"He had something of an odd life - a black man in a
white man's game, a child of limited means
who'd later snack on a caviar in Monte Carlo, a multifaceted man
in a sport that seems to best serve the tunnel-visioned and self-centered,
a humanist in a world of deception and greed."
-Bob Lipper
Richmond, Virginia Times
Arthur Ashe broke down many barriers in his
lifetime allowing other African-Americans to be able to participate
in tennis and all other sports without the discrimination his
race often faced in the 1950's. His best years came when he was
done playing games, and the humanitarian side of Ashe was exposed.
Ashe needed extraordinary qualities to become a champion on the
tennis court, and those qualities ended up giving us much more
than memories of a great athlete. 
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1943.
Due to segregation, Ashe was excluded from playing at any of the
local tennis clubs and camps. Nevertheless, at age ten, Ashe picked
up a tennis racquet for the first time and learned to play in
a local public park. His father arranged for him to work with
Dr. Walter Johnson, who coached Althea Gibson, the first black
player ever to win a Grand Slam title. Dr. Johnson guided Ashe
throughout his youth on and off the court. He carried him through
an outstanding high school tennis career that earned him a tennis
scholarship at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
After a brilliantly successful career at UCLA, he was selected in 1963 as the first ever black player to join the US Davis Cup team. In 1965, Ashe won the NCAA Singles title and also led UCLA to the team championship that same year. Arthur graduated UCLA in 1966. In 1968, still playing as an amateur, the entire world became exposed to Ashe when he won the US Open, becoming the first black man to win a Grand Slam title and to be ranked at number one by the USTA. His career would continue to flourish by going on to win the Australian Open in 1970. One of his most memorable victories came at the hands of defeating the great Jimmy Connors in the 1975 Winbledon final. In 1979, an untimely heart-attack forced Ashe into early retirement. To make thinks even worse, Ashe underwent a surgery for a second heart-attack in 1983 where he likel contracted the HIV Virus through tainted blood tranfused into his body. The virus would eventually take his life in 1993. After his retirement, Ashe went on to coach the US Davis Cup team in 1980, and was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1992.
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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 1963 First Black Athlete to be named to a U.S. Davis Cup Team 1965 Led UCLA to the NCAA Tennis Championship 1968 Champion,
U.S. Open 1968 Howard Owen and Bob Lipper-1995 <http://www.webpak.net/~hallfame/ashe.htm> |
After his retirement, Ashe helped create the USTA National Junior Tennis League, which has introduced many innner city kids into the sport of tennis. He then became the first black tennis player to ever play in South Africa's national championship in 1973. Ashe's actvism for civil right sonly began to take flight at that point. In 1992, he protested the expulsion of Haitian refugees and was arrested while protesting in front of the White House.Since he was diagnosed with the HIV virus, Ashe became an activist and founded the Arthur Ashe foundation for the Defeat of AIDS.He also urged the UN assembly to increase funding for AIDS research. He also authored a novel called "A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African American Athlete" He used his own experiences as a proffessional tennis player as well as accounts from many other famous black athletes to compile this best-selling novel. After all of his work as a humanitarian and activist, a monument in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia was erected in 1996 and many foundations were named in his honor for many years to come. Much of what Arthur Ashe did for us is represented by the fact that the city where he was once forbidden to play tennis with white children now counts him as one of their greatest citizens.
Arthur Ashe was a great individual who seemed to possess an always unselfish character. Ashe has raised many issues of ethnicity simply through his incredible feats on the tennis court. After his retirement, he also became a strong activist for AIDS research, making him a powerful minority for influence on funding causes and research advancements. His accomplishments on and off the court will forever create a sense of admiration for Arthur Ashe for all of those who read about his life story.
--"Ashe, Arthur," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000
http://encarta.msn.com 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation
--Sebastian, Pamela. Wall Street Journal (01/13/95) P. A9A
http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/ads/9501/95011301.html
--
To learn more about the monument erected in Arthur Ashe's memory
To browse at more pictures of Arthur Ashe
For recent information on the Arthur Ashe Foundation for AIDS research.
EndNotes