Women of
the Halls of Fame
Female Golfer
Birthdate: June 26, 1911
Hometown: Port Arthur, Texas
Year Inducted: 1976
Position: Golfer
Mildred Didrikson Zaharias was the child of Norwegian immigrants Ole Nickolene and Hannah Marie Didrikson. Her father was a seaman and a carpenter, and her mother had been a pro-skater back in their home of Norway. Mildred had six siblings.
When she was 4 years old, Mildred's family relocated to Beaumont, Texas in 1915 as the result of a hurricane. As a child and teenager, Mildred actively participated in tennis, baseball, basketball, swimming, and volleyball.
During her senior year of high school, Mildred was recruited to play for Dallas's semi-pro women's basketball team, the Golden Cyclones. From 1930 to 1932 she led the team to two finals and even won a national championship. Mildred was voted All-American for all three of these years.
Mildred also participated actively in track. During one meet, she participated in eight out of the ten events offered and placed in seven of those events. She received first placein shot put, javelin, the 80 meter hurdle, long jump, and the high jump, and placed fourth for discus throw.
In the 1932 Olympics, Mildred broke world records in track and field. She received a gold medal for the javelin and the hurdles and a silver medal for the high jump.
Mildred quickly turned to golf, as it was one of the only sports during this time that accepted women professionally. Mildred participated in her first competition, Forth Worth Women's Invitational, in November of 1932. She captured her first title in the second competition she participated in, the Texas Women's Amateur Competition, in April of 1933. She went on to win seventeen consecutive titles and was the first woman to win the British Women's Amateur Competition.
Some of Mildred's accomplishments include:
She was a World Champion four times.
In 1950 she was voted Woman Athlete of the 1/2-century by the Associated Press.
She was Athlete of the Year six times in her career.
She lost only once in seven years of competition.
Along with two other women, she founded the Ladies Pro Golf Association.
Mildred's husband, George Zaharias, was a popular pro-wrestler. They were married on December 23, 1938. In spite of this marriage, Mildred faced numerous accusations against her femininity and sexual orientation because of her success athletically and the determination she portrayed throughout her career.
Mildred was diagnosed of cancer and underwent a colostomy in April of 1953. Doctors told her that she could no longer played golf, but Mildred was back in competition a mere 14 weeks later. She was awarded the Golf Writers of United State's "Comeback Player of the Year" award. In 1954 she won five competitions, including the United States Women's Open.
Mildred's cancer came back in June of 1955, and she died on September 27, 1956 at the age of 45. Though her life and career may have been short, Mildred's impact on golf and women's role in sports has lived on.