April 22, 1949 Spencer Haywood, retired basketball player, was born in Silver City, Mississippi. Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan and in 1967 led Pershing High School to the Michigan State Basketball Championship. In 1968, Haywood was the leading scorer on the United States’ Gold Medal winning Olympic team in Mexico City. Later that year, he […]
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April 18th in African American History – John Henry Lewis
April 18, 1974 John Henry Lewis, hall of fame boxer, died. Lewis was born May 1, 1914 in California but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where his father owned a boxing gym. Lewis began his professional boxing career in 1928 at the age of 14.
April 18h in African American History – Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines, Sr.
April 18, 2005 Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines, Sr., Hall of Fame college basketball coach, died. Gaines was born May 21, 1923 in Paducah, Kentucky and attended Lincoln High School where he excelled academically and athletically, graduating as class salutatorian in 1941. Gaines earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Morgan State College […]
April 16th in African American History – Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
April 16, 1947 Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), hall of fame basketball player, coach, actor and author, was born in New York City. Abdul-Jabbar began his record breaking basketball accomplishments in high school when he led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships. Abdul-Jabbar played college basketball at the University of […]
April 14th in African American History – Cynthia Lynne Cooper
April 14, 1963 Cynthia Lynne Cooper, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Cooper played collegiate basketball at the University of Southern California and led them to back to back NCAA tournament championships in 1983 and 1984. After leaving college, she played professional basketball in Spain and Italy from 1986 to 1996. […]
April 12th in African American History – Joe Louis
April 12, 1981 Joe Louis, hall of fame boxer known as the Brown Bomber, died. Born Joseph Louis Barrow on May 13, 1914 in La Fayette, Alabama, Louis’ family moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1926. Louis made his amateur boxing debut in 1932 and at the end of his amateur career in 1934 had compiled […]
April 12th in African American History – Sugar Ray Robinson
April 12, 1989 Sugar Ray Robinson, hall of fame boxer, died. Born Walker Smith, Jr. on May 3, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, Robinson began boxing at the age of 14 and he finished his amateur career with a record of 85 wins and no losses. Robinson made this professional debut in 1940 but his career […]