# 1932 - 1981 18c Babe Zaharias

On September 22, 1981, the USPS inaugurated its Sports Series (sometimes called the American Sports Personalities Series), honoring some of America’s most notable athletes. 

The series continued two years later with the issue of the Babe Ruth stamp on July 6, 1983, marking the 50th anniversary of baseball’s All-Star Game.  A special dedication ceremony was held at Chicago’s Comiskey Park during the Old-Timers Game.  Babe Ruth (1895-1948) excelled as both a pitcher and a hitter; however, it was as a batter that he achieved his greatest fame.  His records include 2,062 career bases on balls and 72 games where he hit two or more home runs.  His lifetime batting average was .342.  Ruth attracted so many fans to Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923, that it was nicknamed “The House That Ruth Built.”

The series continued on August 17, 1984, with a stamp honoring Roberto Clemente, issued at Clemente’s Sports City for youth in Carolina, Puerto Rico.  Clemente helped the Pittsburgh Pirates to their World Series victories in 1960 and 1971.  He never went hitless in each of his championship appearances and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1971 World Series.  On September 30, 1972, Clemente reached a baseball milestone when he recorded his 3,000th major league hit.  Just three months later, on New Year’s Eve, he was killed in an airplane crash while delivering supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua.

The next honoree in the series was golfer Francis Ouimet (1893-1967).  His stamp was issued on June 13, 1988, in Brookline, Massachusetts at the Country Club for the 75th anniversary of his victory in the US Open there.  Although Ouimet played a key role in popularizing golf, he is relatively unknown to most Americans.  As a 20-year-old amateur, he astounded Americans by beating two veteran English professionals at the 1913 US Open Championship.  His victory changed the course of golf forever.  He is referred to as the “father of amateur golf” in the US and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

The next honoree in the series was Joe Louis (1914-81).  His stamp was issued at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan for the 55thanniversary of the 1938 match in which he knocked out Max Schmeling in the first round.  In 1934, Joe Louis won the National Amateur Association Light Heavyweight Championship and later that year turned to professional boxing.  He won his first 23 bouts before being defeated by former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling in 1936.  The following year he regained his title, which he successfully defended 25 times until his retirement in 1949.  His reign as heavyweight champion, which lasted 12 years, was the longest in the history of the heavyweight division.

The final stamp in the series honored boxer Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-89).  It was issued on April 7, 2006, in New York, New York.  In 1940, after taking the New York Golden Gloves championship, 19-year-old Sugar Ray turned pro.  He won his first 40 fights before losing to Jake LaMotta.  Robinson did not lose for another eight years.  In 1946, he became the welterweight champion. In 1951, he took the middleweight title away from LaMotta.  Robinson left the ring in 1952 but returned in 1955.  He won and lost the middleweight title three more times before retiring for good in 1965.  His record included a 91-fight winning streak.  During his professional career, Sugar Ray Robinson had 175 wins, including 109 knockouts.