Black History Posters: Athletes pg 3
teaching resources for the social studies and physical education classroom and home schoolers.

Jackie Robinson
b. 1-31-1919; Cairo, Georgia
d. 10-24-1972; Stamford, CT

Jackie Robinson was the first African-American major league baseball player in 1947 (modern era).

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Sugar Ray Robinson
née Walker Smith, Jr.
b. 5-3-1921; Georgia or Detroit, MI
d. 4-12-1989; California

Sugar Ray Robinson is frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, earning titles in both welterweight and middleweight divisions. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Wilma Rudolph
b. 6-23-1940; Clarksville, TN
d. 11-12-1994; Brentwood, TN

Poster Text: Wilma Rudolph was born in Tennessee in 1940, the 20th of 22 children. Her parents had to struggle mightily to make ends meet for their large family. Then, at the age of four, Wilma became seriously ill with scarlet fever and pneumonia. The illness left her with a crippled leg, and doctors told here she would never be able to walk normally again. But Wilma refused to give up. She soon recovered completely and grew to be an exceptionally tall and graceful young woman – and in time, she became a star athlete.

Wilma once scored 49 points in a high school basketball game – a school record that still stands! But her greatest triumph came during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome where she won gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 400- meter relay. She set a new Olympic record in the 100 meter-dash with a time of 11 seconds. Wilma Rudolph overcame tremendous odds to become one of the greatest athletes in Olympic history. In 1993, just one year before she died of cancer, she was the first person ever to receive President Clinton's National Sports Awards.

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• American Women composite poster

Olympic Medalists Tommie Smith & Carlos Williams Giving Black Power Salute - 1968 Olympics, Mexico City

“Black Power Salute” is an homage to African-Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who proudly gestured skyward during the 1968 Olympics, leveling the playing field for civil rights. Smith set a world record by winning the 200-meter race and Carlos placed third. When accepting their awards, they wore symbolic clothing and hoisted black-gloved fists during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Caught in a whirlwind of public outrage, Smith and Carlos were immediately banished from the U.S. Olympic team, and even received death threats. Now legendary, this image is a powerful icon of African-American athletes’ struggle for equality.

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Debi Thomas
b. 3-25-1967; Poughkeepsie, New York

Debi Thomas, the 1986 World Champion and Olympic medalist figure skater, is also a physician.

Jersey Joe Walcott
née Arnold Raymond Cream
b. 1-31-1914; Merchantville, NJ
d. 2-25-1994; Camden

World heavyweight boxing champion Jersey Joe Walcot took his fight name from Barbados Joe Walcott. Jersey Joe broke the world's record for the oldest man to win the world's Heavyweight title when he earned it at the age 37 (later broken by George Foreman, age 45 in 1994).

Venus Williams
b. 6-17-1980; California

Serena Williams
b. 9-26-1981; Saginaw, MI

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have both been ranked as the World No. 1 female tennis player.

Tiger Woods
b. 12-30-1975; Cypress, CA

Tiger Woods began playing golf at age 2; it is expected at he will become the first athlete to earn a billion dollars in winnings and endorsements.

The Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team created by Abe Saperstein in 1920s, is noted for their athletic abilities and comic entertainment.

Numbers on a Track

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