Problem: Thomas Simpson (30 November 1937 - 13 July 1967) was one of Britain's most successful professional cyclists. He was born in Haswell, County Durham and later moved to Harworth, Nottinghamshire. Simpson began road cycling as a teenager before taking up track cycling, specialising in pursuit races. He won a bronze medal for track cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics and a silver at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

In April 1959, Simpson left for France with PS100 savings and two Carlton bikes, one road and one track, given in appreciation of his help promoting the company. His last words to his mother before the move were, "I don't want to be sitting here in twenty years' time, wondering what would have happened if I hadn't gone to France". The next day, his National Service papers were delivered; although willing to serve before his move, he feared the call-up would put his potential career at risk. His mother returned them, with the hope they would understand this. He applied to local cycling clubs, and joined Club Olympique Briochin, racing with an independent (semi-professional) licence from the British Cycling Federation. When settled with the Murphy family, 21-year-old Simpson met 19-year-old Helen Sherburn, an au pair from Sutton, Yorkshire. Simpson began attracting attention, winning races and criteriums. He was invited to race in the eight-day stage race Route de France by the Saint-Raphael VC 12e, the amateur club below the professional team Saint-Raphael-R. Geminiani-Dunlop. Simpson won the final stage, breaking away from the peloton and holding on for victory. After this win, he declined an offer to ride in the Tour de France for the professional team. Simpson had contract offers from two professional teams, Mercier-BP-Hutchinson and Saint-Raphael-R. Geminiani-Dunlop, which had a British cyclist, Brian Robinson; opting for the latter team, on 29 June he signed a contract for 80,000 francs (PS80 a month). On Simpson's return to Harworth for Christmas, the RAF were notified and the press ran stories on his apparent draft avoidance. He passed a medical in Sheffield, but history repeated itself and the papers arrived the day after his departure for his team's training camp in Narbonne in southern France. The French press, unlike the British, found the situation amusing.

Why did he decline the offer?

Answer with quotes: Simpson had contract offers from two professional teams,

Problem: Allan Rodenkam Simonsen (born 15 December 1952) is a former Danish footballer and manager. He most prominently played as a forward for German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona from Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.

In his first two seasons with Borussia Monchengladbach, Simonsen had a hard time, as he only played a combined 17 games and scored two goals. However, he was part of the team which won the 1972-73 German Cup trophy. He broke into the starting line-up for the 1974-75 season. He played all 34 games of the season, and scored 18 goals as Monchengladbach won the Bundesliga championship. Simonsen also scored 10 goals in 12 games in the international 1974-75 UEFA Cup competition, including two goals in the 5-1 final victory against FC Twente. In the following season, Simonsen scored 16 goals as Monchengladbach regained the Bundesliga in the 1975-76 season. He scored four goals in six games of the international 1975-76 European Cup competition, before Monchengladbach were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Spanish team Real Madrid on the away goals rule. 1977 was the greatest year in Simonsen's career. In the 1976-77 European Cup, Simonsen helped Monchengladbach to the 1977 European Cup Final against English team Liverpool. In the final, Simonsen scored a memorable powerful long range goal to level the game at 1-1, but Monchengladbach eventually lost 3-1. He was subsequently named the 1977 European Footballer of the Year, as the first Danish player in history. The race for the award was tight, and Simonsen squeezed past English midfielder Kevin Keegan by three points and French midfielder Michel Platini by four points to win the prestigious prize. The win was notable, in that Simonsen's native Denmark was not among the top footballing nations in the 1970s, leaving him little room to impress at the international tournaments. In the following two Bundesliga seasons, Simonsen continued his prolific goalscoring, as Monchengladbach finished 2nd and 8th respectively. He won another international trophy with Monchengladbach in 1979, when he scored eight goals in eight games to guide the club to the final games of the 1978-79 UEFA Cup. He scored the deciding goal in the 2-1 1979 UEFA Cup Final win against Red Star Belgrade. Simonsen had been approached by Spanish club FC Barcelona in 1978, but Monchengladbach refused to let him go. Instead, Simonsen waited for his contract to expire and moved to FC Barcelona in 1979, rejecting offers from Hamburger SV, Juventus, and several Arabian clubs.

How did he get onto the team to begin with?

Answer with quotes: career. In the 1976-77 European Cup, Simonsen helped Monchengladbach to the 1977 European Cup Final against English team Liverpool.

Problem: Brown was born on July 28, 1891, in Holgate, Ohio, near Toledo, into a large family largely of Welsh descent. He spent most of his childhood in Toledo. In 1902, at the age of ten, he joined a troupe of circus tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons, who toured the country on both the circus and vaudeville circuits. Later he became a professional baseball player.

In 1939, Brown testified before the House Immigration Committee in support of a bill that would allow 20,000 German Jewish refugee children into the US. He later adopted two refugee children. During WWII, he spent a great deal of time entertaining troops, spending many nights working and meeting servicemen at the Hollywood Canteen. He wrote of his experiences entertaining the troops in his book Your Kids and Mine. Joe E. Brown's other two sons were in the military service. In 1942 Brown's son, Captain Don E. Brown, was killed when his A-20 Havoc crashed near Palm Springs, California. At 50, Brown himself was too old to enlist, but he traveled thousands of miles at his own expense to entertain American troops. He was the first to do so, traveling to both the Caribbean and Alaska before Bob Hope had, and before the USO was organized. "While big USO names like Bob Hope did not visit the Leyte, Philippine area my father was in (housing was not good), Leyte received any number of entertainers during the war. Dad said the entertainers were all just a bunch of nice people. One group in particular was the top actors from a very popular and large musical of the times. Dad and a few of his buddies would walk back to the tents that housed the USO performers and would visit with them. Mostly, the USO performers were curious about the events on the islands and how the men were handling things. One performer, a "wonderful comedian" named Joe E. Brown, would commandeer a military vehicle and be driven around the island. The entertainer would stop military pedestrians, "ream" them for some inconsequential matter, start laughing, then invite them into the cab so they could be driven to their destinations. Joe E. Brown was greatly appreciated." (Memories of Capt. Donald Courtright, told to his daughter Mary in 2011.) On his return to the States, he brought sacks of letters, making sure they were delivered by the Post Office Department. He gave shows in all weather conditions, many in hospitals, sometimes doing his entire show for a single dying soldier. He would sign autographs for everyone. Brown was one of only two civilians to be awarded the Bronze Star in WWII.

Where else did he tour?

Answer with quotes:
both the Caribbean and Alaska before Bob Hope had, and before the USO was organized.