The first football player to ever appear on the iconic Wheaties cereal box was Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton in 1987. Payton was featured in a blue and white Chicago Bears uniform on the cover of the cereal box, along with a headline that read, “Walter Payton — The Heart of a Champion.
” Payton had just cemented his place among the all-time greatest players in the National Football League, leading the Bears to a 15–1 regular season record, and a Super Bowl XX victory over the New England Patriots.
After his appearance on the Wheaties box, Payton became a spokesperson for the cereal and regularly appeared in commercials for the brand. Since 1987, numerous other professional football players have appeared on the Wheaties box, including Jerry Rice (1992), MVP Steve Young (1995), Kurt Warner (2001), and Aaron Rodgers (2010).
What athletes have been on the Wheaties cereal box?
Throughout the years, various athletes from different sports have been featured on the iconic Wheaties cereal box.
There have been professional football, baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis and golf players on the boxes. Some of the most popular athletes include:
• Baseball player Babe Ruth, who appeared on the first Wheaties box in 1933, again in 1934 and 1935.
• Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, who was featured on the cereal box for a few years in the 1970’s.
• Basketball player Michael Jordan was featured on the cover of a Wheaties box in 1992, 1998 and 2000.
• Professional football player Joe Montana, who appeared on the box five times between 1981 and 1991.
• World champion swimmer Mark Spitz, who was featured on the box in 1972.
• German soccer midfielder and World Cup champion Miroslav Klose, who was featured on the box in 2014.
• Tennis great Billie Jean King was featured on the cover of the box in 2006.
• Baseball player Jackie Robinson was featured on the cover of the box in 2007.
• Olympic swimmer Dara Torres was on the box in 1997, 2008 and 2012.
• Professional surfer Kelly Slater was featured on the box in 2011.
• Professional snowboarder Shaun White appeared on the Wheaties box in 2013.
Who was the first professional athlete to appear on a Wheaties cereal box?
The first professional athlete to appear on the iconic Wheaties cereal box was the world-famous swimmer and Olympic champion, Duke Kahanamoku. Duke, who hailed from Honolulu, Hawaii, was a legendary athlete, movie star, and international ambassador of the sport of surfing.
He is credited with popularizing the sport across the globe and has been called the “father of modern surfing”. Graduating from the Punahou School in Honolulu, he went on to star in several Hollywood films.
In October 1920 Duke made history by claiming the title of U. S. Champion in the 100-yard freestyle at the Amateur Athletic Union’s national outdoor swimming championships in Brooklyn. His win secured him a spot at the Antwerp Olympic Games in the 100m and 400m freestyle events and he would ultimately win two gold and one silver medal.
His international recognition shot up shortly after and he was eventually approached by the Wheaties brand to become the first athlete to be featured on the iconic cereal box. The portrait of him that appears on the traditional box is iconic and to this day, Duke is revered as a hero and a pioneer of modern surfing.
Who has been on the Wheaties box the most?
Michael Jordan has been on the Wheaties box the most, with a total of nine covers. He first appeared on a Wheaties box in 1988, after winning his first NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls. He would appear on the box four more times in the 1990s, including a 1996 cover commemorating his record-breaking fourth NBA championship.
In 2009, Wheaties honored him for his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame with a special edition box, and in 2010 a fifth-edition commemorated the 20th anniversary of his first championship. In 2011, he was featured on a sixth Wheaties box when he retired from the NBA for a second time.
The seventh Wheaties cover, issued in 2013, honored Jordan’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the eighth and ninth covers honored his 50th birthday (2016) and his induction into the Georgetown University Athletics Hall of Fame (2020), respectively.
Who was the first black person on a box of Wheaties?
The first black person to appear on the box of Wheaties was Olympic track star, Wilma Rudolph. Born in 1940 to a poor family in Clarksville, Tennessee, Wilma Rudolph overcame numerous obstacles, including polio early in life, to become a groundbreaking athlete and an inspiration to people around the world.
In 1960, Wilma Rudolph shocked the world by winning three gold medals at the Rome Olympics, winning the hearts of millions. She was already an international star due to her success in track and field, and in 1983, Rudolph became the first black person to appear on the Wheaties box.
Her image graced the box for two years and has become iconic.
Wilma Rudolph went on to become a civil rights activist, speaker and teacher. She founded the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, dedicating her life to inspiring and helping young kids learn the values of hard work, dedication, and community.
She passed away in 1994, leaving behind an inspirational legacy that continues to inspire generations of athletes.
Was Bruce Jenner ever on the Wheaties box?
Yes, Bruce Jenner was featured on a Wheaties box in 1977. At the time, he had recently won an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon and was seen as an inspirational figure. Jenner first appeared on the cover of Wheaties in 1976, just after winning the gold medal.
The following year, Wheaties released another box featuring Jenner breaking the world record for the decathlon. It was the first time a non-team athlete had ever been featured on one of their boxes. Since then, Jenner has gone on to become an acclaimed speaker, actor, and businessperson.
Who has the most box appearances?
The boxer with the most overall box appearances is the legendary Bernard Hopkins. He made his professional boxing debut in 1988 and has since gone on to make a total of 66 official ring appearances, across 12 full calendar years.
Hopkins is also notable as the only man to have successfully defended all four major titles in the middleweight division, winning world titles at Middleweight, Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight levels.
Throughout his long career, Hopkins has fought in some of boxing’s biggest fights, including his 2005 unification bout with Jermain Taylor and his 2011 Middleweight title defense against Jean Pascal.
What year was Larry Bird on the Wheaties box?
Larry Bird appeared on a Wheaties box for the first time in 1983. This was to commemorate the Boston Celtics’ 1981-82 NBA Championship season. A second Larry Bird Wheaties box was released the following year to celebrate the team’s second consecutive NBA title.
This second version of the Wheaties box had a unique drawing of Larry Bird with the heading Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics Back-to-Back NBA Champions underneath. This was the first time a professional athlete had been featured on the cereal box with a team designation.
Both versions of the box quickly became prized possessions of Wheaties fans.
Who was the first 1 million dollar baseball player?
The first ballplayer to earn a million dollar salary was pitcher/third baseman Mike Hampton. Hampton signed as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies on December 15th, 2000, inking a then-record eight-year, $121 million deal that made him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.
After taxes and an adjustment for his signing bonus, the deal was worth $111 million, the equivalent of just under $14 million per year. That made him the first ballplayer to earn an annual salary of seven figures.
Mike Hampton continued to play baseball for six seasons, before retiring from the sport in 2006.