The Ever-changing Champ!
George Foreman	You've probably seen him advertising his "Lean, Mean" grill. He's a jolly giant for certain - standing at six foot three and around 270 pounds, but he wasn't always that way. Name: George Foreman Home: Kingwood, Texas Born: January 10, 1949 Occupation: Boxer, minister.
In November 1994, at the age of 45, George Foreman became the oldest person ever to win a boxing championship when he defeated Michael Moorer to become the heavyweight champion of the world. With this victory, Foreman regained the title and completed an inspiring saga that seemed to defy the laws of nature. Why did he do it? In his earlier years, many boxing fans despised him for his sulky demeanor and constant scowl; attributes that actually stemmed from the young boxer's insecurity which manifested itself as Sentinel Emoting. Though he didn't then let it be knows, George felt hurt by people's contempt for him even though many said he brought it on himself. Only when he quit boxing in 1977 did George start to really enjoy his life. Claiming to have undergone an intense religious experience moments after losing a fight, George became an evangelical minister. He went into the streets to preach, and eventually served as pastor at the Church of The Lord Jesus Christ in Houston. In 1984 he opened the George Foreman Youth and Community Center, a place for boys to box, play basketball, read books, or just sit around and talk. As time passed, George's celebrity status from the fighting years slowly faded. George took pleasure in being an ordinary citizen; people came to know him better, and they liked him. We believe it was at this point that his Emoting Style changed from the very guarded Sentinel to confident Scintillator: now seeking to make life more fun and enjoyable for himSelf and Others. By 1987, however, George was running out of money to keep the youth center going. Foreman had no intentions of giving up or begging for money to support the center. He knew that he would have to do it himself. He entered the boxing ring a year later with determination built more on happiness than anger. At the beginning of his comeback, Foreman was 38 and weighed a whopping 267 pounds -- 50 pounds heavier than he had been as a young, muscular champion in 1973. In addition to gaining weight, George had shaved his head. He looked like a giant hard boiled egg. Sports reporters snickered at him. During his comeback, one reporter noted, "Foreman evoked both Abraham Lincoln and P.T. Barnum." But he responded to these types of comments only with more resolved purpose and...jubilance. It was a long way from his days as a Texas street fighter in one of Houston's toughest neighborhoods. Somehow, he survived his very troubled childhood and joined the Job Corps in 1965 where he was encouraged by a counselor to enter the boxing world. Three years later, he won an Olympic Gold Medal, turning professional in 1969. During the 1968 Olympic games, many U.S. athletes protested against racism at home as well as America's involvement in the Vietnam War. So people took special notice when George celebrated his victory by holding up an American flag and bowing to the audience on each side of the ring. "No demonstration or anti-demonstration," he later explained. "I just wanted everybody to know that I was from the United States of America." We see this pragmatic attitude towards such a complicated issue as evidence of Realist Thinking and the patriotism and gratitude towards the United States as evidence of Sentinel loyalty. Here's what George has to say about life these days: I love talking with people. When I'm in a hotel and things are not going right, I'll just go sit in the lobby; after all the autograph seekers have passed by, there will always be some lady, a senior citizen maybe, or a kid who will sit down and talk to me about something important, something personal. The last thing I want to talk about at that point is boxing. They'll talk to me about something that's happening in their lives, and I'll have some comments because, well, with the course that I've gone in life, I know something about everything. I'm not saying I know it all, but I can talk about anything -- schools, politics, children in trouble -- so I'm always trying to find people to talk to. That's what I like doing more than anything. Talking -- that's what relaxes me. When life presents challenges, well, I'm a preacher, so I pray. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. I keep my own sermons in mind: Most of them are built on the idea of not giving up on yourself or others, no matter what. So the product that I peddle, I use, too. I wanted to win the heavyweight championship title not only to show that I could win, but to put that sermon across. And also to show the world that middle age is truly not a deficit. More than anything, I want to sell people on living. George's goals now are to help others and to enjoy life doing it. His Idealist Working ensures a steady supply of funds and, as with many confident and successful Idealists, he's turned his wealth towards philanthropy—donating to many charities including $100,000 to AIDS Foundation Houston Stone Soup Pantry for which he won a humanitarian award. He also recently received an honorary doctorate from the Houston Graduate School of Theology for his charity work with children. In vivid contrast to the pouting bruiser of his early years, Foreman matured into a friendly, bald-headed giant with a irrepressable sense of humor. Jesting about his age, he said, "When I win the heavyweight championship, I want every 40-year-old and 50-year-old to stand up and have a toast of Geritol for George Foreman." As a side note, George has ten children--five boys and five girls. All five boys are named George. Take that as a sign that he has a little Eccentrik lurking just beneath the surface. Young George Foreman: Realist/Idealist/Sentinel Lean, Mean, Self-Publicizing George Foreman Machine: Realist/Idealist/Scintillator

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