Article 1 Volume 7 updated: September 15, 2016
July 30, 2016
July 30, 2016
The 40 Greatest Impact African-American Athletes of All Time
The month of September is designated as the month to give recognition to the African-American athletes whose play and contributions on and in the fields and tracks; in the gyms and boxing, and wrestling rings, and in the legal battles in courtrooms that had an impact on a variety of games. This impact created a positive vibe in individual and team achievements, race relations and goodwill around the world.
These selections are based on performances that occurred before August 31, 2016.
These selections are based on performances that occurred before August 31, 2016.
Who is number one? I don't know. We are presenting the names and a brief narrative as to why they were chosen.
1. Jack Johnson - Heavyweight Boxing Champion - His achievements help open the doors for future black and men of color boxers.
2. Jessie Owens - Track. Olympic Champion, 1936
3. Joe Louis - Heavyweight Boxing Champion
4. Jackie Robinson - Major League Baseball. Brooklyn Dodgers rookie 1947
5. Larry Doby - Major League Baseball. Cleveland Indians rookie 1947
6. Althea Gibson - Tennis - The first woman of color to win a Grand Slam tournament 1956.
7. Tiger Woods - Professional and College Golf
8. Mohammad Ali - Boxing
9. Serena Williams - Women Tennis (perhaps top female player of all-time)
10. Carl Lewis - Track and Field-Participated in 4 Olympics. Won 9 gold medals
.
11. Wilt Chamberlain - Basketball. Had an impact on the way the game was played worldwide.
12. Bill Russell - Basketball. College All-American. NCAA and Olympic Champion. Won eleven NBA Championships.
13. Michael Jordan - Basketball. Won Championships in college, Olympics and NBA.
14. Curt Flood - Baseball. Outstanding as a player. Greatest accomplishment was his challenge of the reserve clause that teams used to prevent players from moving from team to team without their input. He lost his battle in court but his anti-trust suit against Major League Baseball paved the way for free agency.
15. Jim Brown - Professional Football. Cleveland Browns. Considered by many the best running back of all time in the NFL.
16. Oscar Robertson - Basketball. Hall of Fame. The only player in history to attained a triple - double in a season. His antitrust lawsuit against the NBA resulted in the free agency rules now used in the NBA. Consequently, players with limited talent are able to easily receive $300,000 a game.
17. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar- Basketball. High School and College All-American. Only lost 1 game at each level. 15 times all NBA, 6 times MVP, 6 NBA Championships and is the all-time NBA scorer with 38,387 points.
18. Florence Griffith-Joyner - Track - 1987 Olympic Gold Medalist. World record holder in the 100 meters.
19. Venus Williams - Women tennis
20. Arthur Ashe - Tennis
21. Willie Mayes - Major League Baseball. Considered by many to be the greatest of all time.
22. Barry Bonds - Major League all-time home run leader with 762. A record that will likely not be broken in your lifetime if you are over 50 years old.
( to be continued)
Who will the final 18 be? Can you guess?
To be published on or before September 20, 2016
Copyright 2016. Grady E. Bryant, Sr.
3. Joe Louis - Heavyweight Boxing Champion
4. Jackie Robinson - Major League Baseball. Brooklyn Dodgers rookie 1947
5. Larry Doby - Major League Baseball. Cleveland Indians rookie 1947
6. Althea Gibson - Tennis - The first woman of color to win a Grand Slam tournament 1956.
7. Tiger Woods - Professional and College Golf
8. Mohammad Ali - Boxing
9. Serena Williams - Women Tennis (perhaps top female player of all-time)
10. Carl Lewis - Track and Field-Participated in 4 Olympics. Won 9 gold medals
.
11. Wilt Chamberlain - Basketball. Had an impact on the way the game was played worldwide.
12. Bill Russell - Basketball. College All-American. NCAA and Olympic Champion. Won eleven NBA Championships.
13. Michael Jordan - Basketball. Won Championships in college, Olympics and NBA.
14. Curt Flood - Baseball. Outstanding as a player. Greatest accomplishment was his challenge of the reserve clause that teams used to prevent players from moving from team to team without their input. He lost his battle in court but his anti-trust suit against Major League Baseball paved the way for free agency.
15. Jim Brown - Professional Football. Cleveland Browns. Considered by many the best running back of all time in the NFL.
16. Oscar Robertson - Basketball. Hall of Fame. The only player in history to attained a triple - double in a season. His antitrust lawsuit against the NBA resulted in the free agency rules now used in the NBA. Consequently, players with limited talent are able to easily receive $300,000 a game.
17. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar- Basketball. High School and College All-American. Only lost 1 game at each level. 15 times all NBA, 6 times MVP, 6 NBA Championships and is the all-time NBA scorer with 38,387 points.
18. Florence Griffith-Joyner - Track - 1987 Olympic Gold Medalist. World record holder in the 100 meters.
19. Venus Williams - Women tennis
20. Arthur Ashe - Tennis
21. Willie Mayes - Major League Baseball. Considered by many to be the greatest of all time.
22. Barry Bonds - Major League all-time home run leader with 762. A record that will likely not be broken in your lifetime if you are over 50 years old.
( to be continued)
Who will the final 18 be? Can you guess?
To be published on or before September 20, 2016
Copyright 2016. Grady E. Bryant, Sr.
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