Martin Luther King Day: Athletes Who Broke Racial Barriers in the United States

There used to be a day when race stood in the way of athletes playing a game they were great at.

Athletes breaking down racial barriers were a huge part of the Civil Rights movement, but even after that there was still great discrimination in American sports until recent decades. 

Now there is a day in baseball where many of the league's players honor Jackie Robinson by wearing his No. 42. 

America has come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr. led the fight for equal rights for Americans of all races, and in celebration of his birthday let's take a look at some African-American athletes who broke down the racial barrier in America. 

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to compete on the world tennis tour.

Not only did Gibson compete, but she was darn good. In 1956 she won her first of five Grand Slam titles. She also was the first black competitor in Wimbledon's 84-year history, a tournament which she won twice.

Amazingly Gibson was also the first African-American woman to compete in the LPGA tour, however, she wasn't nearly as successful at golf as she was at tennis. 

Otey Cannon

While American soccer wasn't known for being racially discriminative like other sports, Otey Cannon was the first African-American player in the North American Soccer League.

In his career he played for the Dallas Tornado, Seattle Sounders and Sacramento Spirits. 

Nathaniel Sweetwater Clifton

Nat Clifton was the first African-American player to play in the NBA.

Over his career he nearly averaged a double-double and in his first season he helped lead the New York Knicks to the NBA finals.

In his NBA career he was named an All-Star once.

Woody Strode

You may recognize Woody Strode's face.

Strode was famous for being an African-American pioneer in American film, but he also helped break the color barrier in the NFL. 

From 1920-26 there had actually been several black players in the NFL. However, from 1926 to 1946 there were none.

Along with the man on the next slide, Strode was one of the first African-Americans back in the NFL in 1946. 

Incredibly three men on this list played for the same UCLA Bruins football team, where they were among the first blacks to be prominent athletes at a Division I school. 

Kenny Washington

Along with Strode, Washington was one of the first black players in the NFL, and also a member of the aforementioned UCLA team.

World War II helped paved the way for African-Americans in the NFL and Washington took advantage. 

Washington and Strode both played for the Los Angeles Rams who, as part of their agreement to move to the Los Angeles Coliseum, had said they would make their team integrated.

Neither provided much in the way of stats, but they helped pave the road for other African-Americans in the league. 

William O'Ree

William O'Ree was the first black player to play in the NHL. 

In his first stint he only played in two games. In his second stint, three years later in 1961 he played in 43 games and scored four goals and ten assists.

Amazingly O'Ree was 95% percent blind in one eye as well, a secret he kept from the Boston Bruins.

After O'Ree there wasn't another black player in the NHL until 1974. 

Charlie Sifford

Sifford was the first African-American to receive full status in the PGA. 

He made the tour in 1961 and won two money events on the PGA Tour in his career. 

In 2004 he also became the first African-American in the World Golf Hall of Fame. 

George Poage

Poage was the first African-American to win a medal at the Olympics. 

He won two bronze medals in 1904 in the 200-meter and 400-meter hurdles. 

Poage helped pave the way for men like Jesse Owens who won four gold medals in 1936 in Berlin. Ironically Owens' feat came in front of Adolf Hitler, a man who had incessantly called people of African descent an "inferior race." 

Joe Gans

Joe Gans was the first African-American to win a boxing title when he won the lightweight title.

Jack Johnson quickly followed him as a champion when he became the first African-American to win the heavyweight title. 

Their accomplishments were even more impressive as they came in the 1900s when blacks still had few rights. Their successes did not meet well with the American public, and one of Johnson's victories even sparked a race riot.

But yet, they continued to fight.

Another name that must be mentioned with boxing is Joe Louis. Louis is considered one of America's first nationwide African-American heroes and one of the best heavyweights of all-time. 

Marshall Taylor

Taylor's is a name you may have never heard of before, but you probably should have.

He is the first African-American to ever win a world championship.

Taylor won the one-mile track cycling championship in 1899. Taylor's feat was made even more impressive by the fact that he was often banned from racing due to his race. The more successful he became, the more hated he became.

But Taylor persevered and won. 

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson is easily the most famous athlete of all those who broke color barriers. 

Black men had actually played professional baseball in the 1880s, but Robinson was the first to play in the MLB in the modern era. 

He debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and was considered by many to be the perfect candidate to be the first black player. Robinson had unquestionable talent and character, and it was hard to find a flaw with him.

He was chosen to six consecutive all-star games, contributed to six World Series teams, won Rookie of the Year and was named as the National League's most valuable player in 1949.

By 1962 he was in the Hall of Fame and in 1997 his number was retired across all of baseball.