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SPORTSMEN'S CLUB for CITY OF HOPE The Sportsmen's Club for the City of Hope was born in 1939 when a handful of sports?╟÷minded men and women decided to "do a little bit more" for the institution that since 1913 has been on the firing line against man's catastrophic diseases* It takes large amounts of money to sustain programs of patient care, research and medical education for which the non- sectarian City of Hope is famous the world over. And this is the reason this humanitarian group was determined to come up with some enterprise that would add more money to the City of Hope's hungry coffers. Since that initial meeting, through various undertakings, the Sportsmen's Club has raised more than $20,000,000 for the City of Hope. The Club's first sports venture was sponsorship of the Hollywood Stars vs Bulldogs, two local semi-pro football teams, at Gilmore Field, It lost money... There were a lot of great action-fighters on the scene. The Club decided on an annual "Fight for Lives" card, with the best scrappers only as headliners. The Club made money.... Among the boxers who appeared on the "Fight for Lives" programs were Cecil Hudson, Art Arragon, Lauro Salas, Carlos Chavez and many others. Suddenly the fight game (for many reasons) lost its public appeal. It became necessary for the Club not to identify with the sport. So, from 1964 to 1967 there was a void?╟÷no sports programs were scheduled. In 1967 "Victor" was born. "Victor" is like "Oscar" ?╟÷ the highest tribute sportsmen can bestow upon a n athlete. To date, the following athletes have been honored by the Sportsmen's World Awards: Lew Alcindor, Henry Armstrong, Greta Anderson, Rick Barry, Samuel Baugh, Elgin Baylor, Doc Blanchard, J. Donald Budge, May Sutton Bundy, Georges Carpentier, Henri Cochet, Glenn Davis, Peter De Paolo, Vicki Draves, Paul Endacott, Robert W. Feller, Ralph Guldahl, Sam Hanks, Tom Harmon, Carl Hubbell, Rafer Johnson, John Paul Jones, Duke Kahanamoku, Red Kelly, Sandy Koufax, Sammy Lee, M.D., Ted Lindsay, Johnny Longden, Joe Louis, Lloyd Mangrum, Alice Marble, Rocky Marciano, Robert Mathias, Willie Mays, Patricia McCormick, Louis Meyer, Sr., George Mikan, Ernie Nevers, Paavo Nurmi, Jesse Owens, Leroy "Satchel" Paige, Maurice Richard, Janice Lee York Romary, Gene Sarazen, Max Schmeling, Casey Stengel, Cornelius Warmerdam, Johnny Weissmuller, John Wooden, Chuan-Kwang (C.K.) Yang. -00-