American Tennis Player, Social Activist & Humanitarian. Widely recognized as the first outstanding African-American men's tennis champion, Arthur Ashe was the first African-American to represent his country in Davis Cup play (1963), the first African-American man to win the U.S. Open singles title (1968), the first African-American man to win the Wimbledon singles title (1975) and the first African-American to captain the Davis Cup team (1981). He also won the NCAA team and individual titles at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1965, the Australian Open singles title in 1970 and the Australian Open doubles championship in 1977. He was further noted for his off-court accomplishments, including his service as a Lieutenant in the United States Army, his service as President and co-founder of the Association of Tennis Professionals, and his writing of "Hard Road to Glory," a three-volume history of African-Americans in sport. After contracting the HIV virus in a cardiovascular bypass operation in 1983, Ashe would become an active speaker and fundraiser for AIDS research before succumbing to the disease in 1993. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Bill Clinton on June 20, 1993. In 1996, he was memorialized on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, the first African-American to receive that honor. Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament) in Flushing, Queens, New York, is named in his honor.
American Tennis Player, Social Activist & Humanitarian. Widely recognized as the first outstanding African-American men's tennis champion, Arthur Ashe was the first African-American to represent his country in Davis Cup play (1963), the first African-American man to win the U.S. Open singles title (1968), the first African-American man to win the Wimbledon singles title (1975) and the first African-American to captain the Davis Cup team (1981). He also won the NCAA team and individual titles at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1965, the Australian Open singles title in 1970 and the Australian Open doubles championship in 1977. He was further noted for his off-court accomplishments, including his service as a Lieutenant in the United States Army, his service as President and co-founder of the Association of Tennis Professionals, and his writing of "Hard Road to Glory," a three-volume history of African-Americans in sport. After contracting the HIV virus in a cardiovascular bypass operation in 1983, Ashe would become an active speaker and fundraiser for AIDS research before succumbing to the disease in 1993. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Bill Clinton on June 20, 1993. In 1996, he was memorialized on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, the first African-American to receive that honor. Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament) in Flushing, Queens, New York, is named in his honor.
Bio by: Stuthehistoryguy
Inscription
ARTHUR ROBERT ASHE, JR.
1943 - 1993
Distinguished Athlete, Scholar and Humanitarian
A Hard Road to Glory
SINGLES TENNIS CHAMPION
Ranked No. 1 in the World. 1968: 1975
U.S. Open 1968: Wimbledon, 1975
Australian Open, 1970: WCT Finals, 1975
U.S. Clay Court Championships, 1963
U.S. Hard Court Championships, 1963
Member, U.S. Davis Cup Team 1963, '65-'70, '75, '77, '78
Captain, U.S. Davis Cup Team 1981-85
Family Members
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