From a cotton farm in Silver to winning Wimbeldon, Althea Gibson broke barriers in women’s sports

Despite her humble beginnings, Althea Gibson became a gamechanger in women’s athletics.

Gibson, who was born on a cotton farm in tiny Silver, South Carolina, broke barriers when she became the first black woman to play in the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1950. Six years later, she made history again by becoming the first black person to win the French Open.

In 1957, Gibson won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the first black to win either tournament. Before her tennis career ended, she went on to win 56 tournaments, including 11 grand slam events. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Gibson also tried her hand at golf and was the first black player on the LPGA Tour in 1963.

“If it hadn’t been for her,” tennis great Billie Jean King told reporters of Gibson. “It wouldn’t have been so easy for Arthur (Ashe) or the ones who followed.”

In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a commemorative stamp to honor Gibson, who died in 2003 at age 76.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 10:44 AM.