The Life and Achievements of Babe Didrikson Zaharias

What’s In a Name?

It has been said that she got the name “Babe” from her family, as well as a reference to “Babe” Ruth, after she played a good baseball game.  Her last name was originally spelled Didriksen, but was changed at some point. 

There have been many discrepancies in her story, mostly because of her affinity for exaggeration and a good show.  The records presented here are believed to be complete and true.

Babe’s Life

Babe was born in Port Arthur, Texas on June 26, 1911 (not 1914 as she claimed in her auto-biography) and died on September 27, 1956, at 45. She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas. She played every sport offered for girls at Beaumont High School, and her record stands at the top for athletic versatility. She set records in track and field, was an All-American in basketball, mastered tennis, played organized baseball with the House of David, and was an expert diver, roller-skater and bowler.

She also spent a short time in 1933 performing on Vaudeville. She was called “Wonder Girl” by Grantland Rice after her performance in the 1932 Olympics, and he did a short film of her talent that can be seen at the museum. She eventually focused on golf, at his suggestion, and went on to be declared by Bobby Jones as one of the 10 best golfers of all time. While she was playing golf, she was paired with George Zaharias, and they were married a short time later on December 23, 1938. They lived in Denver and Tampa, but traveled all over the world so Babe could play golf.

Babe was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1953 and had surgery involving a colostomy on April 17, 1953, in Beaumont. She became one of the first public figures to openly discuss her cancer in an attempt to spread awareness about the disease. In 1955, had back surgery and by 1956, the cancer has spread. She died at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston. Since her death (and some while alive) there are books, plays, and even a movie made about her. The Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation, along with George Zaharias raised money for a museum which was completed in 1976. The most recent book is Wonder Girl by Don Van Natta Jr. It is probably the most accurate, complete and well written story of her life and is available at the museum and online.

An Exuberant Tomboy

The first to prove a girl could be a stud athlete, Babe Didrikson began as a muscular phenom who mastered many sports and ended as a brilliant golfer. An exuberant tomboy whose life was athletics, she was accomplished in just about every sport – basketball, track, golf, baseball, tennis, swimming, diving, boxing, volleyball, handball, bowling, billiards, skating and cycling. When asked if there was anything she didn’t play, she said, “Yeah, dolls.”

Named All-American

At the age of 15, Babe was the high-scoring forward on the girls’ basketball team at Beaumont Senior High School. She attracted the attention of Melvin J. McCombs, coach of one of the best girls’ basketball teams in the nation. In February 1930, McCombs secured a job for her with the Employers Casualty Company of Dallas, and she was soon a star player on its Golden Cyclones. She returned to Beaumont in June to graduate with her high school class. The Golden Cyclones won the national championship the next three years, and she was All-American forward for two of those years.

Track and Field

Women’s sports in the 1920s & 30s were often company and AAU sponsored events.  Babe played for ECC’s basketball team the “Golden Cyclones” and was named All-American in 1930, 1931, & 1932.  When she wasn’t playing basketball, she was on their track and field team. In 1930, in the national AAU in Dallas, she won the javelin and baseball throw. In 1931, in the national AAU in Jersey City, Babe was the leading scorer with three wins – long jump, baseball throw (world record at 296’) and 80m hurdles (national AAU record of 12 seconds). In 1932, Babe won the national women’s AAU/ Olympic tryouts by herself, with 30 points. It has been declared to be the greatest single achievement in a series of events in the history of athletics.  The Illinois Women’s Athletic Club finished 2^nd, with 22 contestants.  She entered eight of the 10 events, excluding only the 50 & 220yd dashes.  She won the 8 lb. shot put with 39’6 ¼”; baseball throw (for the third year in a row) with 272’2”; javelin with 139’3”; 80m hurdles in 12.1 sec. She tied Jean Shiley in the high jump with 5’3½”, and each were given a half gold/half silver medal. In the 80m hurdles she won one heat with 11.9, which was 0.1 seconds better than her previous world record.  She finished fourth in the discus.

1932 Olympic Team

In earning her place on the 1932 Olympic team, the 5’7”, 115 pound girl qualified for five events, but was only allowed to enter three.  She won two gold medals for javelin (143’4”) and 80m hurdles (11.7 sec.) She tied Jean Shiley for the high jump with an Olympic record of 5’5¼” (sometimes recorded as 5’5”), but because of her “western roll” style jump, which had never been questioned before, she was awarded the silver medal.

Golf’s Great Firsts

• American to win the British Women’s Amateur
• Woman to win both the British and U.S. Women’s Amateur (1947)
• Woman to win the Western Women’s Open three times (as an amateur and professional)
• And only woman to qualify (so far) for the Los Angeles Open, a men’s tournament (1938)

She was voted the World’s Greatest Woman Athlete of the First Half of the 20^th Century, in a poll conducted by the Associated Press (AP), and the only athlete to be named Woman Athlete of the Year by the AP six times, in 1931, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, and 1954.  She was awarded the Sports Illustrated “Female Athlete of the 20^th Century – Individual Sports.”  She has been inducted into too many halls of fame to note here.