The men and women who make up the Captain Class were never the most skilled athletes, nor were they gifted orators or paragons of sportsmanship. They were often role players who were allergic to the spotlight. In short, the seven attributes they shared will challenge your assumptions of what inspired leadership looks like.
TEAMS
- The Collingwood Magpies, Australian rules football; (1927-30)
- The New York Yankees, Major League Baseball; (1949-53)
- Hungary, men’s soccer; (1950-55)
- Montreal Canadiens, National Hockey League; (1955-60)
- Boston Celtics, National Basketball Association; (1956-69)
- Brazil, men’s soccer; (1958-62)
- Pittsburgh Steelers, National Football League; (1974-80)
- Soviet Union, men’s ice hockey; (1980-84)
- New Zealand All Blacks, rugby union; (1986-90)
- Cuba, women’s volleyball; (1991-2000)
- Australia, women’s field hockey; (1993-2000)
- United States, women’s soccer; (1996-99)
- San Antonio Spurs, National Basketball Association; (1997-16)
- Barcelona, Professional soccer; (2008-13)
- France, men’s handball; (2008-15)
- New Zealand All Blacks, rugby union; (2011-15)
CAPTAINS
- Syd Coventry, Collingwood Magpies
- Yogi Berra, New York Yankees
- Ferenc Puskás, Hungary
- Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens
- Bill Russell, Boston Celtics
- Hilderaldo Bellini, Brazil
- Jack Lambert, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Valeri Vasiliev, Soviet Union
- Wayne Shelford, New Zealand All Blacks
- Mireya Luis, Cuba
- Rechelle Hawkes, Australia
- Carla Overbeck, United States
- Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
- Carles Puyol, Barcelona
- Jérôme Fernandez, France
- Richie McCaw, New Zealand All Blacks