Jerry Smith, a Washington
Redskins tight end from 1965 to 1977, died of AIDS in 1986. A former
lover of fellow pro David Kopay, Smith’s career touchdown record (60)
stood until 2003.
Glenn Burke, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, popularized the “high five” in 1977. He died of AIDS in 1995.
Arthur Ashe, world champion tennis player, won three tennis grand slams before contracting AIDS. He died in 1993.
Nicole Lesh,
a professional figure skater, in 1994 became the first female
professional athlete to disclose her positive status. She lives in San
Francisco with her husband and does HIV prevention outreach.
Tommy Morrison,
the first pro boxer to publicly come forward as positive, was suspended
from the World Boxing Organization after receiving positive test
results before a 1996 match.
Greg Louganis
won four Olympic gold medals for diving in the 1980s. In 1995, he came
out as positive and published the bestselling autobiography Breaking theSurface, in which he discussed his HIV status.
