African Americans in Sport

First Black Heavyweight Champion of the World

Jul 4, 1910

Jack Johnson fought former heavyweight champion James Jeffries. Jeffries stated "I feel obligated to the sporting public at least to make an effort to defend the championship for the white race". The fight took place in Reno, Nevada in front of 20,000 fans. The fight lasted 15 rounds. Johnson knocked Jeffries down twice throughout the fight. This was the first time Jeffries was knocked down in his entire career.

First Black woman to win a gold medal in the olympics

Aug 7, 1948

Alice Coachman was a contender in the high jump from 1939 through 1948. Of course the olympics were cancelled from 1940 to 1944 due to World War II. In the jump finals of the 1948 olympics, Alice leaped 1.68m (5ft 61/8 in) on her first try.

Before The Willams Sisters, there was Althea

Jul 6, 1957

Althea Gibson was the first black woman to win a grand slam title (Austrailian Open, French Open, US Open, & Wimbledon). She became the first African American woman to win the Wimbledon finals. She played against Darlene Hard. The Score in the finals 6-3, 6-2. She went on the following year to compete in Wimbledon, and won again, but against a different opponent; Angela Barrett.

First black woman to win multiple medals during a single olympic games.

Sep 17, 1960

In the 1960 olympic games, Wilma Rudolph won 3 gold medals in track & field. She elevated womens track to another level in the United States and made it a major presence. She was considered the fastest woman on Earth. She had many aliases. The French referred to her as the "La Perle Noire" (The Black Pearl). The Italians referred to her as "La Gazzella Negra", (The Black Gazelle), and Americans simply referred to her as "The Tornado". She was one of the famous Tennesse State Tigerbelles.

First Black Male to Coach an MLB team

Apr 27, 1962

Buck O'neal began as a player in the Negro Leagues from 1937 through 1955. He played as a reserve and pinch hitter for the Kansas City Monarchs. After he retired, he became a scout for manager and scout for the Chicago Cubs. In 1962, he officially became the coach for the Chicago Cubs. He was credited for signing Lour Brock to his first contract,

First African American NBA General Manager.

Aug 20, 1972

Wayne Embry began as an NBA player for the Boston Celtics, and the Miluakee Bucks. His career lasted 11 years. After retiring as a player, he became assistant manager for the Miluakee Bucks during the 1968-69 season. Soon after, he became the General Manager for the Bucks from 1972-1979. He later on went to become GM for two other teams; the Cleveland Cavaliers (1986-1999), and the Toronto Raptors (2006). He was regarded as one of the best General Managers of all time.

First Black NBA Hall of Famer

Jun 8, 1975

Bill Russel was undoubtedly a staple in basketball history. He played center for the Boston Celtics, won the NBA's most valuable player award 5 times, and was a 12 time all star. During the span of his 13 year career, he won 11 championship titles with the Celtics. He played from 1956 to 1966. He coached the Celtics from 1966 to 1969, and during his coaching tenure, he coached the celtics to two more championships. He was inducted into the NBA hall of fame June 1975. He didn't attend it.

First Black Wrestlers to Win A Major Title.

Nov 15, 1983

Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson (The Rock's father) were a tag team known in the WWE as "The Soul Patrol". November 15, 1983, This impecable tag team duo defeated the Wild Samoans to become the first blacks to win a major wrestling title.

First Black Quarterback to Win A Super Bowl

Jan 31, 1988

Doug Williams is the former quarterback for the Washington Redskins. He played from 1978 to 1989. He was initially drafted to the Tampa Buccaneers from 1978 to 1982. He was briefly ejected from the NFL, which is when he played for the minor leagues (Arizona Outlaws). He later was reinstated in the NFL in 1986, and felt as if he had a point to prove. He lead the 1986 Redskins to a superbowl 22 win with his 94% passer rating. Competition was fierce, since he faced John Elway & the Broncos.

The First and Only Black Coach To Win The Super Bowl

Feb 4, 2007

Tony Dungy had been coaching football from 1981 to 2008. He started out initially coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and finally, The Indianapolis Colts (02 to 08). In the 2006-2007 season, Dungy led the Colts to Super Bowl 41, against another black coach and mutual friend, Lovie Smith. This was the first time in history 2 black coaches competed against each other in the Super Bowl. Dungy's Colts beat the Bears 29 to 17.