- Ora Washington
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Ora Mae Washington Born January 23, 1898 Died December 21, 1971 (aged 73) Ora Mae Washington (January 23, 1898–1971) was an American athlete from the Germantown section of Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as the "Queen of Tennis".[1]
Contents
Life
In professional tennis, she won the American Tennis Association's national singles title eight times in nine years between 1929–1937 and 12 straight double championships.[1]
She played basketball first in 1930 with the Germantown Hornets where her 22-1 record earned her the national female title. Later, playing with the Philadelphia Tribunes from 1932–1942, she was the team's center, leading scorer, and coach.[1] The "Tribune Girls" won 11 straight Women’s Colored Basketball World’s Championships. Washington was said to be "the best Colored player in the world."[2]
Unable to compete against the top white tennis player of the time, Helen Wills Moody, because Moody refused to play her,[3] she retired from sports in the mid-1940s. For the remainder of her life, she supported herself as a housekeeper. She died in 1971 in Germantown and was buried in her Virginia hometown.[1]
In the mid-1980s, she was inducted to Temple University's Sports Hall of Fame.[1]
A state historical marker stands at the location of the Colored YWCA she taught and played at, at 6128 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, now home to Settlement Music School.[1][4]
In 2009, Washington was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee.[5]
Further reading
- Wiggins, David K. (editor) Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes. University of Arkansas Press, 2006.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Edmonds, Arlene November 10, 2004. The Leader, "State Historic Marker dedicated - Tennis and basketball legend remembered". Accessed May 2, 2008.
- ^ "All Hail The Philadelphia Tribune Girls". Accessed May 2, 2008.
- ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Image". Accessed 20May 2008.
- ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "Search for Historical Markers". Accessed May 1, 2008.
- ^ "WBHOF Inductees". WBHOF. http://www.wbhof.com/inductees.html. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Based in Knoxville, TennesseeMembers Coaches (43) Lidia Alexeyeva • Leta Andrews • Geno Auriemma • Leon Barmore • Breezy Bishop • Joanne Bracker • Van Chancellor • Joe Ciampi • Jody Conradt • Fran Garmon • Dorothy Gaters • Theresa Grentz • Sue Gunter • Sylvia Hatchell • John Head • Jill Hutchison • Sonja Hogg • Andy Landers • Lin L. Laursen • Muffet McGraw • Sandra Meadows • Billie Moore • Lorene Ramsey • Harley Redin • Cathy Rush • Debbie Ryan • Amy Ruley • Linda K. Sharp • Marsha Sharp • Jim Smiddy • Marianne Crawford Stanley • Barbara Stevens • C. Vivian Stringer • Pat Head Summitt • Edna Tarbutton • Bertha Teague • Tara VanDerveer • Margaret Wade • Marian Washington • Dean Weese• Chris Weller • Dixie Woodall • Kay YowContributors (20) Val Ackerman • Senda Abbott • Mildred Barnes • Patty Broderick • E. Wayne Cooley • Carol Eckman • Betty Jo Graber • Mel Greenberg • Phyllis Holmes • Claude Hutcherson • Betty F. Jaynes • George E. Killian • Andrea Lloyd-Curry • Darlene May • Shin-Ja Park • Lea Plarski • Gloria Ray• Borislav Stankovic • William L. Wall • Marcy WestonForeign Players (7) US Players (39) Jennifer Azzi • Carol Blazejowski • Ruthie Bolton • Cindy Brogdon • Vicky Bullett • Daedra Charles-Furlow • Cynthia Cooper • Denise Curry • Andrea Lloyd-Curry • Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil • Anne Donovan • Nancy Dunkle • Teresa Edwards • Kamie Ethridge • Jennifer Gillom • Bridgette Gordon • Tara Heiss • Lusia Harris-Stewart • Pamela Kelly-Flowers • Janice Lawrence Braxton • Nancy Lieberman • Kelli Litsch• Rebecca Lobo • Katrina McClain Johnson • Suzie McConnell-Serio • Ann Meyers-Drysdale • Cheryl Miller • Pearl Moore • Kim Mulkey • Cindy Noble Hauserman • LaTaunya Pollard • Patricia (Trish) Roberts • Sue Rojcewicz • Jill Rankin Schneider • Rosie Walker • Holly Warlick • Teresa Weatherspoon• Lynette Woodard • Juliene Brazinski SimpsonVeteran (12) Alline Banks Sprouse • Joan Crawford • Margaret Sexton Gleaves • Rita Horky • Patsy Neal • Lometa Odom • Doris Rogers • Lurlyne Greer Rogers • Hazel Walker • Katherine Washington • Ora Washington • Nera WhiteWebsite: http:///www.wbhof.com/Categories:- 1898 births
- 1971 deaths
- African American basketball players
- African American tennis players
- American basketball players
- American female tennis players
- Basketball players from Pennsylvania
- People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Tennis people from Pennsylvania
- Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- African American women in sports
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