Professional Tennis Player. Born in San Diego, California, she took up the game of tennis at age 10 and was dubbed Little Mo. At age 14, she won 56 consecutive matches and the following year became the youngest player ever to win the U.S. Tennis National Championship for girls 18 and under. In 1953, at age 18, she became the first woman to win the Grand Slam. She won both Wimbledon and United States titles 3 times (1951-53) and was a 3-time AP Female Athlete of Year (1951-53). On July 20, 1954, two weeks after she won her third straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding when an accident with a truck crushed her right leg and ended her tennis career at age 19. In 1956, she was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969 and posthumously into the International Woman's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. She died of cancer at age 34 in Dallas, Texas.
Professional Tennis Player. Born in San Diego, California, she took up the game of tennis at age 10 and was dubbed Little Mo. At age 14, she won 56 consecutive matches and the following year became the youngest player ever to win the U.S. Tennis National Championship for girls 18 and under. In 1953, at age 18, she became the first woman to win the Grand Slam. She won both Wimbledon and United States titles 3 times (1951-53) and was a 3-time AP Female Athlete of Year (1951-53). On July 20, 1954, two weeks after she won her third straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding when an accident with a truck crushed her right leg and ended her tennis career at age 19. In 1956, she was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969 and posthumously into the International Woman's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. She died of cancer at age 34 in Dallas, Texas.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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