Manute Bol to add jockey to sports resume

ANDERSON, Ind. Oct. 10, 2003 (AP) — Manute Bol, the former 7-foot-7 NBA star from the Sudan, plans to follow his brief stints in hockey and boxing by venturing into the world of horse racing.

Hoosier Park said in a news release Friday that Bol plans to “become the world’s tallest jockey” on Oct. 18 at the track about 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

The track said Bol will become a licensed jockey with the Indiana Horse Racing Commission in an effort to raise money for his native African country. The news release did not offer further details on Bol’s plans on the race track.

It would not be the first time Bol has taken up a new sport in a promotion to support his Ring True Foundation, which raises money and awareness about problems in the civil war-torn Sudan.

On Nov. 12, 2002, the NBA shot-blocker agreed to terms to play with the Indianapolis Ice of the Central Hockey League. Four days later, he suited up for an Ice home game, sitting behind the bench until his arthritic feet began to swell in his custom-made skates. He was out of uniform after one period of the game, which drew a season-high crowd of 5,859 to Conseco Fieldhouse. He did not return to the team.

Bol also once competed in Fox TV’s Celebrity Boxing show and beat former football player William “The Refrigerator” Perry in a bout. Bol agreed to take part, so long as Fox agreed to air a toll-free number for the Ring True Foundation.

A member of the Dinka tribe, Bol was a 1985 second-round draft pick of the Washington Bullets, and the first foreign player ever drafted in the NBA.

He played 11 seasons in the NBA with four teams, blocking more shots per minute than anyone in league history. He retired from in 1995 after averaging 4.2 rebounds per game and 2.6 points during his career.