HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- He's a sporting icon and one of Houston's own. By Greg Bailey. George Foreman is also a two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medalist and a beloved TV pitchman. As the beloved boxer takes us inside his quarantine life, Foreman is taking you back to the glory days on this week's episode of Q'D Up in partnership with the Houston Sports Authority.

​Basketball icon Michael Jordan sat down with veteran sports broadcaster Lenny Moon back during the 1991-92 NBA campaign. The Chicago Bulls were making their only appearance in H-Town where the defending champs were preparing to take on the homestanding Houston Rockets led by Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. MJ discusses the maturation of team's 1987 Draft mates Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.

MARCH 30, 2020 BY LENNY@LENNYMOONSPORTS.COM

Former Houston Astros star outfielder Jimmy “Toy Cannon” Wynn posing with his popular moniker.

Before the vaunted “Killer B’s” (Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Lance Bergman) a dynamo housed in a 5-9 frame and weighed a mere 160 pounds named Jimmy Wynn became the first breakout star for the Houston Colt 45s and later the Houston Astros. Although drafted by the Cincinnati Reds back in 1962, the Colt 45s acquired the promising infielder at the conclusion of that same year admiring his raw athleticism that included exceptional speed and surprising power for his anatomy. The Houston club along with the New York Mets arrived on the MLB scene as expansion teams the season prior to the Wynn transaction.

Full article: http://lennymoonsports.com/blog/2020/03/30/lennymoonsports-remembers-the-toy-cannon/

With the untimely passing of Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, a tribute to honor his patriotism and incredible sports talent was planned for April 16, 17 & 18, 2020. The most exciting boxing event in Virginia will be rescheduled for later this year due to outbreak worries over the spread of COVID-19.

Mid Atlantic Boxing, the event organizer, announced today that the Sweet Pea Whitaker Tribute Weekend is cancelled out of an abundance of concern for the health and wellbeing of all athletes and participants, regarding the
coronavirus outbreak and impending travel restrictions.

On behalf of the Whitaker Family, this year’s event was scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 16, 2020 with the Tribute Event. Friday was the Weigh-In, and Saturday was the main event with 12 Bouts of professional boxing including one world championship and two Virginia State Titles. Mid-Atlantic Boxing is working with the Virginia Boxing Commissioner to identify available dates later this year.

The inaugural event will establish the City of Norfolk as the east coast destination for competitive Boxing. Attendance from Sweet Pea’s 1984 Olympic Boxing Team and many professional boxers is expected, as well as an audience of 10,000 people for the championship bouts. Organizers will assess the progress of the outbreak and announce the new dates when the risk subsides.

The Sweet Pea Tribute Weekend being cancelled is not a unique incident. Other sporting and business events have also announced intentions for delays, rescheduling or cancellations as a result of coronavirus concerns. Over two dozen industry events in Asia have announced postponements. For additional information, please ​please contact the event organizer, Mid-Atlantic Boxing LLC at info@mid-atlanticboxing.com

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The 42nd annual "Original" MLK Day Parade in downtown Houston got an added boost of star power from a former professional boxer and entrepreneur.

Houston native and two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman served as Grand Marshal.

Thousands lined downtown streets to watch more than 75 groups perform as the parade rolled.

The celebration moved to Herman Square for the 4th annual MLK JR. Taste of Houston Festival.

There was also another parade in Midtown.

The MLK Grande Parade started at San Jacinto Street and Elgin Street.

Reprint from ABC 13 Houston

William Dennis, a real estate company owner and the first African-American president of the Abington Township Board of Commissioners, died on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. He was 90.

Dennis was born in Finley Row, Georgia, on Feb. 8, 1929. He was the fourth of 10 children born to the late Gertrude and A.B. Dennis, and his early years were spent on the family farm.

After World War II, Dennis’s parents and seven of their children moved to Crestmont Village in Abington Township. Dennis attended and graduated from Abington High School. The year after graduation, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in Germany during the Korean War. He attained the rank of sergeant before being honorably discharged.

Upon returning home, Dennis attended Temple University and joined his uncles in the construction business. He received an associate’s of science in technology and a certificate in architectural design and building construction from Temple, and then set out on his own to build custom homes for several prominent leaders in Philadelphia and neighbors in Montgomery County.

Later, he gravitated to real estate sales, owning and operating Dennis Real Estate Inc. for over 30 years. An NAACP life member, Dennis allowed the Willow Grove Chapter to meet in his office for many years at no cost.

“It was his passion for encouraging and helping young people, supporting the elderly and participating in government through elected politics that made him the leader of the NAACP delegation from Crestmont to the March on Washington in 1963,” his family said in a statement.

In 1965, Dennis met Shirley Haynes Johnson of Philadelphia, who was also active in the NAACP, at a Fair Housing Movement meeting. Their work in the Fair Housing Movement helped lead to fair housing laws being passed in Philadelphia in 1967 and the state of Pennsylvania in 1968.

The two were married in 1968 at First Baptist Church of Crestmont. They went to church together over for 40 years. They were members of First Baptist Church and later attended Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown.

The family, which included Johnson’s three daughters, often attended meetings, rallies and other events in pursuit of “justice and fair play,” with Dennis as the “drum major for justice,” the family said.

Dennis was elected president of the Board of Commissioners of Abington Township in 1984, the first African American to hold that post, and served on the board for 16 years.

He served as commissioner of the Abington police force and worked to add African-American officers to the force. He also worked successfully to desegregate the Roslyn Volunteer Fire Company in Abington.

He pushed for a fair settlement in the Abington school boycott called by parents over suspensions of only African-American students. As a ward commissioner, he insisted that the Abington Township government protect new residents in Roslyn against cross burnings and harassment.

Dennis created the Abington Township Youth Job Corps program, which provided summer jobs and sponsored career days. He also founded the Martin Luther King Celebration at the Municipal Building in Abington Township in 1986.

He was a founder of the OIC chapter in Montgomery County. He also served on the Prison Board of Montgomery County, where he sought to inspire inmates to turn their lives around.

He received numerous awards, including Abington Township’s Dr. Martin Luther King Award, the Montgomery County Republican Committee Recognition Award, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Local Government Trailblazer Award and the NAACP State and Local Recognition Award.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by: daughters, Pamela L. Johnson, Robin L. Johnson and Sherrie L. Grasty; son-in-law, Lorenzo Grasty; grandsons, Jonathan, Marcus and Myles; great-grandchildren, Symir, Zachary, Aysa, Isabella and Kameron; sisters, Tommie Maree Lee and Lorene Long; brothers, Grady (Thursa), James (Erminia) and Verno; and other relatives and friends.

Jim Brown on John Wooten with Lenny Moon. posted from https://www.lennymoonsports.com