Written By Christopher Mercer, Photo courtesy of Volunteer Girl Scout.org

As Black History Month ends, it is essential to appreciate the Black history that defined generations and to celebrate the trailblazers who paved the way for past and present players.  

This list will consist not only of athletes who changed the game in their respective sports but were also difference-makers in their communities. Here are the ten most influential African American Athletes of all time: 10 –6 will be in this article, and 5-1 will be unveiled tomorrow.  

10) Warren Moon, NFL Quarterback Despite being an undrafted rookie after the 1978 NFL draft, Moon made a long-lasting impact that has helped mold and change how the quarterback position was played, inspiring current players like Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson.  

Not only was Moon a great passer during his remarkable 17-year NFL career, but he was also a dynamic player in the running game. Despite his NFL career beginning after spending six seasons in the CFL (Canadian Football League), Moon finished with 49.325 passing yards and 291 touchdowns, which were good for third all-time and fourth in NFL history at his retirement in 2000, respectively. 

 In 2006, he became the first and, so far, only African American quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001, making him one of only two players to achieve that accomplishment. 

9) Authur Ashe, Tennis Player  

Ashe was a decorated tennis player throughout the 1960s and 1970s, one of the most decorated tennis players ever, and an inspiration for another tennis player who will make this list (no spoilers). 

  Ashe became the first (and remains the only) African American male tennis player to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon singles titles. He was also the first African American man to earn the No. 1 ranking globally and the first to gain an induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. Ashe pushed for inner-city programs and helped found the Association of Men’s Tennis Professionals, or the ATP, in 1972. 

 Unfortunately, in 1988, he was diagnosed with HIV, although he kept the news to himself. In 1992, Ashe shared the news with the world and began bringing awareness to the disease. He helped raise over five million dollars for the Institute of Urban Health that would bear his name, along with being a part of the protest in Washington, D.C., over the United States treatment of Haitian refugees in December of 1992. Ashe would unfortunately die on Feb. 6, 1993, at 49.  

8)  Serena Willams, Tennis Player 

Following Arthur Ashe’s path, Serena Willams is claimed to be the best female tennis player and most decorated athlete in sports history. The Compton native has racked up 23 grand slam championships, the most all-time for male and female, 14 grand slam total titles, and a whopping 73 WTA tour-level singles championships; she also won six U.S. Open championships, seven British Opens, and seven Wibelton Open championships in her career.  

Williams won four gold medals and spent 319 weeks on top of the WTA rankings, equivalent to nearly six years. Williams and her sister, Venus Williams, dominated the rank as they won the gold medal three times in doubles actions during the Olympics in 2002 and 2008. She recently retired in 2022. She will be a first-ballot Tennis Hall of Fame member when she becomes eligible to be inducted in 2027.    

7) Lebron James, Basketball Player 

Lebron is the only current-day athlete on this list. His career accomplishments have defined generations, and he is one of the most recognizable faces in NBA and sports history.  

The Akron, Ohio native holds the following records amid his record-tying 22nd season. Most all-star game appearances, most points scored in the regular season, most points in the postseason, and most games with at least 10 points or more. He is the only player in NBA history to achieve 40,000 points in a career. He is less than 100 points away from becoming the first player to reach 50,000 career points combined, both regular and postseason, to go along with four NBA championships, four finals MVPs, four regular season MVPS named to the NBA 75th anniversary team, and three gold medals. 

 Off the court, he opened his I Promise Academy in 2016 in his hometown of Akron. He has been a vocal social activist throughout his playing career and has not taken a step off the hardwood despite being 40 years old. When he decides to hang it, James will undoubtedly be a Hall of Famer. 

6) Hank Arron, Baseball Player 

When you think about the baseball game, someone has dawned on the Atlanta Braves uniform, but no one can fill the shoes left by “Hammering” Hank Arron.  

His list of accolades in his career is unfathomable: 25-time MLB all-star selections, three gold gloves, an award given to the best defender in MLB to go along with a National League MVP award in 1975, and a World Series in 1975. However, his most impactful at-bat came in April. 8, 1974, when he hit his 715 home run, which broke Babe Ruth’s all-time MLB home run record and launched him to national stardom.  

Hank Arron would finish his career with an MLB 755 career home run to be in the top three in hits with 3771 and is the MLB’s all-time leader in RBI or runs batted in, with 2,297 RBIs recorded. Not only is he undoubtedly the greatest Atlanta Brave ever, but he is also one of the greatest baseball players. His activism around the Atlanta area during the civil rights movement during the 1960’s makes him an Atlanta Icon. 

 After Hank Aaron retired in 1976, he also served as an executive for the Braves for four decades, during which time he built a championship team in the 1990s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, and the Braves retired his jersey. In 2002, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor. Hank Arron passed away in 2021 at the age of 86.  

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow.