1993 Honorees - Arthur Ashe, Jr.

     Arthur Ashe, Jr. was born in Richmond, Virginia, and began playing tennis when he was seven. Until he became a member of a private black tennis club, he played on the inferior, segregated public courts. At the Richmond Racquet Club, Ashe met Dr. R.W. Johnson, who delighted in teaching young persons to play the game. Ashe learned quickly and developed the strokes, timing, power and speed necessary to become a champion.

     In the 1950's, another one of Dr. Johnson's pupils, Althea Gibson, became the first African-American to compete in tennis matches sponsored by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA). In 1958, Ashe became the first African-American to earn a USLTA national ranking in the junior division, and won that championship in 1960 and 1961.

     Ashe accepted a scholarship to the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA). While a student there, he was elected to the All American Tennis Team, won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship in 1 965 and was chosen to play on the Davis Cup Team.

     For Ashe, 1968 was a special year. He won the U.S. Open Tennis Championship and 30 matches in various USLTA tournaments. In 1975, this strong, quiet man from Richmond defeated Jimmy Connors and won the Wimbledon Singles Championship.

     After illness ended his tennis career in 1979, Ashe became an international role model and spokesperson for worthy causes. He also became a writer and sports' commentator. His major literary achievement is A Hard Road to Glory, a three-volume history of blacks in sports from 1619 to the present.