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Jack Johnson: "Fight of the Century"
Nicknamed, the "Galveston Giant", Jack Johnson was the first African American Heavyweight boxing champion. On this day, former heavyweight champion, James J. Jeffries, came out of retirement just to challenge Jack Johnson. In what was considered the "fight of the century", Jack Johnson claimed dominance as he knocked Jeffries down multiple times and Jeffries had thrown in the towel in order to avoid eventually getting knocked out. -
Althea Gibson
Gibson, born on August 25, 1927, was the first African American woman to compete in the world tennis tour. She eventually became the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam title in 1956. She was the top ranked US player in 1957 and 1958. After retiring from Amatuer tennis, she became the first African American woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Associate in 1964. As her age was a factor, she only played for a few years. She died, at the age of 76, on September 28, 2003. -
Ali: "The Greatest"
We all know who Muhammad Ali is. The former professional boxer was given the nickname "The Greatest" and he was popularly known as the "People's Champion". He ended up becoming the first and only three time lineal World Heavyweight Champion. Years after his unfortunate retirement, Ali was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated. -
Arthur Ashe
He was the only African American to win the Men's Singles at the Australian Open, the US Open, and the Wimbledon. After winning the three Grand Slam titles in his successful career, Ashe was considered as one of the best ever from the United States. He was the first black tennis player to be selected to the United States Davis Cup team. He died in New York City on February 6, 1993 at the early age of 49. -
Jackie Robinson
On this exciting day, Jackie became the first black Major League baseball player of the modern era. Unfortunately, he did not record a hit in his debut but he was instrumental in breaking segregation in professional baseball. In ten seasons, Robinson appeared in six world series and won a world championship in 1955. He was the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year and won the National League MVP in 1949. In 1962, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and his number (42) was retired. -
Bo Jackson: The Dual Star Athlete
On this day, one of the most talented athletes of all time was born. Bo Jackson was a star running back in both the collegiate and pro level while playing outfielder in college and in the major leagues. Bo Jackson was a tri-athlete at Auburn University while he also participated in Track and Field. It is said that he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.12 seconds! Bo Jackson was an unbelievable athlete -
Debra Janine Thomas
Also known as Debi Thomas, she was an American figure skater. Her career began in 1983 when she represented the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. In 1986, she became a World champion, and she won a Bronze medal in the 1988 Olympic Games. After her figure skating career, Debi Thomas went back to school and studied to become an orthopedic surgeon. -
Hammerin' Hank
On this day, Hank Aaron hit the final home run of his career as it was home run number 755. This was the career home run record in the National League until 2007, when it was broken by Barry Bonds. Hank Aaron played 23 seasons in the majors and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time! -
Tiger
Tiger Woods made his debut onto the PGA scene as he quickly demonstrated what all the hype was about. He was the Sportsman of the year in 1996 and won the PGA Rookie of the Year award. The very next year, he became the youngest golfer to ever win the Masters tournament. At the age of 24, he became the youngest golfer to reach the career grand slam. When it is all over, despite the bumps down the road, Tiger Woods will be known as the best golfer ever. -
Holyfield vs. Tyson II: The Ear
On this day, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were scheduled for a rematch. The fight was a national event as it was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was seemingly a repeat of the first match, as Holyfield displayed dominance while he was once considered the underdog between the two. As it looked like Tyson had no chance in winning, he did the unthinkable as he took a bite out of Holyfield's ear. The Bite -
Michael Jordan (The Last Shot)
"His Airness" was without a doubt, the greatest basketball player of all time. For 14 seasons, Michael Jordan sold out stadiums and put on unbelievable performances, while nearly perfecting every aspect of the game and defying gravity with his incredible athleticism. His final game in a Chicago Bulls uniform was June 14th, 1998. That night, Jordan won his sixth NBA title and second "Three-Peat". This historical moment is famously known as the "Last Shot". -
Kobe Bryant: 81 Points
Kobe Bryant is the Michael Jordan of this generation. Coming straight out of high school, the "Black Mamba" has done it all, winning championships, dunk contests, scoring titles, League MVP, All Star game MVP, Finals MVP, Olympic Gold medals. On this particular date, Kobe terrorized the Raptors as he single-handedly scored 81 points as he made a statement that he is unstoppable. This is the second most points any player has ever scored in a single NBA game. -
The Bill Russell Award
On this day, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA Finals MVP Award would now be known as the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award. Bill Russell was revolutionary as he exemplified what it took to be a winner and a champion, year after year. The 6'10" big man won 11 NBA championships in just 13 seasons, while winning many other accolades throughout the years. -
Williams Sisters
Venus and Serena Williams, have been big time names in the tennis circuit for many years. These dominating siblings have won multiple titles and displayed incredible match-ups. The two have faced off against each other many times and each occurence would lead to headline titles all over the sports world. Not only were they dangerous individually, but they were a dynamic duo in the doubles competition. On this day, The Women's Tennis Association ranked them as the top ranked doubles team.
