b. 1942

As he was gaining recognition as a boxing phenom, the former Cassius Clay joined the Nation of Islam and dropped his ancestral slave name, becoming Mohammed Ali. In 1966, the pugilist famously said "I ain't got no quarrel with the Viet Cong," insisting that his Muslim faith didn't allow for him to fight the Vietnamese, and he appealed for conscientious objector status.

In addition to a $10,000 fine and much more in legal fees, Ali was stripped of his title, his boxing license and his passport, causing him to stop boxing for three years at the height of his career. He went on to become one of the world's most cherished sports legends.