Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (June 26, 1911 or 1914 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete considered to be perhaps the greatest all-around female athlete of all time. She achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball and track and field. Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. ... The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. ... The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. ... The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Greg Norman on the 18th tee at St Andrews. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. ...

Life history

Babe Zaharias was born Mildred Didriksen (her surname was later accidentally changed) in the oil town of Port Arthur, Texas, and acquired the nickname "Babe" (after Babe Ruth) after she hit five home runs in a single baseball game. She wrote that she was born in 1914, however her tombstone and baptismal certificate say she was born in 1911, which is generally considered the correct year. Both of her parents were immigrants from Norway. Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont-Port Arthur metropolitan area and is situated in southeast Texas. ... For the eponymous band, see Babe Ruth (band). ... In baseball, a home run is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring a run himself (along with a run scored by each runner who was already on base), with no errors by the defensive team on... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ...

Athletic achievements

Zaharias gained world fame in track and field and All-American status in basketball. She played organized baseball and softball and was an expert diver, roller-skater and bowler. She won two gold medals and one silver medal for track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. [1] An All-America team is a sports team composed of star players. ...

Didrikson's first job was nominally as a secretary, for the Employers Casualty Insurance Co., of Dallas, Texas, in 1930. In fact, she was employed as a ruse for her to play basketball on one of the "industrial teams" in competitions organized by the Amateur Athletic Union. Despite leading the team to an AAU Basketball Championship in 1931, Didrikson first achieved wider attention as a track and field athlete. Representing her company in the 1932 AAU Championships, she entered eight events, winning five outright and tying first for a sixth. In the process, she set five world records in a single afternoon. Didrikson's performance was enough to win the team championship, despite being the only member of her team. As the AAU Championships were the de facto US Olympic Trials, Didrikson qualified for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She was limited to entering three events there, the javelin throw, the 80 m hurdles and the high jump. She nearly won all three events: she won gold medals in the javelin and hurdles and cleared the same height as compatriot Jean Shiley in the high jump (with whom she had tied in the AAU Championship). The jury, however, disapproved of her style (jumping over headfirst) and declared Shiley the Olympic champion. After the Games, Shiley and Didrikson split their medals. Nickname: Big D Location in the state of Texas Country United States State Texas Counties Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall Incorporated 2 February 1856  - Mayor Laura Miller Area    - City  385. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... - The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in United States. ... The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, were held in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Incorporated April 4, 1850  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City  498. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hurdling is running over obstacles. ... Gold medal winner Ethel Catherwood of Canada scissors over the bar at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Jean Shiley Newhouse (November 20, 1911 - March 11, 1998) is a former American high jumper. ...

By 1935, she picked up the sport of golf, a late-bloomer to the sport by which she would become most famous. Shortly thereafter, despite coming to the sport so late, she was denied amateur status, and so in January 1938 she competed in the Los Angeles Open, a men's PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) tournament, a feat no other woman would even try until Annika Sörenstam, Suzy Whaley, and Michelle Wie almost six decades later. In the tournament, she was teamed with George Zaharias, a well-known professional wrestler and sports promoter generally billed as "The Crying Greek from Cripple Creek". They were married eleven months later on December 23, 1938 in St. Louis, and later lived in Tampa, Florida on the grounds of a golf course they bought in 1951. The Nissan Open is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. ... Professional Golfers Association, (with or without the apostrophe), is the usual term for a professional association in mens golf. ...   (born October 9, 1970) is a Swedish professional golfer. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Michelle Sung Wie (born October 11, 1989 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a professional American golfer who has gained attention for her many attempts to make a cut at a PGA Tour event. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: Cigar City, The Big Guava Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida. ...

Babe went on to become America's first female golf celebrity and the leading player of the 1940s and early 1950s. After winning back her amateur status in 1942, she won the 1946-47 United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship as well as the 1947 British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship-- the first American to do so-- and three Western Open victories. Formally turning professional in 1947, she dominated the WPGA and later the LPGA, of which she was a founding member, until illness shortened her career in the mid-1950s. Zaharias even won a tournament named after her, the Babe Zaharias Open of Beaumont, Texas. She won the 1947 Titleholders Championship and the 1948 U.S. Women's Open for her fourth and fifth major championships. She won 17 straight amateur victories, a feat never equaled by anyone, including Tiger Woods. By 1950, she had won every golf title available. The U.S. Womens Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. ... The British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship was founded in 1893 by the Ladies Golf Union of Great Britain. ... The womens Western Open was a professional golf tournament which was first played in 1930. ... LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association. ... Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Jefferson County  - Mayor Guy Goodson Area    - City 222. ... There have been two professional golf tournaments for women named the Titleholders Championship. ... The U.S. Womens Open Golf Championship is one of the LPGAs major championships along with the LPGA Championship, the Womens British Open, and the Kraft Nabisco Championship. ... Womens golf has evolved a set of major tournaments which parallels that in mens golf, but the womens system is younger and has been less stable that the mens. ... Personal Information Birth December 30, 1975 (age 31) Cypress, California Height 6 ft 1 in (1. ...

Charles McGrath of the New York Times wrote of Zaharias, "Except perhaps for Arnold Palmer, no golfer has ever been more beloved by the gallery."

Last years

Zaharias had her greatest year in 1950 when she completed the Grand Slam of the three women's majors of the day, the US Open, the Titleholders Championship, and the Western Open, in addition to leading the money list. That year, she became the fastest LPGA golfer to ever reach 10 wins. She was the leading money-winner again in 1951 and in 1952 took another major with a Titleholders victory, but illness prevented her from playing a full schedule in 1952-53. After being diagnosed with colon cancer in 1953 and undergoing surgery, she made a comeback in 1954 and took the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, her only win of the trophy, and her 10th and final major with a U.S. Women's Open championship, one month after the cancer surgery. With this win, she stands as the second-oldest woman to ever win a major LPGA championship tournament. She also served as president of the LPGA from 1952 to 1955.^{[citation needed]} The Grand Slam of golf consists of four major golfing events held each year; the events are often referred to as the major tournaments and are all recognized as a part of the worlds two most prestigious tours, the PGA TOUR in the United States and the PGA European... The United States Open Golf Tournament is an annual mens golf tournament staged by the United States Golf Association each June. ... Diagram of the stomach, colon, and rectum Colorectal cancer includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. ...

Her cancer reappeared in 1955 and limited her schedule to eight events, but she managed two wins which stand as her final ones in competitive golf. The cancer took its toll, and Zaharias died in 1956 at age 45 while still in the top rank of female golfers. She and her husband had established the Babe Zaharias Fund to support cancer clinics. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

According to New York Times journalist Charles McGrath, Zaharias: The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

broke the mold of what a lady golfer was supposed to be. The ideal in the 20s and 30s was Joyce Wethered, a willowy Englishwoman with a picture-book swing that produced elegant shots but not especially long ones. Zaharias developed a grooved athletic swing reminiscent of Lee Trevino's, and she was so strong off the tee that a fellow Texan, the great golfer Byron Nelson, once said that he knew of only eight men who could outdrive her. "It's not enough just to swing at the ball," Babe said. "You've got to loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it."^{[cite this quote]} Joyce Wethered (born November 17, 1901 in Surrey, England — died November 18, 1997, London) was a golfer widely regarded as the greatest British woman player of her time. ... // Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American professional golfer. ... The cover of a book about Byron Nelsons record-breaking 1945 season John Byron Nelson, Jr. ...

On six occasions, she was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and in 1950, she was overwhelmingly voted Woman Athlete of the First Half of the 20th Century in an Associated Press poll, followed by Woman Athlete of the 20th Century in 1999. That same year, "Sports Illustrated" magazine also named her the Female Athlete of the Century. She was one of six initial inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame at its inception in 1967, inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951, and is now also in the World Golf Hall of Fame. She was also the highest ranked woman, at #10, on ESPN's list of the 50 top athletes of the 20th century. In 1957, she was given the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The Babe Didrikson Zaharias Memorial Center stands as a museum to her achievements in Beaumont, Texas. Associated Press Athlete of the Year In 1931, the first and most prestigious Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP). ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... // The World Golf Hall of Fame is located in St. ... ESPN, formerly the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. ... The logo of the USGA The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. ... Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Counties Jefferson County  - Mayor Guy Goodson Area    - City 222. ...

Babe Zaharias Golf Course

In 1949, Zaharias purchased a golf course in the Forest Hills area of Tampa, Florida and lived nearby. The golf course had a magnificent clubhouse which Zaharias was rumored to live in at one point. After her death, the golf course was sold. It lay dormant as developers attempted to acquire the land for residential housing.

In 1974, the City of Tampa took over the golf course and named it the Babe Zaharias Golf Course.[2] It was renovated in 2004 and has now been accorded the status of a Historical Landmark.

Author Don Van Natta, Jr. is writing a biography of Babe Didrikson, which is scheduled to be published in late 2008 or early 2009 by Little, Brown & Company. Don Van Natta Jr. ... Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. ...

In 2007, Lesbian playwright Carolyn Gage started working on a full-chorus, full-orchestra musical about Zaharias (who was herself a lesbian) called Babe. [3] 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Carolyn Gage (fl. ...

See also

• Golfers with most LPGA Tour wins
• Golfers with most LPGA major championship wins

This table lists players with 20 or more wins on the LPGA Tour as of March 19, 2006. ... This article lists all the women who have won the LPGA Tours past and present major championships by number of victories. ...

References

• Babe Zaharias Golf Course History

• 'Most Valuable Player', by Charles McGrath, New York Times Magazine, November 24, 1996.

Bibliography

• This Life I've Led: My Autobiography, by Babe Didrikson Zaharias, New York, 1955
• Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, by Susan Cayleff, 1996.
• Why Michael Couldn't Hit and Other Tales of the Neurology of Sports, by Harold L. Klawans, 1996

External links

• Official Site of the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation - on archive.org
• Golf Stars Online - links to features and profiles
• LPGA biography
• New York Times obituary
• Babe Zaharias' Gravesite
• Babe Zaharias Golf Course
• New York Times- Charles McGrath on Babe Zaharias
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias' U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Babe, a 1975 TV movie biography, at The Internet Movie Database