Heroes come and go. Some last longer than others. There was one man who outlasted them all. I remember Cassius Clay as a brash young man that backed up his bravado with action.
It didn't take long for a young black man to capture the world's attention. He was one of the few that backed his talk with results. Not only did Cassius do it on his own terms, he did it like no other.
After taking the Heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, he chose to embrace the Muslim faith and change his name to Muhammad Ali. This was the first of many stances "The Greatest" would take during his lifetime.
I'm not going to even begin to post the accolades Muhammad Ali earned during his life time. It's all there in the record books for any of you young people who weren't fortunate enough to witness "The Greatest" in action.
What I will say is this, Muhammad Ali was the most influential and popular man on the planet earth and deservedly so. He was a kind man with a heart of gold. I recall him lighting the torch at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as he struggled to light the flame. The cheer from the crowd is something I will never forget once the torch was lighted.
Rest in peace champ..