Rick Allen, '78: "The Ali I Knew"

The world’s most famous man was bored.

Stripped of his title for the second time — this one taken in the ring by a gap-toothed, goofy Leon Spinks rather than a judge — he still immediately drew adoring crowds whenever he went out. At home on Chicago’s South Side, he was surrounded by his wife, Veronica Porché (a former model) and kids from various marriages. His younger brother Rahman lived nearby. Half a block away stood the home of his spiritual mentor, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. It was still occupied by the Black Muslim hierarchy after their leader’s passing, three years earlier. Still, in mid-March 1978, six weeks after losing his championship belt to Spinks, Muhammad Ali was rotating in a very tight orbit.

Although he didn’t know it yet, brothers in boredom were nearby: two young law students from the University of Chicago, facing their last Easter break and a seemingly-pointless final trimester before launching into legal practice and politics. Cyrus’s and my decision to scheme a way to meet the global legend didn’t start crazy. We knew Ali lived just a few blocks away from my apartment. If we could spend our remaining Chicago months working with him, we knew we’d leave Hyde Park with something more memorable than our last class in Principles of Federal Taxation.

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