It was the mid-1970s and Muhammad Ali was my new hero. To me, a grade-schooler, he was larger than life and yet so down-to-earth. My parents were in his inner circle, which gave me magical memories and personal insights on greatness. At his Deer Lake training camp in Pennsylvania and the Concord Resort Hotel in the Catskills, I got to experience the Heavyweight Champion away from the crowds. I would sit on his lap while he taught me card tricks.