** Isaac Murphy - Most popular black jockey, an American Hall of Famer, winning 3 major
Kentucky Derbies.
** Major Taylor - 2 Time world cycling champion,
** Jack Johnson - First black Heavyweight world boxing champion, winning the title
against Tommy Burns. It was the first major upheaval of Black athletes
to demean the white boxing supremacy. He made mincemeat of white
pretenders to heavyweight championship belt until a combination of age,
lack of discipline, boxing commission conspiracies, caused him to lose the
title against James Willard tiring out in the 26th round.
** Paul Robertson - The first black football star.
** Satchell Paige - The first legendary baseball pitcher leading the Black Baseball League
in the 1920's and 1930's.
** Jesse Owens and John Woodruff - The first Black athletic stars that won golds in the
1936 Berlin Olympics. Jesse Owens won gold medal in the 100-meter
and 200-meter dash and another gold medal in the Long Jump.
John Woodruff won the gold medal in the 800-meter run.
** Joe Louis - More popularly known as the "Brown Bomber", just as to tone down
the Black supremacy in boxing. He reigned for 12 years, defending the
World Heavyweight Championship a record of 25 times that up to this
day has remained unbroken. Said to have been paid a measly 10 percent
of his purse by his white managers, he was saddled with financial
difficulties until his death in 1981.
** Jackie Robinson - The first Black professional baseball player. His life was made into
a movie titled, " 42 ", that showed his struggles to attain superstardom
despite the discrimination and abuses he received, even signing a contract
that specified that he could not fight back and smile when winning.
** Andrea Gibson - The first Black American to win the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.
Tolerated but not embraced, the white were not ready to accept a black
tennis pro-star in their rank.
** Charlie Simpkins - The first black professional golf player in 1959. Golf was then
viewed as a game for the elite with the "Caucasian Clause" that states
that the game of Golf was for " White people only. "
** Wilma Rudolf - The first female Black athlete. She won 3 gold medals in the 1960 Rome
Olympics for the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter run.
** Cassius Clay - The most iconic Black figure in sports, dubbed as " The Greatest ", won
the gold medal in the Light-heavyweight boxing division. He was the
most written about Black athlete of the 20th century, whose career was
interrupted by almost 4 years hiatus when he refused to be drafted.
He later embraced the Islam religion, and carried on a glorious boxing
career at the same time stepping up for the Black advocacy.
** Jim Brown - The first Black Football superstar from 1957 to 1965, leading the NFL
in the yardage length runs. Like Ali, he stood for the Black freedom rights
retired from football at the peak of his career to pursue movie stardom.
** Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel - It can be said that their rivalry, Los Angeles Lakers
against the Boston Celtics paved the way for Black dominance in basketball
as well as in other sports like football, athletics and boxing.
** Tommy Smith and Juan Carlos - 200-meter gold and bronze medal winners in the 1968
Mexico Olympics who were better known for their Black power salute while
the American national anthem was being played. It was one of the most
overtly political statement in the history of the olympics.
** Hank Aaron - The first Black Baseball superstar. He broke Babe Ruth's record run
** O. J. Simpson - First man to break Jim Brown's record run, and considered as one of
the best Pro-Football player of all time. His was the face of Professional
Football in the 1970's, the fame which also brought him Hollywood fame.
** Insights :
Athleticism is probably the best gift of the Black race. Whatever sports that requires strength, agility and stamina, the Blacks were able to dominate. Basketball and football is a brand of sports that almost always have Blacks dominating every aspect of the game. In the 1960's, you would never imagine an American basketball olympic team composed of Black athletes.
The Blacks may not be as dominant today in boxing compared to the 1960's to the 1990's but still a great part of boxing champions and contenders are blacks. History may not be that kind to them in the past but the present as well as the future reserves a lot of golden pages in achievements not only in the field of Sports, but also in Music, Arts and Hollywood awards.
to demean the white boxing supremacy. He made mincemeat of white
pretenders to heavyweight championship belt until a combination of age,
lack of discipline, boxing commission conspiracies, caused him to lose the
title against James Willard tiring out in the 26th round.
** Paul Robertson - The first black football star.
** Satchell Paige - The first legendary baseball pitcher leading the Black Baseball League
in the 1920's and 1930's.
** Jesse Owens and John Woodruff - The first Black athletic stars that won golds in the
1936 Berlin Olympics. Jesse Owens won gold medal in the 100-meter
and 200-meter dash and another gold medal in the Long Jump.
John Woodruff won the gold medal in the 800-meter run.
** Joe Louis - More popularly known as the "Brown Bomber", just as to tone down
the Black supremacy in boxing. He reigned for 12 years, defending the
World Heavyweight Championship a record of 25 times that up to this
day has remained unbroken. Said to have been paid a measly 10 percent
of his purse by his white managers, he was saddled with financial
difficulties until his death in 1981.
** Jackie Robinson - The first Black professional baseball player. His life was made into
a movie titled, " 42 ", that showed his struggles to attain superstardom
despite the discrimination and abuses he received, even signing a contract
that specified that he could not fight back and smile when winning.
** Andrea Gibson - The first Black American to win the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.
Tolerated but not embraced, the white were not ready to accept a black
tennis pro-star in their rank.
** Charlie Simpkins - The first black professional golf player in 1959. Golf was then
viewed as a game for the elite with the "Caucasian Clause" that states
that the game of Golf was for " White people only. "
** Wilma Rudolf - The first female Black athlete. She won 3 gold medals in the 1960 Rome
Olympics for the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, and the 400-meter run.
** Cassius Clay - The most iconic Black figure in sports, dubbed as " The Greatest ", won
the gold medal in the Light-heavyweight boxing division. He was the
most written about Black athlete of the 20th century, whose career was
interrupted by almost 4 years hiatus when he refused to be drafted.
He later embraced the Islam religion, and carried on a glorious boxing
career at the same time stepping up for the Black advocacy.
** Jim Brown - The first Black Football superstar from 1957 to 1965, leading the NFL
in the yardage length runs. Like Ali, he stood for the Black freedom rights
retired from football at the peak of his career to pursue movie stardom.
** Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel - It can be said that their rivalry, Los Angeles Lakers
against the Boston Celtics paved the way for Black dominance in basketball
as well as in other sports like football, athletics and boxing.
** Tommy Smith and Juan Carlos - 200-meter gold and bronze medal winners in the 1968
Mexico Olympics who were better known for their Black power salute while
the American national anthem was being played. It was one of the most
overtly political statement in the history of the olympics.
** Hank Aaron - The first Black Baseball superstar. He broke Babe Ruth's record run
** O. J. Simpson - First man to break Jim Brown's record run, and considered as one of
the best Pro-Football player of all time. His was the face of Professional
Football in the 1970's, the fame which also brought him Hollywood fame.
** Insights :
Athleticism is probably the best gift of the Black race. Whatever sports that requires strength, agility and stamina, the Blacks were able to dominate. Basketball and football is a brand of sports that almost always have Blacks dominating every aspect of the game. In the 1960's, you would never imagine an American basketball olympic team composed of Black athletes.
The Blacks may not be as dominant today in boxing compared to the 1960's to the 1990's but still a great part of boxing champions and contenders are blacks. History may not be that kind to them in the past but the present as well as the future reserves a lot of golden pages in achievements not only in the field of Sports, but also in Music, Arts and Hollywood awards.
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