Mabel Fairbanks: The first African-American in the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame

10:32 AMMabel Fairbanks was the first African-American inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Born: Nov. 14, 1915

Died: Sept. 29, 2001

Her story: Fairbanks, of African-American and Seminole descent, was born in the Florida Everglades. She was orphaned at age 8 and moved to New York City with her brother. Her sister-in-law did not accept her, so she ended up sleeping on a park bench. A woman gave her a job baby-sitting at her apartment above Central Park, and that’s when everything changed for her. Fairbanks watched the skaters in Central Park and became interested in the sport. She bought an oversize pair of skates, stuffed them to make them fit and began skating in the park. When she tried to get into a local ice rink, she was denied because of her race. Nevertheless, she persisted, and a manager finally let her inside. Professional skaters gave her free lessons. She moved to California in the 1940s and performed in nightclub skating shows. She traveled with the Ice Capades and performed with the Ice Follies. She was not allowed into the U.S. Olympic trials or any competitive figure skating events. She later became a coach and worked with skaters such as Atoy Wilson, the first black skater to win a U.S. title, and pairs champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. She pushed the Culver City Skating Club in Los Angeles to admit its first black member in 1965. She made the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1977 and was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in the coach category after her death.

Fast fact: Part of what fueled Fairbanks’ passion for skating was watching a Sonja Henie movie in the 1930s. Henie would later bar Fairbanks from competing in an ice show.

Quotable: “If I had gone to the Olympics and become a star, I would not be who I am today,” Fairbanks told the Los Angeles Times.

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