ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 16, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The world has seen many exceptional athletes, people that can run like the wind, hit a baseball out of the park or score three pointers like they're going out of style. However, one rarely finds an athlete that not only excels at more than one pro-sport, but also beats even the best at their own game. Ellsworth Vines did just that. He and his son, Ellsworth Vines III, reveal his remarkable story in the new book titled The Greatest Athlete of All Time (now available through 1stBooks).
"Elly Vines never saw anything particularly difficult about hitting, catching, throwing or putting a ball. It came as natural to him as crooning to Crosby or dealing cards to Nick the Greek. They didn't make the game he couldn't play. He went to college on a basketball scholarship and he hit a baseball so hard his high school coach used to say it didn't come down for two innings. Athletes from other sports have invaded the golf field ... but Elly Vines didn't just join the pro golfers, he beat them. For one given game, he was probably the best who ever played the game of tennis, but his talents were raw power ... Only one man has ever stepped across the net separating two sports and became a champion at both, Henry Ellsworth Vines ... It had not been done before and it has not been done since. And it is not likely to be done again!" Jim Murray, LA Times sports columnist
The book details Ellsworth's remarkable story and includes more than 100 of the legend's private letters to his girlfriend and future wife, which transport readers back to the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, two of the most fascinating periods in history. The letters reveal Ellsworth's joys and sorrows as he vividly describes his adventures, the paths he took and the choices he made during the four short summers leading up to his Wimbledon victory. It was during that period that this shy 17 year old boy was catapulted from virtual obscurity to the cover of Time Magazine, given the title of "World Champion" and selected as the first "Wheaties Champion."
Intermingled with the letters is a series of pictures, articles and interviews written about Ellsworth's fantastic abilities and the humbleness with which he accepted the notoriety. The book also offers photographs of Ellsworth with President Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, Charley Chaplin, Danny Thomas, Dean Martin, Kirk Douglas, Danny Kay, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jean Sarazen, Gary Player, Fred Perry, Bill Tilden and Don Budge.
What did Ellsworth (Elly) Vines say in the book about going to the White House to meet the President? "I would just as soon been out playing tennis." Playing golf with President Eisenhower? "He dictated the term. You didn't have a chance. He wanted to win all the time." Playing golf with Bing Crosby? "He wasn't much fun to play with ... never wanted to pay off. He was real chintzy." Winning Wimbledon? "The papers think I'm the World's best, but..." Winning the U.S. Open? "Gosh! I was lucky." Watching Babe Ruth play baseball? Playing against Bobby Jones in the Masters?
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