![]() ![]() She won the French Open in 1956 and Wimbledon and U.S. She was the first black woman to be invited to compete in Wimbledon in 1951. Gibson won a college scholarship in sports after winning numerous tournaments and championships. She found her athletic calling during a tough childhood, which she spent mostly in the Harlem area of New York City. Althea GibsonĪlthea Gibson was an African-American woman who achieved greatness in not one, but two sports: tennis and golf. He was the first black individual to get inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. Sifford’s career highlights include winning the UGA National Negro open five times prior to winning his first PGA Tour. As an African-American in those days, he received much mistreatment during his career. In 1952, Sifford received an invitation to play in the Phoenix Open after boxer Joe Louis passed on the invitation from the PGA. Sifford honed his golfing skills as a young caddy in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he practiced on the green after work. “I just wanted to play golf, you know?” he told Fox Sports. ![]() In spite of his significant role in breaking the racial barrier in the Professional Golf Association (PGA), Charlie Sifford said he wasn’t trying to make a historical statement, but simply wanted to play the game he loves. Bush awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal. Owens died from lung cancer complications in 1980. ![]() Ford granted him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. The pinnacle of his career was the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, when he garnered four gold medals in track and field. He shattered more track and field records while attending Ohio State University. Owens’ record-setting track and field career began in high school, when he set national records in the long jump and the 100 and 200-yard dashes. He became known as “Jesse Owens” instead of going by “J.C.” when a school teacher thought he said “Jesse” during a classroom roll call. The first American athlete to win four gold medals in one Olympics, Jesse Cleveland was born James Cleveland Owens in 1913. ![]() In 1973 at the Houston Astrodome, the 29-year-old King defeated 55-year-old Riggs in straight sets in what became known as the “Battle of the Sexes.” 7. However, the turning point in her life and women’s sports was when she accepted a challenge to play against one-time Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs. Her numerous accomplishments include six Wimbledon singles championship wins. She launched many organizations for women athletes including a sports magazine, a sports foundation and a professional women’s tour. With her tireless crusade for women’s equality in sports, Billie Jean King greatly leveled the playing field. Though he was the top boxing champion from 1937 to his 1949 retirement, Louis maintained his characteristic integrity, which instilled dignity in a sport long riddled with brutal violence and gambling. Growing up in poverty, Louis started training at around 10 years old. To many Americans, this rematch represented the United States overcoming Nazi Germany. He even famously overcame his only boxing defeat with German fighter Max Schmeling in a much-publicized 1938 rematch. His astounding wins as a heavyweight champion got him the name “The Brown Bomber,” a man who, no matter what a boxing match or life threw at him, always rebounded. Joe Louis was the first African-American athlete to receive crossover appeal in mainstream America, earning reverence from black and white people alike. Flood overcame a rough post-baseball life of alcoholism, debt and a failed marriage to receive the NAACP Jackie Robinson Award in 1992. In 1976, through collective bargaining, two pitchers became free agents when they agreed to play one season with no contract. The lost Supreme Court case was not a lost cause, however. Flood was fully aware of the repercussions for his career, but knew the case would benefit other athletes. Refusing to let the Cardinals trade him at the end of the 1969 season, Flood challenged the MLB about the reserve clause, which stipulated that a team owns a player for life until their release or trade. Supreme Court case against Major League Baseball in 1972, his actions ushered in the era of the free agent. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood lost a U.S. ![]()
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