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Oliver Lewis
Oliver Lewis, the first major African American jockey, wins the first-ever running of the Kentucky Derby. In fact blacks dominated racing in the late 1800s, winning 15 of the first 28 Derbies according to BlackAmericaWeb.com and training six of the first 17 winners. By the early 1900s, however, blacks had been pushed out of the business, which had also become wealthier and less accessible to the working classes. Black jockey James Winkfield won the Kentucky Derby in 1901 and 1902, but after 192 -
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson — the first African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World, whose dominance over his white opponents spurred furious debates and race riots in the early 20th century. Jack Johnson led the way for other African American boxers all over the United States. Jack Johnson proved that black peope had fight in them as well. -
Fritz Pollard
Fritz Pollard was born on January 27, 1894, in Chicago, Illinois. He played football for Brown University starting in 1915 and was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl. After World War I, he played football for the Akron Pros and was the first African American head coach in the NFL. He died in 1986 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. -
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens, the son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave achieved what no Olympian before him had accomplished. His stunning victories and achievement of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin has made him the best remembered of all Olympic athletes. His outstanding performance during the 1936 Olympic games not only discredited heinous claims of the dictator, Adolph Hitler, it also affirmed that individual excellence rather than race or national origin, distinguishes one man -
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years. -
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson is the first African American to win a major tennis title, the French Open. The next year, she becomes the first African American to win the Wimbledon championship. Not only did she help open up tennis to Afrcan Americans, she also helped break the ice for female athletes in general. -
Muhammad Ali
A tribute video to Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) featuring highlights from career.Cassius Clay upsets Sonny Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing championship; later that year, Clay becomes a member of the Nation of Islam and changes his name to Muhammad Ali. Holds a total a 3 boxing championships. Ali single handedly changed the tone of boxing. -
Bill Russell
Bill Russell becomes the first African American to coach an NBA basketball team, the Boston Celtics. During Bill Russell's 13-year NBA playing career, his Boston Celtics won 11 championships, a record for winning unmatched by any player in any sport. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player five times. Bill Russell was also an advocate for civil rights. He wouldn't play unless his black roomates had equal accomadations. -
Emlen Tunnel
Next time you run into a guy who claims to be a hard-core football fan, ask him to answer four questions. Ask him to name the first black man to play for the New York Giants.The first black man to become an NFL assistant coach.The first black man to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The first defensive specialist to enter the Hall of Fame.The answer would simply be Emlen Tunnell for all four answers. -
Michael Jordan
Michael Air Jordan Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. With a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar. Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said "there's Jordan and there is the rest of us". -
Carl Lewis
Sprinter Carl Lewis wins four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles; he goes on to win five more, in the 1988, 1992, and 1996 games. Because of all his achievements, the IAAF elected, in 1999, Carl Lewis as the athlete of the twenty century. -
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods becomes the first professional golfer of any race to hold all four major golf championships (Masters, PGA, U.S. Open, and British Open) at the same time. Tiger Woods has been making history on and off the course since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996. First up was a record $40 million contract from Nike. The following year he won the Masters by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest winner ever and first black player to take the title.
