Here are 10 awesome facts about Dr. Anthony Fauci you probably didn't know

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the hero Americans didn't know they needed but cannot imagine living without now. The voice of reason, logic, and facts who has become our point-person in this war against the pandemic. While it took us up until now to truly appreciate the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, this isn't Dr. Fauci's first rodeo. His experience and expertise are what shine through that calm, measured voice and mannerism of his which has made the internet fall head over heels in love with the 79-year-old. But how much do we know about him? Here are 10 incredible facts about Dr. Fauci that prove why he's worthy of every praise:

1. He power walks five miles every day during his lunchtime

Well, he used to. Now with his increased age and workload, Dr. Fauci has cut down his daily runs to 3.5 miles per day, according to Yahoo! White House correspondent Alexander Nazaryan. During his fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, he used to log about 7 miles daily. Explains how he's managed to keep in such great shape, doesn't it?

2. He was the captain of Regis High School’s basketball team back in 1958

According to the radio station WBUR, Dr. Fauci was the captain of his high school basketball team and a damn good one at that. Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen revealed that the "Fauch" was someone his teammates looked up to and rightly so. "What they say is that he wasn't a yeller and he wasn't some "rah-rah-rah" guy, but he was someone who everyone on the team looked up to. What one of his teammates, Tom McCorry, who actually would become a future college basketball coach, said was that he worked hard and he was very unselfish, kind of the way he shows now. He really is the same person," said Cohen.

3. He ran marathons.

Dr. Fauci's love for running led him to participate in grueling marathons, including the 1984 Marine Corps Marathon, which he completed with a time of 3:37. According to Scary Mommy, a few years later, he ran the same marathon again with a time of 3:52.

4. He has served under six U.S. presidents

Since becoming the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, Dr. Fauci has served under six U.S. Presidents, dealing with everything from the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 80s to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and now the novel Coronavirus. Told you, this isn't his first rodeo.

5. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008

President George W. Bush awarded Dr. Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 "his determined and aggressive efforts to help others live longer and healthier lives."

6. He's married to an equally badass individual

Dr. Fauci's wife of 35 years,  Dr. Christine Grady, is chief of the Department of Bioethics at the NIH Clinical Center. She is said to have published 175 papers in the biomedical and bioethics literature and also authored/edited several books, including the likes of The Oxford Textbook of Clinical Research Ethics.

7. His name is on over 1,000 scientific publications

According to the NIH, Dr. Fauci has 32 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities around the world. He has edited, authored, and co-authored over 1,000 scientific publications and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine (Council Member), the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters. So in a nutshell, he is smart AF.

8. Former President George HW Bush once named him a hero for young Americans

During a presidential debate between the then-Vice President Bush and Michael Dukakis in 1988, when asked who they thought were heroes and a figure young Americans could look up to, Bush named Dr. Fauci, lauding him for his work in HIV/AIDS research. "You've probably never heard of him," the former President said. "He's a very fine researcher, top doctor at National Institute of Health, working hard at doing something — research on this disease of AIDS."

9. He's not afraid to contradict Trump

Unlike the yes-men President Trump has surrounded himself with, Dr. Fauci never hesitates to disagree with the Commander in Chief whose tendency to fire people who don't contradict him is well-documented. However, his courage to correct unscientific proclamations and set the record straight after every time the President says something that's not based on facts, has already earned him the wrath of Trump supporters who've been trying to discredit him with the hashtag #FauciFraud.

10. He’s not afraid to call out social inequities

During a recent press briefing, Dr. Fauci recalled how, during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there was "extraordinary stigma, particularly against the gay community." He drew similarities between then and now, in how African Americans have been disproportionately affected by the current pandemic.