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A Gathering of Greats:
Individual Men

Muhammad Ali With a unique combination of skill, style and character, the Greatest became a three-time heavyweight champion and the world's most adored athlete. "Ali fought professionally for more than 20 years, from 1960 to 1981, and his life was so brassy and daring, so filled with wonders and adventure, and so enlarged by the magic of his personality and the play of his mind that no one remotely like him has ever been seen on the sporting scene." —William Nack, SI, Sept. 19, 1994

Rod Laver The lefthanded Aussie is the only player to win two Grand Slams (1962, '69); in all, the Rocket won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. "Laver has now won five of the seven big- four tournaments held since the creation of open tennis, and it looks as though the sport will have to be opened considerably wider, to include angels, highly trained kangaroos or something as yet unenvisaged, before anyone else will be in Laver's league." —Roy Blount Jr., SI, Sept. 15, 1969

Joe Louis The Brown Bomber's reign as heavyweight champ (June 1937 through March 1949) is the longest in history. "He was a dependably devastating presence in the ring who seemed capable of righting national and even international wrongs with his thunderous punches. At a time when few sports were integrated, Joe Louis made the color of his skin incidental to his performances, and brought Americans together." —Richard Hoffer, SI, July 12, 1999

Jack Nicklaus With a revolutionarily powerful game, the Golden Bear won a record 18 major championships, including an unmatched six Masters. "He has been the best golfer to ever live, by a par-5." —Rick Reilly, SI, Sept. 19, 1994

Sugar Ray Robinson A five-time middleweight champion and the best pound-for-pound boxer ever, by unanimous decision, he won 91 consecutive fights from 1943 to '51. "He was a merry, mercurial king, who could laugh one minute and bless out the faithful [trainer-manager George] Gainford the next. But when the time came and Robinson fought, he was a thing of beauty, jabbing, crossing, dancing, a dangerous cobra striking, a mongoose skirting danger until time for the kill." —Larry L. King, SI, Sept. 6, 1965

Pete Sampras The winner of a record-tying 12 Grand Slam singles titles, he has dominated modern tennis with a classic style. "Sampras is a driven, even obsessed young man who is brazenly reaching for a piece of history and doing so with the kind of physical grace and talent that comes along once in a generation, found only in the [Rod] Lavers, Michael Jordans, Joe Montanas and Wayne Gretzkys." —Sally Jenkins, SI, Sept. 5, 1994

Photographs by (from top) Neil Leifer, Sheedy & Long, Malcolm T. Liepke(Artwork), Lane Stewart, Hy Peskin, Bob Martin

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