Joe Louis Congressional Gold Medal

The “Brown Bomber” kept his title of heavyweight champion for 25 fights in a row. Joe Louis was the World Heavyweight Champion for 12 years (1937 to 1949), a boxing record.

Many see Joe Louis as the first African-American nationwide hero. Louis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and was ranked as the Number One Heavyweight Boxer of all time in 2005.

Joe Louis also helped to integrate the game of golf in 1952. His efforts paved the way for the African-American professional golfers who followed.

During World War II, Joe Louis encouraged African-Americans to enlist, entertained troops with boxing exhibitions, and became an American representative to the world. This work led to the reason why Congress awarded Louis this medal: for “his accomplishments which did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the Nation.”

The bronze medal pictured is a duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal.