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Moses Fleetwood Walker
n 1884, the first black major league baseball player was Moses Fleetwood walker, who was catcher on the Toledo team of the American Association. Walker was born in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, the son of Dr. Moses W. Walker, the first AfricanAmerican physician in Mount Pleasant, and his mother, a white woman. He enrolled in Oberlin College in 1878 and played on the college's first varsity baseball team in the spring of 1881. -
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson finally won the world heavyweight title on December 26, 1908, six years after lightweight champion Joe Gans became the first African American boxing champion. Johnson's beat the reigning world champion, Canadian Tommy Burns by knockout, in Sydney, Australia. As title holder, Johnson thus had to face a series of fighters. On April 5, 1915, Johnson lost his title to Jess Willard in Havana, Cuba. Johnson was knocked out in the 26th round of the scheduled 45 round fight. -
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens surprised many by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. On August 3, 1936 he won the 100m sprint, defeating Ralph Metcalfe; on August 4, the long jump; on August 5, the 200m sprint; and, after he was added to the 4 x 100 m relay team, he won his fourth on August 9. Just before the competitions, Owens received the first sponsorship for a male African-American athlete. -
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He was the first African American man to play in the major leagues since Moses Walker in the 80’s. In his career, he played in 6 World Series and including the Dodgers' 55’ World Championship. He was selected for 6 consecutive All-Star Games from 49’-54’, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949, the first black player. -
willie thrower
Willie Thrower was not drafted in 1953, but was offered one year, $8,500 contract with the Chicago Bears. He became the backup quarterback to future Pro Football Hall of Famer George Blanda. Thrower did not play until October 18, 1953 against the San Fransisco 49ers. Unfortunately Thrower was denied a chance to score a TD in the game. Thrower completed 3 out of 8 passes for 27 yards, and had one interception. He would only play one more game and was released after the 1953 season from the Bears. -
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was a World No. 1 American sportswoman who became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title in 1956 defeating Angela Mortimer Barrett. Gibson is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier. She was the top-ranked U.S. player in 1957 and 1958. In 1957 Althea became the first African American woman to win Wimbledon. She won again in 1958. -
Bill Russell
Bill Russell became the first African American head coach in NBA history before the 1966–67 season, as a player-coach. When he became coach this ended the Celtics 8 year Championship run when they lost the 76er’s. After retiring as a player, Russell had stints as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988). -
James Harris
James Harris became the first African-American quarterback to be a starter in the NFL, throwing for the Los Angeles Rams. He led the rams to their second straight division title. He also led the rams to their first playoff win. He later was name the conference title game MVP and named to the Pro Bowl. -
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
One of the greatest female athletes in history, she won a silver medal in the heptathlon in the 1984 Olympics and gold medals in the 1988 and 1992 Games. She also won a gold medal in the long jump in 1988 and a bronze at the 1992 Olympics. Joyner-Kersee is the heptathlon world record-holder and American record-holder in the long jump. -
debie thomas
Debi Thomas is the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist. Thomas won both the 1986 U.S. national title and the 1986 World Championships; those achievements earned Thomas the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year award that year. She was the first female athlete to win those titles while attending college full time since Tenley Albright in the 1950s. She was the first African-American to hold U.S. National titles in ladies' singles figure skating. -
Shani Davis
At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Shani Davis became the first Black athlete (from any nation) to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games (Speedskating, 1000 meters). He also won the silver in the 1,500 m. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, he duplicated the feat, becoming the first man to successfully defend the 1,000 m title, and repeating as 1,500 m silver medalist. He has won six World Single Distance Championships titles. -
angelo taylor
Won Olympic gold out of Lane 1 with PR of 47.50 (fastest time in the world in 2000)...ran 2nd leg in opening round of 4x400m relay for gold medal...won Olympic Trials 400 hurdles in a then PR of 47.62... PRd in flat 400 at 44.89...captured overall IAAF Grand Prix title...ranked #1in the world by T&FN...bests of 47.50 and 44.89.
