Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
June 26, 1911 - September 27, 1956 Port Arthur, TX
Mildred Didrikson Zaharias is widely considered one of the greatest female athletes of all time. She was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and her family moved to Beaumont when she was four years old. The Port Arthur Historical Society successfully placed a historical marker on the site of her childhood home in Port Arthur.
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Better known as “Babe” Zaharias, she was a multi-talented athlete of astounding ability. Early in her career, she played forward for the semi-professional Golden Cyclones women’s basketball team in Dallas, the national champions from 1930 to 1932. Competing in the Amateur Athletic Union Championships in 1932, she entered eight of ten track events, winning five outright and tying for a sixth. Despite being the only member of her team, she single-handedly secured the team championship for the Golden Cyclones.
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At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Zaharias won two gold medals and a silver, breaking world records in four events — the javelin throw, high jump, softball throw, and 80-meter hurdles.
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Coming from a working-class background, Babe was also a tireless self-promoter who delighted in publicity stunts that challenged society’s view of women as the weaker sex. She pitched at spring training for the St. Louis Cardinals, held golf driving exhibitions with Gene Sarazen, played donkey softball with an all-male, all-bearded touring team, and even once challenged the winning horse of the Kentucky Derby to a footrace. Her second nickname, “The Texas Tomboy,” reflected her fearless spirit. In 1934, she played for the men’s baseball team, the New Orleans Pelicans, against the Cleveland Indians, pitching two scoreless innings. Didrikson remains recognized as the world record holder for the farthest baseball throw by a woman.
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As Babe grew older, she faced increasing criticism for her “unwomanly” pursuits. She came to the painful realization that further success would depend on reshaping her image to fit society’s expectations. In 1938, she met and married George Zaharias, a well-known wrestler. After the tennis community rejected her, she shifted her focus to golf, with George serving as her manager.
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Babe is said to have taken her first golf lesson in 1931 and won her first event in 1935, though one local professional later claimed the two had played together as children. Zaharias revolutionized women’s golf, setting new standards for play and helping elevate the sport’s legitimacy through increased prize purses. She helped found the LPGA in 1950 and went on to win 31 professional tournaments. Diagnosed with cancer in 1953, she continued to compete and win, capturing 17 consecutive women’s amateur titles — a record that still stands. By 1950, she had won every major golf title available, amassing 82 victories across her amateur and professional career.
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In her final years, Didrikson became known not only for her athletic achievements but also for her advocacy of cancer awareness at a time when the disease was still stigmatized. She used her fame to raise funds for cancer research and served as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. Her humanitarian efforts were recognized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during a visit to the White House.
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Zaharias was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame and was posthumously awarded the 1957 Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship. She remains the only track and field athlete — male or female — to win individual Olympic medals in running, throwing, and jumping events.
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Today, Zaharias is honored with a museum dedicated to her in Beaumont, Texas. In 1981, the U.S. Postal Service issued an 18-cent stamp commemorating her. On January 7, 2021, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is also enshrined in the Sports Hall of Fame at the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
