This sports commentary is about what happens when you’re having breakfast, and then write an article about your breakfast cereal. You decide if what follows is G-R-E-A-T! (Oops, wrong brand!)
As I sat eating my Raisin Bran the other morning (note to self: next time, get Kellogg’s or Post, not the generic), my sports-starved mind strayed to the “Breakfast of Champions” — Wheaties. As a kid, I never believed I would become a champion athlete just by eating my Wheaties, but I used to enjoy looking at whoever was on the cover.
My breakfast reverie the other day led me to some Wheaties research. In 1921, a health clinician spilled wheat gruel on a hot stove and watched it transform into delicious wheat flakes. Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes, introduced in 1924, soon became known as Wheaties. The product is a wheat-bran mixture.
Wheaties began its association with sports in 1927 through advertising on the southern wall of minor league baseball’s Nicollet Park in Minneapolis, Minn. Wheaties sponsored the radio broadcasts of the Minneapolis Millers. A large billboard was provided in the park to introduce new slogans. The first slogan was “Wheaties—the Breakfast of Champions.”
In the 1930s, Wheaties expanded its sponsorship of baseball broadcasting. In 1934, athletes began to be depicted on the side of Wheaties boxes, starting with Lou Gehrig. The 1930s and 1940s were Wheaties’ heyday, as it expanded its testimonials to every sport imaginable, including circus and rodeo stars, jockeys, big-game hunters, automobile racers, speedboat racers, and parachutists.
The 1941 hit song “Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio” mentions a case of Wheaties as a reward for a clutch hit by the Yankee Clipper. Then, in the late 1950s, Wheaties began the first of several sponsorship deals with athletic legends who would appear on the iconic box and, for the first time, on the front. Olympic pole vaulter Bob Richards was the first Wheaties spokesperson, succeeded by Bruce Jenner, Mary Lou Retton, Walter Payton, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods.
Since the debut of the front cover depiction of Bob Richards, hundreds of athletes have been shown and promoted, including entire baseball, basketball, and football teams, while highlighting Olympic successes. Wheaties does not limit itself to current athletic stars, as special edition boxes have depicted baseball players from the early 20th century and other athletes who were too early for Wheaties to cover, such as Jim Thorpe.
Around 1990, General Mills promoted “Picture Yourself on a Wheaties Box.” For a fee, they would make a custom Wheaties box from one’s photograph that was sealed in clear acrylic.
Jesse Owens was the first African-American athlete depicted on a Wheaties box. The above cover is a reissue. Athletes appeared on the sides of Wheaties boxes until they were relocated to the front in 1958. (courtesy Clio Awards)
Back to athletes …. Michael Jordan has the most individual appearances on a Wheaties Box — 18. And here are some Wheaties “firsts”:
1934 – First woman depicted on a Wheaties box – Aviator Elinor Smith
1935 – First woman athlete depicted on a Wheaties box – Golfer and athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias
1936 – First African-American athlete on a Wheaties box – Jesse Owens
1969 – First male golfer depicted on the front of a Wheaties box – Lee Trevino
1984 – First woman athlete depicted on the front of a Wheaties box – Gymnast Mary Lou Retton
1986 – First NFL player depicted on the front of a Wheaties box – Walter Payton
1987 – First team depicted on a Wheaties box – 1987 World Series Champion Minnesota Twins
1992 – First non-orange Wheaties box, colored red and black in honor of the Chicago Bulls
1997 – First automobile race driver depicted on the front of a Wheaties box – Dale Earnhardt
1999 – First professional wrestler depicted on the front of a Wheaties box – Stone Cold Steve Austin
2012 – 9-year-old Samantha Gordon is the first female football player to be featured on a Wheaties box
2014 – First Mixed Martial Arts fighter depicted on the front of the Wheaties box – Anthony Pettis
2016 – First motocross racer to appear on Wheaties box – Ryan Dungey
To become a Wheaties expert, you can purchase Wheaties Breakfast of Champions Sports Trivia Game on Amazon for $19.99. But you better hurry. As of today, only one is left!
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This column originally appeared in The Vacaville Reporter on May 16, 2020.
