African americans in sports

African Americans in Sport

By Kelvin Reynolds

  • Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics

    Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics
    Jesse Owens Biography On August 3, 1936, Owens would go on to win 1 out of the 4 gold medals he received during the Berlin Olympics, a feat that would surprise many. On his first, he defeated Ralph Metcalfe in a 100m sprint; on August 4, the long jump; on August 5, the 200m sprint; and on August 9, with the 4 x 100m relay team.

  • Kenny Washington (Football Player)

    Kenny Washington (Football Player)
    The signing of Washington on this day distinguished the Los Angeles Rams as the first integrated team in the NFL. This team would go on to sign his fellow teammate Woody Stroder on May 7, 1947. Washington had only been with the Rams for one year, but he had a big impact on the NFL.

  • Jackie Robinson (Baseball Player)

    Jackie Robinson (Baseball Player)
    Biography on Jackie Robinson This is the day Jackie Robinson would break the color barrier in baseball history. He, along with Washington, opened doors for many African Americans as he displayed courage and determination to play the sport that he wanted to play. Before his baseball career, he would say that baseball was his "worst sport" at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), however he managed to score 4-4 at his school

  • Charles "Chuck" Cooper (Basketbsll Player)

    Charles "Chuck" Cooper (Basketbsll Player)
    Chuck Cooper was the first African American participating in the NBA draft to be signed, by the Boston Celtics. During his NBA career, Cooper played a total of 409 games, scoring 2,725 points for an average of 6.66 points per game, with 2431 rebounds for an average of 5.9 per game, and 733 assists for an average of 1.79 per game.

  • Burl Toler (Football Field Judge)

    Burl Toler (Football Field Judge)
    Toler was named by NFL commisioner Pete Rozelle to be the first African-American football field judge in the NFL. He started off in the NFL as a #1 Draft pick for the Cleveland Browns, but seriously injured his knee, therefore leading him to want to become an official instead. After retiring as an NFL official in 1990, he would serve as a game observer for the league for eight years.

  • John Thompson (Basketball Coach)

    John Thompson (Basketball Coach)
    Coach John Thompson led his Georgetown University Hoyas through "March madness" to win the NCAA basketball championship in 1984, the first African-American collegiate coach to do so.

  • Lynette Woodard (Basketball)

    Lynette Woodard (Basketball)
    Lynette Woodward made her debut on a male professional basketball team scoring seven points with the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1989, she was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame. In 1990, she was signed by a Japanese women's team to play in their Asian country. She played there until 1993.

  • Doug Williams (Football Quarterback)

    Doug Williams (Football Quarterback)
    Doug Williams became the first African-American quarterback to lead his team, the Washington Redskins, to the Super Bowl championship. The game's MVP, Williams defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10. He is now the head coach of Grambling State University Tigers

  • Tiger Woods (Professional Golfer)

    Tiger Woods (Professional Golfer)
    In 1997, California-born Tiger Woods became the first golfer of African-American heritage to win the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He also became the first African-American golfer to win the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open. In capturing the Masters for a second time in 2001, Woods completed golf's Grand Slam to become the only golfer ever to hold all four majors championships at the same time.

  • Barry Bonds (Baseball)

    Barry Bonds (Baseball)
    On October 7, 2001 in Pacific Bell Park, San Francisco, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run of the season, surpassing previous recordholder Mark McGwire's mark of 70 home runs.