American track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. His long jump world record stood for 25 years.
1913-1980
Legendary pitcher Satchel Paige became the oldest player to join Major League baseball, with a career that spanned 40 years.
1906-1982
American boxer Floyd Patterson was the first to hold the world heavyweight championship twice. He won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games.
1935-2006
Walter Payton was a running back for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League and is in the Football Hall of Fame.
1954-1999
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
Hall of Fame football wide receiver Jerry Rice played for the San Francisco 49ers and is widely considered the greatest ever to play his position.
1962-
American track star Sanya Richards-Ross won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008, as part of the U.S. 400-meter relay team, and went on to win gold in the women's 400 meters in 2012.
1985-
Hall of Fame basketball guard Oscar Robertson played 14 NBA seasons. He averaged more than 25 points per game and retired as the league’s all-time assist leader.
1938-
Paul Robeson was an acclaimed 20th century performer known for productions like The Emperor Jones and Othello. He was also an international activist.
1898-1976
Retired NBA basketball player David Robinson spent his entire14-year pro career with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s widely considered one of the game’s all-time great centers.
1965-
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
Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer who is frequently cited as the greatest boxer in history.
1921-1989
Dennis Rodman is considered one of professional basketball's all-time great rebounders. He helped lead the Detroit Pistons and later the Chicago Bulls to multiple titles.
1961-
American basketball player Rajon Rondo is an all-star point guard who led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008.
1986-
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-
1968-
1967-
1943-
Claressa Shields is an American boxer who made her Olympic debut at the Summer Games in London in 2012, and took home an Olympic middleweight gold medal.
1995-
1922-
O.J. Simpson is best known for his arrest and trial in the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, of which he was found not guilty.
1947-
Emmitt Smith was a running back with the Dallas Cowboys. In 2002, he broke Walter Payton's rushing record to become the leading rusher in NFL history.
1969-
Former San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history.
1954-
African-American track and field star Tommie Smith broke both the Olympic and world records and won the 200-meter race in the 1968 Olympics.
1944-
1953-
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
Michael Strahan is a former defensive end for the New York Giants, and co-host of the morning television program Live! With Kelly and Michael.
1971-
1971-
Actor and professional wrestler Mr. T, known for his mohawk and gold chains, starred in 1980s TV programs like The A-Team and Mister T.
1952-
American football player Lawrence Taylor was a member of the New York Giants and is considered one of the best linebackers in the history of the game.
1959-
Sean Taylor was the No. 5 NFL draft pick in 2004 and played with the Washington Redskins until he was murdered in 2007.
1983-2007
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-
Isiah Thomas is generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. He played for the Detroit Pistons.
1961-
Willie Thrower was a pioneer for African Americans in football, the first to play quarterback professionally.
1930-2002
1979-
Football player Emlen Tunnell was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and the first African American to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
1925-1975
Mike Tyson is a former heavyweight boxing champion who's served jail time and also appeared in several films.
1966-
Star Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's promising career has been tainted by illegal activities including involvement in an illegal dog-fighting ring.
1980-
Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.
1982-
1918-1971
American professional tennis player Serena Williams has won 27 Grand Slam titles, including five Wimbledon and five Australian Open championships, and several Olympic gold medals.
1981-
Venus Williams rose from a tough childhood in Compton, Los Angeles to become a champion women's tennis player and four-time Olympic gold medalist.
1980-
1959-
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-
Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, is a professional basketball player known for his fierce defensive play and 2011 name change.
1979-