Black Athlete

Jan 13 2011

Tough on the field, tough on injustice

Carlton Chester “Cookie” Gilchrist, one of the hardest charging fullbacks ever in pro football, died of cancer Monday at age 75. Gilchrist was considered one of the first marquee players of the fledgling American Football League, and his punishing running style was often compared with that of Jim Brown’s of the National Football League.

Nov 25 2010

First African American to win Heisman Trophy

Ernest Davis, born Dec. 14, 1939, became the first African American athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. The running back played at Syracuse University before being drafted by the Washington Redskins. He also was declared an All-American athlete in 1960 and in 1961, the same year he won the most prestigious title for an American collegiate athlete.

Nov 18 2010

Professional Bowlers Association

On Nov. 22, 1986, world-class bowler, George Branham III became the first African American to win a PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) title.

Born Nov. 21, 1962 in Detroit, Mich., Branham started bowling at the tender age of six, when his father George Branham II, an amateur league bowler, introduced him to the sport that would later bring him success.

Anthony Asadullah Samad, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Nov 18 2010

Between the Lines

The Monday night football game this week was a lesson in life and redemption. I only saw the first half, but that was enough. I got so excited about the performance of Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback, Michael Vick, that I shelved my intended column topic for this week and started over.

Nov 4 2010

An all-around athlete, family man and friend

Born in Jackson, Miss., and raised in Chicago, Lou developed a passion for competing. He was an intense competitor, and in his younger years, had an interest in baseball.

According to long-time friend and teammate, Norman Leche, both he and Lou moved to Los Angeles in 1955 to play in the Negro Baseball Leagues and the California Stockton Baseball League. He as a versatile athlete, playing short-stop, pitcher and a host of other positions. Among the teams he played for was the Indiana Clowns.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.