Althea Gibson

Born 1927 · Joined the Ancestors 2003

Fact

First Black player to win a Grand Slam title

Fact

Won 11 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles

Fact

First Black woman on the LPGA golf tour

Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in tennis a decade before Arthur Ashe. In 1956, she became the first Black player to win a Grand Slam title at the French Open. She won Wimbledon and the U.S. National Championships in both 1957 and 1958.

Growing up in Harlem, Gibson was a restless kid who found focus in paddle tennis on the street, then transitioned to lawn tennis under the mentorship of Dr. Walter Johnson — the same coach who would later guide Arthur Ashe. She faced death threats, was barred from locker rooms, and had to change clothes in her car.

After tennis, Gibson became the first Black woman on the LPGA golf tour. She was a trailblazer twice over in two different sports, cracking open doors that generations walked through after her.