Billie Jean King

Billie Jean Moffitt King was born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California. She became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single year (1971) and won 39 Grand Slam tennis titles with 20 at Wimbledon. She was ranked world number 1 in women's tennis in 1966 and held the ranking for five additional years. In 1970, she joined the Virginia Slims Tour and helped establish women's professional tennis. In 1973, she founded the Women's Tennis Association and won the Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs, watched by over 90 million people globally.