Mandarich, in fact, was the only player in the top five picks of his draft class to not make the Hall of Fame. There was a holdout his rookie year, some tone-deaf quotes about his place in the league and a generally underwhelming performance. The Michigan State standout went second overall to the Green Bay Packers but never lived up to his potential. Those numbers are pedestrian today, but 30 years ago that kind of size, coupled with Mandarich’s freakish athletic ability, was unheard of just about anywhere. Mandarich certainly looked the part, as he stood 6-foot-6 and weighed 315 pounds. The magazine also described him as the best offensive line prospect ever. Sports Illustrated dubbed him “The Incredible Bulk,” when it placed him on the cover in the run-up to the 1989 NFL Draft. Mandarich was supposed to represent the evolution of the offensive lineman. Even as he is in his 40s and no longer the best player in the sport, he still draws, by far, the largest crowds at every tournament he enters and is the overwhelming focus of media coverage. The overall popularity of golf skyrocketed because of him and ebbed when he stepped away from the game after his marital infidelities were brought to light. By the time he won the Masters in 1997, Woods had a case as the most visible and famous athlete on the planet. He turned pro in 1996, after a decorated career at Stanford, and immediately signed with Nike and Titleist. He was featured in Golf Digest, as well as on ABC’s “That’s Incredible.” Woods piled up titles in his junior career, and in 1994 he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Woods was a prodigy, appearing on "The Mike Douglas Show" in a putting competition against Bob Hope when he was just 3 years old. Woods’ level of fame is on par with that of Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and LeBron James, but only James dealt with the kind of hype that Woods received.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |