As the first African-American man to win Grand Slam tennis tournaments -- Wimbledon, and the United States and Australian Opens -- Ashe followed his on-court accomplishments with a lifetime of activity overshadowed by his humanitarian endeavors.

His commitment to social issues led him to establish foundations that help disenfranchised youth, and support the fight against AIDS, which he had contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. Ashe also organized efforts to oppose South Africa's apartheid rule, a rule that ended in 1994. Before succumbing to AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993, Ashe spoke before the U.N. General Assembly and urged nations to increase their efforts and funding in the war against AIDS.

Born July 10, 1943, in segregated Richmond, VA, Ashe learned to play tennis on blacks-only Brook Field playground under the tutelage of local black tennis great Ron Charity. Recognizing his son's talent, Arthur Ashe, Sr., supported his training while raising Arthur and his brother John without their mother, who died in 1950.

Several years later, Ashe's father married Lorene Kimbrough, adding her two children, Robert and Loretta, to the Ashe family. Ashe's stable home and loving relationship with his stepmother impressed upon him the importance of family, education and spirituality, and instilled in him the discipline that enabled him to graduate from UCLA despite a grueling tennis schedule.

Though racial barriers excluded Ashe from tennis competitions in the South, his tenacity and enthusiasm for the sport never flagged. Seeking other opportunities to compete, Ashe spent a year in St. Louis before attending UCLA.

Eventually Ashe played in the world's foremost tennis championships, acquiring a long list of wins, including three Grand Slam tournaments.

Ashe became the first African American to represent the United States on the Davis Cup team, playing in 32 Davis Cup matches and winning 27 during his tennis career.

A heart attack and ongoing heart problems, however, forced him to retire from competition in 1980, but not from tennis. As the first African American to captain the Davis Cup team, Ashe led the team to win the cup in 1981 and 1982.

Earning numerous honors throughout his life, Ashe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985, and hailed Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1992. He died Februry 6, 1993. Four years after his death, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) named the new 23,000-seat U.S. Open tennis facility Arthur Ashe Stadium and Commemorative Garden at its opening ceremony in Flushing Meadow, New York City.