This blog was created for educational purposes only.

Louise Stokes and Tidye Pickett  
Champion athletes in track and field. Qualifiers for both the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and 1936 Olympics held in Berlin yet never allowed to compete.
http://www.fofweb.com/History/MainPrintPage.asp?iPin=AWS0111&DataType=AmericanHistory

Eddie Tolan, 'The Funky Runner', became the first American track athlete to win double gold at the olympics in 1932.
http://arogundade.com/unknown-black-history-people-1932-olympic-sprinter-edward-eddie-tolan-biography.html

Jesse Owens - 1936 Olympics

In the 1936 Olympics Jesse Owens put on one of the most impressive performances in Olympic history.

George Coleman Poage, first Black Olympic medal winner 1904
 http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/first-black-wins-olympic-medal

Women's Football

During World War 1, women not only replaced their male counterparts in the workforce, but in the sports world. Women's football drew crowds of up to 53,000. However, after the war and with the soldiers' return, the women found themselves once again relegated to domestic duty.


Female football star Bella Reay

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30329606

Negro League History

https://youtu.be/0udcvoq662w

Football in the 1920's

First Professional Football Team

            

On a day in August 1920, seven men, including legendary all-around athlete and football star Jim Thorpe, meet to organize a professional football league at the Jordan and Hupmobile Auto Showroom in Canton, Ohio. The meeting led to the creation of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC), the forerunner to the hugely successful National Football League.

         The Beginning of Pro Football

NFL Growth from 1920's-Now

       Kenny Washington 

One of the first African-American college football stars, Kenny Washington was one of two black athletes to reintegrate the NFL in 1946.

Kenny Washington was born on August 31, 1918, in Los Angeles. After college, he was passed over by the NFL, which had not had an African-American player since 1933.

Attended the University of California, Los Angeles, he was a star and played 580-600 minutes in 1939, and lead the nation in scoring. 

He became the biggest star and most popular player in two minor professional leagues on the West Coast. Finally, in 1946, the Los Angeles Rams signed him, ending the 12-year ban on black players in the NFL.

Integration of Pro Football

Bo Jackson

Born March 31, 1878, Jack Johnson was the first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion in 1908. He was nicknamed, "the Galveston Giant". The nickname came from his birthplace in Galveston, Texas. He died June 10, 1946 in Raleigh, North Carolina in and automobile accident.

Jackson held onto the heavyweight title until 1915, and

continued boxing until he was about 50 years old.

He was the son of ex-slaves, and the third of nine children.

Only after a few years of school, Jackson went to work as a laborer to help support his family.

By the age of 16, Jackson was on his own and had his first opportunity to fight for $1.50.

He won the fight and earned $25 for hanging into the fourth round against Bob Thompson.

Early 1900's, Jackson made a name for himself in the black boxing circuit.

After the "Fight of the Century" with Jim Jeffries, Jackson fought for 12 more years.

Jackson was convicted for violating the Mann Act, for bringing his white girlfriend across state lines before they were married. He was sentenced to prison but fled to Europe. He returned to the United States in 1920 and served out his sentence.

July 4, 1910; "The Fight of the Century"

James J. Jeffries came out of retirement to fight Jack Johnson, the current heavyweight boxing champion. Jeffries had to loose 100 pounds to get back into his championship fighting weight. The main reason Jeffries did the fight was for the amount of money that was guaranteed. Johnson won the fight in the closely fought 15 rounds.

Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1906-1982) was a pitcher for both American Negro League and Major League baseball. "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were"-Satchel Paige

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_negro_leagues_profile.jsp?player=paige_satchel

From the Black Sox scandal of 1919, the historic home runs records of Babe Ruth, player Red Grange and coach Knute Rockne's domination in football, Jack Dempsey's vicious knock-outs, and Man o'Wars brilliant races, the sports of the 1920s have become legendary to fans around the world. This was "The Golden Age" of sports in America.



http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/1920s-sports.html