Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the first black American to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
1943-1993
Ernie Davis became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy before his life was tragically cut short by leukemia at the age of 23.
1939-1963
Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
1995-
Tennis star Althea Gibson was the first African American to play at Wimbledon. She also broke racial barriers in professional golf.
1927-2003
Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.
1878-1946
Fritz Pollard was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl, the first African-American NFL coach and one of the NFL's first black players.
1894-1986
Baseball player Frank Robinson was the first Major League African-American manager. In 1982, he joined the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1935-
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play major league baseball, becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in 1949 and a World Series champ in 1955.
1919-1972
In 1960, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
1940-1994
Hailed as the greatest winner in sports, Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships in just 13 seasons.
1934-
1922-
Toni "Tomboy" Stone made history in 1953 when she joined the Negro Leagues, making her the first woman ever to play professionally in a men's league.
1921-1996
1971-
Debi Thomas was a figure skater who went on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Olympics.
1967-
Willie Thrower was a pioneer for African Americans in football, the first to play quarterback professionally.
1930-2002
Professional golf player Tiger Woods was the youngest man (at the age of 21) and the first African-American to win the U.S. Masters.
1975-