Facts in Brief--Birth: June 26, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas
Parents: Norwegian immigrants Ole Nickolene and Hannah Marie (Olson) Didriksen.
Education: Through high school.
Died: September 27, 1956, at the age of 45. Due to spreading colon cancer and a ruptured disk.
Awards: Click here to see a list of her awards.
Sports: Babe had excelled in not only basketball and track and field, but also in swimming, diving, billiards, pool, lacrosse, bowling, and tennis. In fact, her record for throwing a baseball still stands today. She once even thought of taking up boxing.
Feats: The Employers Casualty decided to represent her at in track and field at the Amateur Athletic Union Championships. In just three hours she had broke four world records and gained thirty points on her own (eight more than the whole second place team)!
I chose Babe Didrikson for my report because I am an avid sports fan and I knew she had played many sports. I just had no idea how many though. After researching about her, I found that she was involved in a large number of sports at a highly competitive level.
After the Olympics Babe took up golf and received lessons from Stan Kertes. Because of complaints, the USGA eliminated her from all tournament play. She did continue to play in exhibitions and endorsements; sometimes showing off her drives that could exceed 240 feet.
Babe was married to wrestler and sports promoter George Zaharias on December 23, 1938, and from then on, George managed his wife's career. In 1943 she regained her golf amateur standing and went on to win seventeen consecutive tournaments.
In 1953, Babe was diagnosed with colon cancer. In April of 1953, Babe underwent a colostomy to take out her cancerous tissue. Doctors said she would never be able to play golf again. They were wrong! In just fourteen weeks Babe had returned to golf.
During 1955 she and her husband established the Babe Zaharias Trophy for outstanding female athletes.
Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias will always be remembered for her was competitive spirit and ability to succeed in all of the sports she attempted. She broke the sex barrier in sports and gave women athletes some hope to achieve their dreams. Babe Didrikson was always highly competitive!
Finally, you may wonder why I put that quote of Babe's at the top of the page. Most people thought that the quote from the 1932 Olympic Games was out of cockiness. When actually it said, she had put in the many hours of work and now she was going to go out and win.
