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 […]
Tag Archives | athlete
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 […]
Albert Chalky Wright – February 10th in African American History
February 10, 1912 Albert Chalky Wright, hall of fame boxer, was born in Wilcox, Arizona. Wright began boxing professionally in 1928, two weeks after turning 16. He fought for many years before winning the World Featherweight Championship in September, 1941. He successfully defended the title once before losing it in November, 1942. Wright retired in […]
Jackie Robinson Remembered – January 31st in African American History
Jackie Robinson is one of the most influential players in professional baseball to ever put on the jersey. This is not only because of his skill as a player, but his grace as well. He was the first African American to ever make it to the big leagues, and although he faced discrimination at every […]
Richard (Dick) “Night Train” Lane – January 29th in African American History
January 29, 2002 Richard (Dick) “Night Train” Lane, hall of fame football player, died. Lane was born April 16, 1928 in Austin, Texas. He made his professional football debut with the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive back in 1952. In his rookie season, he set the NFL single season record for interceptions with 14 […]
William DeKova White – January 28th in African American History
January 28, 1934 William DeKova White, retired professional baseball player, sportscaster, and executive, was born in Lakewood, Florida. White made his major league debut in 1956 and during his 13 season professional career was a five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove Award winner. After retiring as a player in 1969, White had an 18-year career […]
Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson – January 23rd in African American History
January 23, 1976 Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson, concert singer, scholar, stage and film actor, athlete, and multi-lingual orator, died. Robeson was born April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey. He won a full academic scholarship to Rutgers University, the third African American student accepted at Rutgers. Although he was the only black student on campus […]