Memories of Michael Gerard Luczak

Share a special moment from Michael's life.

I attended THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA Concert on March 12, 2022 at River City Casino and Hotel

July 23, 2022

I celebrated the music of ELO with The Electric Light Orchestra Experience, the world’s top tribute to the influential ‘70s band. Featuring a string section, an amazing light show, and a dozen elite musicians, The Electric Light Orchestra Experience took me on a musical journey through the sights and sounds of one of the most important bands in rock history.

ELO’s mix of Beatlesque pop and classical influences rocketed the group to international stardom. Between 1972 and 1986, ELO achieved more combined UK and US Top 40 hits than any other band on the planet. Prog rock anthems like “Evil Woman,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Strange Magic” and “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” have become part of the soundtrack to the lives of music fans worldwide. I experienced these hits and many others at The Event Center on March 12, 2022. The ticket only cost $19.50.

Jean-Claude Van Damme "Bloodsport" Autograph Photo

July 23, 2022

This is the autograph photo I received from Jean-Claude Van Damme. He gave it to me as a present for taking him on a successful St. Louis publicity tour in 1989 for the movie "Bloodsport."

Garth Brooks calls stadium tour kickoff at the Dome 'the best night of my life'

July 23, 2022

I was lucky enough to go to see Garth Brooks perform to a sold out crowd with my daughter Erica at the Dome at America Center located in Downtown St. Louis on March 9, 2019. The photo shown here was taken by Jon Gitchoff which appeared on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website.

There was one very touching moment in the concert where Garth saw I sign in the crowd holded up by a woman that said "I am battling End-Stage Breast Cancer." He acknowledged her, and then dedicated and sang the song "Standing Outside the Fire."

Jean-Claude Van Damme St. Louis Publicity Tour Story

July 23, 2022

I developed and directed the 1988 St. Louis publicity tour for movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme to promote the theatrical release of "Bloodsport."

I met Jean-Claude Van Damme at the Lambert Airport in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988. Jean-Claude had a friend come in for the publicity tour as well, and after picking him up at the airport we took a limousine to the Hotel Majestic. He came in with a fellow actor and friend and as were in transport Jean-Claude and his friend began talking to each other in French, and although they did not know at the time, I had taken several years of French in high school and college so I knew that they were saying, and knew they were making fun of me.

When we got to the hotel, I informed Jean-Claude that I would meet him at the hotel at 8 a.m. to begin his publicity tour. Bloodsport was a movie produced by Cannon Films, which had very little money for the publicity tour, so much so that they could not pay for Jean-Claude to have the limo for the entire night. I informed Jean-Claude this, and he immediately went into a tantrum, and got up in my face saying "Mikey, I will get the limo. I am a star!" I informed it that Cannon Films had not provided the funding for such an adverture, and that if he wanted the limo it would have to come from his own funds, and then I told him that I had understood everything that he had said about me to his friend to which Jean-Claude turned red with embarrassment. Eventually Jean-Claude figured out he would not get the limo so he reluctanly went to his hotel room.

Later that night I received a call from Jean-Claude Van Damme at 3:30 a.m. in the morning. He immediately said to me that he was sorry, and I immediately thought "My God, what has he done now. Did he go over to the East Side with the limo paying for it himself and get into a skirmish?" I had a thought that he might be calling me from a prison holding cell. But luckily that was not the case. Jean-Claude said to me, "Mikey, I am so sorry." I knew I wasn't supposed to get the limo, and yet I asked for it. Please forgive me." After a brief sigh of relief, I told Jean-Claude that he should not worry about it, and that he should go back to bed, as we had a long afternoon of interviews scheduled for the next day. It was after I said this that Jean-Claude insisted that I come to a 6:30 a.m. breakfast with him to make up for his outburst, after he first did his workout routine for the day. I accepted his invitation, and then went back to bed.

We spent at least an hour eating breakfast with his actor friend, and Jean-Claude told me several stories about his life and career. I also shared my story of how I had gotten into the movie publicity and promotion business, and Jean-Claude was intrigued.

Anyway, the publicity tour was a huge success. I had even left him an hour for him to do whatever he wanted to do between interviewing sessions, and Jean-Claude asked that I take him to a tanning salon. Since we were in the St. Louis county area at the time, I was able to find a tanning salon easily, and Jean-Claude spent the hour sunbathing.

Afterwards, while Jean-Claude and I were at the airport waiting for his "red-eye" flight, he told me how much he had enjoyed the tour. He said it was the best tour he had experienced, and he asked me if I would be willing to become his publicist. I thanked Jean-Claude for offering me the position, but that I had to decline his offer. I said, "Jean-Claude I am only 21-years old. You do not want a 21 year-old doing your publicity. Plus I am not a L.A. or New York kind of guy. I am much too conservative, and I am perfectly happy in my current position."

He then said, "But I have to do something for you. Do you want my autograph on one of my publicity photos, and can I call your boss and tell her what a wonderful tour it was." I pleaded with Jean-Claude to not call my boss since it was 1 a.m. in the morning, but Jean-Claude made the phone call anyway. When he had my boss on the phone, he said, "Is this Kelly Hoskins, Mikey's boss? I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful publicity tour I had. I enjoyed it thoroughly. And I asked Mikey to be my publicist, but he said he couldn't because he was enjoying his time at your agency too much to leave."

Needless to say, my boss was not happy about receiving the phone call so early in the morning. To make a long story short, the publicity tour was a huge success, and Cannon Films was very appreciative of my tour as the movie did well in the St. Louis area.

THE ROAD MUCH TRAVELED

July 23, 2022

I've been lucky to travel to and through many places throughout my life, and in many cases, I was lucky to have my daughters and even family members like my ex-mother in law on the trips with me as well. My favorite trip was when we went to New York, New York, and ate at Bubba Gump's in Times Square, and then stood at the base of the Statue of Liberty and on Ellis Island (where my original family came into the United States). During the July 4th week one year, we went to Niagara Falls, Canada and passed through Toledo, Ohio and saw the Ford Museum in Detroit Michigan and then Niagara Falls, New York and Indianapolis, Indiana on the way back. It was a wonderful trip.

One year, we visited San Francisco, California and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. I also saw the movie premiere of "Pretty In Pink" at the Chinese Mann Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. where many stars including Harrison Ford and other stars have their handprints (In fact, I was lucky enough to interview such stars as Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader, Annie Potts, and Director John Hughes), and went to the Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox lots for business as well since I was working in publicity and promotion right after I got out of college at an advertising agency called Kerlick, Switzer & Johnson, Inc. While in Los Angeles, I was also was lucky enough to spend the entire night watching improvised comedy at the Comedy Store which is located on Hollywood Blvd. as well. We also went to Yosemite National Park while in California and took the Tioga Road (known as the high road) up to the mountains of Yosemite, which was quite an experience. As a family, we also attended both Disneyland in California and took the kids to Disneyworld, Florida when they were young, and had a magnificent time as my daughters got a chance to eat with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

We also went to Chicago, Illinois for my daughter’s 21st birthday, and visited their museums and Shedd's Aquarium, ate at Bubba Gump’s at the Navy Pier, walked and shopped the Magnificent Mile, and partied along famous Rush street. We have been to many places where Abraham Lincoln lived. I've also been to several casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada and I've been to Honolulu, Hawaii where I four-wheeled on a cold wet day in the mountains and walked along the beach after watching a breathtaking sunset disappear into brilliant moonlight. In terms of beaches, we also visited Ocean City, Maryland, and Ft. Myers Florida, as well.

Other places on the East Coast we have traveled to have included seeing the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We also went to Branson, Kansas City, Rolla, and Columbia Missouri, Washington, District of Columbia, and places such as Baltimore, Maryland. We’ve also camped a weekend in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I've also been to Atlanta, Georgia right after they had hosted (November 1996) the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, which had been held in Atlanta from July 19–August 4, 1996. The Atlanta Games were the 23rd occurrence of the modern Olympic Games, and the Women’s Gymnastics Team won a gold medal for their performance.

I have also sipped a frozen daiquiri from one of a frozen daiquiri vendor in New Orleans, Louisiana, partied at a piano bar on Bourbon Street and spent time visiting the French Quarter. One year we visited Beaumont, Texas, and traveled to M.D. Anderson in Houston, Texas for my Uncle Harry’s thyroid cancer surgery. He has survived 30 years despite being diagnosed with Stage 4 thyroid cancer.

In one trip, we went through the Rockies, and visited Dollywood in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We also have had to pass through cities such as Memphis, Tennessee, and Nashville, Tennessee, and the state of Mississippi) to reach Destin, Florida. We also visited Virginia Beach, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia. We also went on a cruise to Jamaica, Cozumel, and the Cayman islands.

My Grant and Research Administration Experience Extended Over a Total of Sixteen Years

June 29, 2021

I helped the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center manage Grant offices by using my grant experience to write and develop grant applications, monitor grant expenditures versus proposed budgets, prepare and administer multi-million dollar budgets, ensure that all regulatory, sponsor and internal requirements are met, and hire, train, and review grant personnel.

My grant experience was extensive. I had over 14 years of experience working with such entities as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Heart Association, the Missouri Foundation for Health, and with major medical drug and device companies such as Novartis, Inc. and Medtronic, Inc.

My accomplishments at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center included:

*I mentored a spinal cord researcher (Xiao-Ming Xu, M.D., Ph.D.), in funding techniques, and assisted him in increasing his awarded dollars from $10,000 to $1 million over a two-year period.

*I directed the re-development of the office's grants administration database allowing for more detailed reports and important tracking of regulatory activities. He designed, developed, and programmed the database allowing for a 25% increase in productivity and a significant decrease in data entry errors.

* As a Grants Administrator, I reviewed and approved more than 12,000 HSC documents, including clinical trial agreements, research grant and contract proposals, materials transfers, and confidentiality agreements, over a twelve-year period.

One very important Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center accomplishment during my tenure included the fact that National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding increased from $15,681,572 in Fiscal Year 1992 (my first year as Grant Administrator) to $30,921,561 in Fiscal Year 2006 (the last year of my position as Director of HSC Research Administration).

At Saint Louis University's Health Sciences Center, I assisted researchers in increasing overall awarded dollars from $24 million to $72 million over a fourteen-year period by providing targeted funding leads and securing funding from NIH, NSF, and various foundations, which helped result in the construction of the University's first state-of-the-art $82 million research building – the Edward A. Doisy Research Center - the largest building project in Saint Louis University’s history.

A short biography of Edward A. Doisy can be found at this web site: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1943/doisy-bio.html

My Success as a Manager and Leader Allowed Me To Establish and Maintain Lasting Relationships

June 29, 2021

I was successful in various management and leadership roles at SSM Saint Louis University Hospital and the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center (HSC). I was a talented business executive, who can provide effective organizational leadership, team-building, and project management experience, and can introduce strategic thinking and problem-solving analysis to improve processes and systems. My strengths included establishing and maintaining long-lasting relationships with both internal and external entities.

In addition to my responsibility of administering budgets of $3.5 million at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center for the Office of Technology and Innovative Research, the Office of HSC Research Services, and the Institutional Review Board, my responsibilities included recruiting, hiring, directing, training, motivating, supervising, and evaluating staff members. I managed a staff of two full-time and two part-time employees. In his career, I also advised and instructed a total of 70 Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center and Saint Louis University Hospital department managers, and provided guidance and education to over 150 researchers on day-to-day contract and grant administration activities.

I mentored my employees based upon my 12 years of Research Administration experience. I provided them with a culture of openness, offered employees continuous feedback, and gave them the necessary resources needed for them to succeed in their jobs. And most of all, I encouraged my employees to think outside of the box and acknowledged them for providing positive solutions to their everyday work challenges.

In addition, I provided professional development opportunities to my staff by allowing them to take part in educational classes involving advanced computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I supplied his staff with professional Research Administration publications such as the Federal Grants Management Handbook. I also encouraged them to become members and get involved in professional organizations such as the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) and the Society of Research Administrators (SRA).

While working as a Director at the Health Sciences Center, my engaging management style encouraged teamwork, accountability, and top-notch quality service. As a result, researchers and business managers continuously sought out me and my staff for advice.

My success as a leader and manager can be attributed to my positive attitude; my ability to provide direct and straightforward information to employees; my ability to remain flexible when faced with change; my ability to remain calm under pressure; my ability to successfully train and coach talented staff members; and my ability to hire and develop talented employees.

Mike's eye for talent was evident in the hiring of Melissa Fink, MA, CP, an employee who worked to become a highly successful and well-respected Grants Administrator in the HSC Research Administration department. Melissa would eventually become the current Director of the Institutional Review Board for Saint Louis University.

I also was a leader at SSM Saint Louis University Hospital, where I was hired as the very first Contract Administrator to direct the Hospital's multi-million dollar contract operations. I actually developed the Hospital's first policies and procedures related to Contract Administration and instructed department managers on Contract Administration issues involving the Hospital's purchased services, capital equipment purchases, maintenance contracts, and miscellaneous projects.

Although I had no direct reports at the Hospital, I often found myself leading cross-functional teams, which included the Hospital's purchasing department, senior management, and the accounts payable staff, and received praise for his ability to quickly resolve issues, increase efficiencies, and decrease costs.

I also demonstrated his leadership abilities at the Hospital when I founded the very first Tenet Contract Administrators listserv designed to allow for sharing of best business practices and tools, contract discussion, and assistance in determining fair market value for purchases and services. The listserv reached 49 Tenet corporate hospitals across the nation and provided me with detailed information from the Tenet community to help me better succeed in my job.

I Developed Promotions, and Designed Websites, Publications, Newsletters, Brochures. etc.

June 29, 2021

I also helped organizations succeed in marketing their products or services by using my expertise to implement marketing strategies, design websites, and publications, create effective presentations, design newsletters and brochures, write reports and press releases, develop a social media presence, and assist in making marketing videos.

My marketing experience includes developing and implementing marketing proposals for clients such as Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Walt Disney Pictures. In fact, I developed and directed the St. Louis publicity tour for movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme to promote the theatrical release of "Bloodsport." Click on the trailer of the movie located to the right to see actual footage from the movie.

A web page located at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/publicity-for-tucker-the-man/ tells about the promotions and publicity I also did for the movie "Tucker - The Man and His Dream." You can see the Paramount Pictures movie trailer below. Although the movie was not a Blockbuster, it was applauded by critics.

I also did marketing freelance work for area hospitals such as SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center and SSM St. Mary's Hospital, as well as for SSM Saint Louis University Hospital and Saint Louis University.

To see a sample of my desktop publishing and graphic arts skills, click on the flyer I did for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center: http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/cardinal-glennon-flyer/, and another I did for the Gateway Macintosh Users Group: http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/gateway-area-macintosh-users-g/. He also has developed brochures like the one found at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/pediatric-surgery-brochure/.

As a Secretary / Research Assistant in Pediatric Surgery Division at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, I obtained a $3,000 grant, then wrote, produced, and published an Activity and Coloring Book for Same-Day Surgery Patients at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. A web page showing the cover and a few inside pages is found at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/activity-and-coloring-book/.

I was a talented writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Certificate in Writing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I presented ideas in a dynamic fashion through written documents, computer presentations, and websites. I developed and produced many PowerPoint presentations just like the one I created for SSM Saint Louis University Hospital to explain the Hospital's contract process for department managers located at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/hospital-computer-presentation/.

I was very creative. At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I developed a human-interest column for the college student newspaper The Current titled "A Touch Of Class."

Here is one of his first columns: http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/memories-of-school-keep-haunti/. In addition, I developed feature articles found at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/mikes-article-on-the-umsl-impr/, http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/pretty-in-pink-article/, http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/that-was-then-this-is-now-arti/.

As a result of my writing ability, I was able to attend publicity events for the movies "Gung Ho", "That Was Then, This is Now" and "Pretty in Pink." At the major press conferences, Mike had a chance to interview such stars as Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, Michael Keaton, James Spader, Annie Potts, and such movie directors as John Hughes, Ron Howard, and actor and director Emilio Estevez.

In My Career, I Designed, Developed and Maintained Several Databases

June 29, 2021

All total, I had twenty-five years of experience in database design, development, management, and administration. My responsibilities included developing database systems to record and track day-to-day business administrative activities, provide reports, and send out correspondence.

As Grants Administrator at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, I directed the re-development of the office's grants administration database allowing for more detailed reports and important tracking of regulatory activities. I designed, developed, and programmed the database allowing for a 25% increase in productivity and a significant decrease in data entry errors.

As Director, Office of HSC Research Services Administration, I was a key member of the Electronic Research Services (ERS) Committee, which was responsible for the development of a new electronic research database and the University's first federal proposal submission module. I later trained researchers on the ERS system, and on various government and foundation sponsors electronic grant submission systems.

Perhaps my greatest database accomplishment was completed when I assisted researchers in increasing overall awarded dollars from $24 million to $72 million over a fourteen-year period by providing targeted funding leads from online funding databases and securing funding from NIH, NSF, and various foundations, which resulted in the construction of the largest building project in Saint Louis University’s history. (A web page featuring a video about the Edward A. Doisy Research Center - Saint Louis University's first state-of-the-art $82 million research building is located at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/mikes-role-helps-slu-hsc-fundi/).

In my career, I designed, developed, and maintained several databases. At SSM Saint Louis University Hospital I developed and submitted hospital contracts through a corporate-wide electronic submission system. The system was also a database of all the Hospital's approved and disapproved contracts and paperwork.

In terms of database design and management, at Saint Louis University Hospital, I significantly reduced the Hospital's percentage of expired contracts by working with a Microsoft Access Database programmer to establish a database system that focused on deadlines and allowed for direct emails to contract owners. The contract database was updated so it was fully integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel programs. The revised database helped save the Hospital thousands of dollars by reducing time and materials charges, which had been occurring as a result of lapsed maintenance contracts. A copy of the layout of the database can be found below.

Also, in the Pediatric Surgery Department at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, I designed, developed, and programmed a 4th Dimension database to help surgeons in managing tracheostomy patients, which improved patient care by securing clinical data previously unreported.

I Administered Budgets of $3.5 Million Annually, & Increased Clinical Revenues from $8.6 Million

June 29, 2021

As Director, Office of HSC Research Services Administration, I directed HSC research administration grant and contract services, which included review, approval, and final signature authority for all grant applications and industry contracts totaling $280 million annually.

For a total of fourteen years as Director and Grants Administrator for the Office of HSC Research Services, my responsibilities included preparing, forecasting, administering, and monitoring budgets for the Office of Technology and Innovative Research, the Office of HSC Research Services, and the Institutional Review Board totaling $3.5 million annually. I processed and approved payments for all purchase orders and invoices. I also developed and approved budget reallocations and payroll expenditures, and worked with the HSC Finance Office to address any concerns or questions they had with regard to the three budgets.

I actually achieved a budget reduction of approximately 20% after researching and purchasing a new copier/printer/scanner/fax machine. I eliminated all personal laser printers and the Office's outdated fax machine, which in the past had produced costly maintenance and supply expenditures, and consolidated all printing and faxing to one new localized high-speed printer with a less costly maintenance contract. Since the printer offered scanning capabilities, the need for paper decreased, and the Institutional Review Board and the Office of HSC Research Services began operating less with paper, and more electronically.

My decision also reduced copier downtime by 50%, as the result of faster service call response times, and the establishment of a more proactive maintenance schedule. It also increased productivity, as copies and printing, when needed, were on the average 30% faster than the old copier and laser printers.

In addition, I partnered with Saint Louis University Counsel to reduce the average time spent in negotiating clinical trial contracts by 30%, as a result of establishing the University's first model clinical trial contract template and increased private industry revenues from $8.6 million to $13 million annually.

I also increased the Institutional Review Board's accounts receivables from $120,000 to $180,000 after incorporating the best business practices of other leading academic Institutional Review Boards across the country and managed pre-award administration by approving the budget grant and contract set-ups totaling $72 million.

All Total, I Had Twenty-Five Years of Contracting Experience

June 29, 2021

My talents included helping organizations successfully develop and manage contracts. My contracting experience consisted of writing, editing, and assisting in creating contract proposals and contracts. I worked closely with corporate lawyers and administrators to complete contract negotiations, evaluate and establish new contract policies and procedures, and perform independent review and expert contract analysis when necessary.

I was Contract Administrator at SSM Saint Louis University Hospital, where I played a key role in the Hospital's major capital equipment purchases - the Cyberknife - http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/mikes-slu-hospital-accomplishm/ (see video about Cyberknife found below) and the da Vinci Surgical System- http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/mike-helps-make-da-vinci-syste/.

In the Hospital position, I helped negotiate, create, and secure numerous agreements for SSM Saint Louis University Hospital to develop The MidAmerica Stroke Network. Information about the Network can be found in the video located at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/contract-administrator-page-2/.

I also provided guidance, instruction, education, and assistance to Hospital department managers regarding the Hospital's new contract administration operations. Slides from my PowerPoint presentation "The Contract Process," which I provided as an overview of the Hospital's contract administration process to SSM Saint Louis University Hospital department managers, can be found at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/hospital-computer-presentation.

As Director of Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center Research Administration I was instrumental in securing and negotiating subcontracts and contracts. In fact, I partnered with Saint Louis University's General Counsel to develop the University's first model clinical trial template agreement, which reduced the average time spent in negotiating clinical trial contracts by 30%, and increased private industry revenues from $8.6 million to $13 million annually.

For more detailed information about my successful contract career see the overview of my role as a Contract Administrator at SSM Health found at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/position-overview-for-transfer, and the overview of my role as Contract Administrator at Saint Louis University Hospital at http://desktop-resumes-jobinfo.squarespace.com/contract-administrator.

My Career Required a Great Deal of Administrative Work

June 29, 2021

I was an accomplished business professional with administrative skills, who was always committed to outstanding service, and who hd experience in planning, scheduling, and managing events, coordinating meetings, setting up travel arrangements and conference calls, preparing presentations, typing correspondence, and answering multiple phone lines. His responsibilities have included developing, editing, and writing proposals, and creating new policies and procedures.

I was a dynamic individual, who could work collaboratively, and had experience in building and maintaining long-lasting relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, and with all levels of management. In addition, I developed database systems to improve day-to-day business activities, and to provide detailed reports to administrators.

I had proven success in very challenging and high-profile positions. I was a convincing communicator, who has led cross-functional teams to quickly resolve issues, increase efficiency, and decrease costs. He has experience working with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook.

I developed, modified, and negotiated contracts, and identified and solved contract problems with pricing agreements, master agreements, capital purchase agreements, and service agreements.

My administrative duties also included preparing and administering multi-million dollar budgets, managing day-to-day academic research and grant operations, and directing the multi-million dollar contract operations of SSM Saint Louis University Hospital.

I was a talented writer, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Certificate in Writing, who developed, designed, and produced quality publications, proposals, newsletters, web pages, annual reports, brochures, marketing, and educational materials, flyers, graphs, databases, and spreadsheets to meet goals and objectives. My experience also included designing and developing PowerPoint presentations.

I was skilled in managing multiple projects, simultaneously and on time. I adapted to changing environments, worked well under pressure, and had a willingness to learn and the ability to grasp new information, technology, and processes quickly. I was a loyal, hardworking, and oftentimes, a "behind the scenes" leader, who met deadlines, and had excellent computer skills.

You can see my other experience related to administrative skills by clicking on Contract Administration, Grant and Research Administration, Budget and Financial Management, Database Management, and Marketing, Writing, Public Relations, and Publcations.

Sports and Its Impact on My Life - By Mike Luczak

June 25, 2021

Sports was very much a part of my life and played a great source of overall motivation. When things were going well in my life, I was actively watching or attending sporting events like the St. Louis Cardinals or other sports such as the St. Louis Blues, NBA (was a big fan of Michael Jordan) and college basketball, NFL football (was a great fan of the St. Louis Rams and Kurt Warner - see my articles from several sources found on the Internet below), soccer (was an avid fan of the Women's Olympic Soccer Team), softball, tennis, and ice skating. I also watched golf on occasion and followed Tiger Woods during his heyday when he was winning golf tournaments on a regular basis.
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Baseball, however, played the most important influence in my life since and my love affair began as a young kid of three or four years old trying to hit a small Wiffle ball with a giant plastic bat while it was being thrown by my father out in our backyard. I remember as a teenager, throwing the baseball back and forth in the backyard with my dad, and my dad taking the stance as a catcher so I could pitch to him. I would pitch throughout grade school and win many games, and my dad would always attend my games and keep track of pitch counts so I would never throw over a certain amount of pitches.

In fact, I would eventually make the B-team baseball team as a pitcher for St. Mary's High School in my Sophomore year, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I threw three-quarters and had a sweeping curveball and one heck of a change-up, but I needed good defense behind me to win because I didn't throw very hard and didn't strike out many batters. My B-Team Coach had a lot of confidence in me, and let me teach others on the team how to throw a change-up, and many of the pitchers and the B-Team Coach looked to me for insight when guys were having trouble on the mound, because I could catch variances in their deliveries when they couldn't get the ball over the plate.

I would throw a five-hitter against Vianney High School, a very tough team as the highlight of my B-team baseball career, and then later that Summer with my dad watching, I threw a one-hitter against the best of the best of my Summer Baseball Team League - Johnny Mac Fenton. I would lose the game 1-0 after giving up a walk, a stolen base, and a bloop base hit in one of the late innings. Still, it was something to be proud of because only the best players got to be on the Johnny Mac Fenton Team, and they had only one hit in seven innings off of me. I pitched for Tower Grove Bank that Summer and won some low-scoring games, but my team couldn't hit very well, or I would have won more. I disappointingly did not make the Varsity team my Junior year and did not even try out my Senior year. My team, inspiringly, was the underdog most of the time when we took the field.

A little known fact about me was that I also was part of a Winter bowling league from my grade school years to my years prior to participating in sports at the local high school, and that I had an average of over 170 one year.

If you want to see drama, watching sports is where it is at. I remember staying up late as a kid at the young age of 10 and watching LIVE the baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds vs. the Boston Red Sox in game 6, when tied in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, Carlton Fisk waived his home run ball just fair for the walk-off victory walk-off home run fair to win Game 6 of 1975 World Series 7 to 6 over the Reds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4P3n2TCgEE. The home run would actually hit the foul pole on the fair side.

I also remember Kirk Gibson's 2-run homer off dominant Oakland A's closer Dennis Eckersly on a 3-2 count with 2 out and one person on base to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series with the Dodgers down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth and two outs. The A's were only one strike away of winning Game 1, and taking a 1-0 lead. As you can see from the video, Gibson hit the home run even though he could hardly jog around the bases afterward. Often when things are at their worst for me, I like to think of the Kirk Gibson home run. Gibson, it would turn out would only have one at-bat the whole Series, but it set the tone and provided the Dodgers with all the momentum necessary to win the 1988 World Series 4 games to 1. Here is a clip of the Gibson at-bat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4nwMDZYXTI

But how can I forget Game 6 of the 2011 World Series and David Frese's heroics? Absolutely THE MOST CRAZIEST GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN FROM THE CARDINALS. Here are the highlights of the entire game that ended in a walk-off homer by David Frese in the 10th inning for a 10 to 9 victory for the Cardinals. David https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbcV_TH0xTE.

Or, what about the final strike I also watched of Bruce Sutter striking out the last batter of game 7 of the 1982 World Series of the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Milwaukee Brewers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41vjWTL73kg?

The above moments in St. Louis Cardinals' history were just many of the great sports moments in St. Louis History.

And a year after the 1982 World Series I worked as an usher at Busch Stadium for a total of four years in high school and college where I protected Whitey Herzog from fans as he stood on the left side of the dugout during the game. I would also work in the Box seats near the field, and on occasion work Busch's box.

I watched several Olympics, but none compared to when the U.S.A. Men's team beat Russia in the 1980 Winter Olympics. (See the information below about the game).

I was also a big fan of college basketball and immersed myself in March Madness (the NCAA college basketball tournament) each year.

In my thirties and forties, I played pick-up games with Saint Louis University basketball team members and alumni lawyers on Saturdays and Sundays at the Simon Recreation Center, and Kristina and Erica would sometimes go with me. It was probably the best shape I was ever in for my entire life, and I enjoyed the camaraderie and team atmosphere of being a part of the pick-up games.

Pick-Up Basektball Game at Simon Recreation Center Sends Me Literally For a Loop

June 28, 2021

In my thirties and forties, we had a membership to the Simon Recreation Center, and Kristina and Erica would often go with me and run around playing. There was one incident, however, that scared them, as I would end up sprawled on my back on the basketball floor.

Unfortunately, I stepped on a ball that came from another court and had actually did a full head-over-heels flip onto the basketball floor. I can remember Kristina and Erica coming out to the court to see if I was okay, as well as my pick-up game teammates. One guy, after holding back laughing said, "I wouldn't have believed you could do that if I hadn't had seen it with my own two eyes. Are you okay? You have a red mark across your forehead from where your head grazed the floor."

I looked up at him and said I was okay, and like the pro that I was, resumed playing without much delay. To this day, I can not remember if we won that game, but it is amazing what your body can do when forced to on any given occasion.

My Honeymoon Night At the (Omni Hotel) St. Louis Union Station Hotel Results In a Scare

June 28, 2021

After a great wedding day and excellent reception on September 12, 1987, we arrived at the Omni Hotel, which is now called St. Louis Union Station Hotel at around 1 a.m. in the morning. Much to my chagrin, there was no valet to park the car I had borrowed from my Uncle Harry. I had to leave Rose in the car, therefore, and go to the front desk to ask if someone could park the car. It would take almost a half an hour to get someone.

After getting someone to park the car, they checked me in at the front desk and had me fill out paperwork. They gave me the key to the room, and I immediately sent Rose up to the room while I filled out the paperwork. After filling out the paperwork, I went up to the room but was informed by Rose upon my arrival that the front desk had problems with my credit card being denied, and that unless I could pay cash, that I would not be allowed to stay. It was a scary situation.

I told them I would come down to talk to them because there must've been some kind of mistake. After talking with the front desk, they informed me that they had put an estimate of over $500 for the room and breakfast we had planned for the next day. At that point, I realized what the problem was. Just graduating from college, I had not been offered and I had not taken the opportunity to up my $500 credit line, and therefore, my card had been rejected as a result. I explained to the front desk what the problem was, and insisted that we would spend less than $500. They then ran the card once again, and it was approved.

U.S.A. Men's Hockey Team Beats Russia in 1980 Winter Olympics - A Historic Moment in My Lifetime

June 25, 2021

I watched a lot of the Summer and Winter Olympics during my life and saw a lot of historic moments, including the U.S. Men's Hockey team victory over Russia.

According to Wikipedia, the "Miracle on Ice" as it was called was an ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. It was played between the hosting United States and the Soviet Union on February 22, 1980, during the medal round of the men's hockey tournament. Though the Soviet Union was a four-time defending gold medalist and heavily favored, the United States upset them and won 4–3.

The Soviet Union had won the gold medal in five of the six previous Winter Olympic Games, and they were the favorites to win once more in Lake Placid. The team consisted primarily of professional players with significant experience in international play. By contrast, the United States' team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, was comprised of mostly amateur players. With only four players with minimal minor-league experience, the United States was the youngest team in the tournament and in U.S. national team history. In the group stage, both the Soviet and U.S. teams were unbeaten; the U.S. achieved several surprising results, including a 2–2 draw against Sweden, and a 7–3 upset victory over second-place favorite Czechoslovakia.

For the first game in the medal round, the United States played the Soviets. Finishing the first period tied at 2–2, and the Soviets leading 3–2 following the second, the U.S. team scored two more goals to take their first lead midway in the third and final period, then held on and won 4–3 Two days later, the U.S. won the gold medal by beating Finland in their final game. The Soviet Union took the silver medal by beating Sweden.

The victory became one of the most iconic moments of the Games and in U.S. sports. Equally well-known was the television call of the final seconds of the game by Al Michaels for ABC, in which he declared: "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" In 1999, Sports Illustrated named the "Miracle on Ice" the top sports moment of the 20th century. As part of its centennial celebration in 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) named the "Miracle on Ice" as the best international ice hockey story of the past 100 years.

History - The Soviet and American teams

The Soviet team's Vladislav Tretiak (pictured here in 2008) was considered the best goaltender in ice hockey in 1980. The Americans scored two goals against him before he was pulled from the game at the end of the first period.

The Soviet Union entered the Lake Placid games as the heavy favorite, having won four consecutive gold medals dating back to the 1964 games. In the four Olympics following their 1960 bronze-medal finish at Squaw Valley, Soviet teams had gone 27–1–1 (wins-losses-ties) and outscored their opponents 175–44. In head-to-head matchups against the United States, the cumulative score over that period was 28–7. The Soviet team had not lost a game in Olympic play since 1968.

The Soviets were led by legendary players in world ice hockey, such as Boris Mikhailov (a top line right winger and team captain), Vladislav Tretiak (the consensus best goaltender in the world at the time), the speedy and skilled Valeri Kharlamov, and talented, dynamic players such as defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov and forwards Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov. From that team, Tretiak, Kharlamov, Makarov, and Fetisov were eventually enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

U.S. head coach Herb Brooks held tryouts in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1979. Of the 20 players who eventually made the final Olympic roster, Buzz Schneider was the only one returning from the 1976 Olympic team. Nine players had played under Brooks at the University of Minnesota (including Rob McClanahan, Mike Ramsey, and Phil Verchota), while four more were from Boston University (Dave Silk, Jack O'Callahan, goaltender Jim Craig, and team captain Mike Eruzione). As Boston University and Minnesota were perennial rivals in college hockey (for instance, they had faced off in a bitter NCAA national semifinal in 1976), Brooks' selection process was a 300-question psychological test that would give him insight on how every player would react under stress; anyone who refused to take the test would automatically fail. Brooks had to select from 68 players who started the tryout.

The average age of the U.S. team was 21 years, making it the youngest team in U.S. history to play in the Olympics (in addition to being the youngest team in the 1980 Olympic tournament), but Brooks knew the limits of every player. As forward John Harrington said, "He knew exactly where to quit. He'd push you right to the limit where you were ready to say, 'I've had it, I'm throwing it in' — and then he'd back off." Brooks continued the organization by campaigning for the players' selection of Eruzione as the captain, and Craig had been the goalie for him in the 1979 World Championship tournament. Assistant coach Craig Patrick had played with Brooks on the 1967 U.S. national team.

The Soviet and American teams were natural rivals due to the decades-old Cold War. In addition, President Jimmy Carter was at the time considering a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, to be held in Moscow, in protest of the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. On February 9, the same day the American and Soviet teams met in an exhibition game in New York City, U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance denounced the impending Moscow games at an IOC meeting President Carter eventually decided in favor of the boycott

Exhibitions. In e.xhibitions that year, Soviet club teams went 5–3–1 against National Hockey League (NHL) teams and, a year earlier, the Soviet national team had routed the NHL All-Stars 6–0 to win the Challenge Cup. In 1979–80, virtually all the top North American players were Canadians, although the number of U.S.-born professional players had been on the rise throughout the 1970s. The 1980 U.S. Olympic team featured several young players who were regarded as highly promising, and some had signed contracts to play in the NHL immediately after the tournament.

In September 1979, before the Olympics, the American team started exhibition play. They played a total of 61 games in five months against teams from Europe and the United States. Through these games, Brooks instilled a European style of play in his team, emphasizing wide-open play with sufficient body contact. He believed it would be the only way for the Americans to compete with the Soviets. From the start of the exhibition matches, he conducted the team through skating wind sprints consisting of end line to blue line and back, then end line to red line and back, then end line to far blue line and back, and finally end line all the way down and back. Some of the players took to calling these "Herbies" On September 17, the team played to a 3–3 tie in Norway. Believing the team wasn't putting up sufficient effort, an angry Brooks had them skate Herbies after the game and, after a while, arena custodians turned the lights off and the Herbies continued in the dark. The two teams played again the next night, with the US winning handily 9-0. Near the end of the exhibition season, Brooks, because of subpar play, threatened to cut Eruzione (the captain) from the team and replace Craig with Steve Janaszak as the starting goaltender, although he had supported them throughout.

In their last exhibition game, against the Soviets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, February 9, the Americans were crushed 10–3. Soviet head coach Viktor Tikhonov later said that this victory "turned out to be a very big problem" by causing the Soviets to underestimate the American team The game was also costly for the Americans off-ice, as defenseman Jack O'Callahan pulled a ligament in his knee; however, Brooks kept O'Callahan on the roster, which meant the U.S. was virtually playing with only 19 players throughout the tournament. O'Callahan eventually returned for the game against the Soviets, playing limited minutes.

Olympic group play
Main article: Ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics

In Olympic group play, the Americans surprised many observers with their physical, cohesive play. In their first game, on February 12 against favored Sweden, Team USA earned a dramatic 2–2 draw by scoring with 27 seconds left after pulling goalie Jim Craig for an extra attacker. Then came a stunning 7–3 victory over Czechoslovakia, who were a favorite for the silver medal. With its two toughest games in the group phase out of the way, the U.S. team reeled off three more wins, beating Norway 5–1, Romania 7–2, and West Germany 4–2 to go 4–0–1 and advance to the medal round from its group, along with Sweden.

In the other group, the Soviets stormed through their opposition undefeated, often by grossly lopsided scores. They defeated Japan 16–0, the Netherlands 17–4, Poland 8–1, Finland 4–2, and Canada 6–4 to easily qualify for the next round, although both the Finns and the Canadians gave the Soviets tough games for two periods. In the end, the Soviet Union and Finland advanced from their group.

Game summary - Prior to the Friday game, ABC requested that it be rescheduled from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, so that it could be broadcast live in primetime. However, the IIHF declined the request after the Soviets complained that it would cause the game to air at 4 a.m. Moscow Time, as opposed to 1 a.m. As a result, ABC decided not to broadcast the game live for the U.S. audience and tape-delayed it for broadcast during its primetime block of Olympics coverage. Before the game aired, ABC's Olympics host Jim McKay openly stated that the game had already occurred, but that they had promised not to spoil its results. In order to accommodate coverage of the men's slalom competition, portions of the game were also edited for time. ABC's 8 to 8:30 p.m. timeslot was instead devoted to the animated special The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks. To this day, some who watched the game on television in the United States still believe that it was live.

With a capacity of 8,500, Amalie Arena was packed. The home crowd waved U.S. flags and sang patriotic songs such as "God Bless America". Before the game, Brooks read his players a statement he had written out on a piece of paper, telling them that "You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours." Brooks believed they could win and later said, "The Russians were ready to cut their own throats. But we had to get to the point to be ready to pick up the knife and hand it to them. So the morning of the game I called the team together and told them, 'It's meant to be. This is your moment and it's going to happen.' It's kind of corny and I could see them thinking, 'Here goes Herb again....' But I believed it."

First period - As in several previous games, the U.S. team fell behind early. Vladimir Krutov deflected a slap shot by Alexei Kasatonov past U.S. goaltender Jim Craig at the 9:12 mark to give the Soviets a 1–0 lead. At the 14:03 mark, Buzz Schneider scored for the United States on a 50-foot shot from the left boards to tie the game. The Soviets struck again when Sergei Makarov scored with 17:34 gone. With his team down 2–1, Craig improved his play, turning away many Soviet shots before the U.S. team had another shot on goal.

In the waning seconds of the first period, Dave Christian fired a slap shot on Tretiak from 100 feet (30 m) away. The Soviet goalie saved the shot but misplayed the rebound, which bounced out some 20 feet (6.1 m) in front of him. Mark Johnson sliced between the two defenders, found the loose puck, and fired it past a diving Tretiak to tie the score with one second left in the period The first period ended with the game tied 2–2.

Second period - Tikhonov replaced Tretiak with backup goaltender Vladimir Myshkin immediately after Johnson's tying goal a move that shocked players on both teams Tikhonov later identified this as the "turning point of the game" and called it "the biggest mistake of my career". Years later, when Johnson asked Viacheslav Fetisov, now an NHL teammate, about the move, Fetisov responded with "Coach crazy" Myshkin allowed no goals in the second period. The Soviets dominated play in the second period, outshooting the Americans 12–2, but scored only once, on a power play goal by Aleksandr Maltsev 2:18 into play. After two periods the Soviet Union led, 3–2.

Third period - Vladimir Krutov was sent to the penalty box at the 6:47 mark of the third period for high-sticking. The Americans, who had managed only two shots on Myshkin in 27 minutes, had a power play and a rare offensive opportunity. Myshkin stopped a Mike Ramsey shot, then U.S. team captain Mike Eruzione fired a shot wide. Late in the power play, Dave Silk was advancing into the Soviet zone when Valeri Vasiliev knocked him to the ice. The puck slid to Mark Johnson. Johnson fired off a shot that went under Myshkin and into the net at the 8:39 mark, as the power play was ending, tying the game at 3. Only a couple of shifts later, Mark Pavelich passed to Eruzione, who was left undefended in the high slot. Eruzione, who had just come onto the ice, fired a shot past Myshkin, who was screened by Vasili Pervukhin. This goal gave Team USA a 4–3 lead, its first of the game, with exactly 10 minutes remaining to play.

The Soviets, trailing for the first time in the game, attacked ferociously. Moments after Eruzione's goal, Maltsev fired a shot that ricocheted off the right goal post. As the minutes wound down, Brooks kept repeating to his players, "Play your game. Play your game. Instead of going into a defensive crouch, the United States continued to play offense, even getting off a few more shots on goal. The Soviets began to shoot wildly, and Sergei Starikov admitted that "we were panicking." As the clock ticked down below a minute, the Soviets got the puck back into the American zone, and Mikhailov passed to Vladimir Petrov, who shot wide. The Americans fully expected Tikhonov to pull the goalie in the waning seconds. To their surprise, Myshkin stayed in the game. Starikov later explained that "We never did six-on-five," not even in practice, because "Tikhonov just didn't believe in it. Craig kicked away a Petrov slap shot with 33 seconds left. Kharlamov fired the puck back in as the clock ticked below 20 seconds. A wild scramble for the puck ensued, ending when Johnson found it and passed it to Ken Morrow. As the U.S. team tried to clear the zone (move the puck over the blue line, which they did with seven seconds remaining), the crowd began to count down the seconds left. Sportscaster Al Michaels, who was calling the game on ABC along with former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, picked up on the countdown in his broadcast, and delivered his famous call:

11 seconds, you've got 10 seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!

The March 3, 1980 cover of Sports Illustrated ran without any accompanying captions or headlines.

As his team ran all over the ice in celebration, Herb Brooks sprinted back to the locker room and cried In the locker room afterward, and players spontaneously broke into a chorus of "God Bless America". After the gold medal-securing victory over Finland, they received a congratulatory phone call from President Jimmy Carter.

During the broadcast wrap-up after the game, ABC Olympic sports anchor Jim McKay compared the American victory over the Soviet professionals to a group of Canadian college football players defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers (the recent Super Bowl champions and at the height of their dynasty).

The United States did not win the gold medal by defeating the USSR. In 1980, the medal round was a round-robin, not a single-elimination format as it is today. Under Olympic rules at the time, the group game with Sweden was counted along with the medal round games versus the Soviet Union and Finland. Because the United States had the high strength of victory against all their opponents, it was mathematically possible for the United States to finish anywhere from first to third.

Needing to defeat Finland to secure the gold medal, Team USA faced a 2–1 deficit at the end of the second period. According to Mike Eruzione, coming into the dressing room for the second intermission, Brooks turned to his players, looked at them, and said, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves." He then walked towards the locker room door, paused, looked over his shoulder, and said to them again, "Your fucking graves." Team USA came back in the third period to defeat Finland 4–2.

At the time, the players ascended a podium to receive their medals and then lined up on the ice for the playing of the national anthem, as the podium was only meant to accommodate one person. Only the team captains remained on the podium for the duration. After the completion of the anthem, Eruzione motioned for his teammates to join him on the podium. Today, podiams are not used for ice hockey; the teams line up on their respective blue lines after the final game.

The cover of the March 3, 1980, issue of Sports Illustrated was a photograph by Heinz Kluetmeier of the American players celebrating and waving an American flag; it did not feature any explanatory captions or headlines, because, as Kluetmeier put it, "It didn't need it. Everyone in America knew what happened." The U.S. team also received the magazine's "Sportsmen of the Year" award, and was also named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and ABC's Wide World of Sports. In 2004, ESPN, as part of its 25th anniversary, declared the Miracle on Ice to be the top sports headline moment and game of the period 1979–2004. The victory was voted the greatest sports moment of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.[61]

The U.S. team lit the Olympic cauldron at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Later careers, Of the 20 players on Team USA, 13 eventually played in the NHL.[62] Five of them played over 500 NHL games, and three of them played over 1,000 NHL games.

Neal Broten played one more season for the Golden Gophers before moving on to the NHL, and he appeared in 1,099 NHL games over 17 seasons—992 of them with the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. He captained the Stars before being traded midway through the 1994–95 season to the New Jersey Devils. A two-time All-Star, he tallied 923 career points (289 goals, 634 assists), became the first American player to record 100 points in a season, and he won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Devils in 1995. Broten had already won the NCAA championship in 1979 at the University of Minnesota; this, combined with the Olympic gold medal in 1980 and the 1995 Cup win (Broten scored the Cup-winning goal in Game 4 as Viacheslav Fetisov, playing for the opposing Detroit Red Wings, fell down), made him the first player in the history of the sport to win a championship at the collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. The Dallas Stars have since retired number 7 for Broten.
Ken Morrow won the Stanley Cup in 1980 as a member of the New York Islanders, becoming the first hockey player to win an Olympic gold medal and the Cup in the same year. He played 550 NHL games and won three more Cups, all with the Islanders. Morrow later worked for the Islanders as Director of Pro Scouting
Mike Ramsey played in 1,070 games over 18 years. Fourteen of those years were spent with the Buffalo Sabres, with whom he played 911 games and was a five-time All-Star, captaining the team from 1990 to 1992. In 1995, he played in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Detroit Red Wings, but his team was swept by Neal Broten and the New Jersey Devils. In 2000, Ramsey became an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild.
Dave Christian spent 14 years in the NHL, the bulk of them for the original Winnipeg Jets (for whom he served as team captain) and Washington Capitals. In 1990, he played in the Stanley Cup Finals while with the Boston Bruins, but the Bruins lost in five games to the Edmonton Oilers. He ended his career with 783 points (340 goals, 443 assists) in 1,009 games and made the All-Star team in 1991.
Mark Johnson played for several teams in the NHL before finding a home in New Jersey, tallying 508 career points (203 goals, 305 assists) in 669 games over 11 seasons.[70] Like Christian, Ramsey, and Broten, he became an NHL All-Star (in 1984) and served as Hartford Whalers team captain. In 2002, Johnson became the coach of the University of Wisconsin–Madison women's team, leading the Badgers to National Championships in 2006, 2007 (which the Badgers won in the same Lake Placid arena in which the Miracle took place), 2009, 2011, 2019, and 2021. Johnson also served as head coach of the women's ice hockey team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Jack O'Callahan played 390 NHL regular-season games between 1982 and 1989 for the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils.
Mark Pavelich played 355 NHL regular-season games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars, and San Jose Sharks between 1981 and 1992.
Dave Silk played 249 NHL regular-season games for the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers between 1980 and 1985.
The Miracle on Ice launched the careers of several players and made broadcaster Al Michaels famous.
Jim Craig appeared in 30 NHL games for the Atlanta Flames, Boston Bruins, and Minnesota North Stars between 1980 and 1984.
Team captain Mike Eruzione did not play any high-level ice hockey after the 1980 Olympics, as he felt that he had accomplished all of his hockey goals with the gold medal win. He did work as a hockey television analyst in the 1980s and 1990s.
Craig Patrick, Brooks' assistant coach, and assistant general manager, both managed and coached the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. As a result of his success with the Penguins, who won two Stanley Cups while Patrick was general manager, he was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. During that same year, he served as general manager of the Herb Brooks-coached 2002 U.S. hockey team that won the silver medal at the Salt Lake City games.
Herb Brooks, the team coach, coached several NHL teams following the Olympics, with mixed results. He returned to the Olympics as coach of the French team in 1998, the first Olympics in which NHL players competed. Brooks then led Team USA to the silver medal in 2002, which included a 2–2 round-robin draw and a 3–2 semi-final victory over Russia (the successor to the Soviet Union), the semi-final match coming 22 years to the day after the "Miracle on Ice" game. Brooks died in a car crash near Forest Lake, Minnesota on August 11, 2003 at the age of 66. In 2005, the Olympic Center ice arena in Lake Placid where the Miracle on Ice took place was renamed in his honor.
Al Michaels got the job as play-by-play announcer for ice hockey at Lake Placid because he was the only member of ABC's broadcasting team who had previously called the sport (at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan). Michaels was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in 1980 for his coverage of the event. Michaels spent 26 more years covering sports for ABC before moving to NBC to call Sunday Night Football alongside John Madden and then Cris Collinsworth after Madden retired.

Soviet aftermath - Silver medal - In the Soviet locker room, Tikhonov singled out first-line players Tretiak, Kharlamov, Petrov, and Mikhailov, and told each of them, "This is your loss! Two days after the Miracle on Ice, the Soviet team defeated Sweden 9–2, winning the silver medal. The Soviet players were so upset at their loss that they did not turn in their silver medals to get their names inscribed on them, as is custom. The result stunned the Soviet Union and its news media.

After the 1980 Winter Olympics - Despite the loss, the USSR remained the pre-eminent power in Olympic hockey until its dissolution in 1991. The Soviet team did not lose a World Championship game until 1985 and did not lose to the United States again until 1991.

Popular culture - A made-for-TV movie Miracle on Ice, starring Karl Malden as Brooks, Steve Guttenberg as Craig, and Andrew Stevens as Eruzione aired on ABC television in 1981. It incorporated actual game footage and original commentary from the 1980 Winter Game

The documentary film Do You Believe in Miracles?, narrated by Liev Schreiber, premiered on HBO in 2001 and was subsequently released on home video.

In 2004, Walt Disney Pictures released the film Miracle, directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Kurt Russell as Brooks. Al Michaels recreated his commentary for most of the games. The final ten seconds, however, and his "Do you believe in miracles? YES!" call, were from the original broadcast and used in the film since the filmmakers felt that they could not ask him to recreate the emotion he felt at that moment. The film was dedicated to Brooks, who died shortly after principal photography completed.

The documentary Of Miracles And Men, which was directed by Jonathan Hock, premiered on ESPN in 2015 as part of the channel's 30 for 30 series. The story of the 1980 matchup is told from the Soviet perspective.

A Great Moment in USA Olympics History! Kerry Strug Vaults her 1996 USA Olympic Team To A Gold Medal

June 26, 2021

Talk about drama and inspiration in sports, how about the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, when Kerry Strug struggled on her second vault of a two vault try on a bad ankle that she had hurt on vault one, and as a result vaulted the U.S.A. Women's Gymnastics Team to a Gold Medal? If you haven't seen this then you have to watch it. It didn't happen live on T.V. then, but I was the first to see it with all of America. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlGCfS-F22I.

After that first vault, as Strug walked back down the runway to take her second shot, her teammates noticed her pumping her foot. It was the same ankle that had been giving her problems before the start of the competition. "I think we were all injured," Miller says. In addition to Moceanu's shin and Strug's ankle, Miller was working through a painful wrist injury. At the end of an Olympic cycle, most gymnasts' bodies are holding on by the slimmest of tendons.

"It felt, like, loose, like it was out of place or something," Strug says. She hoped that in the time it took her to get back to the end of the runway, she'd be able to push it back into place. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, her teammates looked on anxiously, concerned about the gravity of her injury but also about the result. They knew they had a cushion over Russia at the start of the rotation but was it big enough to absorb another fall?

"I JUST LOOKED AT BELA FOR THOSE WORDS THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS NOW: 'YOU CAN DO IT,'" STRUG RECALLS. "ALL THESE YEARS LATER, NOW THAT I'M A MOM, I'M LIKE, REALLY? THAT'S ALL YOU THOUGHT OF? THAT'S WHAT I'M TELLING MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD LITTLE BOY WHEN HE'S PLAYING T-BALL. 'YOU CAN DO IT! COME ON HONEY, YOU CAN DO IT!'" SHE JOKED.

Still, she acknowledges that the simplicity of the message was what made it work. In that pivotal moment, she didn't need corrections; she had done the training. She didn't need an in-depth analysis of what went wrong. There wasn't time for that. Strug needed something actionable. You can do it.

A few seconds later, it was over. Strug hit her second vault, briefly landing on two feet before her injured foot recoiled as though the sting mat was made of hot coals instead of foam. Hopping on one foot, she saluted the judges just before collapsing to the ground. On her knees, she started pulling herself off the podium, using only her upper body before the medical staff swarmed her. "I was in so much pain," she says. "I couldn't stop moving."

Rams Win January 30, 2000 Super Bowl XXXIV against Tennesse Titans - I Attended Uncle Harry's Party

June 25, 2021

The St. Louis Rams also provided a great sports story as they won on January 30, 2000 over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. It was their first and only championship, but it was memorable nonetheless. As one of the most improbable Super Bowl champions, the Rams went from 4-12 in 1998 to 13-3 in 1999, en route to winning the title. Kurt Warner would provide a storybook year as he replaced injured first-string quarterback Trent Green.

I was lucky enough to attend many St. Louis Rams games with my Uncle Harry, who had box seats near the cheerleaders on the sideline and also near the end zone. I was able to watch the Rams' high-powered offenses break down opposing defenses with relative ease.

MORE ABOUT KURT WARNER

According to Wikipedia, Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals. His career, which saw him ascend from an undrafted free agent to a two-time Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP, is regarded as one of the greatest stories in NFL history.

After playing college football at Northern Iowa from 1990 to 1993, Warner spent four years without being named to an NFL roster. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1994, but released before the regular season and instead played three seasons for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League (AFL). Warner landed his first NFL roster spot in 1998 with the Rams, holding a backup position until he was thrust into becoming St. Louis' starter the following season. During his first season as an NFL starting quarterback, Warner led The Greatest Show on Turf offense to the Rams' first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIV, earning him league and Super Bowl MVP honors. He won his second league MVP award in 2001, en route to a Super Bowl XXXVI appearance, and also appeared in Super Bowl XLIII with the Cardinals.

Considered the NFL's greatest undrafted player, Warner is the only undrafted player to be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, as well as the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. He is also the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl during his first season as the primary starter. Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and is the only player inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Warner played football at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, graduating in 1989. After graduation from high school, he attended the University of Northern Iowa, graduating in 1993. At UNI, Warner was third on the Panthers' depth chart until his senior year. When Warner was finally given the chance to start, he was named the Gateway Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.

WARNER'S PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Green Bay Packers - Following his college career, Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft. He was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers' training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began. Warner was competing for a spot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer. While Warner was with the Packers, the head coach was Mike Holmgren, the quarterback coach was Steve Mariucci, and Andy Reid was the offensive assistant.

After his release, Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour. Warner often cites this starting point when telling of his rise to NFL stardom in 1999. He also mentions that his deepened dedication to Christianity occurred around 1997. Warner returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.

Iowa Barnstormers[edit]With no NFL teams willing to give him a chance, Warner turned to the Arena Football League (AFL) in 1995, and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers. He was named to the AFL's First-team All-Arena in both 1996 and 1997 after he led the Barnstormers to ArenaBowl appearances in both seasons. Warner's performance was so impressive that he was later named twelfth out of the 20 Best Arena Football Players of all time.

Before the 1997 AFL season, Warner requested and got a tryout with the Chicago Bears, but an injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite sustained during his honeymoon prevented him from attending.

In 2000, after Warner's breakout NFL season, the AFL used his new fame for the name of its first widely available video game, Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed. Years later, on August 12, 2011, he would be named as an inductee into the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

In December 1997 after the St. Louis Rams' season had ended, Warner signed a futures contract with the team. In February 1998, he was allocated to NFL Europe to play for the Amsterdam Admirals, where he would lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards.[13][14][15] His backup at the time was future Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, another famous rags-to-riches quarterback story. Returning to the United States, Warner spent the 1998 season as St. Louis' third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono. He ended his season completing only 4 of 11 pass attempts for 39 yards and a 47.2 QB rating.

1999 season

Prior to the 1999 free-agency period, the Rams chose Warner to be one of the team's five unprotected players in the 1999 NFL Expansion Draft. Warner went unselected by the Cleveland Browns, who chose no Rams and whose only quarterback selection was Scott Milanovich.

The Rams let Bono leave in free agency and signed Trent Green to be the starter. Banks was traded to the Ravens, and Warner now found himself second on the depth chart. After Green suffered a torn ACL via a low hit by Rodney Harrison in a preseason game, Rams coach Dick Vermeil named Warner as the Rams' starter. In an emotional press conference, Vermeil—who hadn't seen Warner work with the first-string offense—said, "We will rally around Kurt Warner, and we'll play good football." With the support of running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl, Warner put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz, was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record.

Warner threw three touchdown passes in each of his first three NFL starts, an NFL record until it was surpassed by Patrick Mahomes in 2018. Warner drew more attention in the Rams' fourth game of the season, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers (who had been NFC West division champions for 12 of the previous 13 seasons). The Rams had lost their last 17 meetings with the 49ers, but Warner proceeded to throw a touchdown pass on each of the Rams' first three possessions of the game, and four touchdowns in the first half alone, to propel the Rams to a 28–10 halftime lead on the way to a 42–20 victory. Warner finished the game with five touchdown passes, giving him 14 in four games and the Rams a 4–0 record. Warner's breakout season from a career in anonymity was so unexpected that Sports Illustrated featured him on their October 18 cover with the caption "Who Is This Guy?" He was named the 1999 NFL MVP at the season's end for leading the Rams to their first playoff berth since 1989 (when they were still in Los Angeles) and their first division title since 1985.

Warner at post-game press conference for Super Bowl XXXIV

In the NFL playoffs, Warner ultimately led the Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans. In the game, he threw for two touchdowns and a then Super Bowl-record 414 passing yards, including a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce when the game was tied with just over two minutes to play, which proved to be the game-winning score. Warner also set a Super Bowl record by attempting 45 passes without a single interception. For his performance, Warner was awarded the Super Bowl MVP award. As of 2021, Warner is the most recent player to win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year.

2000 season

On July 21, Warner signed a seven-year contract worth $47 million. He started the 2000 season where he had left off in his record-setting 1999 season, racking up 300 or more passing yards in each of his first six games (tying Steve Young's record) and posting 19 touchdown passes in that stretch. Warner broke his hand and missed the middle of the season, but Trent Green filled in ably and the Warner/Green duo led the Rams to the highest team passing yard total in NFL history, with 5,232 net yards. Warner and Green's combined gross passing yards total was 5,492. In contrast to his previous season, however, Warner's turnover rate drastically increased in 2000, as he threw an interception in 5.2% of his attempts (compared to just 2.6% in 1999). Despite one of the most productive offensive years by an NFL team, the Rams only won ten games and lost in the wild card round to the New Orleans Saints. In response to the disappointing season, the Rams cut nine of their eleven defensive starters during the offseason, and Trent Green was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

2001 season

Warner quickly returned to MVP form in 2001. Although his performance lagged behind his 1999 performance, he amassed a league-high 36 touchdown passes and 4,830 passing yards, and another league-high mark in passer rating (101.4). Warner's tendency for turnovers carried over from 2000, as he tossed a career-high 22 interceptions (despite completing a career-high 68.7% of his passes), but he still led "The Greatest Show on Turf" to its third consecutive 6–0 start (becoming the first NFL team to do so, later equaled by the 2005–2007 Indianapolis Colts), an NFL-best 14–2 record, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI. Warner was also named the NFL MVP for the second time in three seasons, giving the Rams their third winner in as many years (running back Marshall Faulk won in 2000).

In Super Bowl XXXVI, Warner threw for 365 yards (then the second-highest, now the sixth-highest total in Super Bowl history) and a passing touchdown along with a rushing touchdown, but his rhythm was disrupted by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick's defensive game plan and he tossed two costly interceptions which helped stake the heavy-underdog Patriots to a two-touchdown lead. After falling behind to the Patriots 17–3, though, the Rams rallied to tie the game late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Warner quarterback sneak touchdown run and a 26-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Proehl. The game ended in a 20-17 loss for Warner and the Rams when Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots the first of three Super Bowl wins in four years.

2002–2003 seasons

Warner began the 2002 season as the Rams' starter, but he played poorly, throwing seven interceptions against only one touchdown as the team went 0–3. In the Rams' fourth game, this one against the Dallas Cowboys, Warner broke a finger on his throwing hand. Warner attempted to come back later in the season, but his injury allowed him to play only two more games (both losses). In contrast to his 103.0 career passer rating entering the season, Warner posted a minuscule 67.4 rating in 2002.

The following season, Warner was replaced as the Rams' starting quarterback for good after fumbling six times in the team's opening-day game against the New York Giants. Warner later revealed that he had previously broken his hand and that it had not fully healed, making it more difficult to grip the football. His successor as the Rams' starting quarterback, Marc Bulger (another relatively unheralded quarterback coming out of college), stepped into the breach and played reasonably well upon replacing Warner.

The Rams signed veteran Chris Chandler as Bulger's backup. The Rams released Warner on June 1, 2004. with three years left on his contract.

New York Giants[edit]Two days after his release from the Rams, he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the New York Giants, with a second-year player option worth $6 million.[24] Warner started the 2004 season as the Giants' starting quarterback, winning five of his first seven games, but following a two-game losing streak, highly touted rookie quarterback Eli Manning was given the starting job. The Giants had a 5–4 win-loss record at the time of Warner's benching, finishing at 6–10 overall (going only 1–6 under Manning). Following the season, Warner chose to void the second year of his contract, and thus became a free agent.

Warner in October 2004

Arizona Cardinals

2005 season

In early 2005, Warner signed a one-year, $4-million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, and was quickly named the starter by coach Dennis Green. Warner posted three relatively mediocre performances before injuring his groin and being replaced by former starter Josh McCown. McCown performed well enough in the two games Warner missed that McCown remained the starter.

After McCown struggled in two straight games, Green re-inserted Warner into the starting line-up. After playing fairly well in two consecutive losses (passing for a total of nearly 700 yards), Warner defeated his former team, the Rams, by a score of 38–28. He passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns while posting a quarterback rating of 115.9. Warner's season ended in week 15 when he partially tore his MCL.

Warner signed a new three-year extension with the Cardinals on February 14, 2006. The deal had a base salary of $18 million and, with performance incentives, could have been worth as much as $24 million.

2006 season

In Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season, Warner won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a win over San Francisco. Two weeks later, Warner passed the 20,000-yard passing milestone in his 76th game, the second-quickest of any player in NFL history (Warner accomplished the feat in one game more than it took record-holder Dan Marino).

After three subpar games in Weeks 2-4, Warner was replaced at quarterback by rookie Matt Leinart in the fourth quarter of week 4. Then-coach Dennis Green stated that Warner would be the backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. In week 16, Leinart went down with a shoulder injury against the 49ers, forcing Warner to see his first action since week 4. Warner filled in nicely, as he was able to hang on for the Cardinals win. In week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, Warner started again in place of the injured Leinart, throwing for 365 yards (which led the NFL for that week) and a touchdown, though the Chargers were able to hold on for a 27–20 win.

2007 season

Leinart was given the starting quarterback job at the start of the 2007 season. However, in the third game of the season, against the Baltimore Ravens, Warner came off the bench to relieve an ineffective Leinart during the 4th quarter with the Ravens leading 23–6 at the beginning of the period. Warner led a furious comeback, as he completed 15 of 20 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. This brought Arizona to a tie game (23–23), though Arizona would go on to lose the game 26–23 after Baltimore kicked a last-second field goal.

On September 30, 2007, during the week four game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warner relieved Leinart again, following another ineffective start. Warner finished with 14 completed of 21 attempts for 132 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, while Leinart re-entered the game in the 4th quarter and led the Cardinals to their final touchdown. After Leinart was placed on injured reserve, Warner was named the starter for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Warner passed for a career-high 484 yards against the 49ers in a 37–31 loss on November 25th, but had a fumble in the end zone in overtime that was recovered by Tully Banta-Cain, and the Cardinals lost. However, the following week Warner improved; and the Cardinals earned a victory over the Browns that brought the Cardinals to 6–6 and kept them in the chase for the NFC Wild Card playoff spot. Warner finished the 2007 season with 27 passing touchdowns, just one shy of the Cardinals franchise record. Warner's performance earned him a $1 million bonus for the year, and he fell just short of attaining a 90.0+ passer rating, which would have given him an extra $500,000.

2008 season

Leinart was named the Cardinals' starting quarterback going into the 2008 off-season, but Ken Whisenhunt stated that it would be very possible for Warner to be the starter before week one of the regular season. Indeed, Warner was named the starter on August 30, 2008. That season, Warner had 4,583 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 67.1%. He was the top-ranked passer in the National Football Conference for the third time, and only trailed Philip Rivers and Chad Pennington of the AFC in NFL passer rating for the season. Warner also received FedEx Air Player of the Week honors for his performance during weeks 9 and 11 of the season. He had his struggles during the season, as in week 3 of the season vs. the New York Jets, his team turned the ball over 7 times. This included an interception for a touchdown, and 2 picks resulting in a touchdown and a field goal in just the second quarter. Warner still managed to get his team to score 35 points in a 56-35 loss.

On December 7, 2008, Warner led the Cardinals to a 34–10 win over his former team, the Rams, securing for the Cardinals the NFC West Division title and their first playoff berth since 1998. It was the Cardinals' first division title since 1975 and the third of the post-merger era. As a result, the Cardinals would earn a home playoff game, only their second ever, and their first in Arizona (despite winning division titles in the 1974 and 1975 seasons in St. Louis, the Cardinals played on the road in the playoffs as a result of the playoff structure in those days). On December 16, 2008, Warner was named the starting quarterback for the NFC team in the 2009 Pro Bowl.

2008 postseason[edit]

Warner at the 2009 Pro Bowl

On January 3, 2009, Warner led the Cardinals in their victory over the Atlanta Falcons 30–24 at home in the first round of the playoffs. During the game, Warner went 19 for 32 passing, a completion percentage of 59.4%, for 271 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. This win represented the first time the Cardinals had won a post-season home game since the 1947 NFL Championship Game.

On January 10, Warner helped the Cardinals defeat the Carolina Panthers 33–13 in Charlotte, North Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. During the game, Warner went 21 for 32 passing, for 220 yards, a completion percentage of 65.6%, with two touchdowns and one interception. This win was the first time the Cardinals had won a game on the East Coast the entire 2008 season, after having lost away games to the Panthers, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and the New England Patriots.

On January 18, Warner threw for 279 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles to lead the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in history. Warner is one of four quarterbacks who made Super Bowl starts with two teams (alongside Craig Morton, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady).

In Warner's third career Super Bowl appearance on February 1, the Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving him with a career 1–2 record in Super Bowls. Despite losing, Warner still managed to throw for 377 yards (the fourth-highest total in Super Bowl history). He completed 72.1% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 112.3. Warner had now recorded the three highest single-game passing yardage totals in the history of the Super Bowl and joined Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway, and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in three Super Bowls. Warner had taken his team to the Super Bowl every year that he played as the starting quarterback during all regular and post season games]

2009 season

Warner announced his desire to return to the Cardinals for the 2009 season. The Cardinals offered him a two-year contract worth around $20 million but Warner was looking for a contract that would pay him about $14 million a year and the two sides could not come to an agreement. On February 27, 2009, Warner became a free agent and went on to have talks with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers offered Warner a contract worth more than that offered by the Cardinals. On March 4, Warner re-signed with the Cardinals to a two-year deal worth $23 million total, $4 million for each of the next two years, with a $15 million signing bonus, and $19 million guaranteed. Warner underwent arthroscopic hip surgery to repair a torn labrum on March 17, 2009. On September 20, 2009, Warner broke the NFL's single-game record for completion percentage in the regular season, completing 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Warner's 92.3 percent completion rate broke the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993.

On November 1, 2009, Warner threw a career-high-equaling five interceptions during a loss to the Carolina Panthers. During the same game, Warner became the first quarterback in the NFL to throw for over 14,000 yards with two teams. On November 8, Warner equaled his career-high of five touchdown passes in a single game during a 41–21 victory over the Chicago Bears. This performance led to Warner being named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week[34] and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week. On November 15, 2009, Warner reached a career milestone with his 200th touchdown pass during a 31–20 win against the Seattle Seahawks.

On November 22, 2009, during a 21–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams, Warner left the game after suffering a concussion.[37] Warner continued to suffer from post-concussion symptoms and on November 29, 2009, he was deactivated against the Tennessee Titans, breaking his consecutive starts streak at 41 straight games. On December 6, 2009, Warner returned to action as the Cardinals defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30–17. Warner registered his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating of 120 or better, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to accomplish the feat. After his three-touchdown performance, Warner was named both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week.

On December 27, 2009, Warner became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw 100 touchdown passes with two teams (Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton is the other), in the Cardinals' 31–10 win over the St. Louis Rams. On December 29, 2009, Warner was named an alternate quarterback for the NFC team in the 2010 Pro Bowl.

2009 postseason

On January 10, 2010, Warner threw five touchdowns and completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards in a 51–45 victory over the Green Bay Packers. The game had the highest combined total score in NFL playoff history. Warner became one of the very few quarterbacks in NFL history to throw more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) in a playoff game. Warner finished the game with the second-highest quarterback rating in NFL playoff history with a rating of 154.1. He also became the second quarterback to throw for five touchdown passes in a playoff game twice and the first to do so since the merger of the leagues. He is also the oldest player to have thrown that many touchdown passes in a playoff game (38 years, 202 days). Warner also tied the NFL record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes (three games). Since the playoff game was his last at home in the playoffs during his career, he finished a perfect 7-0 in home contests (4-0 with St. Louis; 3-0 with Arizona).

Retirement

Warner officially announced his retirement from the NFL in January 2010. He said he was looking forward to finally being a true father to his seven kids, and that he wanted to spend time with his wife. He spoke on the impact and influence of his family, former teammates, and God. He became eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame following the 2014 season.

Dramatic Last Seconds Of The Victory That North Carolina State Won Over Houston in 1983

June 25, 2021

The NCAA title game, in Albuquerque on April 4, 1983, pitted the North Carolina State Wolfpack against a Houston team that had been ranked No. 1 in the nation. The high-flying Cougars were led by the future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

These are the dramatic last seconds of the victory that North Carolina State won against a heavily favored Houston team in the 1983 NCCA tournament championship game - one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament championship history.

North Carolina State, coached by Jim Valvano, won the national title with a 54–52 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis . The ending of the final game is one of the most famous in college basketball history, with a buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation shot from 30 feet out by Dereck Whittenburg.

Lorenza Charles’s game-winner has become emblematic of the N.C.A.A. tournament. It has been shown thousands of times on television, as has the image of the victorious N.C. State coach, Jim Valvano, darting across the court looking for someone to hug. Charles said that not a day passed that he was not asked about it.

AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO WATCH THE WHOLE GAME!

Jimmy Valvano Gives Speech at 10-Year Reunion When He Was Dying of Cancer

June 25, 2021

Here's a very good speech from one of my favorite coach's Jimmy Valvano, the North Carolina State 1983 NCAA Championship coach that he gave at the 10-year reunion when he was dying from cancer. I can't say I saw this live, though, but still, in all, it is a very good speech I found by a very great and inspiring coach. North Carolina State was the underdog throughout most of the 1983 NCAA Championship. But, despite all odds, they won the Championship on a dunk from Lorenzo Charles at the final buzzer.

This speech moves me to tears every time I watch it!

Jimmy Valvano gave his philosophy on life as the winner of the 1993 ESPY awards

June 25, 2021

Jimmy Valvano gave his philosophy on life as the winner of the 1993 ESPY awards on March 3rd, 1993. This speech moves me to tears every time I watch it!

Valvano died at age 47 on April 28, 1993, less than two months after his famous ESPY speech, following a nearly year long battle with metastatic cancer.

Michael Jordan - The Greatest Basketball Player In My Lifetime

June 26, 2021

According to Wikipedia, Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." He was integral in helping to popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a global cultural icon in the process.

Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one of the game's best defensive players. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness".

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, ten scoring titles (both all-time records), five MVP Awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors (joint record), fourteen NBA All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP Awards, three steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the 20th century's greatest North American athlete by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press' list of athletes of the century.

With a net worth of $2.1 billion, he is the fourth-richest African American, behind Robert F. Smith, David Steward, and Oprah Winfrey.

EARLY LIFE

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born at Cumberland Hospital in the Fort Greene neighborhood of New York City's Brooklyn borough on February 17, 1963, the son of bank employee Deloris (née Peoples) and equipment supervisor James R. Jordan Sr. In 1968, he moved with his family to Wilmington, North Carolina. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball, and football. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year; at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend Harvest Leroy Smith was the only sophomore to make the team.

Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity team, and tallied several 40-point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged more than 25 points per game (ppg) over his final two seasons of the high school play. As a senior, he was selected to play in the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points, after averaging 27 point 12 rebounds, and 6 assists per game for the season.

College Career

As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 ppg on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.

Jordan was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986, when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography. In 2002, Jordan was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team honoring the 50 greatest players in ACC history.

Professional career early NBA years (1984–1987)The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft.

During his rookie season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting, and helped make a team that had won 35% of games in the previous three seasons playoff contenders. He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas. Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times described him as "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November, and Jordan appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" in December. The fans also voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season. He would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Jordan's second season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to miss 64 games. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history, Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2; however, the Celtics managed to sweep the series. Jordan completely recovered in time for the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.] The Bulls reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year but were again swept by the Celtics.

Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting, and won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as he averaged 1.6 blocks and a league-high 3.1 steals per game. The Bulls finished 50–32, and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. However, the Bulls lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons, who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys

In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 apg. During the season, Sam Vincent, Chicago's point guard, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who would put Jordan at point guard; in his time as a point guard, Jordan averaged 10 triple-doubles in eleven games, with 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bps on 51% shooting.

The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series. However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games, by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple-teaming him every time he touched the ball.

The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a 117–113 road win over the Cavaliers. He averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg, in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers; despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.

First three-peat (1991–1993)In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in sixteen years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season. With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them; this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.

The Bulls advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls won the series four games to one and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way. In his first Finals appearance, Jordan posted per-game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks. Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the Finals trophy.

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise-record from 1990 to 1991. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting. After winning a physical seven-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in six games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers.

In the 1992–93 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign, including a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended, as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards. He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in four consecutive games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships.

Gambling

During the Bulls' 1993 NBA playoffs, Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the night before a game against the New York Knicks. The previous year, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses, and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book in 1993 claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course. NBA commissioner David Stern denied in 1995 and 2006 that Jordan's 1993 retirement was a secret suspension by the league for gambling, but the rumor spread widely.

On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, saying that he lost his desire to play basketball. Jordan later said that the death of his father three months earlier helped shape his decision. James Jordan was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who carjacked his Lexus bearing the license plate "UNC 0023". His body, dumped in a South Carolina swamp, was not discovered until August 3. Green and Demery were found after they made calls on James Jordan's cell phone, convicted at a trial, and sentenced to life in prison.

Jordan was close to his father; as a child, he imitated the way his father stuck out his tongue while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, often displaying it as he drove to the basket.

Jordan further surprised the sports world by signing a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994. He reported to spring training in Sarasota, Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994. Jordan said that this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player.

In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors. He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball. On November 1, 1994, his No. 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.

"I'm back": Return to the NBA (1995)In the 1993–94 season, the Bulls achieved a 55–27 record without Jordan in the lineup and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. The 1994–95 Bulls were a shell of the championship team of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March; however, the team received help when Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.

In March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball because he feared he might become a replacement player during the Major League Baseball strike. On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back." The next day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.

Despite his eighteen-month hiatus from the NBA, Jordan played well, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He scored 55 points in his next game, against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13–4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic.

Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, Jordan decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former No. 23. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA. Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the Bulls wore black. He averaged 31 points per game in the playoffs, but Orlando won the series in six games.

Second three-peat (1995–1998) Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season. The Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the season at 41–3. The Bulls eventually finished with the best regular-season record in NBA history, 72–0, a mark was broken two decades later by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors. Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg, and he won the league's regular-season and All-Star Game MVP awards.

In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series (Miami Heat 3–0, New York Knicks 4–1, and Orlando Magic 4–0), as they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4–2 in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards; he also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP awards in the All-Star Game, regular season, and NBA Finals after Willis Reed in the 1969–70 season. Upon winning the championship, his first since his father's murder, Jordan reacted emotionally, clutching the game ball and crying on the locker room floor.

In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls started out 69–11 but missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 69–13. The Bulls again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Karl Malone's Utah Jazz who had beaten Jordan for the NBA MVP award in a tight race (986–957). The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as the "Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games.

Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season.[45] Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game, securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team, and the All-Star Game MVP The Bulls won the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals with the Knicks. After winning, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.

The Bulls returned to the Delta Center for Game 6 on June 14, 1998, leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. With 41.9 seconds remaining and the Bulls trailing 86–83, Phil Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and sank a shot over several Jazz defenders, cutting Utah's lead to 86–85. The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and stole the ball out of his hands.

Jordan then dribbled down the court and paused, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, although the officials did not call a foul. With 5.2 seconds left, Jordan made the climactic shot of his Bulls career, giving Chicago an 87–86 lead with a jumper over Russell.

Second retirement (1999–2001)

Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999. On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player but as part-owner and president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards. Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive, as he controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters.

Washington Wizards comeback (2001–2003)On September 25, 2001, Jordan announced his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards, indicating his intention to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11 attacks. In an injury-plagued 2001–02 season, Jordan led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.42 spg), and was an MVP candidate, as he led the Wizards to a winning record and playoff contention; he would eventually finish 13th in the MVP ballot. Torn cartilage in his right knee suffered on February 7 against the Sacramento Kings, and its aftermath knee soreness and losing streak moved the Wizards away from playoff contention, and Jordan's season ended after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular-season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season.

Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star Game history, a record since broken by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them, and coming off from the bench in the first 15, as he was still recovering from a knee injury. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free-throw line. Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game. During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out, and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road.

Jordan on the "Dream Team" in 1992

Jordan made his debut for the United States national team at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. He led the team in scoring with 17.3 ppg as the U.S., coached by Jack Hartman, won the gold medal in the competition. A year later, he won another gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The team was coached by Bob Knight.

In 1992, he was a member of the star-studded squad that was dubbed the "Dream Team", which included Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The team went on to win two gold medals. Team USA never lost a single game in the four tournaments in which Jordan played.

Player profile
Jordan was a shooting guard who could also play as a small forward (the position he would primarily play during his second return to professional basketball with the Washington Wizards), and as a point guard. Jordan was known throughout his career as a strong clutch performer. With the Bulls, he decided 25 games with field goals or free throws in the last 30 seconds, including two NBA Finals games and five other playoff contests.
In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in a career. In addition, he set both seasonal and career records for blocked shots by a guard, and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a standout defensive player. He ranks third in NBA history in total steals with 2,514, trailing John Stockton and Jason Kidd

Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles. He was also a fixture of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant).[203] Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game, respectively. Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the second-highest in NBA history. He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play, placing him fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

With five regular-season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russell—only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, with six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star Game MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player in NBA history. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting 10 times and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

"There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us."
—Magic Johnson
Further information: List of career achievements by Michael Jordan

Garth Brooks - The Singer and Songwriter Who Had The Most Influence On My Life

June 28, 2021

My favorite all-time artist singer and songwriter was Garth Brooks. His song "The Dance" plays as one of the background music on this site.

According to Wikipedia, Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. His integration of rock and pop elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States. with success on the country music single and album charts, multi-platinum recordings, and record-breaking live performances, while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena.

Since 1989, Brooks has released 23 records in all, which include 13 studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, three Christmas albums, and four box sets, along with 77 singles. He has won several awards in his career, including two Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards (including "Artist of the '90s"), and the RIAA Award for best-selling solo albums artist of the century in the U.S.

Troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2005. During this time, he sold millions of albums through an exclusive distribution deal with Walmart and sporadically released new singles. In 2005, Brooks started a partial comeback, giving select performances and releasing two compilation albums. In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn, a periodic weekend concert residency at Las Vegas' Encore Theatre from December 2009 to January 2014. Following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014. In September 2014, he began his comeback world tour, with wife and musician Trisha Yearwood, which culminated in 2017. This was followed by his Stadium Tour, which began in 2019. His most recent album, Fun, was released in November 2020.

Brooks is one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold more than 170 million records. As of 2020, according to the RIAA, he is the best-selling solo albums artist in the United States with 156 million domestic units sold, ahead of Elvis Presley, and is second only to the Beatles in total album sales overall. Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21, 2012, having been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame the year before. He was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2016 with his studio musicians, The G-Men. On March 4, 2020, Brooks received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. At age 58, he is the youngest recipient of the award.

On January 20, 2021, Brooks performed "Amazing Grace" at the inauguration of Joe Biden. He said his performance was an opportunity "to serve" and is a "statement of unity."

Early life and education

Troyal Garth Brooks was born on February 7, 1962, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the youngest child of Troyal Raymond Brooks Jr. (1931–2010), a draftsman for an oil company, and Colleen McElroy Carroll (1929–1999), a 1950s-era country singer of Irish ancestry who recorded on the Capitol Records label and appeared on Ozark Jubilee. This was the second marriage for each of his parents, giving Brooks four older half-siblings (Jim, Jerry, Mike, and Betsy). The couple had two children together, Kelly and Garth. At their home in Yukon, Oklahoma, the family hosted weekly talent nights. All of the children were required to participate, either by singing or doing skits. Brooks learned to play both the guitar and banjo.

As a child, Brooks often sang in casual family settings, but his primary focus was athletics. In high school, he played football and baseball and ran track and field. He received a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where he competed in the javelin. At nights, he worked as a bouncer at a local bar and formed his own band, Santa Fe, learning to play whatever the college audience wanted. Brooks graduated in 1984 with a degree in advertising. His roommate, Ty England, later played guitar in his road band until going solo in 1995.

Career(1985–89)
Musical beginnings

In 1985, Brooks began his professional music career, singing and playing guitar in Oklahoma clubs and bars, most notably Wild Willie's Saloon in Stillwater. Through his elder siblings, Brooks was exposed to a wide range of music. Although he listened to some country music, especially that of George Jones, Brooks was most fond of rock music, citing James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, and Townes Van Zandt as major influences. In 1981, after hearing "Unwound", the debut single of George Strait, Brooks decided that he was more interested in playing country music.

In 1985, entertainment attorney Rod Phelps drove from Dallas to listen to Brooks. Phelps liked what he heard and offered to produce Brooks' first demo. With Phelps' encouragement, including a list of Phelps' contacts in Nashville and some of his credit cards, Brooks traveled to Nashville to pursue a recording contract; he returned to Oklahoma within 24 hours. Phelps continued to urge Brooks to return to Nashville, which he did. In 1987, Brooks and wife Sandy Mahl moved to Nashville, and Brooks began making contacts in the music industry.

1989–90: Breakthrough success

Garth Brooks' eponymous first album was released in 1989 and was a chart success. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. Most of the album was traditionalist country, influenced in part by George Strait. The first single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)", was a country top 10 success. It was followed by Brooks' first number-one single on the Hot Country Songs chart, "If Tomorrow Never Comes". "Not Counting You" reached No. 2, and "The Dance" reached No. 1; its music video, directed by John Lloyd Miller, gave Brooks his first push towards a broader audience. Brooks has later claimed that out of all the songs he has recorded, "The Dance" remains his favorite. In 1989, Brooks embarked on his first major concert tour, as the opening act for Kenny Rogers.

Brooks' second album, No Fences, was released in 1990 and spent 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It contained what would become Brooks' signature song, the blue-collar anthem "Friends in Low Places", as well as other popular singles, "The Thunder Rolls" and "Unanswered Prayers".

"Friends in Low Places" (1990)

A sample of Brooks' song, Friends in Low Places. While Brooks' musical style placed him squarely within the boundaries of country music, he was strongly influenced by the 1970s singer-songwriter movement, especially the works of James Taylor, whom he idolized and named his first child after, as well as Dan Fogelberg. Similarly, Brooks was influenced by the 1970s-era rock of Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen and the operatic rock of Queen with Freddie Mercury.

In his live shows, Brooks used a wireless headset microphone to free himself to run about the stage, adding energy and arena rock theatrics to spice up the normally staid country music approach to concerts. The band KISS was also one of Brooks' early musical influences, and his shows often reflect this. Despite all the cited influences, Brooks stated the energetic style of his stage persona is directly inspired by Chris LeDoux.

In late 1990, Brooks was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

1991–93: Ropin' the Wind, The Chase, and Beyond the Season

Brooks' third album, Ropin' the Wind, was released in September 1991. It had advance orders of 4 million copies and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, a first for a country artist.[ The album's musical content was a melange of country-pop and honky-tonk; singles included "The River", "What She's Doing Now", and a cover of Billy Joel's "Shameless".

After spending time in Los Angeles during the 1992 riots, Brooks co-wrote a gospel-country-rock hybrid single, "We Shall Be Free", to express his desire for tolerance.

Brooks released his first Christmas album, Beyond the Season on August 25, 1992.

1993–94: In Pieces and first world tour

Further information: The Garth Brooks World Tour (1993–94)

In 1993, Brooks, who had criticized music stores selling used CDs since it led to a loss in proper royalty payments, persuaded Capitol Records to not ship his 1993 album, In Pieces, to stores that engaged in this practice. This led to several antitrust lawsuits against the record label, ending with Capitol shipping the albums to the stores.

Brooks' first world tour began in 1993, reaching the UK after many domestic concerts. Brooks sold-out venues such as Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre and London's Wembley Arena, a feat never accomplished by an American country music artist. He also began the London radio station, Country 1035.

In 1994, Brooks paid homage to one of his musical influences, KISS, appearing on the tribute compilation, Kiss My Ass: Classic Kiss Regrooved, a collection of songs performed by popular artists from various genres. The unlikely collaboration of Brooks and KISS' rendition of "Hard Luck Woman" was performed live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and despite its hard-rock appeal, Brooks' version appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

1995–98: More albums released and second world tour

Further information: The Garth Brooks World Tour (1996–98)

In November 1995, Brooks released Fresh Horses, his first album of new material in two years. Within six months of its release, the album had sold over three million copies.

Following the release of Fresh Horses, Brooks embarked on his second world tour. Its total attendance, approximately 5.5 million, ranks third on the all-time list of concert attendance, and its gross of over $105 million ranks it among the highest-grossing concert tours in the 1990s.

In 1997, Brooks released his seventh studio album, Sevens. The album was originally scheduled to be released in August 1997, allowing for promotion during Brooks' Central Park concert; however, plans went awry after a dispute within Capitol Records. The Central Park concert went on as planned, receiving 980,000 fans in attendance and becoming the largest concert in park history.

Brooks' first live album, Double Live was released in 1998.

In 1998, Brooks also released the first installment of The Limited Series, a six-disc box set containing reissues of his first six studio albums. Each of the reissued albums included a bonus track not available on the original release.

On November 23, 1999, Brooks released his second-holiday album, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas. The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Top 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums, making it Brooks' 10th number-one album.

As his career flourished, Brooks seemed frustrated by the conflicts between career and family. He first talked of retiring from performing in 1992, and again in 1995, but each time returned to touring In 1999, Brooks appeared on The Nashville Network's Crook & Chase program, again mentioning retirement in a more serious tone.

On October 26, 2000, Brooks officially announced his retirement from recording and performing. Later that evening, Capitol Records noted Brooks' achievement of selling 100 million albums in the US, celebrating at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center.

Brooks' final album before retirement, Scarecrow, was released on November 13, 2001. The album did not match the sales levels of Brooks' heyday but still sold well, reaching No. 1 on Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts.

2005–08: Compilation albums and special performances

In 2005, Brooks expressed his interest in returning to live performances; however, he remained adamant about the premise of not releasing new music until 2014. Despite this, later that year, Brooks signed a deal with Walmart, leasing them the rights to his entire catalog following his split with Capitol Records.

Three months later, in November 2005, Brooks and Walmart issued an updated The Limited Series compilation, a box set containing reissues of Brooks' albums, including Double Live, and The Lost Sessions, featuring eleven previously unreleased recordings.

2014–15: Man Against Machine, GhostTunes, and world tour
Main articles: Man Against Machine and The Garth Brooks World Tour (2014–17)

In February 2014, Brooks announced two concerts at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland, to be held on July 25 and 26, 2014. Due to high demand, three additional shows were added, and a total of 400,000 tickets were sold] However, due to licensing conflict, Aiken Promotions and Croke Park management were prompted to cancel two of the five concerts after conflict among nearby residents. Brooks, committed to performing the five original concerts, refused to follow through with the request to only perform three, and all concerts were canceled.

On July 10, 2014, Brooks held a press conference where he announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville, as well as confirming plans for a new album, world tour, the release of his music in a digital format, and remorse for the Ireland concert controversy. Fifteen days later, tickets first went on sale for the world tour.

On September 3, 2014, Brooks released his comeback single, "People Loving People", in promotion of his world tour and new album, Man Against Machine. The song debuted onto the Nielsen BDS-driven Country Airplay chart at No. 19, tying for the third-highest debut of Brooks' career.

In September 2015, it was announced Brooks would reissue his album No Fences later in the year to commemorate its 25-year release anniversary. The release would include a new version of "Friends in Low Places", featuring George Strait, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban singing along with Brooks.

After years of royalty disputes and opposition to online music streaming, Brooks launched a streaming channel on Sirius XM Radio. He also reached an agreement to stream his entire catalog via Amazon Music.

2018–present: Stadium Tour and other ventures

Brooks performs in 2020

Main article: The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour

110 Quotes From Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

June 27, 2021

Here are 110 quotes from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta that are special and dear to my heart. As you know, I consider myself a man of quotes, having created my own online one-liner quotes for t-shirts, hoodies, and novelty items called Train of Thoughtz.

by 110 Quotes From Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Amy Finn

Looking for the best Mother Teresa quotes and sayings? Check out our collection. We’ve included the most popular (“do it anyway”) and other inspiring Teresa quotes on love, happy life, peace, compassion and more.

110 Best Mother Teresa Quotes

1. “A life not lived for others is not a life.”

2. “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

3. “Peace begins with a smile. I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”

4. “Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.”

5. “There is no key to happiness; the door is always open.”

6. “Smile at each other. Smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – and that will help to grow up in greater love for each other.”

7. “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it.”

8. “Life is love, enjoy it. Life is mystery, know it. Life is a promise, fulfill it.”

9. “There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.”

10. “Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world.”

11. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

12. “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

13. “Nothing makes you happier than when you really reach out in mercy to someone who is badly hurt.”

14. “Do not worry about why problems exist in the world – just respond to people’s needs.”

15. “Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less.”

16. “The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.”

17. “Together we can do great things.”

18. “If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”

19. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”

20. “Never be so busy as not to think of others.”

21. “Life is a game, play it… Life is too precious, do not destroy it.”

22. “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

23. “Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.”

24. “We must make our homes centers of compassion and forgive endlessly.”

25. “The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.”

26. “We have not come into the world to be numbered; we have been created for a purpose; for great things: to love and be loved.”

27. “Life is an adventure, dare it.”

28. “If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.”

29. “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”

30. “People are generally irrational, unreasonable and selfish. They deserve to be loved, anyway.”

31. “I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look at the individual. I can love only one person at a time. I can feed only one person at a time. Just one, one, one.”

32. “You are greater than you know.”

33. “God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try.”

34. “God has created us to love and to be loved, and this is the beginning of prayer-to know that He loves me, that I have been created for greater things.”

35. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

36. “Be kind to each other. It is better to commit faults with gentleness than to work miracles with unkindness.”

37. “There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.”

38. “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”

39. “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”

40. “Whenever you share love with others, you’ll notice the peace that comes to you and to them.”

41. “If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.”

42. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

43. “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

44. “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

45. “God does not create poverty; we do, because we do not share.”

46. “We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, killings, of wars, or of hatred… If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other?”

47. “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

48. “I don’t do great things. I do small things with great love.”

49. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

50. “I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.”

51. “Your true character is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothing’ for you."

52. “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want.”

53. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

54. “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

55. “Doctors can heal the body, but it is music that uplifts the spirit.”

56. “God loves me. I’m not here just to fill a place, just to be a number. He has chosen me for a purpose. I know it.”

57. “For all those who make such stories which are not true, I only say God forgive all these people. I feel sorry for them because they are doing so much harm to themselves.”

58. “The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.”

59. “If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.”

60. “At the heart of silence is prayer. At the heart of prayer is faith. At the heart of faith is life. At the heart of life is service.”

61. “What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; build it anyway.”

62. “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

63. “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”

64. “Let us not use bombs and guns to overcome the world. Let us use love and compassion. Peace begins with a smile.”

65. “Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

66. “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

67. “Spread love everywhere you go; first of all in your house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

68. “Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.”

69. “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.”

70. “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”

71. “The success of love is in the loving – it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done.”

72. “Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

73. “I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money.

No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God

74. “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

75. “Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God – the rest will be given.”

76. “Peace begins with a smile.”

77. “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

78. “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

79. “The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

80. “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.”

81. “Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.

82. “Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.”

83. “The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.”

84. “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”

85. “Do we know our poor people? Do we know the poor in our house, in our family? Perhaps they are not hungry for a piece of bread. Perhaps our children, husband, wife, are not hungry, or naked, or dispossessed, but are you sure there is no one there who feels unwanted, deprived of affection?”

86. “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

87. “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.”

88. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”

89. “Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family.”

90. “The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.”

91. “The openness of our hearts and minds can be measured by how wide we draw the circle of what we call family."

92. “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

93. “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.”

94. “None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

95. “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”

96. “Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness.”

97. “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”

98. “Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.”

99. “Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.”

100. “If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”

101. “If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.”

102. “If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank people will try to cheat you: Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous of you: Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten by tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway.”

103. “No matter how tired you are, no matter how physically exhausting this work may be, it’s beautiful to bring a smile into someone’s life, to care for someone in need. What greater joy can there be?”

104. “The beginning of prayer is silence. If we really want to pray we must first learn to listen, for in the silence of the heart God speaks. And to be able to see that silence, to be able to hear God we need a clean heart; for a clean heart can see God, can hear God, can listen to God; and then only from the fullness of our heart can we speak to God. But we cannot speak unless we have listened, unless we have made that connection with God in the silence of our heart.”

105. “If you can’t do great things, do little things with great love. If you can’t do them with great love, do them with a little love. If you can’t do them with a little love, do them anyway.”

106. “I am nothing; I am but an instrument, a tiny pencil in the hands of the Lord with which He writes what he likes. However imperfect we are, he writes beautifully.”

107. “There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain.Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways."

108. “Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity.”

109. “If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole World would be clean.”

110. “Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and it kills the conscience of the mother. Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women: Half the babies and all the mothers.”

I Developed Train of Thoughtz - An Online T-Shirt, Hoodie, and Novelty Business

June 26, 2021

The Story BehindTrain of Thoughtz

I founded Train of Thoughtz in November 2020, but the "train of thoughts" process began while I was attending high at St. Mary's High School from 1979 to 1983. I'd make up original funny one-liner cards (selling them for a quarter apiece) to classmates to give away at high school parties after homecomings, proms, or football and basketball games. Over the years, I added to my one-liners collection and developed the online t-shirt, hoodie, and novelty business called Train of Thoughtz.

My one-liners (as well as some memorable quotes from the Bible) are available as designed apparel and novelty items, and available for purchase here thanks to the assistance of a DTG T-shirt, hoodie, and sweatshirt printing company located in the Central West End of South St. Louis called Baked T’s.

https://www.trainofthoughtz.com/

MGL Impressions.com Offered Desktop Publishing Services and Web Design

June 26, 2021

Whether someone needed help with web design, online marketing, marketing materials like a brochure, quick flyers, quality publications, a Powerpoint presentation, a proposal, general graphic design, or a quality promotion or publicity campaign, I had the ability to get the job done right and for a price, someone could afford!

Web Design

I offered the very best in web design and uses online web creator tools such as Vistaprint, Squarespace, and Wix.

eCOMMERCE

If someone needed to develop an eCommerce site, I had the experience to create an excellent design. I developed two online eCommerce sites for my other business Train of Thoughtz.

MARKETING MATERIALS

With over 30 years of marketing experience, I assisted people in making their marketing materials look outstanding. Whether it is a brochure or a poster, I knew how to make it look good.

FLYERS

Using Canva, which is a free graphic design platform that's great for making invitations, business cards, Instagram posts, and more, and uses a drag and drop interface makes customizing thousands of templates simple and easy. Canva's wide array of features allowed me to edit photos without having extensive photo editing knowledge or experience.

PROPOSALS

With the customer's guidance and instruction, I assisted in developing quality proposals to give to clients.

PRESS RELEASES

I was able to develop press releases, and send them out to local newspapers via email.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

I could design a logo for your company, or if a company had specific graphic design needs, I could either do it myself or project it out if I think I am unable to provide you with a quality product.

PUBLICATIONS

If the project was small and a client only needed a few prints, I was able to use its Epson printer, but if it needed to be larger or requires several prints I was able to do the legwork and find out where was the best place to go to have the project done for a nominal fee.

PUBLICITY & PROMOTIONS

When I first got out of college I worked for the number two agency in the St. Louis area doing publicity and promotions in St. Louis and Kansas City markets for movie companies such as Paramount Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Cannon Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox. Having this experience, allowed me to be able to assist with all publicity and promotions a client needed.

PRESENTATIONS & DATABASE WORK

With over 25 years of developing quality presentations and managing databases, I knew what it took to get presentation jobs done. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, I created memorable presentations for companies or non-profit organizations. Whether it be a presentation they needed to give at a conference or to your employees, or perhaps at a family function, I could make quality PowerPoint presentations.

I also had twenty-five years of experience in database design, development, management, and administration. My responsibilities included developing database systems to record and track day-to-day business administrative activities, provide reports, and send out correspondence.

As Grants Administrator at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, I actually directed the re-development of the office's grants administration database allowing for more detailed reports and important tracking of regulatory activities. I designed, developed, and programmed the database allowing for a 25% increase in productivity and a significant decrease in data entry errors.

My Striving To Be The Best Video Resume for a Marketing and Communications Coordinator Job

June 27, 2021

Here is my "Striving To Be The Best" video resume that I used for a Marketing and Communications Coordinator position openings.

"Contracting Process" Presentation for Saint Louis University Hospital

June 30, 2021

Here is a presentation I did for Saint Louis University Hospital business managers.

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1999 season

2000 season

2001 season

2002–2003 seasons

2005 season

2006 season

2007 season

2008 season

2008 postseason[edit]

2009 season

2009 postseason

Retirement

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