January 17, 1942 Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. (Muhammad Ali), hall of fame boxer, was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali began boxing at the age of 12 and went on to win six Kentucky Golden Gloves titles, two national Golden Gloves titles, and the Light Heavyweight Gold medal at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games. Ali […]
Tag Archives | Olympics
Madeline Manning – January 11th in African American History
January 11, 1948 Madeline Manning, hall of fame track and field athlete, author, and speaker, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Manning ran track at Tennessee State University where she won ten national titles, set a number of American records, and graduated in 1972. She participated in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Summer Olympic Games. At […]
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 […]
February 29th in African American History – Cullen Jones
February 29, 1984 Cullen Jones, Olympic Gold medal winning freestyle sprint swimmer, was born in New York City, but grew up in Irvington, New Jersey. Jones learned to swim after he nearly drowned when he was five years old. He turned professional in 2006 and swam a leg in the world record breaking 4 by […]
February 19th in African American History – Ollie Genoa Matson II
February 19, 2011 Ollie Genoa Matson II, hall of fame football player, died. Matson was born May 1, 1930 in Trinity, Texas. He played college football at the University of San Francisco and in 1951 led the nation in rushing yardage and touchdowns and was named an All-American.
February 12th in African American History – William Felton “Bill” Russell
February 12, 1934 William Felton “Bill” Russell, hall of fame basketball player and author, was born West Monroe, Louisiana, but raised in Oakland, California. Russell led the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956 and also earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1956.