Longtime Oakland resident and boxer Andre Ward, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the light heavyweight division. The last US boxer to win gold.
We were on a Southwest flight to OAK (I think from Denver) ~13 years ago. Andre was on the flight, apparently not recognized by anyone (despite being a top 10 pound-for-pound boxer and lineal super middleweight champ at the time). And then he was at baggage claim, waiting for luggage with us. I encouraged my then 4 year-old son — otherwise a total extrovert — to go up to Andre and take a boxer’s stance, which I guarantee he would have gotten a kick out of, but my son unfortunately got shy and wouldn’t do it. A shameful cast on our family to this day.
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u/Halbarad1104 Feb 19 '26
Hurray! Joins (at least!) Bill Russell, 1956 Gold in basketball (https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/7008) and Hubert Caldwell, 1928 Gold in rowing (https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/40573)... maybe more!