This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic victory of Arthur Ashe at the 1968 US Open. He became the first and only African American male to win the US Open. While he was a trailblazer on the court, he was also a devoted activist off of it. The ESPYs take place tonight, where the Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be presented. It is revered as one of the highest honors in sports.

The Champion

Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1943. He started playing tennis at the age of seven on the courts at the blacks-only public playground nearby. Ashe continued to play tennis through high school where he was not allowed to compete against the white players during the school year and the indoor courts in the city were closed to African Americans.

Robert Walter Johnson, who also coached Althea Gibson, took Ashe under his wing, showing him sportsmanship and how to play the game with composure and class. Ashe continued on to UCLA to play collegiate tennis, where he won both a singles and doubles NCAA title. By the time he turned pro in 1969, he had already made history.

After losing to Roy Emerson in back to back finals Down Under in ’66 and ’67, Ashe finally broke out in 1968. He won the first US Open of the open era. Ashe would win his second slam at the Australian Open in 1970.

In an absolute classic at the All England Club, Ashe defeated the defending champ, Jimmy Connors in four sets in the summer of 1975. Connors had not dropped a set going into the final. Ashe remains the only African American male to win Wimbledon, or the US and Australian Opens.

The Activist

Arthur Ashe was the pinnacle of determination and courage. Faced with challenges every day simply because of the color of his skin, he overcame adversity and racism to reach the top of a sport previously dominated by white males.

Ashe knew that with his position, came immense responsibility. Where others may have shied away, Ashe knew he could make a difference with the power that came from his fame on the court.

The causes he chose to champion were inspired by his own life experiences. He spent his time fighting racial injustices, not just in America, but across the world wherever he saw it. He was dedicated to helping the inner city youth through tennis programs.

Ashe fought for a visa to travel and play in South Africa, challenging their systemic racism of Apartheid. He marched on D.C. to protest the treatment of Haitian refugees for which he was arrested. Constantly and without fear, Ashe worked to give a voice to those who weren’t able to stick up for themselves.

Ashe faced numerous challenges with his health as well, but always used his obstacles to help educated others. He suffered a heart attack in 1979, which led him to become an active member of the American Heart Association.

In 1988 he received a devastating diagnosis. During a second heart surgery in 1983, it is believed that a blood transfusion infected Ashe with HIV, which had progressed to the AIDs Virus. He refused to let that be the end of his legacy. Ashe started a foundation, he gave a speech at the United Nations, and poured his heart into raising awareness for the disease that would eventually take his life in 1993.

Arthur Ashe wanted to be remembered as more than just an athlete. From hitting balls on the blacks-only tennis courts of Richmond, Virginia to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States, Ashe left an indelible mark on this world. The Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs is just another shining example of his legacy.

The Award

ESPN describes the Arthur Ashe Award recipients as people who:

“…reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost.”

There is not a more accurate description of the life Arthur Ashe led. They often say that like Ashe, the winner’s contributions truly “transcend sports.”

You could not have picked a better first recipient of this award than Jim Valvano in 1993. Struggling with a cancer diagnosis, Valvano gave the most memorable and moving speech you will ever see. He used that moment to start the Jimmy V Foundation, which has raised over $200 million for cancer research.

Other winners include Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Pat Summitt and Billie Jean King just to name a few. These people used their platform to make the world a better and more equal place, which is precisely what Arthur Ashe hoped his life would inspire others to do.

Tonight the 2018 Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be presented to the all-deserving brave young women who spoke out in the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal. Through their fearless testimonies and their courage to speak up, they are effecting change for future generations to come. They have shown young girls everywhere the power their voices can have and the importance of sticking up for yourself in times of adversity. These women deserve every bit of the honor that they receive tonight.

And I leave you with a quote from the legend himself:

“From what we get, we can make a living. What we give; however, makes a life.” -Arthur Ashe