“Who the heck is Chuck Ealey?”
That question was asked with bewilderment by a gentleman on a January night in 2003 in suburban Washington, D.C. During the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, the ABC broadcast listed the winningest quarterbacks in college football history. Miami’s Ken Dorsey had won 34 consecutive games, one shy of Ealey’s record 35.
In a room full of men, the lone woman spoke up.
“I had never been so ready to answer a question in my entire life,” USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan said. “And, boy, did those guys hear about Chuck Ealey.