famous 1978 performance before the Pyramids (joining the band on drums), quotes Dead lyrics in TV and radio interviews. To fellow Deadheads, Bill Walton is fondly known as "Grateful Red" and the "Big Red Deadhead" and "World's Tallest Deadhead". In the video for "Touch of Grey", Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart is wearing a Celtics jacket that was given to him by Bill Walton. In 2001, Bill Walton was officially inducted into The Grateful Dead Hall of Honour.

Bill Walton expounds upon his music interests on his own satellite radio show, One More Saturday Night (named after the Dead song "One More Saturday Night"), heard during late prime time on Sirius Radio's Jam On channel. Bill Walton has stated in his online introduction to his radio show column that he enjoys going to concerts alone because then he has fewer things in between him and reaching the omega point that all concert goers seek at shows.

Bill Walton still has a committed relationship with the Boston Celtics, if not professionally, as a fan. Despite the area where he grew up, and the team his son Luke plays for, Bill Walton is careful to point out, "Even though I grew up in the heart of Laker country, the Boston Celtics were always MY team". Bill Walton also keeps a picture of the floor of the old Boston Garden in his kitchen.

In June 2008, he was asked by ESPN to predict the outcome of the NBA finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, their 1st meeting in the finals since 1987, his 2nd and final as player for Boston Celtics. Bill Walton predicted the Boston Celtics would take the series in 6 games, a prediction that came true on 17th of that month.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Austin Pendleton

Austin Pendleton was born on 27 March, 1940 in Warren, Ohio, USA. Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.

Austin Pendleton is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of Scroll and Key Society. As a stage actor, he has appeared in The Last Sweet Days of Isaac (for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance), The Diary of Anne Frank, Grand Hotel, Goodtime Charley, The Little Foxes, Fiddler on the Roof, and Up from Paradise.

Austin Pendleton penned the plays Uncle Bob, Booth, and Orson's Shadow, all of which were staged off-Broadway. Austin Pendleton's direction of Elizabeth Taylor and Maureen Stapleton in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes garnered him a Tony Award nomination. Additional directing credits include Spoils of War by Michael Weller, The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt, and The Size of the World by Charles Evered.

Austin Pendleton served as Artistic Director for Circle Repertory Company with associate artistic director Lynne Thigpen.

Austin Pendleton is an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. began his artistic relationship there by directing Ralph Pape's Say Goodnight, Gracie for the 1979-80 season. In addition to directing at Steppenwolf, Austin Pendleton has appeared as an actor in such Steppenwolf productions as Uncle Vanya, Valparaiso and Educating Rita.

Austin Pendleton has had several television roles as well including a recurring role on HBO's Oz as the mentally unstable murderer William Giles. Austin Pendleton did his voice-over work as Gurgle in Finding Nemo.

In August 2006, Austin Pendleton appeared as the Chaplain in Bertholt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater production directed by George C. Wolfe at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York City.

In 2007, he appeared as Friar Lawrence in the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater's production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

Austin Pendleton Pendleton currently teaches acting at the HB Studio and directing at The New School for Drama, both in Greenwich Village.

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