Benjamin Franklin Kelly made history on September 19, 1953, when he became the first African American to play at an all-white college in Texas, San Angelo College (later Angelo State University, ASU). His San Angelo College debut came eight months before the U.S. Supreme Court’s … Read MoreBen Kelly (1931-2014)
Rayne Dakota (Dak) Prescott is a National Football League quarterback currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott was born on July 29, 1993, in Sulphur, Louisiana to parents Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott. Prescott attended Haughton High School in Haughton, Louisiana and then accepted a scholarship … Read MoreRayne Dakota (Dak) Prescott (1993- )
Deion Luwynn Sanders is a college football coach, former professional football player, and baseball player. Sanders was born on August 9, 1967, to Connie and Mims Sanders in Fort Myers, Florida. Sanders’s parents divorced when he was two years old, and his mother married Willie … Read MoreDeion Luwynn Sanders (1967- )
Marlin Oliver “The Magician” Briscoe was a football quarterback for the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). When the Denver (Colorado) Broncos drafted him in 1968, Briscoe became the first African American Quarterback in professional football to start on a football team. … Read MoreMarlin Oliver Briscoe (1945-2022)
Herschel Junior Walker, a former football running back, was the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia. Walker was born on March 3, 1962, to Willis and Christine Walker in Wrightsville, Georgia. Walker attended Johnson County High School in Wrightsville. While … Read MoreHerschel Junior Walker (1962-)
John Haywood Baker Jr. was elected Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina, in 1978. A former professional football player, with his election, he would become the first African American sheriff elected in the state since the Reconstruction Era. Baker held the office for 24 years … Read MoreJohn H. Baker Jr. (1935-2007)
Leland Melvin is a former NFL player, chemist, and retired NASA astronaut. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 15, 1964, to Deems and Grace Melvin. At an early age, he developed an interest in chemistry after his mom bought him a chemistry set. … Read MoreLeland Devon Melvin (1964- )
Charles Lewis Haley is a former football player for the National Football League and holds the distinction of being the first five-time Super Bowl Champion. Haley was born on January 6, 1964, in Gladys, Virginia. His mother’s name was Virginia, and his father’s name is … Read MoreCharles Haley (1964- )
Legendary saxophonist, composer Clarence Clemons, a towering 6-foot-6, was born Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. on January 11, 1942, in Norfolk, Virginia, in the segregated Norfolk Community Hospital, to Clarence Anicholas “Nick” Clemons Jr., Sr., owner of The Clemons’ Seafood Market” on Liberty Street in the … Read MoreClarence Clemons Jr. (1942-2011)
Collegiate, professional football player, coach, and advocate Arthur Lee Shell Jr. was born November 26, 1946, in North Charleston, South Carolina, to Arthur Lee Shell, Sr, a machine set operator, and Gertrude Shell, a homemaker. During his sophomore year at Bonds-Wilson High School, his mother died when he … Read MoreArthur “Art” Lee Shell, Jr. (1946- )
