Albert Fay Hill: paratrooper in 1943 and a Presbyterian minister who took on mobsters in New Rochelle in '63.
Alvin Cullum York, best known as Sgt. York, one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I, awards that included the Medal of Honor. Not bad for a conscientious objector.
Identical twins Francis E. Stanley (1849–1918) and Freelan O. Stanley (1849–1940) founded a steam motorcar company after selling their photographic dry plate business to Eastman Kodak. Francis E crunched. Freelan O took to Colorado mountains for his health, drove the creation of Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park, and built the hotel where Stephen King wrote a spooky story. F.E. and F.O. Stanley, steam demons - try to beat them!
Back in the days when NFL players played 60 minutes wearing tight leather helmets, there were pretty rough players with names like Verl Lillywhite, Ed Sprinkle, Travis Tidwell, Richie Pettibone, Y A Tittle and Don Doll.
Learned a cool name just today.
Doris Miller.
Manned an AA gun at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7th until he ran out of ammo. First African-American to win the Navy Cross. Died in combat a couple years later.
Getting a Ford-class carrier named after him.
Sort of “a boy named Sue” type. Seems to have gone by “Dorie”. Bonus point: that is a homonym for a boat type.
Chesley Burnett Sullenberger III. Better known as Sully, the pilot who landed his jet in the Hudson River with no loss of life.
Is Rosey Grier in the spirit of this thread? He’s a needlepoint artist and author; others may be more familiar with him due to his sports, acting, and bodyguard duties.
A couple of badass boxers to consider.
Livingstone Bramble was WBA world lightweight champion. Also reputed to practise witchcraft.
And a twofer. Former British super middleweight champion Fidel Castro Smith, who fought under the name Slugger O’Toole.
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Slab Hardcheese…Thick McRunfast…Bob Johnson…
Real life example from 70s baseball: Bucky Dent, Tug McGraw, Rollie Fingers
I’m surprised I’m the first to mention Nimrod.
Let’s not forget Mike Tinglehoff, center for the Vikings who played in all four of the Super Bowl appearances.
It’s Mick Tinglehoff.
Former college linebacker and current college head coach Lovie Smith.
Ah, right. His first name is Michael, but he goes by Mick.
Another excellent choice!
Sai Wing Mock aka “Mock Duck” leader of the dominant Chinese-American Tong in the Manhattan Chinatown in the early 1900s.
from the Wikipedia page.
“Manley Pointer” was a character in the short story “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor.
He was an itinerant Bible salesman who seduced the one-legged daughter of some ‘good country people’ he was visiting with the ‘sexy playing cards’ and whiskey he had hidden in a hollowed-out Bible, using his, uh, manly pointer.