Babe Didrikson: Humble Beginnings

Mildred Ella Didrikson was born on June 26, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas. She was the sixth of seven children of Norwegian immigrants. Her mother was an accomplished figure skater in Norway before immigrating to the United States. Her father was a sailor and a carpenter. She showed athletic ability at a young age. Together, her parents supported her athletic development. Her family was not rich, so they provided what they could. Her father made her a rustic wooden gym equipment in the backyard, which she used throughout her childhood. A hurricane forced the family to move from Port Arthur to Beaumont.

From Beaumont to the Olympics

He attended Beaumont High School where he excelled in various sports including volleyball, tennis, baseball, basketball, and swimming. Although she was athletic, she was not popular with her peers. Didrikson studied long enough to pass her courses and remain eligible for athletic competition. She devoted her time and attention to her athletic endeavors. Didrikson’s best sport was basketball. During her time at Beaumont High School, the girls’ basketball team never lost a game. She stood out enough to catch the eye of an employer who recruited her upon graduating from her in 1930.

The company’s semi-professional basketball team reached the finals twice and won the championship once during his time with them. Her performance inspired the company to expand the women’s athletic program to include track and field. Babe also excelled at track and field competitions. She managed to break several world records and was part of the 1932 United States Olympic team.

At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, he broke three world records. His performances led her to receive two gold medals and a silver medal in the competition. Her superior performance prompted questions about his gender and her femininity from her critics. When she returned to Texas, she received a hero’s welcome in Dallas. She began preparing for another season with his basketball team. Before the start of the season, she was disqualified from amateur athletics due to her name appearing in a car commercial. Her disqualification was a setback. With her family in financial difficulties related to depression, she decided to enter professional sports.

Babe Zaharias Quotes

Named “Best Female Athlete of the Century” by the Associated Press in 1999, she excelled in every sport she tried and proved that women can play the same games as men.

“My main idea in any kind of competition has always been to go out there and drop everything I have,” he explained. “I’ve always had the confidence that I was capable of winning.“

“Winning has always meant a lot to me.Didrikson said, “but gaining friends has meant more.”

Enter Jorge Zaharias

Babe tried her hand at various sports and other venues. He tried vaudeville, barn rain, playing pool and other activities. Along the way, he became proficient with the harmonica. He finally got to know golf, which was a sport that suited women at the time. She was determined to excel in the sport. He was known to hit balls while practicing until his hands bled. He excelled in golf and managed to win several tournaments. It was while he was playing golf that he met George Zaharias, a professional wrestler and sports promoter. The two got married and he began managing his career. The two never had children, although they tried adoption but were denied. Together they made their home in Tampa, Florida.

Babe turned professional in 1947 and became a founder of the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). She became a top money earner before her initial fight with cancer. After her cancer surgery, the doctors said that she would not be able to play golf again. She maintained a determined attitude. “When you have a big setback like that, there’s no use crying about it.”, he said about his diagnosis.You just have to face your problem and figure out what to do next..” Not only was she determined, she had integrity. She once penalized herself two strokes when she accidentally played the wrong ball. “Why did you do it?” a friend asked. “No one saw you. No one would have known the difference.” “I would have known,” answered Babe Zacharias, a champion of integrity.

He recovered from his initial bout with colon cancer and returned to golf fourteen weeks later. As his strength improved, he won several tournaments. He won 17 tournaments in a row, which is a record that no one has ever broken. By 1950, she had won every golf title available to women. Eventually, her cancer spread and she died at the age of 45 in 1956. Among her accomplishments was winning 82 golf tournaments, which included professional and amateur venues.

She was buried in Beaumont, Texas. There is the Babe Didrkson Zaharias museum, which contains memorabilia about her life and her achievements. The museum opened in 1976. She wrote an autobiography and a movie (CBS Movie Babe) was also made about her life (1975).