George Foreman

("George Foreman, Legendary Boxer and Muhammad Ali's Foe Turned Friend, Dies at 76")

There are certain indelible moments that immediately flash before our eyes as we recall the life of George Foreman: young man, waving a tiny American flag after capturing Olympic gold; unstoppable champion clubbing a helpless Smokin' Joe into submission; confused and exhausted villain, rope-a-doped by Ali and then felled in the "rumble in the jungle”; resurrected, a much older man, now bald, seemingly far more heavy than heavyweight, returning not to find long lost glory, not because he missed the sport but to support his ministry, reclaiming a crown he had surrendered that distant day in Zaire; finally reincarnated once more as the smiling grill master, a big cuddly teddy bear, taking our money and claiming our hearts.

Outside the ring, we knew he had become a man of religion, devoted to his church, and a father of a gaggle of children, five named George.

He was a chameleon, altering his image as time and circumstance dictated. From Ali's nemesis to his dear friend, from American hero to something less in our eyes and finally beloved by us once and forever more. A part of our lives, in all his iterations, from teenager until his passing.

He was, in whatever shape and form we found him, whatever part of the journey he was on, the one, the only George Foreman (except, of course, for all the others).