Black History Month

This document provides a timeline of 50 notable firsts for African Americans in sports from 1875 to 2008. Some of the early firsts include Oliver Lewis being the first black jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in 1875 and Bud Fowler being the first black professional baseball player in 1878. Later firsts include Tiger Woods being the first black golfer to win the Masters in 1997 and Shani Davis winning an individual Winter Olympics gold medal in speed skating in 2006.