Thursday, June 10, 2010

A Month of History

June is Black History Month so I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the best athletes in our world ...
Track and Field star, Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980) broke many records at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, including becoming the first athlete to win four gold medals in one Olympiad.
Golfer, Tiger Woods (1975 - ) is the youngest person and the first African-American to win the Masters Tournament in 1997 and by a record breaking lead of 12 strokes.
Wilt Chamberlain (1936 - 1999) was the first basketball player to score 100 points in a single game during the 1961 season and the first player in the NBA to score 30,000 points.
Henry ("Hank") Aaron (1934 - ) broke Babe Ruth's home run record when he hit his 715th home run in 1974. He set a Major League record with 755 home runs in his career.
Wilma Rudolph (1940 -1994) a record breaking track star was born the 20th of 22 children, and stricken with polio as a child. She not only overcame polio but broke world records in three Olympic track events and was the first American woman to win three gold medals at the Olympics (1960).
Florence Griffith-Joyner "Flo Jo" (1959 -1998) a runner known for her stylish flair on the track, set the world record for the 100 and 200 meter dash at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
(I always enjoyed watching her... those pretty fingernails started a revolution)
Muhammad Ali (1942 – ) the self–proclaimed “greatest [boxer] of all time” was originally named after his father, who was named after the 19th century abolitionist and politician Cassius Marcellus Clay.
and a fun-fact not related to sports... but feeds the soul ~
Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1899 – 1993) was considered the “Father of Gospel Music” for combining sacred words with secular rhythms. His most famous composition, “Take My Hand Precious Lord” was recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson and many others.

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