Muhammad Ali to receive honorary doctorate from Muhlenberg College

The Morning Call (Allentown, PA) ^ | 5/2/2009

[Born Conservative]

Muhammad Ali, who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee inside the boxing ring and became a political and humanitarian force outside of it, will receive an honorary doctorate from Muhlenberg College.

The former three-time heavyweight champion and Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the 20th Century will be honored at the college's 161st commencement May 17 with two others -- Galway Kinnell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and Kathleen A. McGinty, former state environmental secretary for Gov. Ed Rendell.

First known as Cassius Clay, he won the boxing Olympic gold medal in 1960 and became heavyweight champion in 1964. The next day, he announced he had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali, prompting virulent criticism from mainstream America.

That criticism intensified in 1967 when, citing religious reasons, he refused to be drafted during the Vietnam War. The boxing hierarchy stripped him of his title, and he couldn't fight for 31/2 years. He made his comeback in 1970 and regained his title four years later. After losing, winning and losing the title again, he retired in 1981.

Three years later he announced he had Parkinson's disease and has helped raise more than $45million for Parkinson's research.

Ali has often been honored for his humanitarian work, including being named a United Nations Messenger of Peace and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

[DannyTN]

Doctor of Pugilism?

[Finalapproach29er]

He also said ugly stuff about Joe Frazier, calling him an Uncle Tom for starters.

Cassius has a very ugly soul. imho

Those who worship and honor him are trash. imo

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

Yes, their website says “Evangelical Lutheran.”

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/muhlinfo/history.html

[Finalapproach29er]

Sort of like a Catholic school, like Notre Dame, honoring a mental case like Obama?

Shall we condemn all Catholics with your broad-brush?

Geez.

[Nonstatist]

I read somehwere that he had an IQ 0f 80. Which makes sense on several levels.

[MinuteGal]

I thought I’d be correct. Thanks much.<p.Leni

[Ragtime]

Look on the bright side: now that he is nothing more than a
punch-drunk retard, we no longer have to suffer the agony
of his childish and juvenile poetry.

Cassius “rope-a-dope” Clay, has become Cassius “the dope” Clay.

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

Well, it ain’t tied to the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. Must be the liberal ECLA....Evangelical Church in America......which is all about gays these days.

What institution in our society isn’t all about gays today? The Marxists consciously decided to destroy the pillars of Western sociey and they’ve done their job. Giving Cassius Clay an honorary degree shows how amuck a university can go in requiring diversity in every single thing it does. Skin color trumps all at today’s colleges.