Trump to give Lou Holtz a medal of freedom. What other sports figures has he awarded?
President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Freedom to former college football coach Lou Holtz on Thursday, according to a release issued by the administration.
”America recognizes Lou Holtz as one of the greatest football coaches of all time for his unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron,” the release said, “but he is also a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot.”
Trump had previously announced in September that he was planning to honor Holtz with the medal.
“We’ve analyzed it very closely. We’ve looked at all those recommendations. We’ve looked at Lou’s life and his career and what he’s done for charity, and the football is obvious,” Trump said according to ESPN. “He was a great coach, but what he’s done beyond even coaching, so Lou will be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
The following month, the former Notre Dame coach joined Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, days before the election.
In the 34 years Holtz spent coaching both college and professional football, he’s best known for his 11 seasons as the Fighting Irish’s head coach. He ended his career at South Carolina, where he coached from 1999-2004.
Including Holtz, Trump will have given 18 Medals of Freedom to numerous individuals, 10 of them famous sports figures.
The Medal of Freedom is the country’s highest civilian honor and is bestowed by the president “to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Here are some of the other sports stars that Trump has honored with the award.
Yankees icon, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, Jr.
Trump honored Babe Ruth, one of the most known names in the history of baseball, in 2018.
“(He) raised money and raised hell,” Trump said. “Maybe that’s why it’s taken him a long time to get this award. This award should have been given to him a long time ago. I said, ‘You mean Babe Ruth hasn’t gotten it?’ We took care of that real fast.”
During his career, “the Babe” recorded 714 home runs, 2,873 hits, 2,174 runs and 2,062 walks while creating The Babe Ruth Foundation and raising funds for the war effort during World War II, the White House said.
Golf star, Tiger Woods
Professional golfer Tiger Woods, who is tied for the most PGA Tour wins, was presented the medal by Trump in 2019. Trump called Woods, a known friend of the president, a “global symbol of American excellence,” CNN reported.
Olympian Jim Ryun
Trump honored former U.S. Representative Jim Ryun of Kansas in July of 2020. Ryun, a runner, broke the world record for a high school athlete in the mile and notched several other world records during his athletic career.
“When ESPN ranked the greatest high school athletes — listen to this; this is incredible,” Trump said during the ceremony. “When ESPN ranked the greatest high school athletes of all time, all sports, they listed Jim Ryun as number one. That’s not bad for a guy who couldn’t make his baseball team, right? That’s really — that’s really an amazing achievement. That’s incredible.”
MLB pitcher Mariano Rivera
In 2019, Trump bestowed the honor on New York Yankees Panamanian-American relief pitcher Mariano Rivera, also known as The Sandman.
“Mariano Rivera has made extraordinary contributions to American sports, culture and society. He is the most dominant relief pitcher in the history of baseball,” Trump said, reported CNN. “And more than that, he has lived the American dream and shines as an example of American greatness for all to see.”
Other sports recipients include retired professional auto racing driver Roger S. Penske, former NBA players Jerry West and Bob Cousy, and former NFL players Alan C. Page and Roger Staubach.
This week, former president Barack Obama said on “The Late Show” said that it was a “screwup” that he never awarded it to country music icon Dolly Parton, McClatchy News reported.
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Trump to give Lou Holtz a medal of freedom. What other sports figures has he awarded?."