Out of the shadows : a biographical history of African American athletes

474 Pages·2006·3.82 MB·English

by  Wiggins

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OUT OF THE SHADOWS
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Out
OF THE
Shadows
A Biographical
History of
African
American
Athletes
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s
EDITED BY
DAVID K. WIGGINS
The University of Arkansas Press
Fayetteville 2006
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Copyright © 2006 by The University ofArkansas Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
10 09 08 07 06 5 4 3 2 1
Designed by Liz Lester
•The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements ofthe American
National Standard for Permanence ofPaper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Wiggins, David Kenneth, 1951–
Out of the shadows : a biographical history of African American athletes /
edited by David K. Wiggins.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55728-826-7 (casebound : alk. paper)
1. African American athletes—Biography. 2. African American athletes—
Portraits. 3. African American athletes—History. 4. Sports—United States—
History. I. Title.
GV697.A1W534 2006
796.092'396073—dc22
[B]
2006019218
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For Brenda, Jordan, and Spencer
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C O N T E N T S
Preface xi
I Striving for Athletic Success in a
Jim Crow Society
1 Jimmy Winkfield: The “Black Maestro” of the Racetrack
SUSAN HAMBURGER 7
2 Marshall “Major” Taylor: The Fastest Bicycle Rider
in the World
ANDREW RITCHIE 21
3 The Strange Career of William Henry Lewis
GREGORY BOND 39
4 Jack Johnson and the Quest for Racial Respect
GERALD R. GEMS 59
II Fashioning a World of Sport behind Segregated
Walls and on the International Stage
5 Ora Washington: The First Black Female Athletic Star
PAMELA GRUNDY 79
6 Satchel Paige’s Struggle for Selfhood in the Era of Jim Crow
DONALD SPIVEY 93
7 Jesse Owens: Leading Man in Modern American Tales
of Racial Progress and Limits
MARK DYRESON 111
8 Joe Louis, Boxing, and American Culture
ANTHONY O. EDMONDS 133
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viii CONTENTS
9 Alice Coachman: Quiet Champion of the 1940s
JENNIFER H. LANSBURY 147
10 Jackie Robinson: Racial Pioneer and Athlete
Extraordinaire in an Era of Change
MICHAEL E. LOMAX 163
III The Fight for Civil Rights through Athletic
Performance,Persuasion,and Protest
11 “Jackie Robinson without the Charm”:
The Challenges of Being Althea Gibson
MARY JO FESTLE 187
12 Wilma Rudolph: The Making of an Olympic Icon
WAYNE WILSON 207
13 Bill Russell: Pioneer and Champion of the Sixties
MAUREEN M. SMITH 223
14 Jim Brown: Superlative Athlete, Screen Star, Social Activist
J. THOMAS JABLE 241
15 Muhammad Ali: Flawed Rebel with a Cause
GERALD EARLY 263
16 “The Quiet Militant”:
Arthur Ashe and Black Athletic Activism
DAMION THOMAS 279
IV Race,Sport,and Celebrity Culture
17 Bound by Blackness or Above It? Michael Jordan and the
Paradoxes of Post–Civil Rights American Race Relations
DOUGLAS HARTMANN 301
18 “Race,” Family, and Nation: The Significance of
Tiger Woods in American Culture
S. W. POPE 325
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CONTENTS ix
19 “Ghetto Cinderellas”: Venus and Serena Williams
and the Discourse of Racism
R. PIERRE RODGERS AND
ELLEN B. DROGIN RODGERS 353
Notes 373
Bibliographical Note 429
Contributors 439
Index 445