Latino Famous Firsts in Sports

Alex Pompez 🇨🇺; Pitcher

Alex Pompez (1890-1974) played a major role in the history of baseball, especially for Black and Latino athletes. He was the first to scout for players in Latin America, bringing the best Dominican players to the United States, one of which was Juan Marichal. He also played a part in organizing the first league for Black baseball players.

Hiram Bithorn 🇵🇷; Pitcher

Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa (1916-1951), was the first baseball player from Puerto Rico to play in Major League Baseball, and remains an icon for Puerto Ricans in the sport. He was known for his devastating fastballs. Pictured is the statue that stands outside of Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Juan Marichal 🇩🇴; Pitcher

Juan Marichal (1937-), nicknamed “the Dominican Dandy”, was the first famous Dominican-American to play in Major League Baseball. As the first Dominican player and first foreign-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, he remains an inspiration for Latinos and immigrants who aspire to play baseball.

Lou Castro 🇨🇴; Second Baseman

Lou Castro (1876-1941) was the first Latino to play in Major League Baseball (MLB), according to official MLB records. When he emigrated to America, he claimed to be an American citizen by birth - despite being born in Medellín, Colombia - in hopes of avoiding discrimination within the league and in daily life.

Ted Williams 🇲🇽; Left Fielder

Ted Williams (1918-2002) was one of the greatest hitters of all time and was inaugurated into the Hall of Fame before Roberto  Clemente. Because he was white-passing throughout his career he was not considered the first Latino in baseball, and said, "If I had my mother's name… I would have run into problems in those days." Williams was opposed to racism in the sport and called for the recognition of Black players who played before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. 

Aurelio Herrera 🇲🇽; Featherweight

Aurelio Herrera (1876-1927) was the first famous Latino boxer in the United States whose matches drew large crowds. While he would never achieve a world championship title himself, he still left an impact on the sport by being its first recognizable Latino figure.

Jose ‘Chegui’ Torres 🇵🇷; Light Heavyweight

Chegui Torres (1936-2009) remains an inspiration to the Puerto Rican community. He was the first Latino to win the World Light Heavyweight title. His influence extended beyond the boxing ring into his local community as the first Latino to write a column in English for the New York Post, and the first Latino to serve as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission.

Oscar de la Hoya 🇲🇽; Multi-Weight and Promoter

Oscar de la Hoya (1973-) is the first Mexican-American to own a national boxing promotional firm, Golden Boy Promotions. His firm focuses on promoting Latino athletes, especially from the inner-city, and bringing them into the mainstream. He hopes to become the first Hispanic athlete turned billionaire.

Panama Al Brown 🇵🇦; Bantamweight

Alfonso Teofilo Brown (1902-1951), better known as Panama Al Brown, was a major Latino boxing champion of the early 20th century. Born in Colon, Panama, he was  the first Latino World Boxing champion - a title he defended for five years. Considered one of the greatest bantamweight boxers in history, he stood tall not just in the face of racial discrimination, but also the discrimination he faced for his sexual orientation.

Sixto Escobar 🇵🇷; Bantamweight

Sixto Escobar was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion.

Butch Lee 🇵🇷; Basketball

Lee (1956-) was the first Latino player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known to be the only Puerto Rican professional basketball player to win championships in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the NBA, and the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He was passed up for a spot on the US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Instead, he played for the Puerto Rico National Team and led a close game against the US team, with a final score of 95-94.

Tab Ramos 🇺🇾; Soccer

Tab Ramos (1966-) grew up in Harrison and Kearny, NJ and played for the local team, the New York/ New Jersey MetroStars (present-day Red Bulls). In 1993, he became the first player to join Major League Soccer. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he played alongside NJ locals, Tony Meola and John Harkes. 

Rebecca Lobo 🇨🇺; Basketball

Rebecca Lobo (1973-) was one of the three founding players of the WNBA in 1997 and a role model in women’s basketball beyond the Latino community. Lobo was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, and is an ESPN basketball reporter and analyst, remaining heavily involved in the sport where she continues  to inspire young athletes.

Amy Rodriguez 🇨🇺; Soccer

In 2015, Amy Rodriguez (1987-) became the first Latina on the US Women’s National Team; the same year they won the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

Nancy López 🇲🇽; Golf

Nancy López (1957-) was the first Hispanic ever to win the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LGPA) tournament. She is the first Latina to be awarded the highest honor in golf, the Bob Jones Award, and the youngest woman ever to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Gigi Fernández 🇵🇷; Tennis

Gigi Fernández (1964-) is the first Puerto Rican, to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the first female athlete from Puerto Rico to turn professional, and the first to win an Olympic Tennis gold medal.

Tracee Talavera 🇲🇽; Gymnastics

In 1980, Tracee Talavera (1966-) became the first Latina to compete on the USA Gymnastics team at only 14 years old. 

Laurie Hernández 🇵🇷; Gymnastics

Laurie Hernández (2000-) matched Tracee Talavera's feat when she made it to the gold-winning USA Gymnastics team in 2016.

Pancho Gonzales 🇲🇽; Tennis

Pancho Gonzales (1928-1995) was the first Latino to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the first Latino to win the U.S. Tennis Championships.

Bill Guerin 🇳🇮; Hockey

Bill Guerin (1970-) was the first Latino player and first Latino general manager in the National Hockey League. He is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and won his first cup in 1995 while playing for local hockey team, the New Jersey Devils. In 1996, he won a gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey.

Ángel Cordero 🇵🇷; Horseback Riding

Ángel Cordero (1942-) was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' Racing Hall of Fame. He won The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey three times. 

From right to left: Jessica Steffens 🇵🇷 (1987-) has won two Olympic medals in water polo, Brenda Villa 🇲🇽 (1980-) is the most decorated athlete in women’s water polo, Marlen Esparza 🇲🇽 (1989-) was the first American to qualify for the Olympics' women’s boxing and Leonel Manzano 🇲🇽 (1984-) became the first Latino to win an Olympic medal in the 1500 meter run.