Browse "Black Canadian Athletes"

Displaying 16-30 of 30 results

Article

Jackie Robinson and the Montreal Royals (1946)

On 15 April 1947, Jackie Robinson played in his debut game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues in the modern era. Prior to that point, professional baseball in the United States was segregated, with African Americans playing in the Negro leagues. When Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s colour barrier in 1947, he entered American history books. What many baseball fans may not realize, however, is that Robinson was embraced by Canadian fans one year earlier as a member of the Montreal Royals, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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Article

Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla, hockey player (born 1 July 1977 in Edmonton, AB). Jarome Iginla played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League, including 16 with the Calgary Flames. He is the all-time leader for the Calgary Flames in games played (1219), goals (525) and points (1095).
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Article

Jean Lowe Butler

Alice Maud Eugenia “Jean” Lowe Butler, track and field athlete, educator (born 1922 in Toronto, ON; died 11 September 2017 in Mobile, Alabama). Jean Lowe Butler was one of Canada’s most accomplished amateur athletes. She set Ontario records in the women’s 100-yard and 220-yard dash and held the Canadian record in the women’s 100 m sprint (11.9 seconds). An elite college athlete in the United States, she competed in the 100 m, 200 m, long jump and high jump, and won medals in each event at every meet. Her exclusion from the 1948 Canadian Olympic team was controversial. A teacher for 30 years, she was inducted into the Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985.
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Article

Johnny Bright

John Dee Bright, football player, teacher (born 11 June 1930 in Fort Wayne, Indiana; died 14 December 1983 in Edmonton, AB). Johnny Bright was one of the most talented running backs in Canadian Football League (CFL) history. A top college player in the United States, he was severely injured during an NCAA game in 1951 in a racially motivated attack. He was drafted into the NFL in 1952 but accepted an offer from the Calgary Stampeders instead. Bright played 13 seasons (1952–64) in the CFL with the Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos (now Edmonton Elks). He won three Grey Cups and was the first Black player to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. Bright holds Edmonton franchise records for most rushing yards in a career (9,966) and in a season (1,722 in 1958). He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the US College Football Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
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Article

Jon Cornish

Jonathan Michael Cornish, football player, financier, university administrator (born 5 November 1984 in New Westminster, BC). One of the best running backs in Canadian Football League (CFL) history, Jon Cornish played nine seasons with the Calgary Stampeders (2007–15). A three-time CFL All-Star (2012, 2013, 2014), Cornish won the CFL Most Outstanding Player award (2013), the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award (2012, 2013, 2014) and the Northern Star Award as Canada’s top athlete (2013). He won two Grey Cups with the Stampeders (2008 and 2014) and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. He currently works in finance and was named chancellor of the University of Calgary in 2022.
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Article

Lennox Lewis

When the new heavyweight champion, Riddick Bowe, whom Lewis had beaten in the Olympic gold medal bout, refused to defend his title against Lewis, the World Boxing Council stripped Bowe of the title and awarded it to Lewis.
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Article

Manny McIntyre

Vincent “Manny” Churchill McIntyre, baseball player, hockey player, railway porter (born 4 October 1918 in Gagetown, New Brunswick; died 13 June 2011 in Candiac, QC). Manny McIntyre was the first Black Canadian to sign a professional baseball contract — just six weeks after American Jackie Robinson broke the pro baseball colour barrier. McIntyre played as a shortstop for the St. Lous Cardinals farm team, the Sherbrooke Canadians. A multisport athlete, he was also a member (with brothers Ossie and Herb Carnegie) of the first all-Black line in pro hockey, known as the “Black Aces.” McIntyre was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Black Ice Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame and the City of Fredericton Sports Wall of Fame.
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Article

Mark McKoy

Mark McKoy continued to excel after the games, winning gold medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the 110 m hurdles, and as a member of the 4x100 m relay team.
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Article

Perdita Felicien

Perdita Felicien, track and field hurdler (born 29 August 1980 in Oshawa, ON). Perdita Felicien is the first Canadian woman to win an individual medal in track at the IAAF World Championships.
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Article

Phil Edwards

Philip Aron “Phil” Edwards, runner, physician (born 23 September 1907 in Georgetown, British Guiana [now Guyana]; died 6 September 1971 in Montréal, QC). Nicknamed the “Man of Bronze,” middle distance runner Phil Edwards won five bronze medals at three Olympic Games in the 4x400m relay (1928 and 1932), 800m (1932 and 1936) and 1,500m (1932).
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Article

Michael “Pinball” Clemons

Michael “Pinball” Clemons, O Ont, football player, coach, motivational speaker (born 15 January 1965 in Dunedin, Florida). Michael Clemons is one of the most accomplished athletes in Canadian Football League (CFL) history and the first African American to coach in the Grey Cup. Known to many simply as “Pinball,” he is a CFL Hall of Famer and four-time Grey Cup winner with the Toronto Argonauts, earning three championships as a player (1991, 1996, 1997) and one as a head coach (2004). He is the all-time leader in total combined yards in CFL history (25,438). Clemons, a naturalized Canadian citizen, moved into an executive role in the Argonauts’ front office after retiring from coaching. He is involved with a number of charities, including the Pinball Clemons Foundation.
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Article

Sam Langford

Sam Langford, boxer (born 4 March 1886 in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia; died 12 January 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts). Langford was a professional boxer who competed across multiple weight classes during his 24-year career. A well-rounded boxer with fierce punching power, Langford often found success against much larger opponents and garnered praise as a fearless competitor. Despite an impressive winning record and praise from icons of the sport, Langford faced racial barriers that prevented him from competing for a title during an era when White champion boxers didn’t want to be seen losing to Black opponents. Though he was crowned heavyweight champion of England, Australia, Canada and Mexico, Langford is considered one of the best fighters never to win a title in the United States. Langford lost his vision during a fight later in his career, which ultimately forced his retirement. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, one year before his death. Langford’s professional record varies depending on the source — with the most comprehensive listing 214-46-44 with 138 knockouts. Some historians contend that Langford may have fought in over 600 matches.
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List

Trailblazing Black Canadian Athletes

Athletic success, we’re told, takes grit and determination. With these strengths, an athlete can overcome any obstacle and, if they’re good enough, become the best in their sport, regardless of the challenges ahead of them. But what if the goalposts keep moving? What if the finish lines are drawn farther, the hurdles set higher, and the windows of opportunity sealed shut? The athletes in this exhibit were not only the best in their fields, but among the best in history. They were the fastest sprinters, the most agile skaters, the hardest hitters and, in many cases, the first to succeed at a high level. But though they earned the respect of their elite peers and the awestruck admiration of onlookers, there were barriers to their success — a colour bar blocking their way. Nevertheless, these courageous Black men and women persevered, and in so doing, cleared a path for future generations.
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Editorial

Vancouver Feature: Heavyweight Champ Battles Future Movie Star

The following article is a feature from our Vancouver Feature series. Past features are not updated. In 1909, everyone knew who Jack Johnson was: the first Black Heavyweight Champion of the World. His opponent at the old Vancouver Athletic Club was a relatively unknown 26-year-old named Victor McLaglen. The young boxer lost this match, but would later win an Oscar and worldwide fame for his cinematic bouts with John Wayne.
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Article

William "Hipple" Galloway

William “Hipple” Galloway, baseball player, hockey player, tinsmith (born 24 March 1882 in Buffalo, New York; died 17 February 1943 in Buffalo). Raised in Dunnville, Ontario, William Galloway became the first Black Canadian to play professional baseball when he started at third base for the Class-D Canadian League Woodstock Bains on 12 June 1899. He was also one of the first Black Canadians to play amateur hockey in Ontario. Galloway was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021.
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