People, Locations, Episodes

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 […]

William Powell, Entrepreneur and Golf Course Owner born

*William Powell was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black businessman, entrepreneur, and pioneering golf course owner. William J. Powell was born in Greenville, Alabama. During his youth, he moved with his family to Minerva, Ohio. In high school there, Powell played golf and football. Later, he played on the golf team […]

Sam Jethroe, Baseball Player born

*On this date in 1917, Sam Jethroe was born.  He was a Black center fielder in the Negro Baseball League and Major League Baseball.  From East St. Louis, Illinois, Samuel Jethroe was an all-around athlete. His father taught him to play baseball, and at Lincoln High School, he played football, basketball, and boxed. After high school, he began playing semipro ball […]

Alfred ‘Tup’ Holmes, Golfer born.

*“Tup” Holmes was born on this date in 1917.  He was a Black amateur golfer.    Alfred F. “Tup” Holmes was born in East Point, Ga., graduated from Booker T. Washington High in Atlanta in 1933, and earned a degree from Tuskegee Institute in 1939.  Holmes excelled as a young amateur golfer. In college, he […]

LeRoy T. Walker, Educator, and Athletic Coach born

*LeRoy T. Walker was born on this date in 1918.  He was a Black educator, coach, administrator, and the first Black president of the United States Olympic Committee. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, the grandson of slaves and the youngest of 13 children in a close-knit family. His mother, Mary, always told him not to worry about the […]

Kenny Washington, Football Player born

*Kenny. Washington was born on this date in 1918.  He was a Black professional American football player.   Kenneth S. Washington was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city’s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. He was the son of Edgar “Blue” Washington, who played Negro League baseball.  He was raised by his grandmother Susie and his uncle Rocky, the first Black uniformed lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He […]

Jackie Robinson, Baseball Player born

*Jackie Robinson was born on this date in 1919. He was an African American athlete, business executive, and civil rights leader.

Born to a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College and UCLA. In 1941 Robinson left college to join the United States Army and he received an honorable discharge in 1944 with the rank of first lieutenant. The following year, Robinson began his professional baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.

Eddie Robinson, Football Coach, and Mentor born

*Eddie Robinson was born on this date 1919. He was an African American Black college football coach.

Edward Gay Robinson is from Jackson, La., he attended Leland College (Baker, La.), where he played quarterback and led the team to a combined 18-1 record over the 1939 and 1940 seasons. During his final two years at Leland he also served as an assistant coach. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1941 and received a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1954.

Herb Carnegie, Ice Hockey Player, born

*Herbert Carnegie was born on this date in 1919.  He was a Black Canadian ice hockey player.   Herbert Henry Carnegie was the fifth of seven children born in Toronto to Jamaican immigrants George and Adina Carnegie. George was a janitor with Toronto Hydro, a career that Herb recalls his father liking “about as much as a poke in the eye […]

Jimmy Bivins, Boxer, born.

*Jimmy Bivins was born on this date in 1919. He was an African American heavyweight boxer whose professional career ran from 1940 to 1955.

Marvin Williams, Baseball Player born

*Marvin Williams was born on this date in 1920. He was a Black baseball. Player.  Williams grew up in Houston, Texas, and began playing semi-pro ball in sawmill towns of Texas, such as Baytown and Conroe. In 1943, a group of players played on a barnstorming team that toured various small towns to stage exhibition […]