Sam Lacy
#248,172 Most Popular
About
Famous as the inaugural African-American member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, he had a nine-decade-long career as a sports journalist for the Washington Tribune, the Chicago Defender, and the Baltimore NBC affiliate WBAL-TV.
Before Fame
Before beginning his career as a journalist, he earned an undergraduate degree in physical education from Howard University and played semi-professional baseball.
Trivia
Throughout his career, he fought to give minority athletes equal opportunities and pay in the professional sports world.
Family Life
He was raised in Connecticut and Washington, D.C. by a Native American mother and an African-American father. His first marriage, to Roberta Robinson, resulted in children named Samuel and Michaelyn; he later married Barbara Robinson.
Associated With
In 1936, Lacy reported on the medals won by African-American runner Jesse Owens at that year's Summer Olympics (held in Berlin, Germany).
