Black Athlete as Hero

Retired history professor from Long Island University, Joseph Dorinson lives in Floral Park, New York.

“An extremely impressive and encompassing work. Its purposeful intent, as the author states at different locations throughout the narrative, is to highlight the role of black athletes, their personalities and prowess, who in their idiosyncratic pathways ‘strove heroically to bend the arc of history.’”—Joseph Boskin, Boston University

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Hero DefinedSection One—Boxing1. Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Ray Robinson, and Muhammad AliSection Two—Track and Field2. Jesse Owens, Harrison Dillard and Mal Whitfield, and Rafer Johnson3. Wilma Rudolph, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the Joyner Connection, and Carl LewisSection Three—Football4. Duke Slater, J. Mayo Williams, and Other Pathbreakers in the College and Pro Ranks5. Fritz Pollard and Paul Robeson6. Jim Brown and Black QuarterbacksSection Four—Baseball7. Black Players in Baseball Before Integration8. Jackie Robinson9. Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella, Monte Irvin and Larry Doby10. Willie Mays, Ed Charles, Henry Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Ernie Banks11. Bill White and Curt Flood12. Minnie Miñoso, Vic Power, and Roberto ClementeSection Five—Tennis13. Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Venus and Serena Williams, and Naomi OsakaPart Six—Basketball14. The Harlem Renaissance Five15. Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson16. Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, and Dr. J17. Kareem ­Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin “Magic” Johnson18. Charlie Scott and Michael Jordan19. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant20. Ora Washington, Lynette Woodard, Cheryl Miller, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia ­Cooper-Dyke, and Maya MooreSection 7—Golf, Hockey, Gymnastics21. Tiger Woods, Willie O’Ree, and Simone BilesConclusionChapter NotesBibliographyIndex