Isaac Burns Murphy (April 16, 1861 - February 12, 1896) was an African-American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered one of the greatest (by many accounts, THE greatest) riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Murphy won three Kentucky Derbies. Burns’s father, a free black man, was a bricklayer and his mother was a laundrywoman. During the civil war his father … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
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Tuesday Open Thread: The History of Black Jockeys
Born 1882, in Chilesburg, KY, Jimmy Winkfield had one of the most storied careers of all. Jimmy Winkfield was one of only four jockeys in history to win back-to-back runnings of the Kentucky Derby, scoring on "His Eminence" in 1901 and "Alan-a-Dale" in 1902. Known as the king of the Chicago tracks, he was described by Col. Phil Chinn as a "gentleman on the ground, a demon in … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: The History of Black Jockeys
Monday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
Think of the greatest American sports stars of all time and names like Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan will likely spring to mind. But long before these champions smashed the record books -- and blazed a trail in the public's imagination -- the first generation of black U.S. athletes dominated an unlikely sport. … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: The History Of Black Jockeys
Monday Open Thread: Early African American Basketball
GOOD MONDAY MORNING P.O.U.!! This week we're going to take a look at the early era of African Americans in basketball known as the "Black Fives Era". First, a brief historical background... From Wikipedia: The term Black Fives refers to all-black basketball teams that thrived in the United States between 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: Early African American Basketball
Monday Open Thread: African-Americans In MotorSports
Good Morning Obots! This week's feature will spotlight the rich history of black drivers on the racing circuit. Today we begin with the story of the Gold & Glory Sweepstakes. In the 1920s, a group of black sportsmen created the nation's single largest sporting event ever held by and for African Americans: the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, a series of 100-mile auto racing … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: African-Americans In MotorSports