Black Athletes Quiz
In 1957 Althea Gibson became the first African American to do what?
- She went on to become the first African American to win a singles title at Wimbledon in August 1957. Arthur Ashe was the first African-American man to win the US Championship (1968) and Wimbledon (1975).
Who was the first player from the Negro Leagues to be elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame?
- Paige was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. Jackson was a white player who was banned from organized baseball following the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Charleston did play in the Negro Leagues, but he wasn�t elected to the Hall of Fame until 1976.
Stripped of his heavyweight title in 1967 for refusing induction into the U.S. military, Muhammad Ali regained the heavyweight championship on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo), with an eighth-round knockout of which prizefighter?
- Ali defended his title in a famous 15-round victory over Frazier on October 1, 1975, in the Philippines. Ali relinquished the crown to Olympic champion Spinks in a 15-round decision on February 15, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Star basketball player Michael Jordan led his team, the Chicago Bulls, to how many NBA World Championships in the 1990s?
- The Bulls won the championship in 1991-3 and 1996-8.
What do African-American football players Ernie Davis, Archie Griffin, and Tony Dorsett have in common?
- Ernie Davis was the first African American to win the prize in 1961, and Archie Griffin is the only player to have won it twice, in 1974 and 1975. Only Dorsett played for Pittsburgh. Davis played for Syracuse and Griffin played for Ohio State. Only Dorsett did lead his team to a Super Bowl title as NFC Rookie of the Year in 1977-78.
Who was the first woman athlete to win five medals at one Olympics?
- Marion Jones bagged five medals at the 2000 Sydney, Australia games.
Track and field star Carl Lewis won how many gold medals at the 1984 Olympic games?
- Lewis has won nine Olympic gold medals in all: four in 1984 (100m, 200m, 4x100m, long jump), two in 1988 (100m and long jump), two in 1992 (4x100m and long jump), and one in 1996 (long jump).
The all-Black basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters was formed in what year?
- The team was formed in Chicago and originally named the Savoy Big Five. Serious competitors on the court, they won 100 games and lost only 6 in their first season. Later they also became known as comedians on the court, famous for their trick shots, suddenly switching to the rules for baseball or soccer, and their fast and tricky dribbling and sleight of hand with the ball.
Credited with breaking the "color barrier" in baseball by becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues, Jackie Robinson played for which team?
- Robinson played his entire career with the team from 1947 to 1956.
Which track and field star overcame childhood polio to become one of the greatest athletes of her time?
- Rudolph won 3 gold medals (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay) at the 1960 Olympics. Devers overcame a thyroid disorder (Graves' disease) that nearly resulted in her having both feet amputated. She went on to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters in 1992 and 1996.
