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Athlete Bio#
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Age
Died (Aged 45)
1911-1956
Hometown
Beaumont, TX
Education
Beaumont High School (Beaumont, Texas)
Quick Facts
- Daughter of Ole and Hannah Didriksen
- One of seven children to Norwegian immigrants
- Played baseball, basketball, swimming, tennis and volleyball in high school
- Was introduced to the game of golf by Grantland Rice during the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1932
- Won the first golf tournament she entered
- Changed the spelling of her surname from Didriksen to Didrikson as an adult
- Forfeited her amateur status by allowing her name to be used in an automobile advertisement after the Olympics
- Married professional wrestler George Zaharias
- Was the leading money winner among female golfers between 1948-51
- Wrote an autobiography entitled “This Life I’ve Led” in 1955
- Was also a singer and musician and recorded several records.
Athlete News#
Hall Of Fame Bio #
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was named the Woman Athlete of the Half Century by the Associated Press in 1950 for her prowess in basketball, track and field, and golf. Nicknamed “Babe” after hitting five homeruns in a childhood baseball game, Didrikson first gained national prominence as a basketball player at Beaumont High School where she was a two-time All-American. She then turned her focus to track and field, winning three medals at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1932 in javelin, 80-meter hurdles and high jump, setting multiple world records in the process. Over the next two decades, Didrikson became known as the greatest female golfer of her generation, winning 82 amateur and professional tournaments, including the U.S. Women’s Open. A two-time cancer survivor, Didrikson and her husband, George Zaharias, established the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Fund to support cancer treatment centers. She passed away in 1956.
