Ever heard of Frank Hart? This Haitian American athlete made history as one of America’s earliest Black sports stars. Back in the late 19th century, Hart rocked the world of pedestrianism, a competitive sport involving long-distance walking. He even snagged the title of the first African American world record holder. One of his most legendary victories was in the 1879 six Day Race at Madison Square Garden, where he covered 565 miles and won $21,567 in prize money (equivalent to $705,241 in 2023).Later in life Hart played briefly on segregated baseball teams. Though his legacy faded with the loss of interest in pedestrianism as a spectator sport, Hart remains one of the first nationally famous Black athletes in America.
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Hart, was born in 1856 as Fred Hichborn. As a teenager, he immigrated to Boston and found employment as a grocery store clerk. However, seeking additional income, he ventured into racing. Adopting the stage name Frank Hart, he became a sensation on the tracks. He garnered nicknames like “The Negro Wonder” and “Black Dan,” inspired by his mentor and promoter, Dan O’Leary , who excelled in numerous six-day pedestrian races. Hart’s achievements cemented his status as one of America’s pioneering Black sports celebrities.
Hart made history as the inaugural black athlete featured on a sports card, trading card, or tobacco card. He graced Thomas H. Hall’s Between the Acts & Bravo Cigarettes set (1880, N344), joining nine fellow pedestrians and two oarsmen in this groundbreaking collection.
But Hart’s athletic prowess didn’t stop there. He dabbled in baseball too, playing shortstop and second base on Black baseball teams. In 1883, he was a member of the Boston Vendome Hotel B.B.C. team, and in 1883-1884, Hart played for Saratoga Spring’s Leonidas B.B.C. According to The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues: Historians Reappraise Black Baseball, “Henry Bridgewater recruited Hart for the St. Louis Black Stockings. While no statistics are currently available for his tenure on the team, in May 1884, The Washington Bee reported that the “colored pedestrian plays shortstop for a colored baseball club known as the St. Louis Black Stockings.” Hart eventually signed with Chicago’s Illinois Gordon B.B.C.
From the Boston Vendome Hotel B.B.C. to the St. Louis Black Stockings and eventually the Illinois Gordon B.B.C. in Chicago, Hart left his mark on the diamond as well.
Despite his achievements, Hart’s later years were marked by financial struggles, relying on the support of friends in his final days. In Hart’s obituary in 1908, the Cleveland Gazette noted, “Like many other sporting men, he was a big liver and a good spender.’’