Althea Gibson


 
 

Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927 ? September 28, 2003) was an American sportswoman who became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour on August 22, 1950. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the "color barrier".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Born in Silver, South Carolina, Gibson was raised in Harlem, New York, where she excelled in tennis, but also competed in golf and basketball. With the assistance of a sponsor, in 1946 she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina for tennis training and in 1947, at age 20, she won the first of ten straight black national championships run by the American Tennis Association, the then governing body for black tournaments. Forced to play in what was basically a segregated sport, at age twenty-three Gibson was finally given the opportunity to participate in the 1950 US Open at Forest Hills, New York.


 

August 25: August 25 is the 237th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (238th in leap years), with 128 days remaining....

1927: 1927 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar)....

September 28: September 28 is the 271st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (272nd in leap years). There are 94 days remaining....


Althea Gibson related Images and Photos (experimental)

Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Gibson - Stay Strapped
Gibson - Stay Strapped
Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson
Daniel Gibson
Daniel Gibson
Deborah Gibson
Deborah Gibson
Mel Gibson Print
Mel Gibson Print
Mel Gibson Print
Mel Gibson Print
Mel Gibson Print
Mel Gibson Print
Bob Gibson Action
Bob Gibson Action
Gibson - Prestige Les Paul
Gibson - Prestige Les Paul
Gibson Guitar, Elvis Presley Cutout
Gibson Guitar, Elvis Presley Cutout
Gibson Guitars 2011 Wall Calendar
Gibson Guitars 2011 Wall Calendar

~ Table of Content ~

Introduction
Biography
Grand Slam Titles
See also
External links
 


 

~ Related Subjects ~

September 28 (2) - Wilmington, North Carolina (1) - Black (1) - Basketball (1) - Golf (1) - Harlem, New York (1) - American Tennis Association (1) - Gregorian calendar (1) - Leap year (1) - Forest Hills, New York (1) - Segregated (1) - US Open (1) - American (1) - African-American (1) - 2003 (1) -
 

~ Community ~

History Forum
Come and discuss about History, Civilizations, Historical Events and Figures
History Web-Ring
A community of sites, blogs and forums dedicated to History. Do not hesitate to submit your site.