Althea Gibson
Item
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Title
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Althea Gibson
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Alternative Title
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Althea Neale Gibson
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Birth Date
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August 25, 1927
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Transition Date
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September 28, 2003
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Category
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Athletics
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Affiliation to FAMU
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Tennis Team
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Life at FAMU
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Gibson entered Florida A&M University in 1949 on a full athletic scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1953. While attending FAMU, she was initiated into the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, in December 1951.
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Life Bio
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Trailblazing tennis and golf champion born to sharecroppers in Silver, South Carolina. She moved with her family to New York as a toddler in search of better opportunities.
Gibson broke racial barriers in professional tennis and became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam championship. Ranked world No. 1 in 1957 and 1958, she earned 11 Grand Slam titles, including five singles, five doubles, and one mixed doubles title, and compiled a 53–9 record in major matches. After retiring from tennis, Gibson became the first Black golfer to compete on the LPGA Tour and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971. She later served for 10 years as New Jersey’s commissioner of athletics and as a member of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness."
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Collection Number
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AR_0017
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Artifact Dimensions
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L x W: 38.13 x 26.13in (96.84 x 66.36 cm)
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Medium
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Print Photograph enlarge
