By Monica Truchon and Tatiana Colon

Following World War II, attendance at sporting events skyrocketed. This was a time where black and white integrated to make great teams. These brave men and women who stepped outside their “boundaries” really made a difference in sports.

 1945 – Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first black on a major league team.  He suffered considerable racial abuse.  In his first season, Robinson hit.297 with 125 runs scored.  He also led the National League with 29 steals.  Led the Dodgers to a National League pennant that year.  1947 – He was named 'Rookie of the Year' and featured on the cover of Time magazine.  1962 – Robinson inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame  African-Americans made up more than half the crowd of 27,000

Cooper was the first black player to be drafted by a NBA team, in 1950 Cooper was signed by the Boston Celtics by coach Red Auerbach Cooper's NBA career was average, nothing stellar He played four years with the Celtics, then was traded to the Milwaukee Hawks before ending his career as a member of the Pistons He made other blacks at the time want to follow their dreams, impacting on todays sports

 Member of the U.S. national team from 1987 to 1994  His first game was against Egypt in 1987  Soccer defender and midfielder  He was also a member of the Olympic team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea  Although he never scored a goal in international competition, he remains one of the team's all-time cap leaders with 81 total appearances.

First African American hockey player in the NHL Played for the Boston Bruins in 1958 as a back-up for an injured player He is know as the “Jackie Robinson of Hockey” O’ Ree realized that his skin color could make a difference when playing the game. It would show that no matter the skin color, a great player is a great player. O'Ree did his best to play the game and ignore the harsh realities of being a black player in a predominantly white league. As the first black hockey player in the National Hockey League, Willie O'Ree continues to have a lasting impression on the sport.

 The first African American to play in the NFL, playing left half-back  He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams on March 21 st, 1946  Even though he only played for 3 years, he had a huge impact  inducted to the college football hall of fame  Washington’s Jersey, number 13, was first to be retired in the UCLA at UCLA

 First African American heavy weight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949  He was known for being honest, hardworking fighter at a time when the sport was conquered by gambling interests  Louis's championship reign lasted 140 successful months  named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization

 First African American tennis player  She was the first African American to play in the U.S. grass court championships at Forest Hills, N.Y.  In 1971 she was named to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame.  Gibson paved the way for other women who wanted to play aggressive

First African American professional Golfer to play in 1960 He helped desegregate the PGA of America Sifford won the PGA tour in 1967 & 1969, along with other wins He became the first African American inducted into the World Gold Hall of Fame! "Keep in mind, the civil rights movement wasn't until and it still isn't completely right today."

 Year participation in professional sports  Baseball: 1957  Basketball: 1958  Football: 1960 Participation in 2000 (13% of U.S. Population) Pro Basketball Players78 % NCAA D-I Basketball Playesr56 % Pro Football Players67 % NCAA D-I Football Players46 %

All of these individuals went outside the “ordinary” to play the sport they loved. Racism did not get in the way as they pursued their dreams. “There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free.” – Jackie Robinson

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