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  Astronauts presenting winner trophies

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Author Topic:   Astronauts presenting winner trophies
Kite
Member

Posts: 831
From: Northampton UK
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 07-15-2014 04:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kite     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Recently I went to the Wimbledon tennis championships and at a very good specialist tennis book shop within one mile of the complex I ordered two autobiographies by legendary players Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver. I had them sent to me as the proprietors told me that both were guests of Wimbledon this year and would be visiting the gallery to sign copies which was great news for me.

The reason I am posting this information is that when reading the Rosewall book titled "Muscles: The Story of Ken Rosewall, Australia's Little Master of the Courts" on pages 226 -229 it describes the World Championship Tennis (WCT) final in Dallas, Texas late in November 1971 where Rosewall beat Rod Laver. Rosewall writes,

Neil Armstrong was at the match, spun the racket, and presented the trophy. It was a nice gesture he was there.
In the Laver book, "Rod Laver: An Autobiography" on pages 293-295 Laver describes the same match and writes,
The $50,000, the car, the trophy, the ring, the pendant and the mantle of World Champion were all Ken's, and to make it even more special the loot was presented to Kenny, celebrating his 20th year as one of the world's finest ever players, by Neil Armstrong, the first man ever to walk on the moon.
I wonder if any other members of cS know of any other presentations made by astronauts or cosmonauts at sporting or any other type of event.

schnappsicle
Member

Posts: 396
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 08-08-2014 05:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for schnappsicle   Click Here to Email schnappsicle     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While not a presentation, I think the 1971 Indianapolis 500 is also an interesting story.

John Glenn was one of 4 people riding in the pace car that day. When the race started, the pace car pulled into the pits at a high rate of speed. The driver (not Glenn) hit the brakes and lost control of the car, which hit a photographer's stand, injuring 29 people. No one was killed, and no one in the car was injured.

I also know that the Mercury 7 astronauts attended an Astros game in the Astrodome back in 1964, the first year the dome opened. I have a friend whose father managed to get all 7 of them to sign a baseball for him. I had goose bumps when I held the ball. She had to pry my hand open to get her ball back.

Astronauts have made many other appearances at sporting events as honored guests, but I'm sure that very few of them ever presented the winner with a check or trophy.

sts205cdr
Member

Posts: 649
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 08-09-2014 11:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for sts205cdr   Click Here to Email sts205cdr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, there is the ol' "Tire Biter" award given out to astronauts who break T-38 landing gear, but I don't think that applies to this topic.

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