Remembering Muhammad Ali

I think it was in the early ‘90s because I think Zell Miller was governor, although it could’ve been somewhat earlier when Joe Frank Harris had the job. Exactly when it was is not important to what I am trying to impart. What is important to this report is my remembrance of the three times I met Muhammad Ali.

During many years of my legislative tenure, I kept a room year-round at what was then Atlanta’s downtown Marriott, now the downtown Sheraton. It’s at Courtland and Andrew Young International.

It was during a legislative session. I know this because I visited, on several occasions and on more than one day, the huge bottom floor of the hotel where fighters were in training for soon-to-be fights in Atlanta which included a world heavyweight championship match that, of course, was the top fight on the card. There was lots of interesting activity on the first floor.

Guess who was at the training sessions with his boxing shorts, shoes and protective headgear. You’ve got it! Muhammad Ali. Not only was Ali properly attired, but “The Greatest” would get in the ring and spar with the other fighters. Obviously, he was not in fighting condition, nor physically well, but he would lumber around and, all of a sudden, would release a flurry of punches at his opponent and with a huge grin on his face. It was quite a show.

Sometime during the same time period, he came to the governor’s office in the Capitol, and I happened to be there. While he and I both waited to see the governor (guess who the governor saw first — it wasn’t me), we had a nice visit. Ali was very approachable, had a great smile, and as he left to go into the governor’s office, he gave me a card with his name and religious information on it. I suspect I have this card somewhere, or it could be with my “papers” in the Richard Russell Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia.

Just before I left the lobby of the governor’s office, the camera lady took our picture, and it now hangs in our barn. We both had on suits, and we were smiling. He was much bigger and much better looking. I didn’t have to tell you that, did I?

Assuming I had a brief visit with the champ at the downtown Marriott (I can’t remember any of the particulars), that’s two memorable visits or one visit and one up-close observation. My impression was that Ali was a kind and nice man. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.

Several years later, the Hortons, Jerry and Carol, the Wilsons, Jerry and Faye, and Janice and I made a Christmas trip to New York City. During our trip, and while the six of us waited outside the hotel for a cab, guess who walked out of the hotel. You’ve got it. Muhammad Ali.

Again, he was affable, approachable, polite and impressive. It was quite exciting, though brief. And, disappointingly, he didn’t mention our two prior meetings.

In addition to what I write above, Ali and I had something else in common. We were both born in the same year and were the same age.

Many years ago, when Marcus Tripp was the pastor at Perry United Methodist Church, he preached a sermon I’ll never forget. His sermon was “Jesus, Elvis and Coca-Cola.” Marcus said these were the three best known names in the world. It was a great sermon. But, I’d say that for 20 or 30 years, Ali’s prime years, that he was the most recognizable person in the world. Literally, hundreds of millions knew Muhammad Ali, if they saw him or his picture. Why?

I don’t think Ali was the best-known man in the world because “he could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” or because he was self-proclaimed “the Greatest” or even because he was the heavyweight champion of the world.

My opinion: He was the best known because he was all of the things mentioned above, but also because of the things I mentioned in the paragraphs earlier: friendly, approachable, kind. And of course, he was uncommonly handsome and quite a man. I guess in lots of ways he was what he said he was: “The Greatest.” He’d say, “I am the greatest,” and then he’d smile.

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Remembering Muhammad Ali."