Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias (June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball, and track and field. She won two gold medals and a silver in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.
Mildred Ella bab drickson aarius June 26th 1911 to September 27th 1956 was an American athlete who excelled in golf basketball baseball and track and field she won two gold medals and a silver in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships biography Mildred edrien was born on June 26th 1911 the of seven children in the coastal city of Port Arthur Texas her mother Hannah and her father old drion were immigrants from Norway although her three eldest siblings were born in Norway babe and her three other siblings were born in Port Arthur she later changed the spelling of her surname from drickson to drickson she moved with her family to 850 ducet in bemont Texas at age 4 she claimed to have acquired the nickname babe after Babe Ruth upon hitting five home runs in a childhood baseball game but her Norwegian mother had called her BB from the time she was a toddler although best known for her athletic gifts drion had many talents she also competed in sewing an excellent seamstress she made many of her clothes including her golfing outfits she claimed to have won the sewing championship at the 1931 State Fair of Texas in Dallas she did win the South Texas State Fair in Bowmont embellish in the story many years later in 1953 she attended balmont High School never a strong student she was forced to repeat the eighth grade and was a year older than her classmates she eventually dropped out without graduating after she moved to Dallas to play basketball she was a singer and a harmonica player and recorded several songs on the Mercury records label her biggest seller was I felt a little teardrop with detour on the flip side already famous as baby drion she married George zaharas 1908 to 1984 a professional wrestler in St Louis Missouri on December 23rd 1938 thereafter she was largely known as Babe drickson Zaharias or babe zaharas babe zarus park is located in Bowmont adjacent to her Museum athletic achievements drion gained World Fame and track and field and All-American status in basketball she played organized baseball and softball and was an expert diver roller skater and bowler a champion dickson’s first job after high school was as a secretary for the employer Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas though she was employed only in order to play basketball as an amateur on the company’s industrial team the golden Cyclones as a side note the competition was then governed by the amateur athletic Union a despite leading the team to an AA basketball championship in 1931 drickson had first achieved wider attention as a track and field athlete representing her company in the 1932 a championships she competed in eight out of 10 events winning five outright and tying for first in a sixth dickson’s performances were enough to win the team championship despite her being the sole member of her team 1932 Olympics drickson set four World Records winning two gold medals and one silver medal in track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics in the 80 M hurdles she equaled the world record of 11.8 seconds in her opening heat in the final she broke her record with an 11.7 clocking taking gold in the javelin she also won Gold with an olympic record throw of 43.69 M in the high jump she took silver with a world record time leap of 1. 657 M 5.44 ft fellow American Jean also jumped 1. 657 M and the pair tied in a jump off when the bar was raised to 1.67 M 5.5 ft shile was awarded the gold after digon was ruled to have used an improper technique she did not compete in The discus throw as fellow American Lillian Copeland beat her out in the Olympic trials Copeland went on to win the gold medal in discus drion is the only track and field athlete male or female to win individual Olympic medals in in separate running throwing and jumping events do Post Olympics in the following years she performed on the Vaudeville circuit traveled with teams like babe dickson’s all-americans basketball team and the bearded House of David commune team drickson was also a competitive Pocket Billiards pool player though not a champion she was noted in the January 1933 press for playing and badly losing a multi-day straight pool match in New York City against famed female cist Ruth Guinness golf George and babe Saharas C 1955 by 1935 drickson began to play golf a latecomer to the sport in which she became best known shortly thereafter she was denied amateur status and consequently in January 1938 she competed in the Los Angeles open a PGA professional golfers association tournament No Other Woman competed against men in this tournament until anuka saram Susie Wy Michelle and Britney linicom almost six decades later she shot 81 and 84 and missed the cut in the tournament she was teamed with George Zaharias they were married 11 months later and settled in Tampa Florida on the premises of a golf course that they purchased in 1949 drion became America’s first female golf celebrity and the leading player of the 1940s and early 1950s in order to regain amateur status in the sport she could compete in no other sports for 3 years she gained back her amateur status in 1942 in 1945 she participated in three more PGA Tour events missing the cut of one of them and making the cut of the other two as of 2023 she Remains the only woman to make the tournament cut in a regular PGA Tour event Zaharias won the 1946 US Women’s Amateur and the 1947 British ladies amateur the first American to do so and three women’s Western opens having formally turned professional in 1947 drion dominated the women’s professional Golf Association and later the ladies professional Golf Association she was a founding member of the ladies professional Golf Association in 1950 serious illness ended her career in the mid1 1950s Zaharias won a tournament named after her the Babe Zaharias open of her hometown of bont Texas she won the 1947 title holders championship and the 1948 US Women’s Open for her fourth and fifth major championships she won 17 straight Women’s Amateur victories a feat never equal by anyone by 1950 she had won every golf title available totaling both her amateur and professional victories Zaharias won a total of 82 golf tournaments Charles McGrath of the New York Times wrote of zaharas except perhaps for Arnold Palmer no golfer has ever been more beloved by the gallery golf Awards while Zaharias missed the cut in the 1938 PGA Tour event later as she became more experienced she made the cut in every PGA Tour event she entered in January 1945 Zaharias played in three PGA tournaments she shot 76 to 76 to qualify for the Los Angeles open she then shot 76 to 81 to make the two-day cut in the tournament itself but missed the three-day cut after a 79 making her the first and currently only woman in history to make the cut in a regular PGA Tour event clarification needed she continued her cut streak at the Phoenix Open where she shot 77-72 75-80 finishing in 33 Rd place at the Tucson open she qualified by shooting 74 to 81 and then shot a 307 in the tournament and finished finished tied for 42 and D unlike other female golfers competing in men’s events she got into the Los Angeles and Tucson opens through 36 whole qualifiers as opposed to a sponsor’s exemption in 1948 she became the first woman to attempt to qualify for the US Open but her application was rejected by the USGA they stated that the event was intended to be open to men only baseball in March 1934 drion pitched a total toal of four innings in three major league spring training exhibition games on March 20th she gave up one walk and no hits in one inning for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Brooklyn Dodgers getting out of the inning with a triple play on March 22nd she pitched the first inning for the St Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox it was reported that under Tage of Burley Grimes Dizzy Dean and others she has learned to stand on the rubber wind up like a big Leaguer and throw a rather Fair curve the Red Sox scored three runs against dedrickson in the inning before she got Boston third baseman Bucky Walters to fly out to Future Hall of Famer Joe medwick in left field to end the inning she was relieved at the start of the second inning by Cardinal pitcher Bill halahan 400 fans were in attendance on March 25th she played for the Cleveland Indians against their daa farm team the New Orleans Pelicans pitching two scoreless innings and hitting two line drives one fair and one foul drickson also spent time with the House of David barnstorming team and is still recognized as the world record holder for the farthest baseball throw by a woman last year’s in death sarus had her greatest year in 1950 when she completed the grand slam of the three women’s majors of the day the US Open the title holders championship and the women’s Western open a feat that made her the leader on the money list that year also that year she reached 10 wins faster than any other LPGA golfer doing so in one year in 20 days days a record that still stands as do her records for reaching 20 and 30 wins in 2 years and 4 months and 5 years and 22 days respectively dot she was the leading Money winner again in 1951 and in 1952 took another major with a title holders Victory but illness prevented her from playing a full schedule in 1952 to 53 she was a close friend of fellow golfer Betty Dodd according to Susan cf’s biography babe was quoted as saying I had such admiration for this fabulous person Saharas I loved her I would have done anything for her they met in a 1950 amateur golf tournament in Miami and became close almost immediately kalef wrote as Dixon’s marriage grew increasingly troubled she spent more time with Dodd the women toured together on the golf circuit and eventually DOD moved in with Saharas and dri’s for the last 6 years of Dixon’s life they never used the word lesbian to describe their relationship but there is little doubt that their relationship was both sexual and romantic and zaharas has been described as the first lesbian gold medalist in Olympic Athletics in 1953 Saharas was diagnosed with colon cancer after undergoing surgery she made a comeback in 1954 she took the ver trophy for lowest scoring average her only win of that Trophy and her 10th and final major with a US Women’s Open Championship one month after the surgery and while wearing a colostomy bag with this win she became the second oldest woman to win a major LPGA championship tournament behind Fay Crocker babe Saharas now stands third to Crocker and Sheri steinhauer these wins made her the fastest player to reach 30 wins 5 years and 22 days dot in addition to continuing tournament play Saharas also served as the president of the LPGA from August 1952 to July 1955 her colon cancer recurred in 1955 despite her Limited schedule of eight golfing events that season Saharas won her last two tournaments in competitive golf on September 27th 1956 Zaharias died of her illness at the age of 45 at the John cely Hospital in Galveston Texas at the time of her death she she was still a top ranked female golfer she and her husband had earlier established the Babe Saharas fund to support cancer clinics she is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in her hometown of Bowmont Texas during her final years zaharas became known not only for her athletic abilities but as a public advocate for cancer awareness at a time when many Americans refused to seek diagnosis or treatment for suspected cancer she used her Fame to solicit donations for her canc cancer fund but also as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society her work in this area was honored by US president Dwight Eisenhower on a visit to the White House Legacy she was named the 10th greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN being the highest ranked woman on their list the Babe drickson Zaharias Museum in Bowmont is also one of the city’s welcoming centers zaharas broke the accepted models of femininity in her time including the accepted models of female athleticism standing 5′ 7 in 1.70 M tall and weighing 115 lb 52 kg comma Saharas was physically strong and socially straightforward about her strength although a sports hero to many she was also derided for her manliness Saharas was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1951 now part of the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1957 she poly received the Bob award the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf it was accepted by her husband George for months after her death she was one of six initial inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame at its Inception in 1977 Saharas has a museum dedicated to her in Bowmont Texas The Babe drion Zaharias Museum several golf courses are named after her a Tampa Florida golf course that she and her husband owned the Babe Zaharias Golf Course was given Landmark status in 1973 zaharas who had lived in the Denver area for most of the 1940s and early 1950s became one of the three inductees in the inaugural class joining Dave Hill and be blind of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 1976 Saharas was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1981 the US Postal Service issued an 18 cent stamp commemorating zahari in 2008 zaharas was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame on January 7th 2021 Zaharias was awarded the presidential medal of freedom by President Donald J Trump contemporary Impressions it would be much better if she and her ilk stay at home got themselves prettied up and waited for the phone to ring sports writer Joe Williams New York World telegram Williams remark typified the attitude of some toward women who did not fit the traditional ideals of femininity current in the first half of the 20th century however in the same time period the Associated Press chose her as the female athlete of the year six times for track and field and for golfing and in 1950 overwhelmingly voted for her as the greatest female athlete of the first half of the century aside from her impact on the women and girls of her time she impressed Season Sports writers also she is beyond all belief until you see her perform 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 sports writer Grantland rice quoted by ESPN modern day the Associated Press followed up its 1950 declaration 50 years later by voting zaharas the woman athlete of the 20th century in 1999 in 2000 Sports Illustrated magazine also named her second on its list of the greatest female athletes of all time behind the heptathlete Jackie Joiner Cy she is also in the World Golf Hall of Fame Zaharias is the highest ranked woman at number 10 on ESPN’s list of the 50 top athletes of the 20th century in 200000 she was ranked as the 17th greatest golfer and the second greatest woman player after Mickey Wright by Golf Digest Magazine she broke the mold of what a lady golfer was supposed to be the ideal the 20s and 30s was Joyce weathered a willowy englishwoman with a picture book swing that produced elegant shots but not especially long ones Saharas developed a grooved athletic swing reminiscent of Lee travinos and she was so strong off the tea that a fellow Texan the great golfer Byron Nelson once said that he knew of only eight men who could out drive her it’s not enough just to swing at the ball babe said you’ve got to loosen your girdle and really let the ball have it journalist Charles McGrath New York Times zaharas wrote an autobiography this life I’ve LED it is no longer in print but is available in many libraries in 2014 Saharas was inducted into the Legacy walk an outdoor public display that celebrates LGBT history and people she was inducted into the Texas track and field coaches Hall of Fame class of 2016 bab Saharas golf course in 1949 Saharas purchased a golf course in the forest Hills area of Tampa and lived nearby after her death the golf course was sold it lay dormant as developers attempted to acquire the land for residential housing in 1974 the city of Tampa took over the golf course renovated it and reopened it naming it the Babe sarus golf course at some point afterward it was accorded historical landmark status California course in 1980 the industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry California built two courses the Ike and the zaharas the courses were designed by William F Bell original design and casy O Callahan renovation in 2010 the courses together won the National Golf Course owners association’s California golf course of the Year award this 18-hole course is named for babe drickson aarius one of America s most decorated all-around athletes this par 71 features slope ratings ranging from from 126 to 138 making the course worthy of the great athlete for which it is named industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort website in the media Dodge featured babe drion and advertisements for the 1933 Dodge six sedan Zaharias appeared as a guest on the ABC reality show the comeback story 1953 to 1954 explaining her attempts to battle colon cancer which thereafter still claimed her life in 1952 she appeared as herself in the Spencer Tracy Katherine Hepburn film Pat and Mike in 1975 Susan Clark portrayed Saharas in a biographic TV movie title babe for which Clark won an Emmy Award Alex caras played George Zaharias Clark and Caris met while making the picture and later married the 1987 science fiction novel counter solar by Richard A lupoff featured zaharas as a character serving as part of an interplanet AR Expedition alongside Josh Gibson and Albert Einstein on a spacecraft built by Jack northrip In Jennifer Len’s 1993 novel The Sea of light main character Mildred babe Delgado is named after Zaharias by her mother Barbara who considered Zaharias to be my only hero in 2006 Saharas was featured in a season 10 episode of Arthur in 2007 Carolyn Gage began work on babe a full chorus full Orchestra Musical about Zaharias in June 2011 little brown published a major biography of Zaharias Wonder Girl by author Don vanata Junior Family Guy has made numerous references to babe Saharas being one of the greatest Americans to have lived in season 21 of The Simpsons Marge dresses up as Saharas for her charity chicks calendar with a history theme Marge also refers to her as the female Tiger Woods of the 20th century on August 26th 2014 her story was portrayed in a sport Heroes episode of The Comedy Central series Drunk History dricks and Zaharias was played by Emily deel she is the sole character in the 2020 Opera par for the course written by composer Lisa ner and list Kendra Preston Leonard the Opera depicts Sahara’s reaction to learning that she will not be allowed to play in the US Open amateur wins note this list is incomplete 1935 Texas Women’s amateur 1946 US Women’s Amateur women’s trans Mississippi amateur 1947 North and South Women’s Amateur British ladies amateur professional wins LPGA Tour wins 41 1941 women’s Western open as an amateur 1944 1 women’s Western open as an amateur 1945 1 women’s Western open as an amateur 1947 2 Tampa open title holders Championship as as an amateur 1948 3 All-American open World Championship US Women’s Open 1949 two World Championship Eastern open 1958 title holders Championship Pebble Beach Weather Vein Cleveland Weather Vein 144 whole Weather Vein women’s Western open All-American open World Championship US Women’s Open 19519 Ponte Verde Beach Women’s Open Tampa Women’s Open Lakewood Weather Vein Richmond women’s open Valley open Meridian Hills Weather Vein All-American open World Championship women’s Texas open 19525 Miami weather vean title holders Championship Bakers Field open tied with Marlene hag Betty Jameson and Betsy RS Fresno Open Women’s Texas open 1953 2 Sarasota open babe Saharas open 1954 5 serban open Sarasota open Damon renan cancer fun tournament US Women’s Open All-American open 1955 2 Tempa open Peach Blossom open LPGA majors are shown in bold other wins 1940 women’s Texas open 1945 women’s Texas open 1946 All-American Open Women’s Texas open 1947 Hard Scrabble open 1951 Orlando Florida two ball with George bolesta 1952 Orlando mixed with ALB Best Link
