Atoy Wilson: the first black skater to win a national title

8:48 AMAtoy Wilson is the first African-American to win a national title in figure skating.

Born: 1951 or 1952

His story: Wilson, who started in gymnastics, turned to figure skating after seeing the Ice Follies when he was 8 years old. His first coach was Mabel Fairbanks, who helped him become the first black member of the Los Angeles Skating Club. In 1965, a 13-year-old Wilson became the first black skater to compete in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, placing second in the novice men’s division. He returned to the competition the following year, and this time he won the men’s novice division to become the first black skater to earn a national championship. Wilson turned pro after he finished high school, touring with Holiday on Ice and the same Ice Follies that fueled his interest in the sport.

Fast fact: Wilson worked in production accounting in the television industry after retiring as a performer.

Quotable: “Mabel was the one that fought in the back rooms, getting this little, black, talented kid skater out there,” Wilson told icenetwork.com. “I was impervious to it because I was skating. I had to learn the jumps — the Lutz, the flips, the double Salchows and the Axels — and I had to learn the figures. My mind was wrapped around that.”

The Undefeated will profile an athlete each day during Black History Month.