Latest news with #TheGladiator
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Steve Wright, Packers Super Bowl champion whose likeness was used on iconic NFL trophy, dead at 82
Steve Wright, a three-time NFL champion with the Packers whose likeness was used on the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy, died on Sunday in Alabama, the team announced Tuesday. He was 82. Born in Kentucky in 1942, Wright was a tackle at the University of Alabama under legendary coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant from 1961-63, winning a national title during his sophomore year. Robert Brown, Ron Kosteinik and Steve Wright (72) of the Packers look on against the Raiders during Super Bowl II on Jan. 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Getty Images Even though he did not start a game with the Crimson Tide, Wright was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round of the 1964 NFL Draft and eighth round of the AFL draft by the Jets, ultimately signing with Green Bay. He played 56 games over the next four seasons, starting in 13, as the Packers won the NFL title in 1965 and Super Bowls I and II the following two seasons. He then played two seasons in New York with the Giants before single-season stints with Washington, the Bears and the Cardinals. But it was in 1969 as a member of Big Blue that Wright truly became part of NFL lore forever. That's when he was used by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz as the model for a statue called 'The Gladiator,' which became the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy. Cam Heyward receives the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award before the Chiefs' win over the 49er in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. Getty Images Wright's likeness, with the cape around his shoulders, is still used as the trophy for the yearly award. In 1974, two years after his NFL career was over, the lineman came out with a memoir entitled 'I'd rather be Wright: Memoirs of an Itinerant Tackle,' which gave a 'fly-on-the-wall look' at life in the NFL in the 1960s and early '70s. The Packers' social media team succinctly summed up Wright's NFL legacy. 'A quiet legacy, cast in bronze,' the team wrote on X.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Steve Wright, NFL lineman who modeled Man of the Year trophy, dies at 82
Steve Wright, an NFL lineman whose impressive stature was immortalized in a sculpture that became the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy, has died at the age of 82. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Wright was a giant for his day and an imposing offensive tackle at Alabama, where he won a national championship in 1961. He was drafted by both the Packers in the NFL and the Jets in the AFL in 1964. Wright chose to play in Green Bay, and he won three championships and played in Super Bowls I and II. He later bounced around the league in four different cities, playing in New York, Washington, Chicago and St. Louis before finishing his professional career in the World Football League in 1974. In an era when football players were expected to follow their coaches' orders, Wright — despite playing for the hard-nosed Bear Bryant in college and Vince Lombardi in the NFL — gained a reputation for questioning everything. At the end of his career he published a memoir, I'd Rather be Wright: Memoirs of an Itinerant Tackle, that gave fans an inside look at life in pro football from an irreverent perspective that had rarely been shared before. But Wright is best known for serving as a model for sculptor Daniel Bennett Schwartz after the NFL commissioned Schwartz to make a distinctive trophy for a new award the league wanted to bestow on a player who epitomized everything that's right about the men who play pro football, both on and off the field. Wright stood in his uniform with a giant cape-like overcoat on his shoulder pads as Schwartz went to work creating a statue he called 'The Gladiator' that the NFL adopted as its Man of the Year Trophy. In 1970, Johnny Unitas became the first player to receive that NFL Man of the Year trophy. Walter Payton got the award in 1977, and after he died in 1999 the league changed the award's name to Walter Payton Man of the Year. The self-deprecating Wright often joked about how amusing he found it that such great players and great men were presented with 'a statue of me.' Wright was the first to admit he wasn't a great NFL player, agreeing in his book with Lombardi's assessment that he had the physical talent to be a bulldozing lineman but was too nice a guy to want to run over the player across the line from him. But Wright will always have a connection to some of the NFL's all-time greats, thanks to the award that bears his likeness.
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Local fighters impress
Hurto Gym owner Rob Horrocks, left, with winning fighters Marcel Main and Otis Clairbrough, and Moki Larsson-Allen, at last weekend's Tory Fight Night 2 in Wellington. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Two young Queenstown fighters have returned from Wellington with wins under their belts following impressive performances at the Tory Fight Night 2. Representing Rob Horrocks' Hurto Gym, Otis Clairbrough, 16, had a tough battle against Ahmad Faizi, of host Kruchain Muay Thai, starting fast in the first round landing some heavy shots. Horrocks says his young charge did a great job of keeping his composure and picking his shots, managing to put his opponent down for an eight-count towards the end of the first round. "The second and third rounds were very competitive, with Otis finding the cleaner, more effective shots, leading to a unanimous points victory." Queenstown's Marcel Main, 19, then faced Kruchain's Sam Woodburn, who Horrocks says "came out strong from the first bell". After heavy kicks and punches through the first round, Marcel eventually scored two knockdowns at the end of the round. "In the second round, Marcel's opponent knew he had some ground to make up and came out hot, exchanging hard," Horrocks says. "Marcel weathered the storm until he finished the fight with a high kick, followed by a barrage of punches causing the referee to call an end to the fight, earning him the TKO victory in round two." Meantime Horrocks, who opened Hurto Gym in Arthurs Point's The Hangar co-working space earlier this year, is moving into a bigger space at the same site in a couple of weeks, meaning he can open up new membership availability. He's also starting a Muay Thai basics three-week fundamentals course, from May 19, which will lead into The Gladiator eight-week training camp, running from June 16, and on to a fight night, for those wanting to test themselves under amateur Muay Thai rules. Horrocks is planning to hold the show on August 9. For more info, visit
Wales Online
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Gladiators star 'Steel' mourns loss of newborn son at emotional funeral
Gladiators star 'Steel' mourns loss of newborn son at emotional funeral Zack George, who is known for his appearance on the TV show Gladiators, has paid an emotional tribute to his son Leo, who died at just 13 days old after being born prematurely Zack George paid an emotional farewell to his son, who passed away after thirteen days (Image: Instagram/zackgeorge/samanthalouisegeorge_ ) Zack George, known to fans of Gladiators as Steel, has shared a deeply personal glimpse into the farewell he and his wife Samantha gave to their baby boy, Leo, during a poignant funeral service this week. Leo was born prematurely at 23 weeks on March 26 and spent his brief life in neonatal intensive care before passing away on April 7. Despite the heartbreak, the couple found strength in honouring their son's short but meaningful life. The grief-stricken father opened up about the emotional farewell on Instagram with a video montage showing touching moments from the service, including the floral tributes, heartfelt letters to his child, alongside snapshots of the family gathered together, and he and his wife Samantha clasping hands over the small coffin. c (Image: Instagram/zackgeorge/samanthalouisegeorge_ ) In an incredibly moving tribute within the caption, Zack wrote: "The hardest speech I've ever had to read. You came into this world early, tiny and brave, with a heart that beat like thunder. Thirteen days. That's all we had. But in that time, you taught us more about love, and courage, than most ever will. "Your body was small, but your spirit was big, fierce and unafraid. We called you Leo, our lion, not for how loud you roared, but for how hard you fought to stay. You knew our voices, you knew our touch, the warmth of our hearts pressed against yours." He added: "You were held, you were known and you were loved. And though the world only had a brief chance to meet you, you changed it and You changed us.", reports the Mirror. Article continues below "With heavy hearts, we continue to feel your presence, in every silent moment, in the whispers of our pain, in the emptiness filled only by your existence. "Our dear son, our valiant Leo, your significance will never fade. You will forever be a part of us. Sleep peacefully, our little boy." The grief-stricken father opened up about the emotional farewell on Instagram Last month, Zack took to social media to share the enormous battles his young son faced in NICU, expressing: "What Leo had to endure during his 13 days fighting in NICU (heartbreak emoji). "3 Blood transfusions, Collapsed lungs, A Grade 1 and Grade 2 bleed on his brain, A Hole in his heart (PDA heart condition), A hole in his trachea causing air pockets in his lungs." He further announced his participation in a charity challenge he initiated in honour of his son, Leo, titled '13 days fighting'. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here Article continues below The Gladiator added: "Bravery, strength, courage and resilience are just a few of the many qualities Leo showed us. This is why we are calling the charity event 13 days fighting. "A burpee mile everyday for 13 days straight will be around 10,000 burpees. We're ready to show the same qualities our little boy showed us #Leothelion."
