TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Althea Gibson, one America's most
respected and revered female athletes passed away Sunday in New Jersey after a
lengthy illness. She was 75.
Gibson, one of Florida A&M's most famous graduates and perhaps the
school's most noted athlete other than the late Robert "Bob" Hayes, was a 1953
graduate who attended the university on a tennis and basketball scholarship.
A trailblazing athlete who became the first African American to win
championships at Grand Slam tournaments such as Wimbledon, the French Open and the
United States Open in the late 1950s, Gibson had a scintillating amateur
career in spite of segregated offerings earlier in the decade.
She won 56 singles and doubles titles during her amateur career in the
1950s, before gaining international and national acclaim for her athletic
prowess on the professional level in tennis.
Gibson won 11 major titles in the late 1950s, including singles titles at
the French Open (1956), Wimbledon (1957, 1958) and the U.S. Open (1957,
1958), as well as three straight doubles crowns at the French Open (1956, 1957,
1958).
She was named the winner of the Associated Press and Babe Zaharias Woman
Athlete of the Year awards in 1957-58. In 1962, she became the first African
American woman on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, competing in
171 tournaments through 1977.
Born in South Carolina, but raised in New York City, Gibson was a
dominant athletic performer at Florida A&M as both a tennis and basketball player.
She in fact was so outstanding that she overwhelmed her competition in Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The school's late legendary athletic director and football coach, A.S.
"Jake" Gaither, even arranged for Gibson to play matches outside the country
in the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands, as many open tennis events in the
United States were closed to minorities in the 1950s.
In 1976, Gibson was honored by Florida A&M University with induction into
its' Sports Hall of Fame. She was the only female in that inaugural class.
In 1991, the NCAA bestowed its' highest honor upon Gibson, presenting her
its' Theodore Roosevelt Award. The honor is presented each year to a
distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishment who was a
varsity letter-winner in college.
Florida A&M President Fred Gainous said of Gibson on Sunday: "All of the
Rattler family is certainly saddened by the death of Althea Gibson. She was
held in high esteem by those who knew her personally as well as those who know
her legacy. Miss Gibson always represented FAMU and America in a fabulous
manner. She didn't just win tennis tournaments; she carried herself as lady of
character and dignity."
FAMU Athletic Director Dr. J.R.E. Lee, III said Monday: "Althea was an all
around athlete here at Florida A&M, who played basketball, golf and tennis.
If she had chosen to focus on basketball or golf, she certainly would have
excelled in much the same way she did in tennis. She should go down in history as
one of the greatest female athletes of all time. The FAMU Athletic Department
extends its' heartfelt sympathy to the Gibson family.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete as of Monday afternoon.
