Ora Washington
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| Ora Mae Washington | |
| Born | January 23, 1898 |
|---|---|
| Died | December 21, 1971 (aged 73) |
Ora Mae Washington (January 23, 1898 - 1971) was an African American athlete from the Germantown section of Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as the "Queen of Tennis".[1]
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[edit] Life
In professional tennis, she won the American Tennis Association's national singles title eight times in nine years between 1929-1937 and 12 straight double championships.[1]
She played basketball first in 1930 with the Germantown Hornets where her 22-1 record earned her the national female title. Later, palying with the Philadelphia Tribunes from 1932-1942, she was the team's center, leading scorer, and coach.[1] The "Tribune Girls" won 11 straight Women’s Colored Basketball World’s Championships. Washington was said to be "the best Colored player in the world."[2]
Unable to compete against the top white tennis player of the time, Helen Wills Moody, because Moody refused to play her,[3] she retired from sports in the mid-1940s. For the remainder of her life, she supported herself as a housekeeper. She died in 1971 in Germantown and was buried in her Virginia hometown.[1]
In the mid-1980s, she was inducted to Temple University's Sports Hall of Fame.[1]
A state historical marker stands at the location of the Colored YWCA she taught and played at, at 6128 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, now home to Settlement Music School.[4][1]
[edit] Further reading
- Wiggins, David K. (editor) Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes. University of Arkansas Press, 2006.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Edmonds, Arlene November 10, 2004. The Leader, "State Historic Marker dedicated - Tennis and basketball legend remembered". Accessed May 2, 2008.
- ^ "All Hail The Philadelphia Tribune Girls". Accessed May 2, 2008.
- ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Image". Accessed 20May 2008.
- ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Search for Historical Markers". Accessed May 1, 2008.
