April 9, 2001 Wilver Dornell “Willie” Stargell, hall of fame baseball player, died. Stargell was born March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, Oklahoma. Stargell was signed by the Pittsburg Pirates at the age of 18 and made his Major League debut in 1962. Over his 21 year career with the Pirates, Stargell was the 1979 National […]
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Maurice Stokes – April 6th in African American History
April 6, 1970 Maurice Stokes, hall of fame basketball player, died. Stokes was born June 17, 1933 in Rankin, Pennsylvania. He played basketball for Saint Francis University and graduated in 1955. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1955 National Invitational Basketball Tournament. In the 1955 NBA Draft, he was selected by the […]
Edward Gay Robinson – April 3rd in African American History
April 3, 2007 Edward Gay Robinson, hall of fame college football coach, died. Robinson was born February 13, 1919 in Jackson, Louisiana. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Leland College in 1941 and in 1954 earned his Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. Robinson began coaching at the historically black […]
March 31st in African American History – James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens
March 31, 1980 James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens, Olympic track and field athlete, died. Owens was born September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama. Owens attended Ohio State University where he won a record eight individual NCAA championships. Despite that success, he had to live off campus and was never offered a scholarship for his efforts. At […]
March 26th in African American History – Marcus LeMarr Allen
March 26, 1960 Marcus LeMarr Allen, hall of fame football player, was born in San Diego, California. Allen played college football at the University of Southern California from 1978 to 1981. In 1981, he became the first player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season. That same year, he won […]
March 25th in African American History – Debra Janine Debi Thomas
March 25, 1967 Debra Janine “Debi” Thomas, figure skater and physician, was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. In 1986, Thomas won the U. S. National Ladies’ Figure Skating title, the Ladies’ World Figure Skating Championship, and earned ABC’s Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year Award. At the 1988 Calgary Olympics, she won the […]
March 23rd in African American History – James “Jimmy” Winkfield
March 23, 1974 James “Jimmy” Winkfield, jockey, horse trainer and the last African American to ride a winner in the Kentucky Derby, died. Winkfield was born April 12, 1882 in Chilesburg, Kentucky and began his career as a jockey in 1898. He rode in the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 1900, finishing third. […]