George Foreman: Marketing Champ Of The World

In 2002, George Foreman was in Memphis working as a boxing commentator for Home Box Office Inc. when he ran into a group of preschoolers walking down the street. Their teacher explained to the children that Foreman had won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing at the 1968 Olympic Games. One little boy refused to believe it. "That's the cooking man!" shouted the tot, referring to the former boxer's promotions of his George Foreman grill. Says Foreman, laughing at the memory: "They don't even know me as the champion anymore."

That's a bittersweet reality for the 55-year-old athlete-turned-entrepreneur. Foreman loves to be recognized for his gold medal and his other boxing triumphs: defeating Joe Frazier in 1973 to become heavyweight champion of the world, and improbably regaining the title in 1994 from Michael Moore at the age of 45. But he admits that his second career as a product endorser has brought him more fame, fortune, and personal satisfaction than he dreamed possible.