Meet athletes and pioneers, and explore the objects that tell their stories.
8,756 matching cards · 24 cards per page
1904–1946
William McKinley King (May 11, 1904 – June 1, 1946) was an American football coach and educator. He served as the head football coach at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (now known as Florida A&M University) in 1929 and Georgia State…
Loading image…1867–1933
William Stitt Peters (May 1867 – April 2, 1933) was an American Negro leagues baseball, player, manager, owner and one of the pioneers of Black baseball in Chicago. At the time of his death, the Chicago Defender referred to him as "veteran baseball man and…
Loading image…1977–
Wade Alan Davis II (born July 28, 1977) is an American speaker, activist, writer, educator and former American football player. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Davis grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana and Aurora, Colorado. He played college football at Mesa…
1944–
Allan Wade Houston Sr. (born October 9, 1944) is a former basketball player and coach who is currently President of Dry Ice Blasting Technologies, a division of Houston-Johnson, Inc. In 1962, Houston became the first African American to sign a basketball…
Loading image…Dates not recorded
Waite Bellamy Jr. (born February 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Florida A&M Rattlers and was selected in the 1963 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks. Bellamy spent his entire…
Loading image…1956–
Wallace Darnell Johnson (born December 25, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He was a first baseman with the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants, as well as serving a stint as the Chicago White Sox third base coach.
Loading image…1984–
Wallace Spearmon Jr. (born December 24, 1984) is an American retired sprint athlete who specialized in the 200 meters. He is a two-time NCAA outdoor champion in the 200 m and won the silver medal in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics.…
1962–
Wallace Spearmon Sr. (born September 3, 1962) is an American former sprinter. He is the father of Wallace Spearmon Jr. He attended the University of Arkansas and competed collegiately for the Arkansas Razorbacks under coach John McDonnell. While there he…
1943–
Walter "Buzz" Highsmith (August 27, 1943) is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), and National Football League…
Loading image…1939–2013
Walter Jones "The Big Bell" Bellamy (July 24, 1939 – November 2, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. He played 13 full seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for four different franchises.
1937–1967
Walter Franklin Bond (October 19, 1937 – September 14, 1967) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 365 games over six Major League Baseball seasons between 1960 and 1967 for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Colt .45s/Astros and…
Loading image…1945–
Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's first two…
Loading image…1942–2011
Mahdi Abdul-Rahman (born Walter Raphael Hazzard Jr.; April 15, 1942 – November 18, 2011) was an American professional basketball player and college basketball coach. He played in college for the UCLA Bruins and was a member of their first national…
1991–
Walter Lee Powell (born November 23, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Murray State Racers and was selected by…
Loading image…1943–2016
Walter Allen Williams (December 19, 1943 – January 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as an outfielder between 1964 and 1977, most prominently as…
Loading image…1894–1976
Walter Arthur Gordon (October 10, 1894 – April 2, 1976) was the first African American to receive a JD from University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He had an extremely long and varied career where he served as a police officer, lawyer, assistant…
1909–1985
Walter Burch Jr. (May 2, 1908 – May 10, 1985), nicknamed "Double Duty", was an American Negro league baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Burch played catcher, second baseman, and shortstop for various teams in the 1930s…
1904–1981
Walter I. "Rev" Cannady (March 6, 1902 - December 3, 1981) was an American professional baseball second baseman, shortstop, and player-manager in the Negro leagues. He played from 1921 to 1945 with several teams and managed the New York Black Yankees in 1938.
Loading image…1979–
Walter L. Davis (born July 2, 1979) is an American athlete competing in the triple jump and occasionally in the long jump. He was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Davis won the 2005 World Outdoor and 2006 World Indoor Championships.
1928–2015
Walter Lee Gibbons (October 13, 1928 – July 24, 2015) was an American pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and the Minor Leagues. Listed at 5' 7" ft (1.70 m), 185 lb (84 kg), Gibbons batted left handed and threw right handed. He was born in Tampa,…
1910–2010
Walter Loreo McCoy (February 20, 1920 – November 10, 2015) was an American Negro league baseball and Minor League Baseball pitcher. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 172 pounds (78 kg), he batted and threw right handed. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, McCoy grew…
1933–2020
Walter Owens (August 19, 1933 – September 20, 2020) was a pitcher and outfielder who played in Negro league baseball. He batted and threw right handed. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Owens grew up in Detroit, where he played on three high school city baseball…
1905–1979
Walter Strother Davis (August 9, 1905 – October 17, 1979) was an American football coach and college administrator. He was the second president of Tennessee State University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1943 to 1968.
1980–2015
Walter Earnest Young, Jr. (February 18, 1980 – September 19, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. He played part of one season in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles in 2005 as a first baseman and designated hitter. He was…
Biographies, museum objects and archive records are distinct card types. Every card links to its historical source.
