Charlie Sifford An American Pioneer and Champion for Diversity 1922-2015

by Gary Olive

This month the game of golf and black history lost a pioneer.  Long before Tiger Woods, the Williams sisters or ESPN there was golfer Charlie Sifford. And if we are really being candid here Charlie Sifford was his own Diversity and Inclusion movement. You Charlie did not wait for the courts to act or a congressional act. Charlie was old school as were many others of his generation. A man of action.

In the late 60's and 70's he was must see TV before there was an ESPN and a 24 hour sports network. Charlie Sifford had swagger before it was cool to have swag. In his own unassuming way Charlie Sifford took on the system in a forceful, dignified manner without press conferences or photo ops. Charlie just wanted to play golf for a living which was something that was impossible for African Americans prior to 1961. That was when Charlie Sifford became the first African American of the PGA Tour. Yes he endured the racial taunts and threats that would naturally accompany a quest like the one Charlie was on. 

But still Charlie pressed on. His signature victory was winning the then Los Angeles Open in 1969. He was a five time champion of the Senior PGA Championship.

In his later years Charlie's accomplishments in the game of golf gave him much deserved honor. In 2004 he was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Sifford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor by President Obama in 2014 joining Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as the only golfers to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

But it was his drive and what he meant outside the game of golf that made Charlie an unforgettable champion for Diversity. 

Nicklaus bore witness to Charlie Sifford's career in 1958 Charlie when he was paired with Charlie in the Rubber City Open. That experience and Charlie's quiet drive left a lasting impression on Nicklaus. In a letter supporting Sifford's nomination for the Medal of Freedom, Nicklaus wrote, "His legacy is not about the records he broke, but the barriers he broke." 

Charlie Sifford was an American original. Farewell Charlie you will never be forgotten.