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George Poage was the first black Olympian to earn a medal. During the Summer Games in 1904 at the World's Fair in St.Louis. George won 2 bronze medals in the 200m hurdles and the 400m hurdles.
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Jack Johnson was the first black boxer to win the world heaveyweight title. He beat Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia in a bout that lasted 14 rounds.
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Fritz Pollard became the first black NFL coach in 1921. He coached the Akron Pros.
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Jackie Robinson was the first black major league baseball player. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. He was also the first African American to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame.
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Willie Thrower was the first African American quarterback in the NFL. He played for the Chicago Bears for only one season, before finishing his career in the Canadien Football League.
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Althea Gibson was the first African-American tennis player to win the Wimbeldon once in 1957 and then in 1958.
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Willie O'ree became the first African-American to play in the NHL. He was known as the "Jackie Robinson of the ice".
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Arthur Ashe was the first African American male tennis player to win the U.S. Open championship. Ashe would also go on to win 3 Grand Slam titles, making him the best in the world.
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Tiger Woods was the first African American and the youngest golfer to win the PGA Masters Tournament.
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Vonetta Flowers was the first African American to win a gold medal at the Winter Games. She was a bobsledder who won gold during the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
