Some may question my inclusion of Eckersly given his failed first marriage and bout with alcoholism.  I included him because I read an interview in which he spoke with genuine remorse about the failures of his past, and I found his thoughtful introspection uncommon among today’s athletes.  Even with all the accolades he earned in the latter part of his career, he never suffered from an inflated ego.  As a younger man, Eckersly stared tenuously over the edge of an abyss and came away with a sense of humility quite rare in people who have achieved his level of success.