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NAPLES — In an oddball sort of way, the legacies of athletes Elbert “Ickey” Woods and Bob Beamon do draw at least two parallels.

Both made their marks in history in flashes. And both shuffle on as humble, timeless ambassadors of goodwill for their respective sports and as participants in a variety of philanthropic endeavors.

So it was no surprise that the two legends appeared on stage with one another at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club on Tuesday night. Along with Artis Gilmore, Nat Moore, Dwight Stevenson, Fred “Curly” Neal, Bruce Armstrong and Mike Cline, they and leaders in the Naples business community helped introduce a new speakers series known as The Legend Club.

Though in its infancy, the organization has lofty goals. In 2009, the Legend Club Speaker Series will feature five inspirational cornerstones, not just from sports, but “from all walks of life,” according to President/Co-Chairman Andrew DeVito.

Beamon, whose Olympic long jump record of 29 feet, 2½ inches still stands 40 years after his giant jump in Mexico City, already has tagged himself to be the speaker at the first affair in January. He also has agreed to serve as The Legend Club’s vice president/director.

All to be held at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club in the inaugural season, two events will take place in January, two in February and one in March. The Legend Club founders already have singled out such charitable organizations as the USO, the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee and the Miami Project To Cure Paralysis as beneficiaries.

Vice president and co-founder Mark Coleman said Tuesday night the goal for the first year of The Legend Club is 350 to 400 members. He and DeVito started work on the ambitious not-for-profit project eight months ago.

Prior to Tuesday’s program, Beamon reflected on his record-setting feat. While his Olympic long jump distance was bettered by the USA’s Mike Powell at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, Beamon’s number persists in Olympic lore.

“I wasn’t thinking about trying to break a record, but more of winning a gold medal,” Beamon recalled. “The day before was a very tough time for me. I was worried about qualifying because I already had fouled twice and only had one jump left to qualify.”

It was a soggy day when Beamon made his legendary leap. Admitting he got almost no sleep the night before, little did he anticipate pulling off a performance that would land among the five greatest sports moments in the 20th century, as compiled by Sports Illustrated magazine.

A mechanical system had been devised to measure all of the jumps. The problem was that Beamon had so obliterated the record that it was beyond mechanical means to measure his jump. The distance was recorded manually and it was then, he said, that he started to realize that perhaps he had set a record.

Beamon traveled to Beijing for the recent Summer Olympics and was disappointed with the results of the American track and field athletes.

“It’s not about the organization,” Beamon said. “I think it’s in our training. What are we actually doing? I think we have a bit of work to do. We need to understand the chemistry behind the middle distance and distance runners, which would also include the marathon.

“I find it to be rather strange to have such incredible sports programs in this country and every other country is dominant in middle distances … Maybe we’re not hungry enough. It’s mind-boggling to me. Maybe I’ll become more interested now with the program.”

Woods, meanwhile, played for the Cincinnati Bengals and was known for the shuffle dance he did in the end zone after scoring a touchdown. He was on the team from 1988 to 1991, but injuries resulted in just one successful year. Woods rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns in his rookie season, along with 228 yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs as the Bengals advanced to Super Bowl XXIII.

He was out of football at the age of 26.

“You learn to be humble,” Woods said. “You never know what’s going to happen. As long as you’re humble and do good with people and don’t burn bridges on the way down, people will be good to you.”

Tuesday night as he made his way onto the stage, he treated the enthusiastic crowd to his legendary “Ickey Shuffle.”

“I never did the dance to show anybody up or anything like that,” he said. “I was just having fun in what a lot of people said was the No Fun League.”

To find out more about The Legend Club, membership dues and sponsors, check the Web at www.thelegendclub.com or call 593-8526.