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Former Miss America Phyllis George once reflected on her experience interviewing tennis legend Jimmy Connors. She mentioned that during their conversation, she sensed that her questions might have offended him.
George was an American sportscaster, businesswoman, and actress. In the 1970s, she became one of the first female sportscasters on national television, co-hosting The NFL Today on CBS. She broke ground for women in sports broadcasting, becoming a role model for many.
George, who interviewed numerous sports legends during her career, shared her experience with tennis star Connors in a 1975 interview. saying (via Sports Illustrated):
"I'm beginning to probe. When I asked Jimmy why he wasn't liked, it hurt me because I felt I was offending him. This is not my style."
In addition to her work in television, George was also Miss America 1971 and later ventured into business, launching several companies, including a line of Kentucky-based food products. She also briefly served as the First Lady of Kentucky when she was married to John Y. Brown Jr., the state's governor. She passed away in 2020.
Jimmy Connors retired from tennis in 1996
Jimmy Connors officially retired from professional tennis in 1996. However, his last significant run in a major tournament came at the 1991 US Open, where he reached the semifinals at the age of 39.
After hanging up his racket, Connors found himself bored. However, as he revealed on his 'Advantage Connors' podcast last December, his six dogs played a crucial role in helping him adjust to life.
"You know who saved me from that (boredom), outside of me sitting right here, it was my dogs. We had six dogs at the time. We had two Goldens, we had two Schnauzers. We had Huskey and Buddy," Connors said during a conversation with his close friend Casey Defranco (at 34:14).
"They (dogs) were the only ones who would listen to me, yell and scream and b***h and mourn and everything and still come upand you know sleep on you," he added.
The American also stepped into coaching, guiding Andy Roddick from 2006 to 2008, Maria Sharapova in 2013, and Eugenie Bouchard in 2015.
