Simone Biles
Biles trained in the Houston area. In Paris in 2024 she won gold in the team competition, individual all-around and vault.
Read the athlete profile ↗Explore school and college sports, professional pathways, golf, outdoor activities, and recreation for every generation.
Black Texas athletes
At San Antonio’s Holmes High School, Darold Williamson ran for a state title. Three years later, he carried the baton home for the United States in Athens. Explore the Texas hometowns, schools and teams behind eight careers.
Texas roots, Olympic gold
Michael Johnson
Born in Dallas and educated at Baylor, Johnson became the first man to win both the 200 and 400 meters at one Olympics, in Atlanta in 1996.
Read the athlete profile ↗Simone Manuel
At Rio in 2016, Manuel tied for gold in the 100-meter freestyle and helped the United States win the women’s 4 × 100-meter medley relay.
Read the athlete profile ↗Darold Williamson
At Holmes High School he won Texas titles at 200 and 400 meters. After competing for Baylor, he anchored the U.S. men’s 4 × 400-meter relay to gold in Athens in 2004.
Read the athlete profile ↗Sheryl Swoopes
Swoopes won Olympic gold in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens. Between those Games, she helped the original Houston Comets win the WNBA’s first four championships.
Read the athlete profile ↗Brittney Griner
From Houston’s Nimitz High School to Baylor and the WNBA, Griner built a career protecting the rim. She won Olympic gold with the U.S. women in Rio, Tokyo and Paris.
Read the athlete profile ↗Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico City
Clarksville’s Tommie Smith won the 200 meters in world-record time in 1968. Bronze medalist John Carlos had run for East Texas State in Commerce. Together they protested racial injustice on the medal stand.
Read the story of their Olympic protest →From Texas to the Hall of Fame
Ernie Banks
At 19, Banks played for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1953 the Dallas native became the first Black player to take the field for the Chicago Cubs.
Read the athlete profile ↗Earl Campbell
The “Tyler Rose” went from East Texas to the University of Texas and then to the Houston Oilers, who selected him first overall in the 1978 NFL draft.
Read the athlete profile ↗Houston Astros · Baseball history
Dusty Baker won more games than any Black manager in MLB history
On May 3, 2022, Houston beat Seattle 4–0 at Minute Maid Park. With that victory, Dusty Baker became the first Black manager to win 2,000 regular-season games. That fall, he led the Astros to the World Series title, his first championship as a manager.
Baker managed Houston from 2020 through 2023. He retired with 2,183 regular-season wins across five MLB clubs.
Read MLB’s account of the milestone in Houston ↗Texas professional teams
Follow Texas clubs in seven major leagues. Each team name opens its official site.
San Antonio
- Spurs · NBA
Dallas–Fort Worth
- Dallas Cowboys · NFL
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- Dallas Mavericks · NBA
- Dallas Wings · WNBA
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Houston
- Houston Texans · NFL
- Houston Astros · MLB
- Houston Rockets · NBA
- Houston Dynamo FC · MLS
- Houston Dash · NWSL
Austin
- Austin FC · MLS
Coming in 2027: The WNBA approved the Connecticut Sun’s relocation to Houston. The team will play as the Houston Comets, bringing back the name of Swoopes’s championship club. Read the team announcement ↗
From Texas schools and neighborhoods to the pros
Basketball · Dallas and San Antonio
Chris Bosh was born and raised in Dallas. His Lincoln High School team went 40–0 in 2002. He went on to earn 11 NBA All-Star selections, win Olympic gold in Beijing and help Miami win consecutive NBA titles in 2012 and 2013. Texas Sports Hall of Fame · NBA
Did Shaq really play high school basketball in San Antonio? Yes. Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, and attended Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio. In 1989 he led Cole to the Texas Class 3A championship. The future four-time NBA champion made 15 NBA All-Star teams. Texas Sports Hall of Fame · Basketball Hall of Fame
Football · Tyler and Waco
Earl Campbell earned his nickname, the Tyler Rose, in his hometown. As a senior at John Tyler High School he ran for 2,893 yards and helped his team finish 15–0 with a state title. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy at Texas, then led the NFL in rushing in each of his first three seasons with the Houston Oilers. Texas Sports Hall of Fame
LaDainian Tomlinson played high school football in Waco and college football at TCU. The five-time Pro Bowl running back scored 31 touchdowns for San Diego during his 2006 NFL MVP season. Pro Football Hall of Fame
Baseball · Dallas and Houston
Ernie Banks grew up in Dallas and attended Booker T. Washington High School. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs before becoming the first Black player to take the field for the Chicago Cubs in 1953. He won the National League MVP award in 1958 and again in 1959, both times with a losing Cubs team. Baseball Hall of Fame · Handbook of Texas
Carl Crawford was born in Houston and attended Jefferson Davis High School there. His speed made him a threat whenever he reached base. The four-time All-Star outfielder led the American League in stolen bases four times with Tampa Bay. MLB career record
Soccer · Plano and Frisco
Kellyn Acosta was born and raised in Plano and developed in the FC Dallas academy. He helped his hometown club win the U.S. Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield in 2016 and earned an MLS All-Star selection in 2017. FC Dallas · U.S. Soccer
Jaedyn Shaw grew up close enough to the stadium in Frisco to walk to FC Dallas matches. In December 2023 she returned to that same city for her first start with the U.S. women’s national team and scored the winning goal against China. U.S. Soccer had named her its Young Female Player of the Year for 2022. U.S. Soccer’s profile of Shaw
Boxing · Galveston, Marshall and Houston
Jack Johnson grew up in Galveston. In 1908 he defeated Tommy Burns in Australia to become the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion. Handbook of Texas
George Foreman
Foreman was born in Marshall and grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward. He won heavyweight gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. In 1973 he took the professional heavyweight title from Joe Frazier. In 1994, at age 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer to win it again. Handbook of Texas
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