Suzanne Lenglen

By James Marshall

Red Grange

When you mention football in the 20's the first name to come to mind has to be Red Grange. He is one of those players that most of us probably have known his name as long as we have known football. Red Grange became a household name when he scored 5 touchdowns against Michigan. However his biggest accomplishment was probably establishing the pro game. Up to that point the NFL was in the same category as monster truck shows aretoday. Well that changed when Red Grange decided to go pro after his final college game. A decision that was met with some criticism claiming Grange was selling out. Although Grange was the first admit that he was doing to make a pile of money, and so he did. He signed with the Bears and the team went on a 12 day a 8 game tour. When they got to New York 72,000 fans showed up to see Grange and the Bears take on the Giants. This game by it's self saved football in New York and perhaps the league. So we will go back to that December day and see what magic Grange might have in store.

Suzanne Lenglen

Lenglen on the left with other roaring 20's star Grange, in the middle is C&C Pile. (right) Hellen WIlls getting off the boat in France.

Without a doubt the most famous and if not the best female athlete of the 1920's was Suzanne Lenglen. She brought a lot of attention to the game of tennis both by her exceptional play on the court and the outfits that she wore. In era when women tennis players played in long and sometimes heavy dresses, Lenglen appeared in a dress that exposed her ankles and forearms. This was considering shocking at first. Also she didn't mind showing her emotion on the court. She also like to take sips of brandy between sets. All these things combined with her grace and style on the court made the Frenchwomen one the most famous women in the world. She won Wimbledon 5 straight years in a row.

Bill Tilden

Bill Tilden on the left, and on the Right Rene Lacoste

Tilden is probably the first nationally known tennis star in the US. Big Bill as he was known won 10 majors, including Wimbledon at the age of 37. When you mention the sports stars of the decade Tilden name is always there. He had powerful game, with hard serves and ground strokes. He preferred to play at the baseline. Although he won at Wimbledon 3 times and won seven US titles. He never was able to win the French. Although in 1927 he had two match points on Rene Lacoste in the finals but lost the match. Later that year he lost to Lacoste again in the US Championships. So I thought that we would give Tilden another shot at the match against Lacoste in the French Championships. Rene Lacoste " the crocodile" was not known to be the most athletic player but was able to win by will and determination. He was the type of player who was the master of hanging around forcing the other guy to make a mistake first. This style served him well. Lacoste won 7 Major single titles.

The Indy 500

Norm Batten pulls into the Pits after blowing an engine.

In the 1920's the automobile took over as the number one means of transportation in America. Now that the average Americans had a car of their own interest in motor racing increased. The Indy 500 first held in 1911 and just about every year since is one the most famous races in the world. So I felt no replay of a decade could be complete without the inclusion of the Indy 500. I selected the 1927 race because I have included replays of a couple other events from that same year. The winner that year was George Souders starting from 22nd he worked his way to be first when the checkered flag was waved.

The Stanley Cup

The 1928-29 Boston Bruins and the New York Ranges

Although the NHL did not play it's first season until 1917 the Stanley Cup has been contested since 1893. So like with the Indy 500, a replay of sports of a decade had to include a Stanley Cup contest. For the first half of the 1920's the NHL competed with rival leagues the PCHA and the WCHA.

http://www.angelfire.com/anime4/sephirothbadazz/Reports/sports.html

Babe Ruth (1895-1948), American professional baseball player, one of the most gifted and popular players in the history of baseball. While Ruth was playing for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 1930s, his legendary home run hitting feats dominated the national pastime. Ruth’s love for baseball, generosity, and dramatic rise from humble beginnings endeared him to fans, and he is one of the greatest sports heroes of American culture. Ruth’s pitching and hitting earned him the devotion of Boston fans, but in 1920 Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth’s contract to the Yankees to cover financial losses sustained in other business ventures. The Yankees paid more than $400,000 in cash and loans. From 1920 to 1934, Ruth played the outfield for the Yankees, headlining some of the greatest squads in the history of baseball. Beloved by the New York fans, Ruth earned several nicknames, including the Bambino (Italian for Babe) and the Sultan of Swat (for his home run hitting ability). In the Babe’s first season as a Yankee, he batted 376 and slugged 54 home runs, almost double his record-setting total of the previous year. The 54 home runs represented 4 more than any other AL team produced in total, and 35 more than his closest individual rival, George Sissler of the St. Louis Browns. As a Yankee Ruth won ten home run crowns and played in seven World Series, with the Yankees winning four of them. His home run production was unprecedented. He hit 41 in 1923, 46 in 1924, and

Caroline Gertrude Ederle (1906-2003), American swimmer, the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Born in New York City, Ederle began swimming as a young child and started competing as a teenager. From 1921 to 1925 she broke many American and world swimming records. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France, Ederle won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay and bronze medals in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle races. Looking for a new challenge, Ederle turned to channel swimming. After her first attempt to cross the English Channel failed in 1925, she tried again a year later and succeeded. In doing so she also established a record time for men or women. Ederle covered the 56 km (35 m) from Cap Gris-Nez, France, to Dover, England, in 14 hours 31 minutes. The previous record, set by a male swimmer, was 16 hours 23 minutes. The feat made headlines and propelled Ederle to stardom in the United States. She later performed in a vaudeville act and taught swimming to children. Ederle was elected to the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/sports-ads-1920s

http://www.slideshare.net/fschiro/1920s-sports

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=pc1KD4AaCKoC&oi=fnd&pg=PP2&dq=sports+1920s&ots=iXMsb2b3Us&sig=f7QUvQgGk1e-USxrb7jeS-sDL-w#v=onepage&q=sports%201920s&f=false

http://www.enotes.com/1920-sports-american-decades/football-professional

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26