People, Locations, Episodes

Archie Moore, Boxer born.

*This date marks the birth of Archie Moore in 1913. He was an African American boxer and world light-heavyweight champion.

Jersey Joe Walcott, Boxer born

*On this date in 1914, Jersey Joe Walcott was born. He was an African American boxer.

Born Arnold Raymond Cream near Camden, New Jersey, he was raised with eleven brothers and sisters in Merchantville, New Jersey. After the death of his father (when he was fourteen), he began working in a soup factory to support his family; at this time he also began training as a boxer. In 1930 he started his professional career as a lightweight, quickly taking the name, “Jersey Joe Walcott’” in honor of Joe Walcott, a well-known Barbadian welterweight champion.

Bill Jones, Pioneering Basketball Player, born

*Bill Jones was born on this date in 1914. He was a pioneering Black professional basketball player.   From Toledo, OH., William McNeil Jones was the son of William Allen Jones and Jessie L Gatliff. Jones attended Woodward High School and played collegiately at the University of Toledo.  He played in all five games for the […]

Bill Veeck Jr. born

*Bill Veeck Jr. was born on this date in 1914. He was a white-American businessman and advocate for racial equity in baseball. From Chicago, Illinois his parents were William L. Veeck Sr. and Grace Greenwood DeForest Veeck. His father was a sportswriter under the pen name Bill Bailey. After his father criticized the Cubs in his […]

Joe Louis, Heavyweight Boxer born

This date in 1914 marks Joe Louis’ birthday, one the greatest boxers in American history.

He was born Joseph Louis Barrow on a sharecropper’s farm near Lafayette, AL, in 1914. At the age of ten his family migrated to Detroit. Louis won his first professional fight by a knockout in 1934. He won the professional heavyweight championship of the world three years later, defeating American boxer James Jack Braddock by a knockout. During his professional boxing career, Louis compiled 68 victories and three defeats.

Ozzie Simmons, Iowa Football Player born

*”Ozzie” Simmons was born on this date in 1914.  He was a Black college football player for the University of Iowa and a teacher.   Born in Gainesville, Texas, Oze E. Simmons grew up as an all-state high school quarterback in a segregated high school league in Fort Worth. College opportunities were limited for Black […]

Emmett Ashford, Baseball Umpire born

*Emmett Ashford was born on this date in 1914. He was a Black baseball umpire in Major League Baseball’s American League.    Emmett Littleton Ashford was born in Los Angeles. CA. His father, Littleton, was a policeman but abandoned the family, leaving Ashford’s mother, Adele, to raise Emmett and his brother, Wilbur. Ashford earned money […]

John McLendon, Basketball Coach born

John McLendon was born on this date in 1915. He was an African American basketball coach at the high school, AAU, college, and professional level.

From Hiawatha, Kansas, McLendon’s engaging personality made him a popular basketball figure for more than 60 years. His extraordinary knowledge of basketball history made him one of the game’s leading ambassadors. But, it is his coaching resume that makes many in the profession envious. He learned basketball from Dr. James Naismith as an undergraduate at Kansas. McLendon is the first coach in history to win three consecutive national titles.

Archie Williams, Athlete, Educator, and Engineer, born

Archie Williams was born on this date in 1915. He was an African American athlete and teacher.

Born in Oakland, CA, Williams attended San Mateo Junior College (now College of San Mateo). His coach, Dr. Oliver Byrd, was instrumental in preparing him for future achievements. Soon Williams transferred to the University of California-Berkeley to become a mechanical engineer. He continued to run track.

John Woodruff, Olympian, and Educator born

John Youie Woodruff was born on this date in 1915. He was an African American athlete and winner of the 800 metre run at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He also was a teacher, and military officer.

The American Tennis Association Begins

On this date in 1916 we celebrate the founding of The American Tennis Association (ATA), the first Black sports organization in the United States.

Formed by a group of African American businessmen, college professors, and physicians, the ATA has become the top organization for blacks from all walks of life who want to enjoy the camaraderie and competition offered by tennis. Since its inception, the ATA has honored the founding fathers’ primary objectives:

To bring black tennis enthusiasts and players into close and friendly relations.

Jimmie McDaniel, Tennis Player born

*Jimmie McDaniel was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black tennis player. Raised in Los Angeles, McDaniel attended Manual Arts High School. His father, Willis McDaniel, was a former baseball player in the Negro Leagues who worked as a Pullman porter in Los Angeles; his mother, Ruby, was a domestic worker. Although the only […]

Paul Robeson is Excluded From Rutgers Football Game

On this date in 1916, Paul Robeson was excluded from the Rutgers football team. Robeson was one of their best players, but Washington and Lee University refused to play against a Black player.

Regretting the decision, Coach G. Foster Sanford a staunch defender of Robeson, stood by Robeson (a sophomore tackle) when the demand was again made by West Virginia.

Mabel Fairbanks, Figure Skater born

On this date we mark the birth of Mabel Fairbanks, an African American figure skater, in 1916.

The Philadelphia Hilldale Baseball Team is Formed

*The Philadelphia Hilldale baseball team is celebrated on this date in 1916.  The Hilldale Athletic Club (informally known as Darby Daisies) was a Negro Baseball League team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia.   Established as a boys’ team in 1910, their early manager developed the Hilldale’s, then owner Ed Bolden, who founded the team […]