When did Doris Didrikson start playing golf?
By 1935, Didrikson began to play golf, a latecomer to the sport in which she became best known. Shortly thereafter, she was denied amateur status, and so, in January 1938, she competed in the Los Angeles Open, a PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) tournament.
What is the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Fund?
In the last months of her life she and her husband established the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Fund to support cancer clinics and treatment centers. Zaharias was the greatest woman golfer of all time, the winner of seventeen successive golf tournaments in 1946-1947, and of 82 tournaments between 1933 and 1953.
What was Babe Didrikson's book Wonder Girl?
Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-05699-1. Zaharias, Babe Didrikson (1955).
When did Mary Didrikson turn professional?
Having formally turned professional in 1947, Didrikson dominated the Women's Professional Golf Association and later the Ladies Professional Golf Association. She was a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, in 1950. Serious illness ended her career in the mid-1950s.
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How many golf tournaments did Babe Zaharias win?
82 tournamentsDespite these records, Zaharias is best known for her achievements in golf, winning 82 tournaments throughout her career. She took up golf in 1933, though initially faced discrimination and resistance as a woman. That changed as she began her winning streak.
What year did Babe Didrikson participate in the Olympics?
1932Babe Didrikson achieved an unusual feat at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games, becoming the only athlete ever – male or female – to win individual Olympic medals in separate running, throwing and jumping events. The Texan sprinted to gold in the 80-meter hurdles and threw the javelin for a second gold.
What was Babe Didrikson Zaharias real name?
Mildred Ella ZahariasBabe Didrikson Zaharias, byname of Mildred Ella Zaharias, née Mildred Ella Didrikson, (born June 26, 1911, Port Arthur, Texas, U.S.—died September 27, 1956, Galveston, Texas), American sportswoman who was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, achieving particular success in basketball and track and field, ...
Did Babe Didrikson have any children?
In January 1938, she met George Zaharias, a professional wrestler often billed as "The Crying Greek from Cripple Creek," at the Los Angeles Open. She was attracted to this hulk of a man who could drive a golf ball farther than she. On December 23, 1938, they were married. They had no children.
How much did Jesse break the Olympic record for the 200 m by?
20.7 secondsWith his four gold medals, Jesse Owens was the star of the Berlin Olympics. He equaled the world record (10.3 seconds) in the 100-meter race and broke the world records in the 200-meter race (20.7 seconds) and in the broad jump (26 feet 5 3/8 inches).
Why is Babe Didrikson considered the greatest female athlete of the 20th century?
While she qualified for five Olympic events in Los Angeles, women were allowed to compete in only three. She won the first Olympic women's competition in the javelin (143 feet, 4 inches) and 80-meter hurdles, setting a world record with her time of 11.7 seconds.
Who was the first female golfer?
The first female golfer is noted to some as Mary Stuart (The Queen of Scotland from 1542 – 1567). During her reign the famous St Andrews Links golf course was built. Mary credited for creating the term “caddie” which was derived from the word “cadets” used by her when referring to her assistants.
Where did Babe Didrikson Zaharias live?
Port ArthurBeaumontBabe Didrikson Zaharias/Places lived
What school did Babe Didrikson Zaharias go to?
Beaumont High SchoolBabe Didrikson Zaharias / EducationBeaumont High School was a public, co-educational secondary school in the Beaumont Independent School District in Beaumont, Texas from 1898 to 1975. Wikipedia
What event did Muhammad Ali win at the 1960 Summer Olympics?
As Cassius Clay, Ali travelled to the 1960 Rome Games to compete in the light heavyweight division. Despite being only 18, he won all four of his fights easily. In the final he defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski to win the gold medal.
Which event did Billy Mills win in the 1964 Olympics?
the 10,000-meter raceIt was one of the greatest Olympic upsets ever: Billy Mills came from nowhere to win the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Olympics in Japan. The victory was a triumph that grew from the discrimination he faced growing up as the son of white and Native American parents.
What sports did Babe Zaharias play?
Babe Didrikson ZahariasSportSportAthleticsEvent(s)Sprint, 80 m hurdles, high jump, long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, shot putClubEmployers' Casualty Co. ClubAchievements and titles2 more rows
What instrument did Babe Didrikson play?
She did a brief stint in vaudeville playing the harmonica and running on a treadmill and pitched in some major league spring-training games; she also toured with a billiards exhibition, a men's and women's basketball team called Babe Didrikson's All-Americans, and an otherwise all-male, bearded baseball road team ...
What team did Babe Didrikson play for?
In the following years, she performed on the vaudeville circuit, traveled with teams like Babe Didrikson's All-Americans basketball team and the bearded House of David (commune) team. Didrikson was also a competitive pocket billiards (pool) player, though not a champion.
Who was Babe Didrikson married to?
Already famous as Babe Didrikson, she married George Zaharias (1908–1984), a professional wrestler, in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 23, 1938. Thereafter, she was largely known as Babe Didrikson Zaharias or Babe Zaharias. The two met while playing golf.
What was the first job that Didrikson had?
Didrikson's first job after high school was as a secretary for the Employers' Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas, though she was employed only in order to play basketball as an amateur on the company's "industrial team", the Golden Cyclones. As a side note, the competition was then governed by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Despite leading the team to an AAU Basketball Championship in 1931, Didrikson had first achieved wider attention as a track and field athlete.
What year did Zaharias win the Grand Slam?
Zaharias had her greatest year in 1950 when she completed the Grand Slam of the three women's majors of the day: the U.S. Open, the Titleholders Championship, and the Women's Western Open, a feat that made her the leader on the money list that year.
Where is Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum?
She was one of six initial inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame at its inception in 1977. Zaharias has a museum dedicated to her in Port Arthur, Texas the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum. Several golf courses are named after her.
Where was Babe born?
Although her three eldest siblings were born in Norway, Babe and her three other siblings were born in Port Arthur. She later changed the spelling of her surname from Didriksen to Didrikson. She moved with her family to 850 Doucette in Beaumont, Texas, at age 4.
Who won the Women's Amateur in 1946?
Zaharias won the 1946 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 1947 British Ladies Amateur – the first American to do so – and three Women's Western Opens. Having formally turned professional in 1947, Didrikson dominated the Women's Professional Golf Association and later the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
How many world records did Babe Didrikson set?
In track & field, Didrikson set five world records in one day at an AAU meet in 1932. At that meet, her team won the national team title—and she was the only member of the team. At the 1932 Olympics, Babe won gold medals in the 80-meter hurdles and the javelin, and earned silver in the high jump.
Where was Babe Didrikson born?
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was born Mildred Ella Didriksen on June 26, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas to a working-class, East Texan, Norwegian immigrant family. Her father Ole Didriksen was a sailor based in Oslo, who saw Port Arthur from the bow of a ship and resolved to move his wife Hannah and their three children there. The family arrived in 1908 and four more children were born: Mildred was the youngest daughter, the sixth of seven. Hannah was an ice skater and skier; eventually, Ole gave up sailing and became a cabinet maker like his father.
What was Babe Didrikson Zaharias diagnosed with?
Cancer Diagnosis and Death. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1953 and underwent a complete colostomy, but the surgery identified that the disease was already in her lymph nodes.
What was Babe Didrikson's first job?
Babe, like the rest of her brothers and sisters, got her first job at the age of 12, working after school at a fig packing plant and then at a potato gunnysack factory. Didrikson was active in sports from a young age, while in high school she won the doubles crown in tennis and also played on the golf team.
What sport did Zaharias play?
After years of excelling in other sports, including winning Olympic medals, Zaharias took up golf. She quickly became one of the best ever in that sport too, and her presence in the early days of the LPGA Tour was critical in the growth of women's golf .
How many times did Zaharias win the Amateur?
In the major championships of amateur golf, Zaharias won three times: the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1946 and 1947, and the British Women's Amateur in 1947.
Who were Babe Didrikson's parents?
Fast Facts: Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Parents: Ole Didriksen and Hannah Didriksen (as an adult, Babe changed the spelling of her surname to end with "on" rather than "en") Spouse (s): George Zaharias (married 1938–1956); Betty Dodd (longtime companion, 1950–1956) Famous Quote: When asked how she hit the golf ball so far, she replied, ...
Who paid tribute to Babe Didrikson?
Paul Gallico paid perhaps the finest tribute to her: "Much has been made of Babe Didrikson's natural aptitude for sports, as well as her competitive spirit and indomitable will to win.
Where did the Didrikson family move to?
The family, who spelled their name Didriksen, moved to Beaumont, Texas, when Mildred was 3. Times were often difficult for the large Didrikson family, and as an adolescent Mildred worked at many part-time jobs, including sewing gunny sacks at a penny a sack.
What is Babe Didrikson Zaharias Fund?
In the last months of her life she and her husband established the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Fund to support cancer clinics and treatment centers. Zaharias was the greatest woman golfer of all time, the winner of seventeen successive golf tournaments in 1946-1947, and of 82 tournaments between 1933 and 1953.
How many home runs did Babe Zaharias hit?
Athlete and Olympic champion Babe Didrikson Zaharias earned her nickname "Babe" by hitting five home runs in one childhood baseball game. At the 1932 Olympics, she won medals in the hurdles, javelin throw and high jump. By the 1940s, she was the greatest woman golfer of all time.
What high school did Zaharias play for?
At the age of 15, Zaharias was the high-scoring forward on the girls' basketball team at Beaumont Senior High School. She attracted the attention of Melvin J. McCombs, coach of one of the best girls' basketball teams in the nation.
How many balls did Zaharias drive?
She would drive as many as 1,000 balls a day, take lessons for five or six hours, and play until her hands were blistered and bleeding. In 1947, Zaharias became the first American woman to win the British Ladies' Amateur Championship, at Gullane, Scotland.
How many points did Babe have in the Olympics?
In 1932, with much more interest in the meet because of the approaching Olympics, she captured the championship, scoring 30 points; the Illinois Women's Athletic Club, which entered a team of 22 women, placed second with 22 points. Babe then went to the Olympics.
The Babe Zaharias Golf Course
Florida is home to many golf courses, but the Babe Zaharias Golf Course here in Tampa is named after one of the most accomplished female golfers to play the game.
Cite this Page
Madison Schmidt , “Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Golf’s Superstar,” Tampa Historical, accessed February 15, 2022, https://www.tampahistorical.org/items/show/190.
Who was Babe Didrikson married to?
On December 23, 1938, Babe Didrikson married George Zaharias. He was a professional wrestler. This is when she started calling herself Babe Didrikson Zaharias. The couple had no children. They were refused by authorities when they tried to adopt.
What was the first job that Didrikson did?
Her first job after leaving high school was with the Employers' Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas. She was a secretary. The reality of the situation was that Didrikson's was being paid to play basketball for the company's industrial team called the Golden Cyclones. The team was part of a league governed by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Didrikson led the team to an AAU Basketball Championship. The next year she represented the company in AAU track and field championships. Didrikson competed in eight events. She tied for first in three of the events. Didrikson won five of the events outright. Didrikson won the team championship, despite the fact she was the only member of the team.
Who was the first female golfer?
During the 1940s and early 1950s, Didrikson became the first female golf celebrity in the United States. In 1946, she won the Women's Amateur golf tournament and the 1947 British Ladies Amateur tournament. She became a dominating force in the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA). Didrikson attempted to be the first woman to qualify for the U.S. Open in 1948. The United States Golf Association (USGA) rejected her application. The organization stated it was an event designed to be open only to men. In 1950, Didrikson became a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). She eventually won 17 straight women's amateur golf victories. This is an accomplishment that has never been equaled. By the time 1950 came around, she had won every possible golf title. When the number of her professional and amateur victories is combined, Didrikson won 82 golf tournaments during her career.
Overview
Biography
Mildred Ella Didrikson was born on June 26, 1911, the sixth of seven children, in the coastal city of Port Arthur, Texas. Her mother, Hannah, and her father, Ole Didriksen, were immigrants from Norway. Although her three eldest siblings were born in Norway, Babe and her three other siblings were born in Port Arthur. She later changed the spelling of her surname from Didriksen to Didrikson. Sh…
Legacy
She was named the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN, and the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press.
Zaharias broke the accepted models of femininity in her time, including the accepted models of female athleticism. Standing 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall and wei…
Amateur wins
Note: This list is incomplete.
• 1935 Texas Women's Amateur
• 1946 U.S. Women's Amateur, Women's Trans-Mississippi Amateur
• 1947 North and South Women's Amateur, British Ladies Amateur
Professional wins
• 1940 (1) Women's Western Open (as an amateur)
• 1944 (1) Women's Western Open (as an amateur)
• 1945 (1) Women's Western Open (as an amateur)
• 1947 (2) Tampa Open, Titleholders Championship (as an amateur)
See also
• List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most LPGA major championship wins
Female golfers who have competed against men in open PGA tournaments:
Annika Sorenstam Suzy Whaley Michelle Wie Brittany Lincicome
Bibliography
• Cayleff, Susan E. (1996). Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06593-4.
• Klawans, Harold L. (1996). 'Why Michael Couldn't Hit and Other Tales of the Neurology of Sports. W.H. Freeman & Company. ISBN 978-0-7167-3001-9.
• Van Natta Jr., Don (2011). Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-05699-1.
External links
• Mildred (Babe) Didriksen at the USATF Hall of Fame
• Babe Didrikson at the USOPC Hall of Fame
• Babe Zaharias at the LPGA Tour official site
• Mildred Didrikson at Olympics.com
Early Life
A Sports Whiz
Before Golf
Turning to Golf
Image
Zaharias' Golf Wins and Honors
- In the major championships of amateur golf, Zaharias won three times: the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1946 and 1947, and the British Women's Amateur in 1947. In the professional major championships, she won 10 times (still the fourth-most in LPGA history): the U.S. Women's Open in 1948, 1950, and 1954; the Women's Western Open in 1940, 1944, 1945, and ...
Cancer Diagnosis and Death
Sources