Popular Nostalgia

People from the world of sport who we remember either for their sporting prowess, their personality, or the wonderful combined effect of both.

Woooooo! To be the man you gotta beat the man. Ric Flair! As a kid growing up in the Southeast US nothing was more exciting than getting out to the Saturday afternoon wrestling matches. No one brought more excitement and cocky self assurance to the mat than the “Nature Boy”. Although throughout most of his […]

Beltran de Osorio y Diez de Rivera, the “Iron” Duke of Albuquerque (1919-1994), was a Spanish aristocrat obsessed with horse-racing. After receiving a film of the Grand National as a gift for his eighth birthday, the Corinthian Duke set his sight on England’s greatest equestrian prize: “I said then that I would win that race […]

It was 35 years ago that Red Rum gained the first of his three Grand National victories, earning him pride of place in racing’s record books. Bred to be a sprinter, Red Rum won the world’s best-known chase in 1973, 1974 and 1977 as well as finishing second on his other two starts to become […]

1956 was the year that the Queen Mother’s favourite, Devon Loch, tried to jump a phantom fence and landed on his belly. This left the way clear for ESB. Afterwards, The Queen Mother famously said “That’s racing”. Watch this video from 06:15 for the bizarre footage of the event from British Pathe. Dick Francis said […]

Once upon a time, British athletes ruled the globe in middle-distance running. Througout the 70’s and 80’s, Steve Ovett and Seb Coe vied for world records and Olympic medals with magnificent displays of athleticism and talent. Though they rarely met, the two competed for records and column inches. The competition was made all the more […]

Remember being scared of the big bad wolf? Did you want to date /look like Jet? Remember when Shadow got done for using steroids? and the wonder of people fighting with giant cotton buds on elevated platforms? Gladiators was a phenomenon of family viewing. Everyone knew someone who’s teacher’s friend’s brother’s babysitter had been a […]

Linford Christie, the (only?) Olympic Gold Medal winning British 100 metre sprinter wore some tremendous Puma contact lenses during the 1990s. This was soon stomped on by the authorities as “advertising”, but I admire his moxy to this very day. Whether or not the powers that be banned the use of the lenses, they were […]