June Carter Cash
Famous Fiction Authors
Donna Summer
Angelina Jolie
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Althea Gibson
- OCCUPATION: Golfer, Tennis Player
- BIRTH DATE: August 25, 1927
- DEATH DATE: September 28, 2003
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Silver City, South Carolina
- PLACE OF DEATH: East Orange, New Jersey
- Full Name: Althea Neale Gibson
- AKA: Althea Gibson
Best Known For
Tennis star Althea Gibson was the first African American to play at Wimbledon. She also broke racial barriers in professional golf.
Videos see all videos
-
-
Arthur Ashe - Mini Biography (3:35)
-
Althea Gibson - Mini Biography
A short biography on Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win a Grand Slam tournament. After retiring, she became the first African-American on the Ladies Professional Golf Association circuit.
Arthur Ashe - Mini Biography
Arthur Ashe was the first African-American male to win men's single titles at Wimbledon. Off the court, he became an anti-apartheid activist and brought attention to HIV/AIDs before succumbing to the disease in 1993.
Serena Williams - Mini Biography
Serena Williams was only 3 years old when she and her sister, Venus, started playing tennis. Since turning pro, she's won countless Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowAlthea Gibson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:42, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580.
Althea Gibson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580 [Accessed 19 May 2013].
"Althea Gibson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 06:42 http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580.
"Althea Gibson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580 [accessed May 19, 2013].
"Althea Gibson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580 (accessed May 19, 2013).
Althea Gibson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580.
Althea Gibson, http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580 (last visited May 19, 2013).
Althea Gibson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/althea-gibson-9310580. Accessed May 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Althea Gibson was born in South Carolina on August 25, 1927. At an early age, she developed a love of sport. Her great talent was in tennis, but in the 1950s, most tournaments were closed to African Americans. Gibson kept playing (and winning) until her skills could no longer be denied, and became the first African American to play at Wimbledon.
Quotes
"I have never regarded myself as a crusader. I don't consciously beat the drums for any cause, not even the negro in the United States."
"People thought I was ruthless, which I was. I didn't give a darn who was on the other side of the net. I'd knock you down if you got in my way."
Early Life
Althea Neale Gibson, born on August 25, 1927, in Silver City, South Carolina, blazed a new trail in the sport of tennis, winning some of the sport's biggest titles in the 1950s and becoming the game's first black champion.
At a young age, Althea Gibson moved with her family to the Harlem borough of New York City. Gibson's life at this time had its hardships. Her family struggled to make end's meet, living on public assistance for a time, and she struggled in the classroom, often skipping school all together. However, Gibson loved to play sports—especially ping-pong. After winning several tournaments hosted by the local recreation department, she was introduced to the Harlem River Tennis Courts in 1941. Incredibly, just a year after picking up a racket for the first time, Gibson won a local tournament sponsored by the American Tennis Association, an African-American organization established to promote and sponsor tournaments for black players. For Gibson, two more ATA titles followed in 1944 and 1945. After losing one title in 1946, Gibson won 10 straight championships from 1947 to 1956.
Making History
Gibson's success at those ATA tournaments paved the way for her to attend Florida A&M University on a sports scholarship. She graduated from the school in 1953, but it was a struggle for her to get by. At one point, she even thought of leaving sports all together to join the U.S. Army. A good deal of her frustration had to do with the fact that so much of the tennis world was closed off to her. The white-dominated, white-managed sport was segregated in the United States, as was the world around it. The breaking point came in 1950, when Alice Mable, a former tennis No. 1 herself, wrote a piece in American Lawn Tennis magazine lambasting her sport for denying a player of Gibson's caliber to compete in the world's best tournaments. Mable's article caught notice and in 1951, and Gibson made history when she became the first African American invited to play at Wimbledon. A year later, she was a Top 10 player in the United States. She then climbed even higher, to No. 7 in 1953.
In 1955, Gibson and her game were sponsored by the United States Lawn Tennis Association, which sent her around the world on a State Department tour that saw her compete in places like India, Pakistan, and Burma. Measuring 5-feet 11-inches, and possessing superb power and athletic skill, Gibson seemed destined for bigger victories. In 1956, it all came together when she won the French Open. Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles followed in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson powered her way to 56 singles and doubles championships before turning pro in 1959.
profile name: Althea Gibson profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Harlem Residents
View groupAfter the Civil War, many of the country's best and brightest black advocates, artists, entrepreneurs and intellectuals moved to the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Thanks largely to the efforts of these residents, Harlem became both the cradle of a cultural revolution and the heart of the civil rights movement. Meet some of the many people who gave—and continue to give—this neighborhood a voice, simply by calling it home.
Famous Harlem Residents 62 people in this group
-
African-American Firsts: Athletes
View groupWho was the first African-American boxing champ? How about World Cycling champ? Who was the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal? What year did Jackie Robinson break baseball's color barrier? Who was Althea Gibson and what first did she achieve? Detail our collection of pioneering African-American athletes for the answers to these and many more questions, and explore our African-American Firsts: Athletes photos gallery.
African-American Firsts: Athletes 16 people in this group
-
Famous Black Athletes
View groupThey've sprinted, served, batted, slam-dunked and TKO'd their way into sports history. Sprinter Jesse Owens's Olympic triumphs put Hitler to shame. Basketball star Michael Jordan taught kids that they could fly. Gymnast Gabby Douglas showed that champions can come in pint-size packages, and Tiger Woods brought the game of golf to another level. Explore biographies of famous black athletes who broke records and barriers and, ultimately, captured our imaginations.
Famous Black Athletes 147 people in this group
