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Olympian Jesse Owens
In the 1936 Berlin Olympic games in Germany Jesse Owens became the first African American track and field athlete to win four gold medals in an individual Olympiad. He won the 100m sprint, the long jump, the 200m sprint, and the 4 x 100m relay. This was a huge deal because the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany and Hitler believed that German people were the dominant race. This was a huge accomplishment during a time of deep-rooted segregation. -
Jackie Robinson
In 1947 Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He is well known as the first African American to play baseball in the modern era. His legacy was the major impact he had on bringing an end to racial discrimination in baseball, leading to a decline in segregation in other sports. Before this, African Americans were confined to the "Negro League." He achieved much recognition as MLB Rookie of the Year (1947), National League MVP (1949), and an induction into the H.O.F. -
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson became the first African-American woman to participate on the world tennis tour. On July 6, 1957 she won the women's singles tennis title a Wimbledon and became the first African-American woman to win a championship at London's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She defeated Darlene Hard 6-3 to 6-2. -
Willie O'Ree
Willie O'Ree was the first black player in the National Hockey League, breaking the color barrier in the sport. Due to being struck in his right eye bye a puck O'Ree was 95% blind which would have kept him from the NHL if he had not kept it secret. He made his debut with the Boston Bruins agains the Montreal Canadiens. -
Wilma Rudolph
Rome 1960 During the 1960s Wilma Rudolph was known as "The Tornado," or the fastest woman in the world. She became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympic games. She won the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay. After battling health issues as a child she went on to make women's track a major issue in the US. She was inducted into the H.O.F. in 1983 and into the National Woman's H.O.F. in 1994. -
"The Greatest"
In his first Heavyweight title fight Ali defeated Sonny Liston in a 6 round fight. Muhammad dominated most rounds up until he allgedly had trouble seeing due to a substance in his eye. Despite Liston's attempts at a knockout Ali prevailed, serving a combination of blows and was given his title when Liston did not respond to the seventh bell. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Lyndon Johnson signs the bill In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was enacted and it banned discrimination in employment practices and public facilities. This led to the integration of schools and their sports teams. This brought recognition to talented black athletes and they began getting recruited into major colleges and universitites. -
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron began in the Negro American League and went into the pros in 1954. On April 8th in Atlanta in front of a crowd of 53,775 people Aaron hit career homerun 715 off LA Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, breaking Babe Ruth's record.He was the last Negro baseball player on a major league during his final season. -
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan was a basketball player who was well known for his slam dunks, coining the name "Air Jordan." In the 1991 NBA championship the Bulls defeated the Lakers. Jordan averaged 31.2 points (56% shooting), 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks. He won the championship from 1991-1993, or what we would call a "three-peat" with the Chicago Bulls. -
Tiger Woods
At the age of 21 Tiger Woods became the youngest player to win the Master's in 12 strokes, defeating more skilled players. At the 2001 Master's he became the first golfer to hold 4 major championships at the same time. He won 7 consecutive PGA tours deeming him unstoppable until 2007 when he came in 2nd to Trevor Immelman. -
"Let's Move"
Move Your Body Michelle Obama listed out what she calls the four pillars of her nationwide initiative to fight childhood obesity and to promote physical activity for children.
1) Offering parents the tools and information they need to make healthy choices for their kids
2) Getting healthier foods into our nation's schools
3) Ensuring that families have access to healthy, affordable food in their communities
4) Increasing opportunities for kids to be physically active both in and out of school -
Gabby Douglas
Earlier this year Gabby Douglas became the first African American and first African American gymnast to become the individual all-around champion, and the first American gymnast to win gold in individual all-around and team competitions in a single Olympics (London 2012). She is just 16 years old.
