What is Althea Gibson's Net Worth?
Althea Gibson was an American professional tennis player and professional golfer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death. Althea was the first black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis. In the early '60s she also became the first black player to compete on the women's professional golf tour.
At a time when racism and prejudice were widespread in sports and in society, Gibson was often compared to Jackie Robinson. Gibson's five Wimbledon trophies are displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
Althea Gibson was born August 25, 1927 in Clarendon County, South Carolina. In 1956, Gibson became the first person of color to win a Grand Slam title (the French Open). The following year she won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (precursor of the U.S. Open). She won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years.
In all she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments, including six doubles titles, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
The Althea Gibson Foundation identifies and supports gifted golf and tennis players who live in urban environments. In 2005, Gibson's friend Bill Cosby endowed the Althea Gibson Scholarship at her alma mater, Florida A&M University.
In September 2009 Wilmington, North Carolina named its new community tennis court facility the Althea Gibson Tennis Complex at Empie Park. Other tennis facilities bearing her name include Manning High School (near her birthplace in Silver, South Carolina), the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC, Florida A&M University and Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. In 2012, a bronze statue, created by sculptor Thomas Jay Warren, was dedicated to her memory in Branch Brook Park.
