Baseball fans may find themselves doing double-takes while watching a major-league game on April 15, seeing the number “42″ on the back of every uniform. The reason? April 15th is “Jackie Robinson Day,” marking the anniversary of Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, ending over six decades of racial segregation in “America’s Pastime.” [...]
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Joe Walcott – March 13th in African American History
March 13, 1873 Joe Walcott (also known as Barbados Joe Walcott), hall of fame boxer, was born in Demerara, British Guyana. As a youngster, Walcott got a job as a cabin boy on a ship sailing to Boston, Massachusetts. After settling in Boston, he got a job at a gym and began boxing. Walcott made [...]
Larry Myricks – March 10th in African American History
March 10, 1956 Larry Myricks, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Clinton, Mississippi. Myricks competed for Mississippi College and was the 1976 and 1979 NCAA long jump champion. He also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in management and marketing in 1979. Myricks qualified for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, but [...]
Joseph “Cyclone Joe” Williams – February 25th in African American History
February 25, 1951 Joseph “Cyclone Joe” Williams, hall of fame Negro League baseball pitcher, died. Williams was born April 6, 1886 in Seguin, Texas. He began playing baseball professionally in 1905. Then known as Smokey Joe Williams, he spent 5 years with southern black baseball before moving in 1910 to the Chicago Giants. When playing [...]
Frederick Rudolph “Fred” Dean – February 24th in African American History
February 24, 1952 Frederick Rudolph “Fred” Dean, hall of fame football player, was born in Arcadia, Louisiana. Dean played college football at Louisiana Tech University and was an All-Southland Conference defensive tackle. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 1975 NFL Draft and over his eleven season professional career was a four-time [...]
Elston Gene Howard – February 23rd in African American History
February 23, 1929 Elston Gene Howard, former Negro and Major League baseball player, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up in St. Louis, Howard showed that baseball was not his his only strength. He played football, ran track and made all-state in basketball. In 1947, after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and debuted [...]
Isaac Burns Murphy – February 12th in African American History
February 12, 1896 Isaac Burns Murphy, hall of fame jockey, died. Murphy was born April 16, 1861 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He competed in 11 Kentucky Derby’s and was the first jockey to ride three derby winners, Buchanan in 1884, Riley in 1890, and Kingman in 1891. Over his career, Murphy won 628 of his 1,412 [...]