In 1936, University of Pittsburgh student John Woodruff became an international name after his gold medal-winning race at the racially charged and controversial Berlin Olympics. The materials in this collection highlights Woodruff’s athletic career.

Marshall W. ("Major") Taylor, a professional African-American bicycle racer, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 26, 1878. The scrapbooks document, through newsclippings from American and foreign presses, the climate of racial opinion in America and abroad as well as Taylor's reactions along with providing more factual information about professional cycling as a national and international sport. Digital reproductions of the microfilm are available online.

This collection contains 54 interviews of individuals involved in black baseball clubs in and around Pittsburgh. The interviews were conducted in the early 1980's by Rob Ruck, then a graduate student in the Department of History, University of Pittsburgh.