12 Facts About Babe Didrikson

1. At an early age Babe Didrikson excelled in basketball, baseball, and track.

2. At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles Babe Didrikson won the 80-metre hurdles and the javelin throw but was deprived of a third gold medal in the high jump because she had used the unorthodox Western roll to achieve the highest jump; she was awarded the silver medal instead.

3. In 1949, Babe Didrikson went on to establish the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

4. Babe Didrikson caused a controversy within the LPGA by demanding a special appearance fee of $1,000 per tournament, but her celebrity helped grow the fledgling tour, which went on to triple its prize money in its first five years.

5. Babe Didrikson struggled at the tournament and missed the 36-hole cut, but her appearance marked the first time that a woman had competed in a PGA Tour event.

6. Babe Didrikson was the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event.

7. Babe Didrikson was relieved at the start of the second inning by Cardinal pitcher Bill Hallahan.

8. On March 20, 1934, Babe Didrikson pitched one inning in a major league baseball spring training exhibition game for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

9. Babe Didrikson became America's first female golf celebrity and the leading player of the 1940s and early 1950s.

10. Babe Didrikson was a competitive pocket billiards player, though not a champion.

11. Babe Didrikson won two gold medals and one silver medal for track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

12. Babe Didrikson gained world fame in track and field and All-American status in basketball.