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William Edward White (1860–1937), believed to be the first African American to play in the major leagues, appearing in one game on June 21, 1879 (Major League Baseball)
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Moses Fleetwood Walker (1856–1924), first openly African-American player. (White passed as white.) (Major League Baseball)
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Jackie Robinson (1919–1972), first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era (Major League Baseball)
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Larry Doby (1923–2003), second African American to break the color barrier, first in the American League (Major League Baseball)
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Steve Bellán (1849–1932), first Latin American, depending on whether or not the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players is considered a major league (Major League Baseball)
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Lou Castro (1876–1941), the first Latin American, if not Bellán (Major League Baseball)
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Louis Sockalexis (1871–1913), a member of the Penobscot tribe, often considered the first player of Native American ancestry (Major League Baseball)
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Jim Toy (1858–1919), another possible, disputed candidate for first Native American player (Major League Baseball)
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Moses J. Yellow Horse (1898–1964), first full-blooded Native American player, from the Pawnee tribe (Major League Baseball)
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Masanori Murakami (born 1944), first Japanese player (Major League Baseball)
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Fritz Pollard (1894–1986), one of the first two African-American players and the first head coach (National Football League)
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Bobby Marshall (1880–1958), one of the first two African-American players (National Football League)
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Lou Molinet (1904–1976), first Hispanic, Cuban and Latin American player (National Football League)
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Walter Achiu (1902–1989), first player of east Asian descent (National Football League)
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Wataru Misaka (1923–2019), first non-white player and first of Asian descent (National Basketball Association)
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Nathaniel Clifton (1922–1990), Chuck Cooper (1926–1984) and Earl Lloyd (1928–2015), the first African Americans in the NBA, with Lloyd being the first to play in a game, due to scheduling (National Basketball Association)
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Larry Kwong (1923–2018), first player to break the color barrier in hockey and first of Asian descent (National Hockey League)
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Willie O'Ree (born 1935), first black player (National Hockey League)
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Fred Sasakamoose (born 1933), first First Nations player with treaty status (National Hockey League)
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Bill Guerin (born 1970), first player of Hispanic descent (National Hockey League)
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Jack Johnson (1878–1946), first black world heavyweight champion (Boxing)
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Althea Gibson (1927–2003), first African American to play in the United States National Championships, now the US Open (Tennis)
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Bob Ryland (born 1920), first African-American professional player and first to compete in the NCAA National Championships (Tennis)
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Arthur Ashe (1943–1993), first African American selected to the United States Davis Cup team (Tennis)
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Althea Gibson (1927–2003), first African American to join the LPGA tour (Golf)
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Andrew Watson (1856–1921), considered the first black person to play association football at the international level (Association football)
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Arthur Wharton (1865–1930), widely considered to be the first black professional footballer in the world (Association football)
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James Robertson (c. 1854 – 1900), Scottish rugby union player reputed to be the first black rugby union player in the world (Rugby union)
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