James J. Braddock – 1905-1974

After rising rapidly in a prizefighting career that began in 1926, Braddock lost a title bout in 1929, then, during the Great Depression, descended into poverty and obscurity, only to reemerge by defeating heavyweight champ Max Baer on June 13, 1935, capping a comeback so fast and so startling that sports writer Damon Runyon dubbed him the “Cinderella Man.” Braddock was a hero to millions of hard-pressed men and women in Depression-era America, who learned that you can be down without being out.