innovators:

David Parkin

David Parkin

David Parkin came from the most prestigious school ever to produce AFL coaches: the school of hard knocks. The backline. 5 Jun 2011
Abe Saperstein

Abe Saperstein

The founder and coach of the Harlem Globetrotters did much more than bring flashy basketball to the white masses. 5 May 2011
Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra

Yankees catcher Yogi Berra was the no-nonsense character baseball had been waiting for. He knew a bit about the game,stumbling only on delivery to us mere mortals. 7 Apr 2011
Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan

He even wrote specific instructions for it, but Ben Hogan is said to still be the only man to ever perfect the golf swing. 7 Mar 2011
Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King didn’t just liberate women – she liberated the game of tennis. 8 Feb 2011
Rod Laver

Rod Laver

Sure, top-spin was around before Rod Laver, but it was “Rocket” who brought the potentially-lethal tactic to life 8 Jan 2011
Kerry Packer

Kerry Packer

Cricket became a true television sport in the ‘70s thanks to the – some say – brutish investment of billionaire Kerry Packer. 8 Dec 2010
Roger Ascham

Roger Ascham

Archery – as a sporting pursuit, more than a hunting method – owes its birth to 16th Century scholar Roger AsCham. 11 Oct 2010
"King" Wally

"King" Wally

The game of rugby league had never seen anything like Wally Lewis’ lethal passing game. 11 Sep 2010
Percy Cerutty

Percy Cerutty

Percy Cerutty transformed athletics training and coached a brace of Aussies to sporting immortality. 12 Jul 2010
Cus D'Amato

Cus D'Amato

The legendary trainer didn’t just teach boxers like Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson to throw punches 12 Jun 2010
Kevin Sheedy

Kevin Sheedy

Few players’ careers in football take-off upon retirement like Kevin Sheedy’s did. but then again, there’s no one in the AFL like Sheeds. 12 May 2010
John Peard

John Peard

The targets of rugby league legend John Peard’s “bombs” were his fellow attackers, and very nervous defences. 14 Mar 2010
Bernard Bosanquet

Bernard Bosanquet

Bernard Bosanquet’s googly just wasn’t cricket – batsmen couldn’t even see where it was headed! But he changed the way the game was played. 15 Jan 2010
Dr Bruce Oglivie

Dr Bruce Oglivie

The philosophies of sports physiologist Dr Bruce Ogilvie were dismissed at first, then adopted as commonplace. And still are. 15 Dec 2009
Ian Chappell

Ian Chappell

Ian Chappell’s forthright but enabling leadership transformed a dispirited Aussie Test outfit into the world’s most influential team. 17 Nov 2009
Forbes Carlile's science of swimming

Forbes Carlile's science of swimming

Swimming training became much more than focusing on black-tile lines after Forbes Carlile scienced it up. 18 Oct 2009
Larry Foley

Larry Foley

The legendary Larry Foley took boxing from the back lanes to respectability – when it needed it most. 18 Aug 2009
Turning The Tables

Turning The Tables

Sometimes a modern game results from a long string of innovations. It seems that table tennis never stops. 19 Jul 2009
Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff’s wizardry proved a true “turn” for the worse for opponents. Add the “total” football philosophy and he was truly unstoppable. 19 Jun 2009
Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee

It'll be a long time before ar man possessing the mind,body and spirit of Bruce Lee walks the Earth again. 19 May 2009