Black History Month Cape Fear Stories: Althea Gibson

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — WWAY is celebrating Black History Month by honoring some of the leaders from our area that have made an impact in the lives of everyone.

A day after the biggest sporting event in the world, we’re recognizing a local sports legend.

Before the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, someone else was breaking down color barriers in the game of tennis.

Her name is Althea Gibson. Raised in Harlem, Gibson developed a talent for tennis and drew the attention of a Virginia doctor who wanted to see her career blossom.

In 1946, under the sponsorship of Dr. Hubert Eaton, Gibson moved to Wilmington to work on her game while attending Williston High School.

Gibson was the first black player to compete in the 1950 U.S. Open, the first to win a grand slam event by claiming the 1956 French Open, and the first to win Wimbledon in 1957.

She was the top-ranked player in the world in 1957 and 1958, winning the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Award both years.

Gibson was also the first black woman to make the cover of Sports Illustrated and Time.

Six years after retiring from tennis, Gibson became the first African-American woman on the LPGA tour.

Gibson died in 2003.

A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and Black Athletes Hall of Fame, Gibson was inducted after her death into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

The Postal Service honored her on a postage stamp as part of its Black Heritage series in 2013.