Before I was ever in my teens, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. My read more

Before I was ever in my teens, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. My goal was to be the greatest athlete that ever lived.

Waving the flag at the 1976 Olympics wasn't my idea. It was too much apple pie and ice cream. Not read more

Waving the flag at the 1976 Olympics wasn't my idea. It was too much apple pie and ice cream. Not that I don't love my country, but I felt it was my victory up there, I put all the time into it.

Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.

Durability is part of what makes a great athlete.

It's really impossible for athletes to grow up. On the one hand, you're a child, still playing a game. But read more

It's really impossible for athletes to grow up. On the one hand, you're a child, still playing a game. But on the other hand, you're a superhuman hero that everyone dreams of being. No wonder we have such a hard time understanding who we are.

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself -- the invisible, inevitable battles inside read more

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself -- the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us -- that's where it's at.