Babe Didrikson Zaharias
American professional golfer, track and field athlete, Olympic gold medalist
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About Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was an American sportswoman and talented athlete who also excelled at a number of other sports, including baseball and basketball. To some people, she was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century.
Family and background
The Texas-born professional sportswoman was the sixth of seven children of her parents, Hannah and Ole Didrikson who were Norwegian immigrants. She got married to George Zaharias in 1908.
Career Highlights
Didrikson first worked as a secretary for the Employers' Casualty Insurance Company of Dallas after high school. There, she played basketball as an amateur with Golden Cyclones, the company's "industrial team". She represented her company in the 1932 AAU Championships, where she participated in eight events and won five of them.
She participated in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and set four world records as winner of two gold medals and one silver medal.
In 1935, she began playing golf, and became best known for the sport. Shortly after in January 1938, she contested in the Los Angeles Open, a PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) competition.
Achievements
She was the only track and field athlete to take home an individual Olympic medal in each of the three sports of running, throwing, and jumping.
She was widely acclaimed in the 1940s and 1950s as an outstanding figure in female golf and a host of other sports.
Trivia
She sewed her own clothes.
In 1938, the versatile sportswoman tied the knot with George Zaharias, an American professional wrestler. They had no children of their own.
Babe Didrikson and her husband set up a clinic to support people battling with cancer.
There is a museum in Beaumont, Texas called the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum.
Death
She died on September 27, 1956, aged 45. She was survived by her husband George Zaharias.
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F.A.Q. about Babe Didrikson Zaharias
When is her birthday?
Babe Didrikson Zaharias' birthday is on June 26, 1911.
In how many days is her birthday?
Babe Didrikson Zaharias' birthday is in 62 days
How old was Babe Didrikson Zaharias when she died?
She was 45 years old.
When did she die?
She died in September 27, 1956.
How old would she be today?
Babe Didrikson Zaharias would be 112 years old if she was alive today.
Where was Babe Didrikson Zaharias from?
She was born in Port Arthur, Texas, U.S..