Chumps to champs

Photo / Herald on Sunday

Terry Jenner, the embezzler who became the world's leading legspin guru, heads the list compiled by the Herald on Sunday sports team of the top 10 anti-heroes who successfully re-invented themselves.

TERRY JENNER
Jenner (66) died on May 25, 13 months after a massive heart attack from which he never fully recovered. The nine-test Australian leg spinner of the early 1970s is best remembered as the man who coached the seemingly uncoachable Shane Warne.

Jenner saw something of himself in Warne; the revolutionary, the rogue, the redeemable. The pair first met in 1990 following Jenner's release from 18 months in prison. He had been sentenced to six and a half years after stealing funds from his employer to repay gambling debts, earning extra notoriety as the first Australian test cricketer to go to jail.

His success with Warne led to him being sought the world over as a wrist spin coach. Last year he reflected that working with the greatest leg spinner had changed his life: "I was out there earning the respect of people and felt like I'd redeemed myself for the downs I had.

- Andrew Alderson

EARVIN 'MAGIC' JOHNSON
He helped guide the LA Lakers to five NBA titles in 12 seasons; his rivalry with Boston's Larry Bird helped define the era. Things changed, however, in 1991 when he announced he had contracted HIV. He quickly retired from playing but returned to feature in the 1992 All Star game despite protests from fellow players who feared they, too, would contract the disease. Johnson planned to play the 1992/93 season but succumbed to pressure from players. He retired again, this time for four years, before returning to play in 1996 at the age of 37. He played 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time "on my terms''.

Johnson represented the changing face of HIV/Aids. Previously, it was considered a disease for gays, bisexuals and drug addicts. Johnson made it his mission to educate people and even worked for the UN as a Messenger of Peace. Former US president George Bush called him a "hero'' for bringing HIV/Aids into the consciousness and Johnson continues to champion the message.

- Michael Brown

SONNY BILL WILLIAMS
In sport you have to be special to be known by your Christian name(s). Think Tiger, Jonah, Shaquille. Sonny Bill has graduated into that category. Okay, it helps his name is not John, James or Joe but, all the same, he is a definitive household name. Less than three years ago Williams was one of the most hated individuals in rugby league (and Australasian sport) because a year into a five-year A$2 million contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs he defected to another multi-million dollar contract with the Toulon rugby club.

The 25-year-old has since produced a remarkable public perception turnaround, helped by manager Khoder Nasser. Williams' offloading was always a great asset in league and has become a similar weapon in rugby. Initial naysayers claimed he shouldn't be ushered so easily into the All Blacks but he could now claim a starting position at second-five for the World Cup. Such is his athleticism he has mixed rugby with stints in the boxing ring. That also raised the ire of rugby purists but nothing Williams does is orthodox, a core driver behind his fast-growing legend status.

- Andrew Alderson

RICHARD LOE
An elbow jolter and eye-gouger loathed in Australia (and with some not too fond of him here, either) Richard Loe was one of New Zealand rugby's baddest boys. His elbow on Australian winger Paul Carozza (a broken nose) and gouging of Otago fullback Greg Cooper (went off with an eye injury) in the 1990s lent Loe a demonic aura for a while.

He now has regular Australian media and speaking gigs there, has made his peace with Carozza as well as becoming a respected rugby columnist and broadcaster in New Zealand. He is a columnist for the Herald on Sunday and does a farming and footy' show on Radio Live as well as other radio work.

In truth, he has always been exactly what he is now - a north Canterbury farmer who loves to have a yarn and whose off-field persona was often the exact opposite of the on-field version. Back in the days when the rugby media toured with the All Blacks and stayed in the same hotels, a certain scribe was walking down the corridor after an interview (and after a recent article slagging off one R. Loe). As he padded down the corridor, the scribe was stopped dead in his tracks by Loe roaring his name through his open room door. Summoned to the prop's presence, the journalist thought that it was about time his arms got ripped off anyway - but Loe just put the billy on, chatted away about this and that, everything except the offending piece. For all the world like a farmer chewing the fat.

- Paul Lewis

MARK GEYER
For years, Mark Geyer was the classic rugby league anti-hero. He got in fights, was regularly suspended, smoked marijuana and put speed in his beer. The former Australian and NSW hard man failed to show up for training, had contracts cancelled and even went broke which forced him to play bush footy' in rural NSW because of his erratic behaviour.

Now, however, he's turned his life around and not only forged a successful media career (radio, TV and magazines) but also speaks regularly to people in trouble about how they can make positive changes. Geyer cites the death of close friend Ben Alexander in a car crash in 1992 for falling into his "darkest days''.

He used drugs and alcohol to avoid reality and it was only the birth of his first child (he has five) in 1995 that got him back on track. "I love helping other people,'' Geyer said last year after talking to youth at a juvenile detention centre. "That to me is as good as winning a test match for your country.''

- Michael Brown

SIR NICK FALDO
A majorly talented and focused golfer, Faldo hated the media and they hated him - but now he is a respected media man. For years Faldo, winner of six majors, was also hated by many of his fellow golf pros for being aloof, silent and even surly when playing.

"Playing golf with Nick Faldo is like playing golf with yourself, only slower,'' was one of the few repeatable quotes.

However, it was all deliberate, Faldo said.

"I wanted to be competitive on the course. I wanted to be intimidating. I liked the idea that mine was the last name they wanted to see on the leaderboard. That was all great as far as I was concerned. I used it. I liked the saying, the more they know about me, the weaker I get." So I kept my distance.''

His marital history outdoes Tiger Woods - three wives, three divorces and one outraged partner who famously took to his Porsche with a golf club, causing £10,000 damage. Now an outstanding interview and commentator of unrivalled knowledge and even regarded as "fun" in the US, Faldo has come a long way from the man who said to the assembled media after winning a major: "...and I'd like to thank the press, from the heart of my bottom.'' Oh, yes, and he was knighted.

- Paul Lewis
JOHN MCENROE
John McEnroe was the ultimate enfant terrible on the tennis court in the late 1970s and 1980s. His freakish natural talent enabled him to dispatch opponents with sometimes effortless grace but his on-court behaviour was often appalling, with abusive verbal volleys fired at umpires and line judges, and racquets smashed with ridiculous frequency. It seemed to be McEnroe versus the world, or at least against the tennis establishment.

His nadir came at Wimbledon in 1981, with his infamous "You cannot be serious'' rant following a disputed line call. He was close to being thrown out of the tournament and, despite eventually winning it, was not accorded the traditional honorary membership at Wimbledon due to his behaviour. Also memorable was another outburst in Stockholm in 1984 where he told the umpire to "answer the question, jerk!" He was defaulted out of the Australian Open in 1990, after swearing at a line judge, umpire and referee in quick succession.

But he has reinvented himself since retirement as a respected tennis analyst and commentator and even anchors the BBC's coverage during the Wimbledon fortnight - with a noticeably measured tone.

- Michael Burgess

DAVID BECKHAM
Once seen as a symbol of all that was wrong with the new breed of footballers in the UK, he is now loved on the terraces, admired by Fleet Street and feted by Downing Street. His petulant display at the 1998 World Cup - sent off in England's loss to Argentina for kicking out at Diego Simeone - was the last straw for many fans, and he was castigated from Southampton to Sunderland. His effigy was hung outside a London pub and one Fleet Street tabloid printed a dartboard with his head as the bullseye.

He was still being abused by some England fans at Euro 2000 but redemption began in 2001, when his spectacular last-minute free kick against Greece qualified the Three Lions for the World Cup. He captained his country at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and won 115 caps. Beckham assisted with London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and the 36-year-old is now seen as the model professional.

- Michael Burgess

GEORGE FOREMAN
Brand 1 - the fearsome monster from the black lagoon who looked like he might kill Muhammad Ali in their famous Zaire bout. Brand 2, after being beaten by Ali - a born-again Christian who became an ordained Baptist minister with his own church. Brand 3, after finally retiring from boxing - a cuddly cook, earning millions from advocating healthy eating with his famed fat-reducing grill.

Running through all these brands was his boxing. He retired twice and, in his second career', became the oldest boxer ever to become heavyweight champion when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 to reclaim the title he'd held 20 years earlier. He has 10 children, with all of his sons named George (he was called Big George at home to avoid confusion...) and two of his daughters were called George and Georgetta. If he was famous as a boxer, he became even more so as a heavyweight cook. His grills are said to have earned him US$200 million, way more than earned as a boxer.

- Paul Lewis

RUBIN BURGESS
"Here comes the story of the Hurricane
The man the authorities came to blame
For something that he never done
Put in a prison cell but one time he could've been
The champion of the world."
That was Bob Dylan's lyrical summary in his 1975 protest song Hurricane - the nickname of Rubin Carter, a contender for the world middleweight boxing crown. Carter fought professionally between 1961 and 1966, earning the Hurricane tag for his aggression, speed and power. His career ended after his arrest for three murders on June 17, 1966 at a New Jersey bar.

Dylan's song alleged police racism contributed to Carter's wrongful conviction. It formed part of the soundtrack for the film on the boxer's life, released in 1999. Denzel Washington received an academy award nomination in the title role. Carter went on to lead the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted between 1993 and 2005 and has since become a respected motivational speaker, much in demand.

- Andrew Alderson