Bob Champion
A jockey who beat testicular cancer and, against all odds, rode to a Grand National victory that became a symbol of hope.
Born 1948 (age 78)·English jump jockey·Birthday: June 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bob Champion's story transcends horse racing. A talented jump jockey, his career was derailed in 1979 when he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer and given months to live. Enduring brutal chemotherapy, he fought his way back to health and, remarkably, back to the saddle. In 1981, he partnered with Aldaniti, a horse itself recovering from a career-threatening injury, for the Grand National. Their partnership was a narrative of mutual redemption. Against 40-1 odds, Champion and Aldaniti won the world's most grueling steeplechase in one of sport's most emotional moments. His victory, detailed in his autobiography, became the film 'Champions,' cementing his legacy as an icon of resilience far beyond the racetrack.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bob was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti after recovering from cancer, a victory immortalized in film.
- Authored 'Champion's Story,' which chronicled his battle with cancer and Grand National triumph.
- Founded the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which has raised millions for cancer research.
Did You Know?
His Grand National winner, Aldaniti, had suffered a severed tendon and was considered unlikely to race again.
Actor John Hurt portrayed Champion in the 1984 film adaptation of his life, 'Champions.'
He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1981.
The Bob Champion Cancer Trust helped fund a state-of-the-art research laboratory at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.
“Aldaniti and I were both written off. We helped each other. It was a second chance for both of us.”
