Background
Colberg was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico when her mother was only seven months pregnant.
Colberg was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico when her mother was only seven months pregnant.
Colberg graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor"s degree in science and pharmacy.
Little did anybody imagine then, that someday Colberg, whose birth weight was only four pounds, would break sports barriers for Puerto Rican women. Even though there used to be a lot of discrimination in sports against women, Colberg was to prove that women did have the potential to be great athletes, if given the chance. She received her Masters in physical education from Columbia University in New York and her Doctorate in medicine from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).
While studying for her Master"s degree at Columbia University, she was in the university"s field hockey and lacrosse championship teams.
In 1952, Colberg was inducted into the Puerto Rican Athletic Hall of Fame and the Puerto Rican Tennis Hall of Fame. She is considered by many as the greatest woman athlete to have been born in Puerto Rico.
In 1993, Rebekah Colberg along with Eugenio Guerra and Manuel Luciano, the Puerto Rican silver medalists that participated in the 1930 Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana, handed the games torch to Puerto Rican basketball player Juan “Pachín” Vicéns during the official opening ceremonies of the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games Colberg died on July 8, 1985 in her native town and is buried in the Old San Juan Cemetery, Cementerio Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis.
She was also a member of the undefeated women"s basketball team of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.