November 20, 1957 Dwight Eugene Stephenson, hall of fame football player, was born in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. Stephenson played college football at the University of Alabama where he was an All-American. Coach Bear Bryant called Stephenson the best player he had ever coached, regardless of position. Stephenson was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the […]
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November 19th in African American History – Yolanda Gail Devers
November 19, 1966 Yolanda Gail Devers, three-time Olympic gold medalist, was born in Seattle, Washington. Devers qualified for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, but did not medal. Also that year, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. In 1990, she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and underwent […]
November 18th in African American History – Harold Warren Moon
November 18, 1956 Harold Warren Moon, hall of fame football player, was born in Los Angeles, California. Although Moon was a star high school quarterback, none of the major colleges were interested in him as a quarterback therefore he enrolled in West Los Angeles College where he set a number of records. Based on that […]
November 14th in African American History – Mabel Fairbanks
November 14, 1916 Mabel Fairbanks, figure skater and coach, was born in New York City. Fairbanks fell in love with figure skating in the 1930s. Despite her ability, she was not allowed to join skating clubs because of her race. She was often told, “we don’t have Negroes in ice shows.” She eventually left the […]
November 12th in African American History – Samuel Peralta Sosa
November 12, 1968 Samuel Peralta Sosa, retired Major League Baseball player, was born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Sosa made his major league debut in 1989 and over his 18 year professional career hit 609 home runs, was a seven time All-Star selection, and in 1998 was the National League Most Valuable Player.
November 11th in African American History – Rodney Milburn, Jr.
November 11, 1997 Rodney Milburn, Jr., hall of fame track and field athlete, died. Milburn was born May 18, 1950 in Opelousas, Louisiana. He attended Southern University and during the early 1970s dominated the 110 meter hurdles, tying the world record three times. In 1971, he was unbeaten in 28 races and was named the […]
November 6th in African American History – Stan Wright
November 6, 1998 Stan Wright, hall of fame track and field coach, died. Wright was born August 11, 1921 in Englewood, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Springfield College and his master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1950, Wright began his coaching career at Texas Southern University. The TSU “Flying Tigers” became nationally […]