Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
July 1, 2010, Washington Post

Teenagers can be star athletes, too

The Washington Wizards picked University of Kentucky guard John Wall as the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft last week.

Wall is an exceptional athlete. He is super-quick and a great passer. Wall may be what the Wizards need at point guard.

But there's something else that makes Wall unusual in pro sports. He's just 19 years old; he will turn 20 in September.

I know lots of kids dream about being sports stars. But at the highest levels, sports are tough and competitive. Not many young players make it. Very few teenagers are stars. Let's take a look at some of the greatest teenage stars:

Pelé: A World Cup soccer player becomes famous these days for scoring one or two goals. In the 1958 World Cup, a 17-year-old forward named Edison Arantes do Nascimento scored six goals, including five in the final two games to lead Brazil to victory. The player, who became known to the world by his nickname, Pelé, won two more World Cups with Brazil and became the greatest soccer player of all time.

Wayne Gretzky: The legendary hockey player was 18 when he started playing in the National Hockey League in 1979. Some fans thought the skinny center might not be able to stand up to the rough-and-tumble NHL. Boy, did Gretzky prove them wrong! He scored 51 goals, dished out 86 assists and was named the league's most valuable player (MVP). By the end of his 20-year career, Gretzky, known as the Great One, won nine MVP awards and rewrote the NHL record book for scoring.

Tracy Austin: Women's tennis has had a bunch of teen sensations, including Chris Evert, Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati. Tracy Austin won a professional tournament when she was 14 years old and the United States Open in 1979 when she was 16. Austin won a second U.S. Open as a teenager in 1981. Those were Austin's only Grand Slam singles titles. Her career was cut short by injuries.

Bob Feller: A hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, Bob Feller was a 17-year-old high school senior when he made his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1936. Feller struck out 15 batters in his first start. Feller also led the American League in strikeouts when he was just 19. Feller finished his major league career with a record of 266 wins and 162 losses. He would have won more, but like many old-time baseball stars, Feller volunteered to serve in the Navy during World War II (1941 to 1945).

In basketball, LeBron James was a sensation as a 19-year-old rookie, averaging more than 20 points a game. Wizards fans would be delighted if their young star turn out to be another LeBron. Or Pelé. Or Gretzky. Or Tracy Austin. Or Bob Feller.

Fred Bowen is the author of 14 sports books for kids, including "Soccer Team Upset" and "Dugout Rivals."

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