Arthur Wharton was born in 1865 in Jamestown, in what is now Accra, Gold Coast, to a Methodist missionary father of Grenadian and Scottish descent and a mother descended from Ghanaian royalty, and was sent to England as a teenager.
In 1886 Wharton broke the world 100-yard sprint record at the Amateur Athletics Association Championships, a time that stood for over thirty years and later prompted Usain Bolt to credit him as a forerunner of modern sprinting.
Wharton signed for Rotherham Town in 1889, becoming the world's first Black professional footballer, and in 1894 joined Sheffield United, becoming the first player of African heritage to appear in the top flight of English football.
Wharton's story faded from public memory for decades after his death in 1930 until a National Lottery-funded revival of interest led to a sixteen-foot statue of him being unveiled at St George's Park, the Football Association's National Football Centre, in 2014.
Without Arthur, there would be no Usain Bolt.
Arthur Wharton's pioneering career as the world's first Black professional footballer and a world record-holding sprinter was largely forgotten for much of the twentieth century, before a sustained revival of interest restored him to his place as one of British sport's foundational figures.
- 1865Born in Jamestown, Gold Coast (now Accra, Ghana).
- 1880sSent to England for his education.
- 1886Sets a world 100-yard sprint record.
- 1889Signs for Rotherham Town, becoming the world’s first Black professional footballer.
- 1894Joins Sheffield United, the first player of African heritage in England’s top division.
- 1930Dies, largely forgotten by the wider public.
- 2014Statue unveiled at St George’s Park in his honour.
- ★ World's first Black professional footballer, signing for Rotherham Town in 1889
- ★ First player of African heritage to appear in English football's top division
- ★ Set a world 100-yard sprint record in 1886 that stood for over thirty years
- ★ Honoured with a sixteen-foot statue at the FA's National Football Centre, 2014