1971-Present Allen Kenneth Johnson is a world-class track and field athlete who was a dominant force in the 110-meter high hurdles for well over a decade. Over the course of his career, he won four International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championship titles and a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,
[continue reading…]

1878-1932  Major Taylor combined fortunate circumstances and incredible athletic ability to become a world record-holding competitive cyclist at the dawn of the sport. He is recognized as the first African American to earn international acclaim in organized sports. Skill and Timing Taylor was born on November 26, 1878, in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of eight children,
[continue reading…]

1932-1970  Sonny Liston was the heavyweight boxing champion from 1962 to 1964. He rose from poverty in the rural south to become one of the most dominant and feared professional fighters of the 20th century. Cruel Beginnings Liston was born in St. Francis County, Arkansas, around 1932. Very little is known about his birth and
[continue reading…]

1961-Present  Frederick Carlton “Carl” Lewis achieved numerous world records over a long career, and across four track and field events: the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints, the 400-meter relay, and the long jump. In 1984, he confidently fulfilled his own prediction and won four gold medals in a single Olympic games. An Athletic Family Lewis was
[continue reading…]

1913 – 1980  James C. (“Jesse”) Owens overcame physical, economic, and racial barriers to become one of the greatest athletes of all time, and the first world renowned African American sports star. In so doing, he publicly refuted bigoted attitudes toward Blacks, and set an example for personal excellence and achievement in all of his
[continue reading…]

1943-1993  Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., was a barrier-breaking tennis player, and the first—and only—player to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open championships in the same year. Ashe used his celebrity to bring attention to injustice, racial prejudice, apartheid in South Africa, and the AIDS epidemic. Early Victories Born on July 10, 1943, in
[continue reading…]

1920?-1988  Sugar Ray Robinson is widely regarded as the best boxer in the history of the sport. After winning a Golden Gloves amateur title in his teens, he went on to enjoy a storied professional career during which he won, in succession, the world lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight championships. At his peak, he had an
[continue reading…]

1906?-1982  Satchel Paige was the top pitcher in baseball’s Negro League.  He became one of the first African Americans to play major league baseball and continued pitching for over a span of 40 years. He was named the first black player in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and is famously remembered for saying, “Don’t look
[continue reading…]

1911-1947  Josh Gibson was widely believed to be the greatest home run hitter of his time, and possibly of all time. Tragically, he was unable to participate in major league baseball due to discrimination against African Americans. He died just three months before the sport’s integration. Sandlot Star Gibson was born in Buena Vista, Georgia,
[continue reading…]

1940-1994  Wilma Rudolph overcame polio to become a successful athlete and the first American woman to win three Olympic gold medals. Her groundbreaking success made her a national hero and paved the way for generations of women of color to compete in track and field. Stricken with Polio When Rudolph was born in Bethlehem, Tennessee,
[continue reading…]