Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, stands in the top spot after winning a gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
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Ali was golden starting in 1960 Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome were held during the height of the bitter Cold War. Helping to ease world tension was 18-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., just two months after his graduation from Central High School in Louisville, Ky., where he was a bit of a class clown.
