1935 – Floyd Patterson Born. Patterson was born in Waco, North Carolina and was an Olympic Gold Medalist middle-wright boxer in the 1952 games in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. He later trained under Cus D’Amato and would go on to defeat Archie Moore to become the...

      1972 – Roberto Clemente Dies in Plane Crash Roberto Clemente, a 15-time Major League Baseball All-Star died at the age of 38 in a plane crash bringing aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. A member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente earned 12 Golden Gloves and four...

      Jack Johnson Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title 1908 – Jack Johnson Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title On this date in 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black person to win the World’s Heavyweight Boxing title belt. Johnson was awarded the belt when police entered the ring...

   Josh Gibson Born. Josh Gibson was born on this date. He was a professional baseball player, a star of the Negro Leagues and one of the greatest players in history. He played as a catcher and was one of the most feared power hitters in history, alleged to have hit more than 800...

   1959 – Florence Griffith-Joyner Born. Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner was born on this date in 1959. Nicknamed Flo-Jo, Griffith-Joyner was considered by many to be the faster woman on Earth as she still holds the world record for both the 100 and 200 meter dash, set in the...

    1973 – O.J. Simpson Sets Rushing Record O.J. Simpson, a running back for the Buffalo Bills set the record for rushing yards in a season with 2,003 yards. He set the record on a snow covered field against the New York Jets, running for 200 yards in the game. Simpson broke...