altheagibson


 * Althea Gibson **

Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927 in Silver City, South Carolina. When she was young, her family moved to Harlem in New York City. Her family had money problems, and she struggled in school. As a child, Althea's favorite sport to play was ping-pong, and she won several tournaments.

Althea started playing tennis in 1941 and competed in many tournaments sponsored by the American Tennis Association, an organization to promote and support black tennis players. She won 10 straight ATA championships from 1947-1956.

She soon became very frustrated because tennis was a white-dominated sport and she was denied at many tournaments for being black. Many people noticed Althea's skills and she made history in 1951 as the first African-American ever invited to play at Wimbledon. In 1953, Althea Gibson graduated from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee where she played tennis and basketball.

After winning 56 singles and doubles championships, Althea turned pro in 1959. She began playing golf the next year and made history again as the first black woman to ever compete on the LPGA tour in 1962.

Althea Gibson retired from tennis and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971. On September 28, 2003, she died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey at the age of 76.