African American Studies: African Americans in Sports History

From Black Firsts
The first known black professional player—predating the present league organization—was pitcher John W. “Bud” Fowler [John W. Jackson] (1858?-?).

From Black Firsts
The Rens, named after the team's home court, the Renaissance Casino in New York, was the first black professional basketball team.

From Black Firsts
Frederick Douglas “Fritz” Pollard Sr. (1890–1986), a diminutive back of Brown University, became the first black to play in the Rose Bowl.

From Black Firsts
John Baxter “Doc” Taylor Jr. (1882–1908), became the first black winner of a gold medal in the Olympics.

From Black Firsts
The first black woman to win seven consecutive titles in the American Tennis Association was Ora Washington (1898–1971).

From Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society
When major league baseball retired uniform “number 42” in 1997, it was to honor Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Black baseball players had been barred from organized leagues through de facto exclusion from the late 1800s until 1946.

From Encyclopedia of African American Society
African American athletes have had an unparalleled, two-century history of excellence in track and field sports. Early records tell of slaves participating in foot races, jumping trials, and throwing contests on Southern plantations in the early 1800s.

From Encyclopedia of African American Society
An athletic conference, founded in 1913 as the Southeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, whose members were from historically black colleges and universities.

Baseball player and executive, born in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

Boxer, born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

US tennis player and coach. He won the US national men's singles title at Forest Hills and the first US Open in 1968.

American baseball player, b. Riverside, Calif.

US basketball player. Named by the US magazine Sports Illustrated as the ‘Best Basketball Player of the 20th Century’ (1999).

(Jack Roosevelt Robinson), American baseball player, the first African-American player in the modern major leagues.

US American football player, film and television actor, and sports commentator.

US golfer. In 1994 he became the youngest player, at the age of 18, to win the US Amateur Championship.

U.S. boxer. World heavyweight champion (1986-90, and 1996): jailed for rape (1992-95); banned from professional boxing in 1997 after biting off part of his opponent's ear.

American athlete. Winner of nine Olympic gold medals, including four in the long jump, he duplicated in the 1984 Olympics Jesse Owens's feat of winning the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, and the four-by-100-meter relay.