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Jack Johnson
Jack "Galveston Giant" Jackson, was the first African American World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He held this title for 13 consecutive years. He recieved his training from Joe Choynski. The two met after being arrested together for fighting in Texas. Boxing was illegal at this time. Johnson fought professionally untill 1938, when he was 60 years old. -
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is considered one of the gratest Baseball players of all time. He is one of the first Blacks to have a full carrear in the major leauges. His carrear started with him playing for the Indianpolis Clowns from the Negro Leaugs. He played 21 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves in the national Leauge. Most notiable, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's carrear home run record. -
Wyomia Tyus
In the 1964 Olympics, Wyomia Tyus became the first Black woman to retain an Olympic Gold title in the 100m dash. Also in that same Olympics, she won a silver medal with the 4x100m relay team. She is also the first woman to win consecutive Gold Medals. In 1968, Tyus set a new world record winning her third gold medal. That same year she also retired from amature sports. -
Lee Elder
Lee Elder was the first Black golfer to play in a Masters Tournament. In 1971, he accepteed a personal invitation from Gary Players to participate in South Africa's PGA Championship. This event was the first integrated tournament in the country's history. In 1947 Elder got his first win on the PGA tour at the Monsanto Open, which granted him entry to the Masters Tournament the following year. This was the first time an African American had qualified for the Masters since it began in 1934. -
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, VA. He won three Grand Slam titles making him one of the best tennis players ever. He was the first Black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, or te Australian Open. He was also the first Black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup Team. Ashe was also a social activist and Civil Rights leader. -
Anita DeFrantz
DeFrantz was the fifth woman ever to be named to hold a seat on the International Olympic Committee. She is the firat African American and American woman to serve on the committee. She also became the first female vice- president of the IOC executive committee in 1997. In March 2006, she recieved the NAACP's 100 most influential student athlete's Award. -
Dominique Dawes
Dominique Dawes was the first African American to win an individual Olympic Gold Medal for Gymnastics. In 1994 she was a 10 year member of the U.S. Nationsl Gymnastics team. She was a U.S. all around senior National Champion, a three time Olympian, and a World Champion Silver Medalist. She was also a member of the Gold Medal Winning "Magnificant Seven" team at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Dawes was also President of the Women's Sports Federation from 04-06. She was the youngest President ever. -
Sheryl Swoopes
Sherly Swoops is a professional womens basketball player. She currenntly plays for the Tulsa Shock Team; she if frequentyl reffered to as the "Female Michael Jordan". Through out her carrear She has won three Olympic Gold Medals. Also she is a three time WNBA MVP. She has also been announced as one of the top 15 players in the history of the WNBA. -
Mabel Fairbanks
Mabel Fairbanks became the first African American to be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997. She not only was a figure skater, but also a figure skating coach. She paved the way for many Black and minority figureskaters to join the sport. She coached until she was 79 years old. -
Freddy Adu
At 13, Freddy Adu was the youngest National Soccer Team player in over 100 years. Adu won the MSL cup title later that same year. He is originally from Ghana, but became a United States Citizen. Currently he plays for Philidelphia Union in Major Leauge soccer.
