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image: Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe

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Inducted: 1994
Induction Class: Chi Chi Rodriguez (Golf), Arthur Ashe (Tennis),
Rafer Johnson
(Track & Field)
Sport: Tennis
Years Active: 1969-1979
Born: July 10, 1943
(Died:  Feb. 6, 1993)
Birthplace: Richmond, VA
Community Focus: Health & Disease
Foundation: Arthur Ashe Institute

Arthur Ashe, Grand Slam tournament champion and committed advocate for health and humanitarian causes, left a legacy both on and off the court.  He was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 1994, which included golf great Chi Chi Rodriguez and Olympic decathlete Rafer Johnson.

Ashe began playing tennis at a young age and received a tennis scholarship to play at UCLA.   By the time he turned professional in 1969, he had both an individual and an NCAA team championship under his belt. Ashe’s career boasts three grand-slam titles including the 1968 U.S. Open, the 1970 Australian Open, and 1975 Wimbledon.  Ashe remains the sole African American to win a singles tournament in any of those three events. 

In 1988, after suffering a heart attack, Ashe discovered that he had contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. Just two months before his death, Ashe announced the creation of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, an organization designed to address healthcare concerns in urban America.  Over a decade later, Ashe’s legacy lives on in programs that encourage a proactive approach to healthcare through culturally competent advances in health services.