Athlete Willie Davenport 1943 - 2002

Track and field athlete and military officer. Born William D. Davenport on June 8, 1943 in Troy, Alabama. An Army private, Willie Davenport was the surprise winner of the 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials in 1964. An injury cost him the Olympic Games that year, but he went on to compete three more times, winning the title in Mexico in 1968. He finished fourth in 1972 and won the bronze in 1976.

Arguably Davenport's best event, however, was the 60-yard hurdles, which is not on the Olympic program. He was national champion in that event five times. In 1980, he was the runner for a four-man bobsled team at the winter Olympics in Lake Placid, making him the fourth American to compete in both the summer and winter games.

Davenport rose through Army ranks to serve as Colonel of the United States National Guard. He died of a heart attack on June 17, 2002.

USA Tennis Player Venus Williams 1980

American tennis player. Born Venus Ebony Starr Williams on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, California. One of Richard and Oracene Williams' five daughters, Venus, along with her younger sister, Serena, has redefined women's tennis with her strength and superb athleticism. Since turning pro in 1994, Venus has captured seven Grand Slam titles, including five Wimbledon championships, joining Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only women to have accomplished this.

Venus was introduced to tennis by her father on the public courts in Los Angeles, not far from the family's home in Compton. Richard Williams, a former sharecropper from Louisiana, used what he'd gleaned from tennis books and videos to instruct his girls on the different aspects of the game.

The fact that the family had relocated to Compton was no accident. With its high rate of gang activity, Richard Williams had wanted to expose his daughters to the ugly possibilities of life "if they did not work hard and get an education." In this setting, on courts that were riddled with potholes and sometimes missing nets, Venus and Serena cut their teeth on the game of tennis and the requirements for persevering in a tough climate.

By the age of ten, Venus Williams' serve topped 100 MPH, a weapon she used to go 63-0 on the United States Tennis Association junior tour. On October 31, 1994, Venus turned pro, something she proved she was more than ready for when, in her first match, she beat 50-seeded Shaun Stafford at the Bank of the West Classic in California.

It was a momentous occasion for the Williams family, Richard in particular, who wasn't afraid to let the tennis world know that his girls were going to change the game. "That's one for the ghetto!" he shouted out at the press conference following Venus' victory.

In 1997, Venus became the first unseeded U.S. Open women's finalist in the Open era. She lost to Martina Hingis. In 2000, Williams won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, paving the way for her to ink a $40 million contract with Reebok. Venus then went out and defended her titles in 2001.

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Williams captured the gold medal in the singles competition, and then took a second one with Serena in the doubles event. The sisters have credited the other with pushing them in tennis, both as teammates and as competitors. Together, the pair have won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles and have squared off more than 20 times, including the finals of eight Grand Slam tournaments. In addition to their time spent together on the court, the sisters also share a home together in Florida. Their parents continue to coach them.

In recent years, Venus has struggled with injuries—she competed in only a handful of tournaments in 2006—but returned to form in 2007, winning the singles title at Wimbledon. She repeated the victory a year later, when she defeated Serena for a fifth career Wimbledon championship, placing her fifth all-time in women's Wimbledon singles championships. A few months later, the Williams sisters teamed up to capture the doubles title at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Off the court, Venus Williams has cultivated a varied number of pursuits. She's pursued art classes, and earned a certificate in interior design. She has started her clothing line called "EleVen" as well as a collection of women's apparel for Wilson's Leather. In addition, Venus has launched her own interior design company, V Starr Interiors, which works on residential projects throughout the country.

She's also been active in a number of social causes, including working closely with UNESCO on promoting gender equality throughout the world.

Venus lives in Palm Beach, Florida, with her sister Serena and their two dogs, a Jack Russell terrier and a Maltese.

Golf Player Phil Mickelson 1970

Athlete. Born Philip Alfred Mickelson on June 16, 1970, in San Diego, California. Mickelson's career in golf began around the time he could walk; his parents Phil and Mary tell the story of a young Phil running away from home at the age of 3, telling neighbors he was going to the golf course.

Mickelson began an amateur golfing career as a teen. He won 34 San Diego Junior Golf Association titles, using his father's job as an airline pilot to score tickets to his various tournaments. His mother took a second job to help pay for his American Junior Golf Association play, which won him three consecutive AJGA Rolex Player of the Year awards, and a full scholarship to Arizona State University.

Mickelson graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988, and headed to Arizona State University to study psychology. During his time at Arizona State, Mickelson jumped to the top of the national amateur golfing ranks. He won three NCAA individual championships, three Haskins Awards for outstanding collegiate golfer, and became only the second collegiate golfer to earn 1st team All-American honors all four years. In 1990, while a junior in college, he became the first left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur title. That same year, he stunned critics when he won his first PGA Tour tournament as an amateur, becoming the fourth golfer in PGA history to accomplish this feat.

Mickelson earned his bachelor's degree at ASU after his 1991 win in Tucson. In 1992, on the eve of his 22nd birthday, he turned professional. Mickelson's first win as a pro was in 1993 at Torrey Pines, and the golfer continued to win many PGA Tour tournaments, including the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf in 1996. In 1998, he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, followed by the Colonial National Invitation in 2000. He also won the Buick Invitational in 2000, defeating favorite Tiger Woods and ending the golf icon's streak of consecutive tournament victories. His first major championship win came at the 2004 Masters.

Mickelson's 2004 Masters tournament victory, was ranked No. 9 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)." In 2007, Forbes estimated his earnings for the year at $42 million, making him one of golf's highest-paid players.

In 2009, Mickelson came back into view as the possible U.S. Open champ. The neck-and-neck competition involved underdog Ricky Barnes, as well as Lucas Glover and Tiger Woods.

Mickelson is married to Amy McBride, who is currently battling cancer. They have three children: Amanda, Sophia, and Evan.

1st Baseball Woman Umpire Bernice Gera 1931 - 1992

Professional umpire. Born on June 15, 1931, in Ernest, Pennsylvania. Creating a sports milestone, Bernice Gera was the first professional woman umpire in the history of baseball. As a child, she began her lifelong love of the sport. Gera didn’t consider a career in baseball until after she had worked as a secretary for a while and got married. According to a Time magazine article, the idea to become an umpire just suddenly hit her one night. Gera sold her husband on the idea and enrolled in the Florida Baseball School in 1967.


As a training facility for a strictly male profession, the school had no facilities for Gera. Bernice Gera spent much of the six-week program living in a nearby motel. By several reports, she excelled in her training. But breaking into the field would prove to be enormously challenging. Gera was rejected by the National Association of Baseball Leagues (NABL), which claimed that she did not meet the physical requirements of the job.

Bernice Gera would not be deterred, however. She fought the NABL in court for several years before winning the right to umpire in 1972. On June 24, 1972, Gera made history as the first professional female umpire at a double-header between the Auburn Phillies and Geneva Rangers in New York-Pennsylvania League. Her victory was short-lived—she quit between games. According to The New York Times, Gera reportedly resigned because none of the other umpires would work with her on the field.

Although she stopped umpiring, Bernice Gera stayed in the game. She went to work for the New York Mets in the team’s community relations and promotions for several years before retiring to Florida.

Bernice Gera died of kidney cancer in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in 1992.