Wilma Rudolph – Born on June 23, 1940 in Clarksville, Tennessee, the American sprinter became a world-record holding Olympic Champion during the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Wilma went to school at Tennessee State University until 1963. Rudolph has received many awards, honors and has been inducted into several sports hall of fames, such as: Black Sports Hall of Fame (1973), U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (1983), Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year (1960/1961) and also met with President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office. Although she passed away at a young age in 1994 due to brain cancer, her legacy still lives on at Tennessee State University and in the black community.
Muhammad Ali – Born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, KY, the professional boxer made a name for himself as he would state “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Ali would be nicknamed “The Greatest” after several fights he had over his career. With a total of 61 fights, Ali would win 56 of those fights while only losing 5 from 1960 until 1981 while he also won Gold in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. Muhammad passed away at the age of 74 in 2016 at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since Ali took the ring, he has inspired and is still inspiring many black athletes to compete into what they love.
Michael Jordan – Born on February 17, 1963 in New York City, Michael Jordan helped inspire many of today’s athletes. Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards. Over his entire career, Michael has received countless awards including; NBA Rookie of the Year (1985), NBA Most Valuable Player (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998), NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998) and many others. He has also won two Gold Medals in Olympic Games in 1984 and 1992. Since his retirement in 2003, Jordan has been in the front office of the Washington Wizards while also building his Jordan brand and spending time with family. Since the beginning of his career at North Carolina, Michael has inspired many of today’s NBA stars including Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.
Arthur Ashe Jr. – Born on July 10, 1943, Arthur was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He was the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only Black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He retired in 1980. He was ranked world No. 1 by World Tennis and Tennis Magazine (U.S.) in 1975. In 1975 Ashe was awarded the ‘Martini and Rossi’ Award, voted for by a panel of journalists, and the ATP Player of the Year award. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976.
Ashe founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by United States President Bill Clinton.
Venus & Serena Williams – Only being born one year apart, the two American tennis players seem to be twins as they have won multiple Women’s Singles titles and Women’s Doubles titles. The Williams sisters have been ranked No. 1 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association along with winning four gold medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000 and 2012. Since their first games in 1998, the two still play today as the last game they won was in the summer of 2016 in Wimbledon, London.
Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) Born on January 31st, 1919, Jackie was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, it heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962
Frank Robinson – Born on August 31, 1935 in Beaumont, Texas, Frank Robinson played for 20 years in the MLB that include the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds. Not only has Robinson played for the MLB but he was also a manger and coach from 1976 until 2006 while winning multiple awards that include World Series Champion(1966,1970), the World Series MVP (1966) and many others. After retiring from the game of baseball, his number 20 was retired from the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. Throughout his career he has held several major league records from the record of home runs for a rookie (38) to the record of home runs on an opening day (8) which is still held today.
Charlie Sifford – Born in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 2, 1922, Charlie Sifford didn’t know that he would become the first African American to play on the PGA tour. Since the start of his golfing career in 1948 he has had 22 professional wins including 1 PGA Tour Champions. Sifford has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 and has been presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. Charlie has shaped the way golf is viewed for African Americans as Tiger Woods has stated that his career was paved because of Sifford.
Alice Coachman – Being the first black woman to win Olympic gold medal helped shape the path for those like Wilma Rudolph. Born in 1923 in Albany, Georgia, Coachman was an American athlete specializing in the high jump. At the age of 25, she won the gold medal in the 1948 Olympics in London. As her career ended soon after her gold medal, she was later inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1979) , the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame (2004). With her achievements, many black woman have been inspired to reach their dreams including Wilma Rudolph.