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Fritz Pollard
Coach, Football Player / 1894 - 1986
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.
See full bio
(1894-1986)
Coach, Football Player
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Steve Prefontaine
Track and Field Athlete / 1951 - 1975
Steve Prefontaine is best known as the runner who once held the U.S. record in every long-distance event. He died in a car crash in 1974 at age 24.
See full bio
(1951-1975)
Track and Field Athlete
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Tony Pérez
Baseball Player / 1942 -
Tony Pérez was a professional baseball player in the 1960s and 1970s who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
See full bio
(1942-)
Baseball Player
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Paula Radcliffe
Track and Field Athlete / 1973 -
British athlete Paula Radcliffe is one of the elite runners competing today, having set and broken her own record in the women's marathon.
See full bio
(1973-)
Track and Field Athlete
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Jerry Rice
Football Player / 1962 -
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.
See full bio
(1962-)
Football Player
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Bobby Riggs
Tennis Player / 1918 - 1995
Bobby Riggs was an American tennis player best known for playing in the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" with Billie Jean King.
See full bio
(1918-1995)
Tennis Player
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Cal Ripken, Jr.
Baseball Player / 1960 -
Basebally player Cal Ripken, Jr. played 21 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles. By the time he retired in 2001, he set a new record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games.
See full bio
(1960-)
Baseball Player
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Phil Rizzuto
Baseball Player, Radio Personality / 1917 - 2007
Italian-American Phil Rizzuto was an American Major League Baseball
shortstop who spent his 13 year athletic career playing for the New York
Yankees.
See full bio
(1917-2007)
Baseball Player, Radio Personality
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Oscar Robertson
Basketball Player / 1938 -
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.
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(1938-)
Basketball Player
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Paul Robeson
Civil Rights Activist, Actor, Football Player, Lawyer, Singer / 1898 - 1976
Paul Robeson was an acclaimed 20th century performer known for productions like The Emperor Jones and Othello. He was also an international activist.
See full bio
(1898-1976)
Civil Rights Activist, Actor, Football Player, Lawyer, Singer
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Frank Robinson
Baseball Player / 1935 -
Baseball player Frank Robinson was the first Major League African-American manager. In 1982, he joined the Baseball Hall of Fame.
See full bio
(1935-)
Baseball Player
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Jackie Robinson
Baseball Player / 1919 - 1972
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.
See full bio
| Watch video
(1919-1972)
Baseball Player
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Dennis Rodman
Animal Rights Activist, Basketball Player / 1961 -
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.
See full bio
(1961-)
Animal Rights Activist, Basketball Player
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Ronaldinho
Soccer Player / 1980 -
Soccer superstar Ronaldinho was a member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup championship team and twice won the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
See full bio
(1980-)
Soccer Player
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Cynthia Rothrock
Film Actress, Martial Arts Expert / 1957 -
Cynthia Rothrock was a World Karate Champion from 1981-1985 and is the self-proclaimed “Queen of Martial Arts films.”
See full bio
(1957-)
Film Actress, Martial Arts Expert
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Bill Russell
Basketball Player, Coach / 1934 -
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.
See full bio
(1934-)
Basketball Player, Coach
s
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Pete Sampras
Tennis Player / 1971 -
Tennis player Pete Sampras is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 2002 he set the career mark for most Grand Slam victories with 14 titles.
See full bio
(1971-)
Tennis Player
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Barry Sanders
Football Player / 1968 -
Football running back Barry Sanders set a record with the Detroit Lions in 1997 for rushing more than 2000 yards in one season.
See full bio
(1968-)
Football Player
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Don Shula
Coach / 1930 -
Don Shula was the head coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1996, leading the team to a Super Bowl championship and an undefeated season.
See full bio
(1930-)
Coach
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Charles Sifford
Golfer / 1922 -
Charles Sifford is an African American former professional golfer who helped to desegregate golf by becoming the first black athlete to compete on the PGA Tour.
See full bio
(1922-)
Golfer
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O.J. Simpson
Actor, Football Player, Criminal / 1947 -
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.
See full bio
(1947-)
Actor, Football Player, Criminal
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Ozzie Smith
Baseball Player / 1954 -
Former San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history.
See full bio
(1954-)
Baseball Player
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Tommie Smith
Track and Field Athlete / 1944 -
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.
See full bio
(1944-)
Track and Field Athlete
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Sam Snead
Golfer / 1912 - 2002
Sam Snead was an American pro golfer who won a record 82 PGA tournaments.
See full bio
(1912-2002)
Golfer
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A. G. Spalding
Baseball Player, Entrepreneur / 1850 - 1915
U.S. baseball player, executive, and sporting-goods manufacturer A.E. Spalding co-founded one of the premier American sporting-goods companies.
See full bio
(1850-1915)
Baseball Player, Entrepreneur
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Roger Staubach
Football Player, Business Leader / 1942 -
Roger Staubach is a former NFL quarterback who led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowls. He’s also a businessman and sports commentator.
See full bio
(1942-)
Football Player, Business Leader
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Payne Stewart
Golfer / 1957 - 1999
American professional golfer Payne Stewart had eleven tour victories and three major titles under his belt when he died at age 42 in a plane crash.
See full bio
(1957-1999)
Golfer
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Toni Stone
Baseball Player / 1921 - 1996
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.
See full bio
(1921-1996)
Baseball Player
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Darryl Strawberry
Baseball Player / 1962 -
Power-hitting outfielder Darryl Strawberry was one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1980s before his career was derailed by substance-abuse problems.
See full bio
(1962-)
Baseball Player
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Ichiro Suzuki
Baseball Player / 1973 -
Ichiro Suzuki is a record-holding hitter in major league baseball, having played for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.
See full bio
(1973-)
Baseball Player
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Lawrence Taylor
Football Player / 1959 -
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.
See full bio
(1959-)
Football Player
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Isiah Thomas
Basketball Player, Entrepreneur / 1961 -
Isiah Thomas is generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. He played for the Detroit Pistons.
See full bio
(1961-)
Basketball Player, Entrepreneur
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Jim Thorpe
Baseball Player, Basketball Player, Boxer, Football Player, Hockey Player, Track and Field Athlete / 1888 - 1953
Jim Thorpe was a Native American professional football and baseball player, known for his all-around athleticism. He was a gold-medal runner at the 1912 Olympics.
See full bio
(1888-1953)
Baseball Player, Basketball Player, Boxer, Football Player, Hockey Player, Track and Field Athlete
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Emlen Tunnell
Football Player / 1925 - 1975
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.
See full bio
(1925-1975)
Football Player
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Kurt Warner
Football Player / 1971 -
Professional football player Kurt Warner drove a high-powered St. Louis Rams offense to a Super Bowl victory, and collected MVP honors along the way.
See full bio
(1971-)
Football Player
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Kenny Washington
Football Player / 1918 - 1971
Kenny Washington was one of the first African American college gridiron football stars on the West Coast and one of two black players to reintegrate the NFL.
See full bio
(1918-1971)
Football Player
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Tom Watson
Golfer / 1949 -
Tom Watson is an American golfer and six-time PGA Player of the Year. He was one of the sport's dominant figures in the 1970s and '80s.
See full bio
(1949-)
Golfer
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Jerry West
Basketball Player, Coach / 1938 -
Jerry West is a former basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who went on to become the team’s head coach and general manager.
See full bio
(1938-)
Basketball Player, Coach
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Hoyt Wilhelm
Baseball Player / 1923 - 2002
Hoyt Wilhelm was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his knuckleball and who set a pitching record.
See full bio
(1923-2002)
Baseball Player
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Ted Williams
Baseball Player, Coach / 1918 - 2002
Baseball legend Ted Williams was best known as the Boston Red Sox Player who had a contentious relationship with Boston fans, who he refused to tip his hat to during his career.
See full bio
(1918-2002)
Baseball Player, Coach
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Lynette Woodard
Basketball Player / 1959 -
Lynette Woodard is a professional basketball player who made history in 1985 when she became first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters.
See full bio
(1959-)
Basketball Player
y
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Carl Yastrzemski
Baseball Player / 1939 -
Professional baseball player Carl Yastrzemski is regarded as one of the greatest defensive left fielders in Red Sox history.
See full bio
(1939-)
Baseball Player
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Cy Young
Baseball Player / 1867 - 1955
Cy Young watch a Major League Baseball pitcher. He won more major league games than any other pitcher and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
See full bio
(1867-1955)
Baseball Player
z
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Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Basketball Player, Golfer, Track and Field Athlete / 1911 - 1956
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914–1956) was named "Woman Athlete of the Half Century" in 1950 for her skills in basketball, track & field, and golf.
See full bio
(1911-1956)
Basketball Player, Golfer, Track and Field Athlete