The battlefield, the crowd’s anticipation, the pressure of championship, the rivalry, the smell of sweat and victory… Who does not love sports? Wherever you may be, there is bound to be a sports which is religiously followed by the locals be it basketball, baseball, or football. Alabama has its share of athletes that made it big in the major leagues.

Hank Aaron (Baseball)

Hank Aaron was born Henry Louis Aaron in Mobile in 1934. He started his career in baseball when he was 15 when he played semi-pro for Indianapolis Clowns. It was not until he became one of the Milwaukee Braves when he began making the sports headlines.

Aaron was “Hammerin Hank” to his fans and critics. All throughout his 23 years of playing ball, he managed to be All-Star in every season. He averaged 33 home runs per season. He had three Gold Gloves to his name as well as the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1957. All these lead to his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Bobby Allison (Auto Racing)

Bobby Allison was part of the Alabama Gang, a group of Alabama drivers who put a different spin in auto racing. With his brother Donnie, son Davey, and friend Neil Bonnett, they made fans out of thousands of Alabamians. Allison was one of the drivers who initiated the NASCAR. The highlights of Allison’s auto racing career were the NASCAR’s Modified Special Crown in 1962 and the Modified Crown in 1964, the first place in Daytona 500 in three years: 1978, 1982, and 1988, and the Winston Cup championship in 1983. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Joe Louis (Boxing)

Born in Lafayette, Joseph Louis Barrow started making a name in the world of boxing when he won the National Amateur Athletic Union Light-Heavyweight Title in 1934. When he began playing professional boxing, his name made more noise. He was able to hold his own in front of boxing champions such as Primo Carnera and Max Baer. His boxing career had a 68-3 record, 54 of which were knockouts. The “Brown Bomber” as the press liked to call him had his hands on the world heavyweight boxing championship longer than anyone else.