“I hope that I have accomplished just one thing: that I have been a credit to tennis and my country.” ~Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson was a decorated trailblazing athlete. She spent her entire career fighting discrimination and shattering race and gender barriers, opening doors for future female athletes of color.
Gibson was born in South Carolina but grew up near Harlem, New York. Her home was near a Police Athletic League play area, where she developed her love for sports. She started playing basketball and then picked up paddle tennis. It didn't take long to realize she had a real talent, and at age 12, she became the New York City Women's Paddle Tennis champion. Once she found her passion for competing and her love for sports, she started regularly skipping school. She hated school and didn't see the point in going when what she really wanted to do was play, practice, and compete. She took up women's street fighting at her father's urging, briefly becoming a fighter. She was always getting in fights with others on the street or at school, so it was a good way to channel some of that energy.
In 1940, Gibson's neighbors recognized her tennis talent and helped her raise the money for a junior membership and lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club. Here, she was introduced to traditional tennis. At first, she wasn't a fan of the sport because she felt it was for weak people and constantly wanted to fight her opponents. She eventually grew to love the sport and showed real promise. In 1941, she entered and won her first-ever tournament, the American Tennis Association (ATA) New York State Championship. In 1944 and 1945, she won the ATA National Championship girls division. In 1946, she lost her first ATA National Championship women's division, but, starting the following year, she won the women's division ten years in a row.
Gibson's quick success caught the attention of Walter Johnson, a prominent coach in the African American tennis community. Under his mentorship, she gained access to advanced-level coaching and prominent matches and events. In 1946, Gibson moved to North Carolina to be mentored by Civil Rights activist Hubert Eaton. He helped her hone her skills, break racial barriers, and finish high school. Once she graduated, she moved to Florida to attend Florida A&M on a full athletic scholarship.
During this time, Gibson dominated the world of black tennis but grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of opportunities and number of tournaments barring her due to her skin color. She had support from prominent white athletes who wanted the chance to play against the best of the best, which helped her slowly gain access to these events. In 1950, Gibson was the first female African American to play in the US Nationals, and in 1951, the first female African American to play at Wimbledon. In 1956, she was the first African American to win the French Championships, which launched her into international fame. The year 1957 was full of career highlights for Gibson. She won both the doubles and singles competitions at Wimbledon and won the US Nationals. She was the first African American to win both tournaments. The following year, she repeated all those wins.
By the time she was 32 years old, Gibson had won 56 national and international titles and decided to retire. Due to strict regulations at the time, she couldn't make enough money playing amateur tennis. This was before tournaments had prize money and players were allowed to receive direct endorsements. Because there were no professional tours for women yet, Gibson's opportunities were limited to promotional events. She played a series of exhibition matches before Harlem Globetrotters basketball games but struggled to succeed professionally, so she transitioned to coaching.
Gibson missed competing, so in 1960, she took up golf. She became relatively successful in the sport, becoming the first African American in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She played in 171 events, breaking multiple course records, but never won a game. Even though she didn't achieve the same success that she did in tennis, she still paved the way for people of color who came after her.
Gibson was a true trailblazing athlete who broke gender and racial barriers, opening doors for future athletes. She was a fierce and dynamic player who was often criticized because that was not how people of her gender or race were expected to act. She was also criticized by people who felt she wasn't vocal enough about the blatant discrimination she faced. However, Gibson never let other's opinions bother her or change how she acted. She let her confidence and mastery speak for itself.
Sports weren't the only thing Gibson was passionate about; she also had dreams of being in the entertainment industry. She had a beautiful singing voice and was a talented saxophonist. She performed at various events and was eventually signed by Dot Records. Her album, Althea Sings, was released in 1959. As her fame grew, she also had the opportunity to guest star in a few movies and TV shows, became a sports commentator, and wrote her first memoir, I Always Wanted to be Somebody.
Gibson has been inducted into many halls of fame, including being one of the first inductees to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the National Women's Hall of Fame. She was the first woman to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the highest honor from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. She was also inducted into the US Open Court of Champions, and all her Wimbledon trophies are on display at the Smithsonian.
The design for the Althea Gibson Quarter was discussed at the October 24, 2023, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee(CCAC) meeting. Gibson's cousin, Don Felder, attended and shared his thoughts on the design. He felt that the portrait was a beautiful and accurate portrayal of Gibson and that the artist had captured her essence. The big smile on her face conveys the joy she felt while on the court.
The committee liked this design because they felt that having Gibson standing next to the net, holding her tennis racket and ball, made it look like she had just won a match. They also felt the words trailblazing and champion were important elements of the design. Gibson spent her entire career fighting racism, opening doors, and blazing a trail for future athletes of color, and with over 50 national and international titles under her belt, she is definitely a champion.