People, Locations, Episodes

Muhammad Ali Refuses His Vietnam Draft Notice

On this date in 1967, African American boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted into the U.S. Army and was eventually stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. Ali, a Muslim, cited religious reasons for his decision to forgo Vietnam military service. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in Louisville, Kentucky, the future three-time world champ changed his name […]

Deion Sanders, Athlete, and Coach born

*Deion Sanders was born on this date in 1967. He is a Black former professional athlete, sports analyst, and coach. Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. was born in Fort Myers, Florida. He is one of the rare successful professional two-sport athletes. He is a current college football coach. He attended North Fort Myers High School in […]

The First Black Man Wins the US Open Tennis Singles Title

*On this date in 1968, Arthur Ashe won the US Open singles tennis Championship.

This accomplishment was the first time an African American man had won this title in professional tennis.

Black Athletes Suspended From The Olympic Games

On this date in 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, African American sprinters, were suspended from the Olympic Games in Mexico City.

They were suspended after they held up their fists in a Black Power salute while receiving their medals at the awards ceremony. The athletes’ actions came to symbolize the Black Power movement in sports.

Gary Sheffield, Baseball Player born

Gary Sheffield was born on this date in 1968. He was an African American major league baseball player.

Roy Jones Jr., Boxer born

*Roy Jones Jr. was born on this date in 1969. He is an African American professional boxer.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Basketball Player born

*Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was born on this date in 1969. He is a former Black professional basketball player and activist. Born Chris Jackson in Gulfport, Mississippi, the son of Jacqueline Jackson. He was raised in a single-parent family with his two brothers, Omar and David. His childhood was characterized by poverty, as there were times when […]

The ‘Black 14’ Episode Occurs

*On this date in 1969, the ‘Black 14’ episode occurred.  This racial incident began when white Wyoming University head coach Lloyd Eaton dismissed 14 Black football players from the team.  At the previous year’s win over BYU at Provo, the Wyoming Black players were subjected to racial epithets. They asked Eaton if they could wear […]

Ken Griffey Jr., Baseball Player born

*Ken Griffey Jr. was born on this date in 1969. Nicknamed “Junior” and “the Kid,” he is a Black retired professional baseball outfielder and coach. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father, Ken Griffey Sr., played for the Cincinnati Reds when Ken Jr. was […]

Major League Baseball Game Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*On this date in 1970, Major League Baseball honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In early December 1968, after King’s murder, a letter from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) sports project director Joseph Peters was sent to the (then) Commissioner of Baseball, William “Spike” Eckert, and members of the executive council. It read, in […]

The ‘Syracuse 8,’ Football Team, a story

This date in 1970 celebrates the “Syracuse 8” college football players.

These African American players at Syracuse University boycotted the 1970 football season in a collective effort to demand change and promote racial equality within the University football program. These student-athletes wanted better medical care for injured players and stronger academic support for African American student-athletes; the right to compete fairly for any position on the starting team; and racial integration of the football coaching staff.

The First All-Black Division 1 College Football Backfield Plays in the American South

On this date in 1970 the racial landscape of American college football changed for ever. John McKay and the University of Southern California Trojans beat Bear Bryant’s Alabama Crimson Tide. The final score of USC 42, Alabama 21, was only part of the story. That USC-Bama game remains one of the most proclaimed in college athletics.

The First All-Black Baseball Lineup Plays in a Major League Baseball Game

*On this date in 1971, the first all-Black lineup played in major league baseball. The team was Pittsburgh Pirates who constituted one of the most significant milestones in the racial history of major league baseball. Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager Danny Murtaugh prepared for the Philadelphia Phillies and left-handed pitcher Woodie Fryman.

Brianna Scurry, Olympic Athlete born

Brianna Scurry was born on this date in 1971. She was an African American Olympic athlete.

Briana Collette Scurry was born in Dayton, MN. and graduated from Anoka Senior High School where she was an All-American soccer player (goalkeeper). In 1989 her school won the state soccer championship and she was voted the top female athlete in Minnesota. Scurry graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1995 with a degree in political science.

Williams v. Eaton is Decided

*On this date in 1971, Williams v. Eaton was decided.  This case challenged the constitutional right to free speech and was part of an incident at the University of Wyoming football program.