Black History Spotlight : Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe was a top ranked tennis player in the 1960s and 70s. Raised in the segregated South, he was the first African-American male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament. He was much more than an athlete though. His commitment to social justice, health and humanitarian issues left a mark on the world as indelible as his tennis was on the court.

Career Highlights

Won the ATA National Championship for boys 12 years and under in 1953.

Graduated 1st in his class from high school.

Earned a full scholarship to attend college at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Elected as President of ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) in 1974.

Selected as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup Team in 1981.

Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

Named Sport Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1992.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.

After Ashe died in 1993 his body was displayed at the Governor's Mansion in Virginia for public mourning. The last time this was done was for Stonewall Jackson, a general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

The main stadium at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, is named Arthur Ashe Stadium in his honor. This is where the U.S. Open is played during which the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day is held.

In 2005 the United States Postal Service released an Arthur Ashe commemorative postal stamp, the first stamp ever to feature the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine.

Also in 2005, TENNIS Magazine put him in 30th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.

In 2007 Arthur Ashe was listed at #14 in USA Today's list of 25 Most Inspiring People of the Last 25 Years

Numerous honorary degrees were bestowed on him during his life and posthumously including ones from: Amherst College, Barnard College, The College of William and Mary, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Hartford College, Haverford College, Kalamazoo College, Le Moyne College, Le Moyne-Owen College, New York University, Northeastern University, Princeton University, Saint John's University, Trinity University, University of Delaware, Virginia Union University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Wake Forest University, Yale University