- Aaron, HankBroke Babe Ruth's career home run record amid a barrage of racist threats1934-2021
- Ali, MuhammadThree-time heavyweight boxing champion; refused induction into the U.S. military on religious grounds, becoming a defining and contested figure of the Vietnam War era1942-2016
- Ashe, ArthurFirst Black man to win the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon men's singles titles1943-1993
- Biles, SimoneMost decorated gymnast in history, male or female1997-
- Carlos, JohnWon bronze in the 200m at the 1968 Olympics; staged a silent raised-fist protest against racial injustice on the medal standunknown
- Coachman, AliceFirst Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal1923-2014
- Cooper, Charles 'Tarzan'Star center for the New York Renaissance during their 88-game winning streak and 1932-36 dominant run1907-1980
- Cooper, ChuckFirst African American drafted into the NBA1926-1984
- Doby, LarryFirst Black player in the American League1923-2003
- Douglas, GabbyFirst Black woman to win the Olympic individual all-around gymnastics title1995-
- Douglas, Robert 'Bob'Founded the New York Renaissance, the first Black-owned, all-Black, fully professional basketball team in historyunknown-1979
- Dungy, TonyFirst African American head coach to win a Super Bowl1955-
- Elder, LeeProfessional golfer; the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament (1975)1934-2021
- Felix, AllysonMost decorated track and field athlete in U.S. Olympic history1985-
- Garrison, ZinaBridged the generational gap between Althea Gibson and Venus and Serena Williams in Black women's tennis1963-
- Gates, William 'Pop'Star forward for the New York Renaissance and Harlem Globetrotters during the Black Fives era1917-1999
- Gauff, CocoWon the US Open and French Open Grand Slam singles titles as a teenager2004-
- Gibson, AltheaFirst Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour and win a Grand Slam singles title1927-2003
- Gibson, JoshNegro Leagues power hitter widely regarded among the greatest hitters in baseball history1911-1947
- Gregory, AnnPioneering African American amateur golfer; the first Black woman to play in a national championship conducted by the United States Golf Association (1956)1912-1990
- Griffith Joyner, FlorenceSet world records in the 100m and 200m that still stand, while becoming a global style icon known as 'Flo-Jo'1959-1998
- Harris, James 'Shack'First Black quarterback to start a season opener in the AFL or NFL (1969); first to start and win an NFL playoff game, and first named Pro Bowl MVP (1974)1947-
- Henderson, Edwin BancroftIntroduced basketball to Black communities in Washington, D.C., helping launch the sport's spread among African Americans nationally1883-1977
- Hilliard, WendyFirst Black athlete to represent the United States internationally in rhythmic gymnasticsunknown
- Isaacs, John 'Boy Wonder'Credited with bringing the pick-and-roll play to professional basketball1918-2009
- Johnson, JackFirst Black world heavyweight boxing champion, holding the title from 1908 to 19151878–1946
- Joyner-Kersee, JackieWidely considered one of the greatest multi-event track and field athletes in history1962-
- Leonard, BuckNegro Leagues first baseman who batted cleanup behind Josh Gibson for the Homestead Grays1907-1997
- Lester, William Alexander IIILeft a 15-year engineering career at Hewlett-Packard at age 40 to become a full-time professional NASCAR driver; became the second Black driver in NASCAR history to win a pole position, exactly forty years after Wendell Scott, already profiled in this collection, became the first1961-
- Lewis, CarlWon nine Olympic gold medals across four Olympic Games, including matching Jesse Owens' feat of four golds in a single Games1961-
- Louis, JoeDefeated German boxer Max Schmeling in a fight widely seen as a symbolic rebuke of Nazi ideology1914-1981
- Manuel, SimoneFirst Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming1996-
- Mays, WillieWidely regarded as one of the greatest all-around players in baseball history, famed for 'The Catch' in the 1954 World Series1931-2024
- Mayweather, Floyd Jr.Undefeated five-division world champion boxer (50-0), winner of 15 major world titles and widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive fighters in the sport's historyb. 1977
- Moses, EdwinRemained unbeaten in the 400-meter hurdles for nearly ten years, one of the longest win streaks in track and field history1955-
- Norman, ConradFounded the Alpha Physical Culture Club, an early Black athletic organization, and coached the first all-Black women's basketball teamunknown
- O'Ree, WillieFirst Black player in National Hockey League history1935-
- Owens, JesseWon four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, directly undermining Nazi claims of Aryan racial supremacy1913-1980
- Paige, Satchel (Leroy)First Negro Leagues player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame1906-1982
- Pickett, Bill (Willie M.)Invented bulldogging, the rodeo technique that evolved into modern steer wrestling; first Black cowboy inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame1870-1932
- Pollard, FritzOne of the first two African American players in the NFL; first Black head coach in professional sports history1894-1986
- Powell, ReneePioneering professional golfer and golf-club operator; the second African American woman to play on the LPGA Tour (1967), and since the mid-1990s the head professional and operator of Clearview Golf Club, the course her father built1946-present
- Rhodes, TedPioneering African American professional golfer; dominant on the all-Black United Golfers Association (UGA) tour and an early challenger of the PGA's whites-only membership clause1913-1969
- Ribbs, Willy T.First Black driver to compete in an Indy-car/CART race and first Black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 5001955–Present
- Robinson, Eddie Sr.Winningest college football coach in history at the time of his retirement, sending over 200 players to the NFL from a historically Black university1919-2007
- Robinson, FrankFirst Black manager in Major League Baseball history; only player to win MVP in both leagues1935-2019
- Robinson, JackieBroke Major League Baseball's color barrier in the modern era1919-1972
- Robinson, Sugar Ray (Walker Smith Jr.)Widely ranked as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in history1921-1989
- Rowe, MylesFirst Black driver to win an INDYCAR-sanctioned race and first Black driver to win a North American open-wheel championship2000–Present
- Rudolph, WilmaFirst American woman to win three track and field gold medals in a single Olympics1940-1994
- Russell, BillFirst Black head coach in NBA history; first Black coach to win an NBA championship1934-2022
- Shell, ArtFirst Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL1946-
- Shippen, JohnEarly American golf professional; the first American-born and first African American golf professional to play in a U.S. Open (1896), and long-time professional at the Black-owned Shady Rest club1879-1968
- Sifford, CharlieFirst Black member of the PGA Tour; first Black golfer to win a PGA Tour event1922-2015
- Smith, TommieWon gold in the 200m at the 1968 Olympics; staged a silent raised-fist protest against racial injustice on the medal standunknown
- Taylor, Marshall 'Major'First African American to win a world championship in cycling, and the first in any sport1878-1932
- Thompson, John Jr.First African American head coach to win a major college basketball championship1941-2020
- Wallace, William Darrell 'Bubba' Jr.First African American to become a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver since Wendell Scott, already profiled in this collection; ended a 58-year drought to become the second Black driver ever to win a Cup Series race, in 2021 at Talladega, the same week the FBI investigated a noose found in his garage stall1993-
- Washington, KennyFirst African American to sign an NFL contract in the modern post-World War II era1918-1971
- Washington, MaliVaiMost recent African American man to reach a Wimbledon singles final1969-
- Williams, DougFirst Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl, and to be named Super Bowl MVP1955-
- Williams, SerenaWon more Grand Slam singles titles than any other woman in the Open Era1981-
- Williams, VenusFirst Black man or woman to hold the world No. 1 tennis ranking since the ATP and WTA rankings began; most decorated tennis player in Olympic history1980-