{"id":2538,"date":"2016-06-04T01:30:42","date_gmt":"2016-06-04T06:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=2538"},"modified":"2016-09-19T23:52:25","modified_gmt":"2016-09-20T04:52:25","slug":"muhammad-ali-a-man-of-conviction-sport-and-humanity-rip-champ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=2538","title":{"rendered":"Muhammad Ali, a man of conviction, sport and humanity….RIP Champ"},"content":{"rendered":"
Muhammad Ali passed away tonight.\u00a0 A man of conviction, of sport, and of humanity, he was the “Greatest” as he professed himself, and certified by the\u00a0multitude of humans all over the world.\u00a0\u00a0 For many, he was the legend that was loved.\u00a0 For others, he was not though of in good terms, called a draft dodger, for not giving of himself to\u00a0serve in the United States military during the war in Southeast Asia.\u00a0 That said, my Father, a member of the true “Greatest Generation”, never said a negative\u00a0word toward Mr. Cassius Clay, then Muhammad Ali.\u00a0 My Dad fought and was injured fighting Germans, but he also recognized the fact that Ali did not\u00a0go to war\u00a0for just one reason.\u00a0 Ali\u00a0did not\u00a0think his participation was the right thing to do\u00a0as he thought the war was unjust for racial reasons.\u00a0 My Dad respected that opinion, and that life lesson I learned\u00a0from my Dad was that you have to follow your convictions even if that would be the most difficult path to follow.\u00a0Like him or despise him, Ali was true to himself, something that I was taught in my Dad’s words toward the man. I have total respect for Ali on the day of his passing.\u00a0His actions and my Father’s reaction help\u00a0shaped my life.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/h5>\n

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Muhammad Ali came to Oklahoma City and made a visit to my brother-in-law’s elementary school, Page-Woodson, on the east side of town.\u00a0 The school had\u00a0a black student body that was 100 percent black and they honored the Champ, all 600 students, grades K-5.\u00a0 As must be noted, Ali personally signed 600 individual pictures, meeting each student and shaking their hand.\u00a0 It took all day and it was during a time that he had already began to suffer from his debilitating illness. And Ali, at the time of his visit to Oklahoma City, was and continued to be the most recognized man on the face of the earth.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Rest in peace Champ.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n

\"Muhammad
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Muhammad Ali passed away tonight.\u00a0 A man of conviction, of sport, and of humanity, he…<\/p>\n

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