31 years and lee evans

ONE of the reasons I believed Lee Evans was human was that he coached in Nigeria and the evidence if his efforts still abound.I would speak of some of them, just some. Evans was ahead of his time, 41 years ago, when he won the Mexico Olympic 400m gold in 43.86 seconds. The record stood for almost 20 years (Butch Reynolds broke it in August 1988). The other world record when he anchored the 4×400m for his second Olympic gold, held sway for 24 years!

Some uncharitable folks said the performance was possible because of the rarefied air of Mexico City. They spent two decades trying to break the mark in Mexico City and the USA Olympic facility in Colorado Springs, which had the similar conditions.Evans with his colleagues, Ron Davies, and Don Coleman, thanks to the foresight of Isaac Akioye turned Nigerians athletics around. They were gone by 1978.

The fulcrum of that programme was the schools. Not many of today’s athletics buffs knew of a young man straight from Ishan Grammar School called Felix Imadiyi, also known as Beautiful Legs, Nigeria’s most sensational 400m runner in 1977.He ran the first sub-46 secs on Nigerian soil (in Kaduna in 1977) while still based in Nigeria. He was an Evans protégé. Kehinde Vaughan was in secondary school in Yaba in 1978 when she won the 400m gold at the All Africa Games in Algiers. The list of the Evans success includes Dele Udoh, who a policeman’s bullet fell in Ojuelegba in 1981 (accidental discharge has a long history) and the one many would remember Innocent Egbunike.

Egbunike, a former volleyball player, become one of the country’s most successful athletes and its most successful indigenous coach, with his own Olympic relay medal in 1984 (with Sunday Uti, Moses Ugbesie and Rotimi Peters), a bronze. He was coach of Nigerian Olympic teams in 1996, 2000 and 2008. His most successful outing was with the men’s 2000 Olympic 4×400m relay team, which won silver, but was eight years after upgraded to gold after some USA team members confessed to doping.Evans’ successes hit the consistent note about KNOWLEDGE power, though it was not expressed in those terms then. Evans knew his act and worked with people who were passionate about athletics.

Akioye was remarkable. He was a footballer, a goalkeeper, yet as the Director of Sports of the National Sports Commission, he catered for all sports. The setting was conducive for a professional like Akioye to act.The National Sports Commission was a legal entity.The law specified qualifications for its professional cadre. The Commission had enough resources to retain the services of world-class coaches with Olympic pedigree like Evans.Akioye was not an Olympic athlete by any stretch of the imagination. He was educated in sports, earning university qualifications in sports, practised it from primary school as competitor and teacher, promoted it all the way to University of Ife, where he was Director of Sports, and used the resources for sports to produce generations of sports people who became coaches or administrative staff. His attention to sports was total.

He could dismiss the programmes of any coach, in any sports, if he felt it was short of standards, of course, there were standards.After he left Nigeria, Evans coached in five other African countries. He always hungered to return to Nigeria.I ran into him at the All Africa Games in Nairobi 22 years ago, he came with the Camerounian team. His best wish that year was that Egbunike would break the 400m record. Egbunike’s best in 1987 was 44.17 seconds in Zurich and a silver medal at the World Championships in Rome.

When I read Evans’ enthusiasm to return, I fail to share the optimism of those who want to see Evans pulling off the successes from the skies. Where are the indigenous coaches he would work with? Where are the schools that would produce the athletes he would hone their raw talent?
Do Nigerians know the present Director of Sports (not to be confused with the Director General) of the National Sports Commission knows nothing about sports. I would not be surprised if he wonders why four people (actually six, two reserves) must run the relay. Are these the people to work with Evans?

Lee Evan Comedy King

Comedy King - which involves a lot of falling over, laughing inanely and sweating - earnt him acclaim as the Norman Wisdom of the 90s. Evans has had some success on the big screen - a lead role in the under-rated Mouse Hunt, and supporting parts in The Fifth Element .

Lee Evans Trio

A trademark of Lee Evans is The Lee Evans Trio, which consists of him on a bare stage, in a spotlight, miming to a recording of instrumental sound; the spotlight goes out, only to reappear in another location, to which Evans has moved during the blackout, and where he is now miming playing a different instrument. He mimes in three locations, with an imaginary drum kit, double bass and piano.

Lee Evans Best Performances

2001 Lee Evans: So What Now? (TV)
1998 There's Something About Mary (Film)
1997 Mouse Hunt (Film)
1995 Funny Bones (Film)
1995 The World Of Lee Evans (TV)
1988 Edinburgh Comedy Festival (Stand-Up)

Lee Evans - A STUNNING COMIC GENIUS

Lee Evans is one of the personality in which you can see real comedy Style. The sytle of comedy of Lee Evans can not compare with any other comics because there is real aspect of geniusness in his comic style. Lee Evans is now established as one of Britain's best-loved and biggest comedy stars, ex-boxer Lee Evans has captured audiences' and critics' imagination with his irrepressible physicality and disarming charm.
The winner of the Time Out Award for Comedy, Smash Hits Award and the highly coveted Perrier Award, he has been described by the press as "a dazzling comic genius".
Lee has recently finished filming Plots With a View (co-starring Christopher Walken and Brenda Blethyn) for Autumn release in the UK and the Hollywood movie Highbinders, with martial arts king Jackie Chan, due for release in 2003.

Lee Evans is top in a comedy box set

Congratulations to Lee Evans for recapturing the number 1 slot in the UK DVD Comedy Charts for his box set - 'Lee Evans - Complete Live Comedy Collection 1994 - 2005'. Sales have now reached over 250,000 and is a UK record for a comedy box set.

Lee Evans Lyrics

Lee Evans Best Lyrics

• Three Second Memory
• Land Of Your ForeFathers lyrics
• Philosipher Life lyrics
• Live at Her Majesty's

About Lee Evans

Showbiz is in Lee Evans' blood. His dad Dave raised Lee and his brother whilst touring UK clubs and seaside towns. After attending art school, Lee followed in his father's footsteps to the stand-up circuit. Four years at working men' clubs, and five on the alternative circuit later… Lee Evans became a huge hit at the 1988 Edinburgh Comedy Festival. Since then Lee Evans' stand-up and live television appearances have had the nation in hysterics. Famous for his very physical brand of comedy, and tendency to play the underdog, he has often been compared to Norman Wisdom. Closer inspection of his act shows that it's just what he does best. Evans is one of the rare UK comedians to have scored major hits at the cinema. Making his film debut in Funny Bones, he then found international fame with his role in gross-out There's Something About Mar and slap-stick Mouse Hunt.

Lee Evans O2 Arena

Lee Evans will tour Britain with a brand new stand-up act, "Big", in Autumn 2008, with a DVD of the tour released in November. This was scheduled to involve the first ever performance by a comedian at the O2 Arena in London until Chris Rock announced dates that would take place at the venue prior to Lee Evans.

With a total of 300,000 tickets available, 'Lee Evans - Big - UK Tour 2008' will be not only Evans largest tour to date but will make history by including the first comedy gig to grace the stage of the capital's London O2 Arena.

Lee Evans O2 Arena Dates

Lee Evans (O2 Arena Millenium Dome) - Fri, Oct 03, 2008
Lee Evans (O2 Arena Millenium Dome) - Sat, Oct 04, 2008
Lee Evans (O2 Arena Millenium Dome) - Sun, Oct 05, 2008
Lee Evans (O2 Arena Millenium Dome) - Mon, Oct 06, 2008

Lee Evans 2008 UK Tour Tickets On Sale!

Today Lee Evans, one of Britain's best-loved stars of stage, screen and stand-up is once again poised to enter the record books with the UK’s biggest ever live comedy gig.

Evans broke the Guinness World Record for a solo act performing to the biggest comedy audience at the Manchester Evening News Arena in 2005 when he played to a crowd of 10,108. However, he’s set to smash his own record by almost doubling that total in just two nights at The O2 arena in London.

Tickets for 'Lee Evans - Big - UK Tour 2008' are on sale to the public from 10am on Friday 26th October.
David Campbell, CEO of AEG Europe, owners of The O2, said: ‘Lee Evans is a comedy genius and we are exceptionally pleased to announce him as the first comedy act to play The O2’.

A total of 300,000 tickets will be available for the Lee Evans - Big - UK Tour 2008, which will include the first comedy concert to be performed at London's Millennium Dome, now called the O2 Arena.