Game Changer Althea Gibson

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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For the seventh day of our Black History Month Game Changer series, we highlight tennis legend Althea Gibson.  Gibson was the first black tennis player of either gender to cross the color line both nationally and internationally.

In 1956, Althea Gibson was the first black tennis athlete to when Grand Slam title after winning the French Open.  The next year she went on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, and repeated again the next year.  She was also voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press during those same years.  Gibson would go on to win 11 Grand Slam titles, 5 singles and 6 doubles.  Later she was inducted to both the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Though her tennis accomplishments are widely known, not many people know that after her tennis career Althea Gibson went on to play golf.  And just like tennis, she was a trailblazer in the golf world.  She became the first black woman on the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour in 1964.  She was often considered the female Jackie Robinson for her contributions to sports and society.

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Game Changer Jack Johnson

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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In an era where black people couldn’t drink from the same water fountain as white Americans, Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 1908.  Johnson won the title a full six years after Joe Gans became the first black World Boxing Champion in the lightweight class.  Though it took years for Johnson to get to that point as many white fighters refused to face black fighters for larger titles like world champion.

Jack Johnson’s title fight versus James J. Jeffries on July 4, 1910 was billed as “The Fight of the Century.”  The lopsided victory by Johnson was the catalyst for race riots across the United States.  Many whites felt their dreams of a “great white hope” to defeat Johnson were dashed.  Blacks on the other hand were extraordinarily jubilant, and saw the victory as a point of racial advancement.

Johnson refused to live his life according to convention.  He married three times, all white women which was a point of contention amongst whites and blacks.  He was a bombastic personality who flaunted his wealth and taunted people both inside and outside the ring.  He was ostracized and forced to live outside the United States for periods of time because of prison sentences for his dealings with white women.

Jack Johnson foreshadowed Muhammad Ali, and is often considered one of the greatest boxers of all-time.

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Game Changer Arthur Ashe

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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Today we recognize Game Changer Arthur Ashe, a tennis icon and social activist.

Arthur Ashe rose through the tennis ranks in the late 1960s and 70s.  He became the first black man to win a Wimbledon, US Open, or Australian Open, and remains the only one til this day.  Along with Yannick Noah (French Open), father of NBA player Joakim Noah, he is one of two players to have ever won any Grand Slam singles title.  Ashe was the first black player selected to an US Davis Cup team.  Throughout his career, he won numerous singles and doubles championships.  In 1979, he was ranked as one of the 21 best players of all time.

Arthur Ashe arrest 2613Throughout his sports career, Ashe began his foray into sociopolitical activism.  After being denied a spot in the 1972 South African Open, Ashe used the incident to publicize the atrocities of apartheid in South Africa.  However it was after his retirement in 1980 that his political activism really came into fruition.  Ashe was arrested for protesting apartheid outside the South African embassy in Washington, D.C.  He also fought for Haitian refugees and immigration reform in the US.  But it is his work as an advocate for AIDS awareness for which he is most known.

After his HIV/AIDS diagnosis was made public in 1992, Ashe began to advocate for greater awareness of the virus.  He fought for safe sex education, and wanted to dispel the notion that HIV/AIDS was a disease only contracted by homosexuals and IV drug users.  He went on to found the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.  Ashe passed away on February 6, 1993, and his body was allowed to lie in state at the Governor’s mansion in his home city of Richmond, Virginia.

Arthur Ashe fought for his titles as an athlete, and fought for the rights of humans around the world as a man.

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Game Changer Hank Aaron

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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On his 79th birthday, we celebrate Game Changer Hank Aaron.  Considered one of the greatest living baseball legends, Hank Aaron is currently the record holder for RBIs, second in home runs behind Barry Bonds, and number 3 all-time in career hits.

During his run for the home run record, Aaron faced racist taunts, harassment, and even death threats.  He has gone on to be successful in both baseball and business, and is often looked to as a mentor for many younger generations in the sports world.

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Game Changers Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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On February 4, 2007, Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) became the first black coaches to lead their teams to a Super Bowl.  By the end of the game, Tony Dungy would go on to become the first black head coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl championship win.

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Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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After a crazy game that saw little from the 49ers in the first half, a great show by Beyoncé, a power outage, and resurgence by the Colin and the gang, the Baltimore Ravens are once again Super Bowl Champions.

Kaep Blackout 2413From the start, the Baltimore Ravens seemed a bit more prepared for the big lights.  They came out firing, quickly overpowering the San Francisco 49ers.  Joe Flacco and the offense began to roll, and it looked like San Fran would have little answer.  Cut to Beyoncé using up all the power (LOL…j/k) with that electrifying performance.  Then in one of the weirdest things to happen in a Super Bowl, the lights went out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for more than 30 minutes.  And momentum shifts.  Colin Kaepernick begins to be the quarterback that we all expected.  This game soon became a GAME.  And it went down to the final minutes with the 49ers coming very close to the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time.

This was definitely one of the better Super Bowls.  Well after that lights out situation of course. But it was physical, offensively interesting, defensively aggressive game.  Loved nearly every minute of it!  Oh yeah…and Ray Lewis goes out on top (thanks to that deer antler spray *wink wink*)

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Super Bowl XLVII Pick

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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The day is finally here.  After months of practices, team meetings, injuries, comebacks, wins and losses, we are finally set with our last two teams: the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.  And now we will see who the top team is of the 2012 NFL season.

The Baltimore Ravens, with their dynamic defense, legendary linebacker, and elite-like quarterback, are heading to the Super Bowl 12 years after winning it.  We all know the story of the last remaining member of that 2000 season Ravens team, Mr. Ray Lewis.  He is in his final run in the league; ready to hang it up after this season.

The San Francisco 49ers, once more known for their defense, have emerged as an offensive threat with the emergence of 2nd year quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a passing-running juggernaut.  Once a complement, the Niners offense is now the focus.

Both of these teams have taken on the personalities of their coaches, two coaches who also happen to be brothers.  John (Ravens) and Jim (49ers) Harbaugh are both known for their bombastic energy and attention to defensive detail.  Older brother John is a little less wild, and his team reflects that.  Younger brother Jim is a little more on-edge, and the energy of his team is obvious.  They both take risks – John got rid of his offensive coordinator midseason while Jim changed quarterbacks midseason.  And now they’re both in the Super Bowl.

So who is Hardwood Diva going with?

As a California girl, I like seeing San Francisco 49ers in the spotlight.  As a fan of the game, I enjoy the idea of Ray Lewis riding off into the sunset with the Lombardi trophy.  So what in me wins?  I’m going with the San Francisco 49ers.  These teams defensively are very similar. Their offenses even have some similarities.  But the one thing San Fran has that Baltimore doesn’t is Colin Kaepernick.  That ability to pass first, and run well if passing isn’t an option is undeniable.  Can’t wait for the game!!

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Game Changer Doug Williams

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  And as the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers prepare to do battle, our Game Changers series honors a man who put in one of the greatest Super Bowl performances of all-time.  Today’s Game Changer is Doug Williams.

Doug Williams is a former NFL quarterback, who in January 1988, became both the first black quarterback to play in a Super Bowl (SB XXII), and subsequently the first, and only so far, black quarterback to win a Super Bowl (XXII).  As the QB for the Washington Redskins, Doug Williams engineered a 42-10 rout against the legendary John Elway and the Denver Broncos.  The Redskins scored an NFL record five touchdowns in the 2nd quarter alone. Williams was 18-for-29 with 340 yards and four touchdowns.  He went on to become Super Bowl XXII MVP.

Williams has gone on to coach and team executive positions since that wonderful day in 1988.  He is currently the head coach of his alma mater Grambling State University.  And on this 25th anniversary of his game-changing performance I’m sure he’s watching to see if that second “FIRST” will stand as Colin Kaepernick looks to make number 2 as starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers.

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Game Changer Fritz Pollard

Posted on February 2, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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Next up in our Game Changer series, football pioneer Fritz Pollard.

Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard is best known as the first Black coach in the NFL (APFA).  He became co-head coach of the Akron Pros in 1921 while  still playing the running back position for the team.  With Bobby Marshall, Pollard was one of the first Black players in the NFL in 1920.  He spent 6 more seasons playing until 1926 when he and the 9 other black players in the league were removed never to return.  After his time in the NFL, he went on to organize all-black barnstorming teams, including the Chicago Black Hawks in 1928 and the Harlem Brown Bombers in the 1930s.

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Pollard is also known as the first black player to make the Walter Camp All-America team while playing half-back for Brown University during their 1916 Rose Bowl season.  Sportswriter Camp is credited with saying that Fritz Pollard was one of the greatest runners his eyes had ever seen.

He leaves a legacy that includes the Fritz Pollard Alliance which promotes minority hiring throughout the NFL, and the Fritz Pollard Award which is co-sponsored by Brown University and Black Coaches & Administrators and goes to the collegiate or professional coach of the year.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

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Game Changer Jackie Robinson

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Hardwood Diva

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This February for Black History Month, we at Hardwood Diva will be bringing you a month-long feature highlighting great Black athletes: our Game Changers.

First up, Jackie Robinson.  As the first Black baseball player in the majors, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson not only showed his amazing sporting abilities, he also displayed his unique ability to keep cool under nearly insurmountable circumstances while breaking down barriers.  In his first season, he was named Rookie of the Year, and often turned the other cheek while fans, owners, and other players treated him as trash.  Dodgers GM Branch Rickey is widely known to have said that he chose Robinson to break the color barrier because he was “a Negro with guts enough not to fight back.”  But when he was allowed to be himself after that historic rookie season, he became one of the fiercest competitors baseball had seen.  He won NL MVP in 1949, and led the Dodgers to their lone title in 1955.

Off the field of play, Jackie Robinson continued to break down barriers.  He was the first black television analyst in Major League Baseball.  He also became the first black vice president of a major corporation.  He always considered his career in business as an avenue to advance the presence of Black people in commerce and industry.  Robinson used his stature in the sports community to continue to fight for black people politically and socially.

Jackie Robinson was one of the forefathers of the American Civil Rights Movement, and one of the greatest athletes in history regardless of sport.

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