Notable African Americans in Sports

Jackie Robinson

• Jackie Robinson, born Jack Roosevelt Robinson in 1919, excelled in sports from a young age, becoming the first athlete to letter in four sports -- baseball, basketball, football, and track -- at UCLA. Although finances forced Robinson to leave college and join the Army, he eventually returned to sports when he joined the Kansas City Monarchs as part of the Negro Baseball League in 1945. In 1947, Robinson was asked to join the Brooklyn Dodgers, making him the first black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Within a year, Robinson was named the National League Rookie of the Year. In 1949, he was named the National League's Most Valuable Player, and he went on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Willie Mays

• Willie Mays, born in 1931, was another baseball great who began his sports achievements at a young age. He joined his father's semi-professional baseball team at age 14 before moving on to the Negro Southern League at age 16, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons. However, Mays was restricted to home games because of his father's insistence that he finish high school. When he did, the New York Giants were waiting for him, signing him on to their Class B farm team. By age 20, Mays had moved to the top, and in 1951, he was asked to join the Major Leagues. Among his many achievements, Mays was a 12-time winner of the Gold Glove Award, as well as the 1954 and 1965 recipient of the National League's Most Valuable Player title. In 1966, he was the highest paid player in baseball history. Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of fame in 1979.

Wilt Chamberlain

• Wilt Chamberlain, born in 1936 as Wilton Norman Chamberlain in Philadelphia, is known for his achievements in basketball. Noted for his enormous height -- 7-foot-1 -- he was also called "Wilt the Stilt" and "Big Dipper." Chamberlain found his first success in high school basketball, scoring 2,200 during his three years on the varsity team. He went on to play for the University of Kansas in 1956, making it to the NCAA finals in 1957 and being named Most Outstanding Player in the tournament, despite ultimately losing to North Carolina. In 1958, Chamberlain left college and chose to spend the NBA-mandated year waiting period playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1959, he joined the Philadelphia Warriors, where he was named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player during his first year. His most notable season came in 1962, when he scored 100 points in a single game. By the time he retired in 1973, Chamberlain had played in 1,045 games, averaging 30.1 points per game, a record he held until 1998. Chamberlain also has the record for most points scored in a single game. In 1979, Chamberlain's accomplishments were further recognized when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Muhammad Ali

• Muhammad Ali is often considered one of the most outstanding persons in the history of sports. Born in 1942 as Cassius Clay Jr. in Kentucky, he began his boxing career at age 12 when he began training at a local gym after his bike was stolen. His first amateur bout took place in 1954, which he won in a split decision, and he won the Golden Gloves Championship in 1956, and again three years later. In 1960, Clay earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, and he defeated Polish boxer Zbignew Pietrzkowski to win the gold medal. By 1964, he was the heavyweight champion of the world. It was also around this time that he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. After refusing induction into the Army, Ali eventually prevailed in the legal case against him but not before the boxing association stripped him of his titles and suspended him for 3-1/2 years. After returning to boxing in 1970, Ali participated in some of the most important fights in boxing history, including the Fight of the Century, the Rumble in the Jungle and the Thrilla in the Manila before retiring in 1981 after losing his heavyweight title to Trevor Berbick.