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And away we go! You may think you know numero uno and that its the loneliest number that you ever did know, but keep in mind, firsts are a permanent distinction. They live in infamy and bring up images of inventors and innovators who boldly imagine the impossible and go where others have never dared venture. In most cases, they seek unbridled adventure with a taste all their own.
One, sometimes referred to as unity (not to be confused with the U!), is the integer before two and after zero. One is the first non-zero number in the natural numbers as well as the first odd number in the natural numbers. Any number multiplied by one is that number.
Names of trailblazers that may come to mind are Pele (first to electrify the world's most popular sport), Muhammad Ali (one of the first boxing titans, civil rights warrior, anti war protestor as well as one charismatic personality, "I'm pretty!") and Jackie Robinson (first African American to break the color barrier and be elected to the Hall of Fame, 1962).
Perhaps images of Hank Aaron's first at bat of the 1974 season come alive in the mind when one thinks of groundbreaking performances? Incidentally, Aaron is also one of the first African Americans to work in baseball management.
What do you get when you incorporate human ideals, consumer culture and popular interests with an iron will and an undying strength to succeed? A pioneering athlete who brings monumental change to sports and beyond and who transform the world by changing minds and the iron frames of ideology. These people, much like Kristi Yamaguchi (first Asian American woman to win an Olympic Gold, 1992), Michael Jordan (perhaps the most widely recognized athlete in sports with that wagging tongue?) or Arnold Palmer (remember Arnie's Army?), set new standards against which every other player is measured. They challenge everyone around them and push the envelope to leave a lasting legacy, which will be relished by fans and nonfans for years to come. They bring out the best in all participants and provide a glimpse into greatness, never failing to inspire the mere mortal man kicking and screaming from the complacent comforts of the armchair.
Jack Johnson became the first African-American to win the world heavyweight title championship by defeating Tommy Burns by TKO on December 26th, 1908. Understand, however, he was never Hawaiian and does not sing the pop hit, "Brushfire Fairytales".
Remember the 1974 fight in Kinshasa, Zaire which was dubbed the, "Rumble in the Jungle"? During one of the world's first major upsets, Ali used a rope-a-dope routine of playing possum to tire the mighty George Foreman until the 8th round and then brought the pain in an offensive flurry rivaled by few to win the heavyweight championship.
"Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you."
-Arnold Palmer
Approximately 3,000 spectators witnessed Roger Bannister becoming the first man in recorded history to run the mile in under 4 minutes during a meet at Iffley Road Track in Oxford in 1954. Do you know what Roger Bannister's nickname was and still could be? The Running Doctor. Bannister was knighted in 1975, not for his running abilities but for his groundbreaking work in the field of Neurology, which is a medical area of specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system.
The first American woman to dunk a basketball was Georgeann Wells of West Virginia University, who did so on 12/21/83 in a game against the University of Charleston. The first American woman to do so professionally was Lisa Leslie (6'5") of the Los Angeles Sparks on 7/30/02.
Keep in mind: In order for me to get down...I got to get in deep usually to make my midnight creep when the rest of the general population is fast asleep.
Under the handling of trainer H. Guy Bedwell and jockey Johnny Loftus, Sir Barton became the first of 11 horses to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes-an accomplishment which would become known as the Triple Crown, which does not mean they hit for a high average, led the league in home runs & runs batted in during the same season. Speaking of such, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson received 75% of the votes cast in the election of the Baseball Hall of Fame's first class in 1936, which still remains the benchmark today, much to Ron Santo's chagrin.
The first player to receive a warning in Wimbledon was of course John McEnroe, who did so in 1980 (he would save 5 match points against Jimmy Connors to emerge victorious only to lose in the Finals to Bjorn Borg. ).
The first NBA player to reach 20,000 career points was Bob Pettit, 1964
The first to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl: Max McGee of the Green
Bay Packers, 1967.
Althea Gibson became the first African-American to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships, winning both tournaments in 1957 and 1958.
Two years after leading Syracuse to its first and only national championship as a sophomore, Ernie Davis became the first African American player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961.
One year before Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the famous Battle of the Sexes, King became the first woman to be named SI's Sportsperson of the Year.
In 1990 the Raiders made Art Shell the NFL's first African-American head coach in the modern era. He would win AFC Coach of the Year honors in his first season after leading L.A. to the AFC title game, which leaves the franchise at a standstill currently, though Al Davis may still be construed as spry and astute.
Ashley Martin became the first woman to score points in a Division I football game when she booted three extra points for Jacksonville State in a 71-0 nail biter over Cumberland.
Robert “Bob” Mann, who was only 5 feet 11 inches, 175 pounds, is remembered for not only being the Green Bay Packers’ first African-American player, but as a trailblazer in team sports history.
This is my first article for SRM.
Remember this...faith eventually turns into dogma. Devotion becomes ritual. The time is ripe not for predicament but the throes of rediscovery.
The door has opened. I'm bound to be let in. It's time we got started so allow me to begin.
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