January 4, 1935 Floyd Patterson, hall of fame boxer, was born in Waco, North Carolina. Patterson started boxing at the age of 14 and won the Gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games as a middleweight. Following the Olympics, Patterson turned professional and on November 30, 1956 became the youngest world heavyweight champion in […]
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Harry “The Black Panther” Wills – December 21st in African American History
December 21, 1958 Harry “The Black Panther” Wills, hall of fame boxer, died. Willis was born May 15, 1889 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his professional boxing career in 1911 and fought for over 20 years, often ranked as the number one challenger for the heavyweight title, but never given the opportunity to fight […]
Jackie Robinson #42 – April 15th in African American History
Jackie Robinson Day 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 […]
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 […]