People, Locations, Episodes

American Men’s Professional Sports (Basketball) Chooses its First Woman Coach

*On this date in 2001, the first woman coach in men’s professional sports was chosen. Twenty-five year old Stephanie Ready is also African American.

In professional sports, both women and men have coached women’s teams and men have coached themselves; women have never coached men-until now. On this date Ready began her job as assistant coach of the Greenville (S. C.) Groove, a team in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) development league (NBDL); their new minor league.

The First all-Black Women’s Final at the US Tennis Open

On this date in 2001, two African American women decided the women’s U.S. Open tennis tournament championship for the first time. The opponents were sisters, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Additionally this was the first Grand Slam final between African Americans and the sisters had not played in a slam final since 1984 at Wimbledon. Venus Williams (21) and Serena Williams (19) from Compton, CA., played two sets at the Arthur Ashe stadium in New York City with Venus winning 6-2, 6-4.

The First Black Olympic Speed-Skater Qualifies

On this date in 2001, Shani Davis became the first African American to qualify for the United States Olympic speed skating team.

Davis, a former roller skater from Chicago, beat his close friend and world cup champion Apolo Ohno in the 1,000 meter short-track final held in Kearns, Utah, qualifying for the 2002 Salt Lake Games. Davis (then 19 years old) needed the 987 points that went with first place in order to finish sixth, knocking 1998 Olympian Tommy O’Hare off the team. O’Hare stormed out of the Olympic Oval without talking to reporters.

The First African American Wins A Gold Medal In The Winter Olympics

*On this date in 2002, Vonetta Flowers became the first African American gold medalist in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.

She and partner Jull Brakken won the inaugural women’s two-person bobsled event.

Non-white Coaches Make it to NCAA Basketball Final Four

*On this date in 2002, two Black coaches in the NCAA’s Final Four competed against one another for the first time. Indiana University coach Mike Davis and Oklahoma University coach Melvin Sampson were the first Final Four match up featuring two minority coaches.

Davis, an African American and Sampson, a Native American from the Lumbee (African) Tribe.

Tiger Woods Wins His Third Masters Golf Title

On this date in 2002, Tiger Woods won his third master golf tournament. The best players in the world, or a toughened up Augusta National course could stop this Black man’s march to Masters history.

The First Black Hockey Player Wins The NHL Scoring Title

On this date in 2002, the first Black man won the scoring title in the National Hockey League.

Jerome Iginla of the Calgary Flames took home the Maurice Richard Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy as professional hockey’s points leader. Earlier that season Iginla made his first appearance in the NHL’s All-Star game and he received a Gold medal for his home country, Canada, in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The Cannon Street Little League Team is Honored

On this date in 2002, the surviving members of the all-Black 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League all-star team were honored.

The First Black General Manager in the National Football League is Appointed

On this date in 2002, The National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens formally named Ozzie Newsome as their general manager (GM) and executive vice president.

Newsome thus became the first African American GM in the sport. The contract agreement will keep him with the team for the next five years. Newsome has worked in the game/business on every level, from a rookie tight end when the Cleveland Browns drafted him in 1978 to the highest personnel and administrative level. Newsome, the only Black GM in the league, was born in Muscle Shoals, AL., eight years before the Civil Rights Act.

The First NFL Playoff Game With Two Black Head Coaches Is Played

On this date in 2003, two black head coaches competed for the first time in a National Football league (NFL) playoff game.

The Indianapolis Colts’ Tony Dungy and the New York Jets’ Herman Edwards brought their teams to New York where the Jets won 41 to 0. Longtime friends, Dungy and Edwards were the only African American head coaches in the league. Edwards spent five seasons as Dungy’s top assistant in Tampa before becoming New York’s coach in 2001.

The student came out on top of the mentor because his offense was unstoppable, his defense stingy, and his special teams dominant.

The NFL Fines the Detroit Lions Over ‘Rooney Rule’ Violation

On this date in 2003, the National Football League (NFL) fined a team president for not interviewing any minority candidates before hiring a white coach.

Detroit Lions President Matt Millen was fined $200,000 over hiring Steve Mariucci. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue informed Millen of the punishment in a letter, the first fine levied under the league’s diversity program. Detroit Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said the Lions “respectfully disagree” with the ruling but supported initiatives to promote diversity on coaching staffs and in front offices.

Paul Hornung Makes Academic Racial Comment

*On this date in 2004, former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung made a racial comment about Blacks.

The former Green Bay Packers star said his alma mater, Notre Dame, needed to lower its academic standards to “get the black athlete.” “We can’t stay as strict as we are as far as the academic structure is concerned because we’ve got to get the black athlete,” Hornung said. “We must get the black athlete if we’re going to compete.” This happened during a radio interview in Detroit on WXVT-AM before the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame banquet.

Jackie Robinson Receives The Congressional Gold Medal

*On This date in 2005, Jackie Robinson was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. This happened more than half a century after he broke baseball’s color barrier.

The First Black Quarterback Enters the NFL Hall of Fame

*On this date in 2006 the first Black quarterback was inducted into the National Football league Hall of Fame.

Warren Moon, the former UW quarterback was the recipient. He played professionally for the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League’s Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. That day, Moon joined Reggie White, Harry Carson, John Madden and Rayfield Wright entering the NFL’s Hall.

The First Black Wins An Winter Olympic individual Gold Medal.

*On this date in 2006, Shani Davis became the first Black to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history.

He captured the men’s 1,000-meter speed skating race in Turin, Italy. After crossing the line and spotting his time, the first guy to break 1:09 on the slow Turin ice, Davis thrust his right fist in the air.

As he coasted along the back straightaway, he raised both arms toward the roof of the Olympic oval, and then put his hands on his head in obvious relief.