In honor of Black History Month, I spent some time thinking about some of the lesser-known black athletes and coaches of the past who've served as pioneers for their sports.
After a bit of research, I came up with a list of ten that stood out. I'm not ranking them in any specific order. Instead, I'm giving a short description of their amazing accomplishments.
It's my hope that you find this information as inspiring as I did, and perhaps look further into the ways that these athletes made a mark on American culture. At least it should provide you some much needed sports knowledge to amaze your friends.
1. Emanuel Steward
Steward was a National Gold Gloves Champion who went 94-3 in his amateur boxing career. He began training boxers in 1961 and turned the Kronk Gym in Detroit into one of the most famous boxing gyms in the world. During his career as a trainer, Steward had a hand in training or managing 24 world champions and four Olympic gold medalists.
2. Debi Thomas
Figure skater Debi Thomas competed at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal. Thomas was the first black athlete to win a medal at any Winter Olympics. Two years earlier, she became the first and only African-American figure skating champion from the United States.
3. Charley "Chuck" Cooper
The first African-American to be drafted into the NBA, Cooper joined the Boston Celtics in 1950 after leading Duquesne University to back-to-back appearances in the National Invitational Tournament. Cooper faced difficulties throughout his basketball career, most notably when Tennessee refused to play Duquesne if Cooper was in the lineup.
4. Althea Gibson
Tennis great Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in two different sports. When Gibson played tennis in the 1950's there was no professional tour for women and she had to play in exhibition tournaments. Still, she rose to No. 1 in the world in 1957 and became the first black athlete to win a Grand Slam Tournament when she won the French Open in 1956. During her time in tennis, Gibson won five Grand Slam Tournaments. After quitting tennis, Gibson turned to golf and became the first African-American on the LPGA Tour in 1963, finishing second in one tournament and competing for 15 years.
5. Larry Doby
Doby's counterpart, Jackie Robinson is better known for being the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues. But Doby is remembered as the first African-American player in the American League. Though he wasn't first, Doby suffered just as much to get to the MLB and rivaled Robinson's career in baseball achievements. In 13 seasons, Doby hit 253 home runs and drove in 970 runs. He also hit at least 20 home runs a year from 1949 to 1956.
6. Alice Coachmen
As the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the high jump at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games, Alice Coachmen also became the first African-American woman selected to the U.S. Olympic Team. As a student at the Tuskegee Institute, Coachmen was a member of the national champion 4 x 100-meter relay team in 1941 and 1942.
7. Ollie Matson
An All-American running back at San Francisco University in the 1950s, Matson played 14 seasons in the NFL, earning six first or second-team NFL selections and six pro-bowl appearances. Matson was once traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Rams for nine players and put off his NFL career for a year to compete in the 1952 Olympics where he won two medals. Matson also missed a season due to military service and is a member of both the NFL and College Football Halls of Fame.
8. Isaac Murphy
The son of a former slave, Murphy is arguably the greatest jockey of all time. Murphy claimed to have won 44 percent of his races though only 34.5 percent can be verified. It's likely that many of the races he won were not recorded in the record books of his age. Murphy's career lasted 19 years from 1876 to 1895. He achieved three Kentucky Derby wins and numerous victories in the other major races of the day including the American Derby. From year to year, Murphy won at least a third of his mounts.
9. Lee Elder
Lee Elder was the first African-American to play in the Masters Tournament in 1975. After both his parents met untimely deaths, golf became a way for Elder to feed his brothers and sisters. In his golf career, Elder has had 12 victories on the PGA and Senior Tours earning more than $1 million in prize money in both circuits. Elder was also the first African-American to play on the U.S. Ryder Cup in 1979.
10. Dr. LeRoy T. Walker
Walker served as the first, and thus far, only black president of the United States Olympic Committee. Walker started as a track and field coach at North Carolina Central University where he produced 111 All-Americans, 40 national champions and 12 Olympic athletes. Walker coached the Olympic track teams of five different nations and in 1976, became the first African-American to coach a U.S. team.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Tuesday, February 8th 2011 at 2:18PM
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