August 19, 1946 Martha Rae Watson, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Long Beach, California. Watson attended Tennessee State University and was America’s premier female long jumper during the 1960s and early 1970s. She competed in the long jump at the 1964 Tokyo, 1968 Atlanta, 1972 Munich, and 1976 Montreal Olympic […]
Archive | Sports RSS feed for this section
July 24th in African American History – Karl Anthony Malone
July 24, 1963 Karl Anthony Malone, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Summerfield, Louisiana. Malone played college basketball at Louisiana Tech University where he earned the nickname “The Mailman” because he always delivered. Malone was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 1985 NBA Draft. Over his 19 season career, Malone was NBA […]
July 23rd in African American History – Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson
July 23, 1962 Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Robinson was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was a star athlete, from 1939 to 1941 and served in the United States […]
April 2nd in African American History – Willie M. “Bill” Pickett
April 2, 1932 Willie M. “Bill” Pickett, cowboy and rodeo performer, died after being kicked in the head by a horse. Pickett was born December 5, 1870 or 1871 in Travis County, Texas. After quitting school, he took up ranch work. Pickett is generally credited with inventing the technique of bulldogging, grabbing cattle by the […]
March 28th in African American History – Cumberland Willis “Cum” Posey
March 28, 1946 Cumberland Willis “Cum” Posey, basketball and baseball hall of fame Negro League player, manager and team owner, died. Posey was born June 20, 1890 in Homestead, Pennsylvania. In his early years, basketball dominated Posey’s life. From the early 1900s through the mid-1920s, Posey was considered the best African American basketball player of his time […]
March 24th in African American History – Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah
March 24, 1959 Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Nehemiah attended the University of Maryland where he won three NCAA titles. He was the first athlete to run the 110 meter hurdles in under 13 seconds and held the world record from 1981 to 1989. […]
March 23rd in African American History – Moses Eugene Malone
March 23, 1955 Moses Eugene Malone, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Petersburg, Virginia. In 1974, Malone was drafted by the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association right out of high school, becoming the fifth player to jump straight from high school to the professional leagues. When the ABA merged with the […]