Legends of the Links

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients

Since the honor was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has only been bestowed upon an average of 10 people per year. Listed here are eight of those recipients from the world of sports — Notre Dame’s national title-winning football coach Lou Holtz, legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, championship middle distance runner Jim Ryun, Olympic gold medalist wrestler Dan Gable, iconic Los Angeles Lakers star guard Jerry West, five-time World Series winning pitcher Mariano Rivera, 11-time auto racing series winning team owner Roger Penske and golfer Jack Nicklaus, the winner of 18 major championships.