December 13, 1942 Ferguson Arthur Jenkins, hall of fame baseball player, was born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Jenkins was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 and made his major league debut in 1965. Over his 18 season professional career, he was a three-time All-Star selection and in 1971 won the Cy Young Award as […]
Tag Archives | athlete
December 12th in African American History – Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong)
December 12, 1912 Henry Jackson, Jr. (Henry Armstrong), the first boxer to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time, was born in Columbus, Mississippi. Jackson assumed the surname of his mentor and trainer, Harry Armstrong, in 1931. Because the fight purses were small, Armstrong usually fought 12 times a year. On […]
August 19th in African American History – Martha Rae Watson
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]