D6 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020The Waiting Game
A WEEKLY LOOK AT THE SPORTS AND EVENTS WE’RE MISSINGA fierce critic of the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his
heavyweight boxing title and faced imprisonment in 1967 for refusing to
be drafted by the U.S. Army. Ali lost more than three years of his career as
the case worked its way through the courts. In late June 1971, the Su-
preme Court made its ruling. By 1974, Ali would reclaim his title in Zaire.
WASHINGTON, June 28 — Mu-
hammad Ali was cleared by the
Supreme Court today of the
charge of refusing induction into
the Army.
Four years after he was con-
victed by a jury in Houston, sen-
tenced to five years in prison and
then stripped of his heavyweight
championship by boxing commis-
sions, the Court declared that Ali
was improperly drafted in the first
place. The vote was 8-0, with Jus-
tice Thurgood Marshall abstain-
ing.
In an unsigned opinion, the
Court said that the Justice Depart-
ment had misled Selective Service
authorities by advising them that
Ali’s claim as a conscientious ob-
jector was neither sincere nor
based on religious tenets.
Ali, who is now 29 years old and
used to be called Cassius Clay, re-
mained free on $5,000 bail after
his 1967 conviction. It was not un-
til last October, however, that he
was permitted to fight profession-
ally again.
Justice Marshall, the only black
member of the court, abstained af-
ter sending an unusual note to the
press room saying that he could
not take part in the case because
he had been Solicitor General —
the government’s chief prosecu-
tor — during the time Ali was be-
ing prosecuted.
The opinion overturning Ali’s
conviction was unsigned because
no precedent was being set. Jus-
tices John Marshall Harlan and
William O. Douglas filed concur-
ring opinions.
In 1964, Ali was exempted from
the military by his draft board in
Louisville, Ky., because he failed
the mental examination. Two
years later, however, the Army
lowered its qualifications, and Ali
was reclassified 1-A, or draft eligi-
ble.
Ali appealed his classification to
the Selective Service Appeal
Board on the ground that he
should have been declared a con-
scientious objector because of his
Black Muslim religion.
The Justice Department wrotea letter to the Appeal Board as-
serting Ali’s claim should be de-
nied because he did not satisfy
any of the three requisites of con-scientious objectors. The Depart-
ment said that the boxer was not
opposed to all wars, that his objec-
tion was not sincere. The AppealBoard then denied Ali’s claim
without giving any reasons for do-
ing so.
On April 28, 1967, Ali refused to
step forward for induction, and on
June 20 he was convicted in Fed-
eral Court.
In its opinion today, the Su-
preme Court declared that the sin-
cerity of Ali’s beliefs and their
foundation in religious training
were beyond doubt. It noted that
the Government had conceded
that Ali met these two criteria.
Whether Ali was opposed to all
wars, the court said, was imma-
terial, since the Appeal Board
could have made its decision on
unlawful advice from the Justice
Department.
“Since the Appeal Board gave
no reasons for its denial of the pe-
titioner’s claim,” the Court said,
“there is absolutely no way of
knowing upon which of the three
grounds offered in the Depart-
ment’s letter it relied.”
The Court continued that “the
department was simply wrong as
a matter of law in advising that the
petitioner’s beliefs were not reli-
giously based and were net sin-
cerely held.”
Selective Service officials said
after the decision was announced
that Ali would not now be liable for
either the draft or alternative ci-vilian service as a conscientious
objector because he was over the
age of 26.
In his separate concurring
opinion, Justice Douglas sug-
gested that Ali was opposed to all
wars except “a religious war as
sanctioned by the Koran.”
Because of this belief, Justice
Douglas said, Ali was “in a class
honored by the First Amend-
ment, even though those
schooled in a different conception
of ‘just’ wars may find it quite ir-
rational.”
After Ali refused induction, and
before he was even convicted, the
New York State Athletic Commis-
sion took away his heavyweight
title. He was also refused a li-
cense to fight in other states and
was denied permission to fight
outside the country.
After a 3½-year layoff, Ali be-
gan his comeback by knocking
out Jerry Quarry last October
and Oscar Bonavena in Decem-
ber.
On March 8, however, he was
outpointed in a 15-round title bout
by Joe Frazier, the current cham-
pion.
Ali is now in training for a fight
against Jimmy Ellis, a former
sparring partner, scheduled for
the Houston Astrodome on July
26.FROM THE ARCHIVES: JUNE 29, 1971Ali Wins by Unanimous Decision in the Supreme Court
By DAVID E. ROSENBAUMMuhammad Ali arriving at a Veterans Administration office in
Louisville, Ky., in March 1966 to appeal his draft classification.ASSOCIATED PRESSWith its history, royal sightings, grass
court, strict all-white (or near-white)
dress code, and strawberries and cream,
Wimbledon — the oldest Grand Slam
tournament in tennis — has produced
memorable moments every summer
since 1877. One of the most poignant
happened in 1993.
Jana Novotna, the Czech star who had
sought for years to dominate the lawn at
Wimbledon, appeared to be on the verge
of victory. Up by 4-1 in the final set
against Steffi Graf, Novotna lost the
match, 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4. As the trophies
were being presented, Novotna cried on
the Duchess of Kent’s shoulder. “Jana, Ibelieve that you will do it, don’t worry,”
the duchess told her, by Novotna’s ac-
count.
Four years later, Novotna returned to
the final. She lost again, this time to the
16-year-old Martina Hingis. But in 1998,
the duchess’s prediction came true.
Novotna, then 29, defeated Nathalie
Tauziat of France, 6-4, 7-6 (2). Although
Novotna won 100 titles — 76 in doubles
and 24 in singles — Wimbledon was her
only Grand Slam singles victory.
Novotna retired from professional
tennis in 1999 and was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in- She died from cancer in 2017 at 49.
Tearful, Tormented and Finally Triumphant
“That’s what you do
when people are cry-
ing,” the Duchess of
Kent said of her hug of
Jana Novotna. “We are
quite normal people.”
Five years later,
Novotna embraced the
championship plate.NEIL MUNNS/PA, VIA GETTY IMAGESThe Astros so lucky
no fans are allowed in
a stadium this year
@Sway_LiAm
Quotable
1,676
Games lost*, through Sunday,
in the suspended seasons of
the N.H.L., the N.B.A. and
Major League Baseball.
*Not including playoffs, which
would have begun on April 8
in the N.H.L. and on April 18
in the N.B.A.
PPD.
Two nine-inning no-hitters on the
same night 2,500 miles apart
made June 29, 1990, a date that
baseball oddity collectors can
treasure forever. It was the first
time in the century that two
no-hitters had occurred on the
same day. Dave Stewart, 33, and
Fernando Valenzuela, 29, were
Dodger teammates from 1981
through 1983.
DAVE STEWART
Oakland Athletics
At the SkyDome in Toronto,
Stewart struck out 12, walked
three, and needed just 115 pitches
in a 5-0 victory. The Blue Jays’
lineup included John Olerud,
Fred McGriff and George Bell.
FERNANDO VALENZUELA
Los Angeles Dodgers
Soon after Stewart finished,
Valenzuela was starting against
St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.
Valenzuela needed 119 pitches to
beat the Cardinals, striking out
seven and walking three in a 6-0
win. The Cardinals’ lineup in-
cluded Pedro Guerrero, Terry
Pendleton and Ozzie Smith.
A 2-for-None Deal
OTTO GREULE JR/GETTY IMAGESASSOCIATED PRESSKEVIN LARMARQUE/REUTERSPA IMAGES, VIA GETTY IMAGESSources: ATP, WTA, The Wimbledon
Compendium 2019, The New York TimesMOST SINGLES TITLESMEN: OPEN ERA (SINCE 1968)
Roger Federer 8Pete Sampras 7WOMEN: OPEN ERA (SINCE 1968)
Martina Navratilova 9Steffi Graf 7Serena Williams 7MATCH WIN LEADERSMEN: OPEN ERA (SINCE 1968)
Roger Federer 101-13Jimmy Connors 84-18Novak Djokovic 72-10Boris Becker 71-12WOMEN: OPEN ERA (SINCE 1968)
Martina Navratilova 121-14Chris Evert 98-15Serena Williams 98-12Venus Williams 89-17ABOUT WIMBLEDONWimbledon — scheduled to start
today — has been canceled
because of the coronavirus
pandemic. Founded in 1877, the
tournament had previously been
called off only during World War I and
World War II. The men’s and women’s
singles winners get the same
prize money: $2,918,996 (2019).YOUNGEST CHAMPIONMEN
Boris Becker, 1985
17 years 228 daysWOMEN
Martina Hingis, 1997
16 years 280 daysOLDEST CHAMPIONMEN
Roger Federer, 2017
35 years 342 daysWOMEN
Serena Williams, 2016
34 years 287 daysATTENDANCEIn 2009, overall attendance was
511,043 (for 13 days), the high-
est in Wimbledon history.The court is rye grass.GETTY IMAGES
Martina NavratilovaCENTRAL PRESS/GETTY IMAGES
Boris BeckerJOHN REDMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Roger FedererALASTAIR GRANT/ASSOCIATED PRESS1993
STEFFI GRAF’S 5TH
WIMBLEDON TITLE1997
MARTINA HINGIS
WINS AT 16