The Babe Didrickson Zaharias museum is located in Beaumont, Texas. Babe Didrikson named 10th-greatest athlete of the century By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. At birth in Port Arthur, Texas, she was Mildred Ella Didriksen (she would later change the spelling of her name). navcontributeover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_contribute_over.gif"; One sportswriter noted, “It would be much better if she and her ilk stayed at home, got themselves prettied up and waited for the phone to ring.” Such comments failed to deter Didrikson, as she also excelled in softball, swimming, figure skating, billiards, and even football. How did Babe Didrikson change the world? In the high jump, she and Jean Smiley both broke the world record at 5-foot-5+, but Smiley received the gold and Babe the silver when Babe was disqualified on a dubious ruling after her final jump. She frequently acted like a self-centered prima donna, a boastful person who constantly sought attention. From 1930 through 1932, Didrikson was a member of the women’s All-America basketball team. Fourteen weeks later, she played in a tournament. Actually, she was paid to be a secretary because she would have lost her amateur status had she been paid to play. In her childhood, she used to play baseball with neighbourhood boys in Beaumont. She ripped it far and straight enough, and putted well enough, that not only did she dominate women's golf, but for three straight years (1945-47) AP named her the Female Athlete of the Year. navgallerycold.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_gallery_cold.gif"; One of America’s foremost female athletes, Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was an Olympic gold medal winner who broke world records in multiple sports and went on to found the Ladies Pro Golf Association. How did Babe Didrikson change the world? Babe Didrikson was the world's greatest woman athlete. The wire service also voted her Female Athlete of the Year six times - once for her track dominance and five times for her golfing prowess. var navathletesover = new Image(); The next year, she was the first American to win the British Amateur. After battling her disease (colon cancer) for over three years, Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias passed away on September 27, 1956 at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas. She won four other tournaments in 1954, and the following year she claimed two more victories, which were the last of her career. She later changed the spelling of her surname from Didriksen to Didrikson. She turned pro in the summer of 1947 after winning 17 of 18 tournaments. That is exactly what Babe did. Although her three eldest siblings were born in Norway, Babe and her three other siblings were born in Port Arthur. "She was not a feminist, not a militant, not a strategist launching campaigns against sexual liberation," wrote William Johnson and Nancy Williamson in Whatta-Gal! She was married to George Zaharias.She died on September 27, 1956 in Galveston, Texas. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Babe Didrikson (right) winning the 80-metre hurdles at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. While others dispute her story, Didrikson said that she was nicknamed Babe early in her teens by boys awed at her long-distance homers. From its country of origin to its various clubs and obstacles, take a swing at this quiz and learn more about the sport of golf. Some of her favorite sports as a child were baseball and basketball. Mildred Ella Didrikson was born on June 26, 1911, the sixth of seven children, in the coastal city of Port Arthur, Texas. var navclassiccold = new Image(); The Associated Press voted her the Greatest Female Athlete of the first half of the 20th century. In that year women were allowed to compete in only a limited number of events and a women’s decathlon did not exist. As “the World’s Greatest Woman Athlete,” Zaharias dominated tennis, track and field, basketball, golf and baseball. This is a story for both kids and adults. During the same period she also won eight events and tied in a ninth in national championship competition in track and field. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Everybody, it seems, knew about this Norwegian-American athletic marvel. With Zaharias, Patty Berg and Fred Corcoran, she founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1949. // --> At this point, Didrikson announced: 'I should have kept my lucky pants on.' She moved with her family to 850 Doucette in Beaumont, Texas, at age 4. Thereafter, she was largely known as Babe Didrikson Zaharias or Babe Zaharias. Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was voted the outstanding woman athlete of the century in a 1950 Associated Press poll. Not only did she attract interest in the women’s game, she revolutionized the sport and was known for her powerful drives. Called the “Crying Greek from Cripple Creek,” Zaharias also did some part … Babe Didrickson has a museum. And nowhere is Didrikson’s … Born in Port Arthur, she moved with her family to Beaumont at age 4. In this book, Babe Didrikson Zaharias completely changed what was possible for women in sports-she conquered golf, won gold medals in track and field, and was an All-American basketball player! Among her 55 tournament victories were three U.S. Women's Opens. Pain in her lower spine, caused by cancer, became unbearable in 1955. She often stayed at the Zaharis' home in Tampa. navpostcardover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_postcard_over.gif"; By the time she helped establish the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1948, she had won forty-one amateur titles. "She is beyond all belief until you see her perform," famed sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote. From a young age, her goal was to be “the greatest athlete to ever live.” A standout baseball player, she asserted that, as a teenager, she acquired the nickname “Babe” in reference to Babe Ruth. Babe spent more time with good friend Betty Dodd, a young golfer who was a natural athlete and had no interest in looking feminine. At the time, women were not encouraged to compete in sports, and Didrikson faced much sexism as well as claims that she might actually be a man. She was outstanding from the start, earning AAU All-American honors from 1930-32. For most of her life she was the antithesis of femininity; not until her later years did she dress and act less manly. Though Babe wrote in her autobiography that she was born on June 26, 1914, it seems as if the correct year is 1911, which is what it says on her tombstone and on a baptismal certificate. George abandoned his own lucrative wresting career in order to manage and promote Babe’s career. She turned pro in the summer of 1947 after winning 17 of 18 tournaments. On Sept. 27, 1956, Babe died of the disease in Galveston, Texas. navclassicover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_classic_over.gif"; They married 11 months later and Babe would change her name to Babe Didrikson Zaharias. After her Olympic exploits, Didrikson embarked on a tour of the USA with “Babe Didrikson's All-American” basketball team, and also played baseball, before taking up golf – a sport in which she went on to have a glittering career. She continued her impressive performance on the LPGA Tour for the next several years. In 1948, Babe won her first U.S. Women's Open, the World … var navcontributeover = new Image(); Babe single-handedly won the 1932 AAU championships, which served as Olympic qualifying, on July 16 in Evanston, Ill. Newsreel segment on the death of American sportswoman Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1956. Although she wore a colostomy bag, Didrikson Zaharias dominated the event, winning by 12 strokes. She had poor grades, but her athletic skills never failed her. As an amateur golfer, Babe won an amazing 13 consecutive tournaments during 1946. } Looking for another challenge, in 1933 she turned to golf, which she had played in high school. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Others were enthralled by the 5-foot-5 Babe, who was muscular but never heavy. } BETTMANN ARCHIVE—GETTY IMAGES Course Change. "Then you finally understand that you are looking at the most flawless section of muscle harmony, of complete mental and physical coordination, the world of sport has ever seen.". Acclaimed novelists and sportswriters, She continued her impressive performance on the LPGA Tour for the next several years. Born on June 26, 1911 in Port Arthur, Texas, she was the sixth of seven children born to Norwegian immigrants Hannah Marie and Ole. Babe Didrikson went down in history as a sports legend. She was truly the greatest and no one could beat her. Her parents, emigrants from Norway, moved the family 17 miles inland to Beaumont in 1914 after a hurricane destroyed their Port Arthur surroundings. She was on sports teams durin… The following year, in one of sport’s greatest comebacks, she captured her third U.S. Open.