BHM: Track & Field Edition
I could go on and on about the remarkable history of Black people in track and field. The sport is near and dear to my heart. But, I will only focus on five stories now. The stories I selected have had the biggest influence on my life.
John Taylor
John Taylor was the first Black man to win an Olympic gold medal in the 1908 London Olympics. He competed in the men’s medley relay, which finished first and won gold medals. Taylor ran the 3rd leg for 400 m with a split time of 49.8 seconds. He also advanced to the finals in the men’s 400 m dash. However, after his teammate was disqualified for cutting off a British competitor, Taylor protested by refusing to run in the finals. His American field mate joined his protest. After running in the finals alone, the British competitor went on to win Olympic Gold.
Sadly and shockingly, five months after Taylor returned home from London, he passed away at the mere age of 26 — from typhoid fever. The President of the 1908 U.S. Olympic Team later wrote the following about him:
“It is far more as the man (than the athlete) that John Taylor made his mark. Quite unostentatious, genial, (and) kindly, the fleet-footed, far-famed athlete was beloved wherever known…As a beacon of his race, his example of achievement in athletics, scholarship and manhood will never wane, if indeed it is not destined to form with that of Booker T. Washington.”
The New York Times pegged Taylor as “the world’s greatest Negro runner.”
Alice Coachman
Alice Coachman was unable to compete in the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games because the games were cancelled due to World War II. She returned in 1948 and became the first Black woman to win an Olympic Gold medal. Coachman competed in the high jump — where, on her first try, she leaped 1.68 m (or 5 ft 6 and 1/8 inches). Prior to winning gold in the 1948 Olympics, she competed in AAU National Championships — breaking college and national high jump records while barefoot! Coachman paved the way for many more African-American women. She once stated, “I think I opened the gate for all of them. Whether they think that or not, they should be grateful to someone in the Black race who was able to do these things.”
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph — my all-time favorite Olympic track & field athlete — was a world-record-holding Olympic gold medalist who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. She ran in the 100 m dash, 200 m dash, and 4 x 100 m relay. Rudolph became a historic athlete after being born prematurely, as the 20th of 22 children. Rudolph suffered from many childhood illnesses, which caused her to lose strength in her left leg. So, she was required to wear a leg brace and labeled as disabled until she was 12 year old. The doctors told Rudolph she would never walk again, BUT GOD! During her historic career, she posted times that led to her being labeled as “the fastest woman alive.” Rudolph became the first Black woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic appearance.
Jesse Owens
Being from Ohio, I would be remised to not write about Jesse Owens. He was born in Oaksville, Alabama, but raised in Cleveland, Ohio. While running for The Ohio State University, he earned a spot in the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens became a four-time gold medalist — while winning the 100 m dash, 200 m dash, long jump and the 4 x 100 m relay. In his mind, he succeeded because, “I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up.”
Jesse Owens accomplished all of this in Nazi Germany, where Adolph Hitler was determined to confirm his racist beliefs about the supposed dominance of the Aryan race. Due to racial discrimination and social unrest in Germany, Owens endured much strife and many distractions. He still went on to crush records and take gold in all his events. After Owens’ performance, he was credited for “single-handedly crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy.” He later spoke at a post-Olympic rally for the Republican Party in Baltimore and said the following:
“Some people say Hitler snubbed me. But I tell you, Hitler did not snub me. I am not knocking the President. Remember, I am not a politician, but remember that the President did not send me a message of congratulations because, people said, he was too busy.”
Typically, Olympic gold medalists are invited to the White House, but Owens was not invited by former Republican President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1968 Black Power Salute
Many of us are aware of the infamous photo of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. During their medal ceremony and the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner, they defiantly stood on the podium with their right arms and fist raised in the air. Smith and Carlos wore black-gloves and black socks with no shoes. They wanted to exhibit Black pride while protesting issues affecting Black Americans such as poverty, killings (including lynchings), and other lasting effects of the Middle Passage. Smith and Carlos were booed off the podium and Olympic officials declared their protest was unacceptable. Disgustingly, Olympic officials viewed the Nazi salute as acceptable and representative of national pride.
Following the 1968 Olympic games, Tommie Smith and John Carlos received many death threats, along with their families. The media classified them as “a couple of black-skinned storm troopers” who were “ignoble,” “juvenile,” and “unimaginative.” On October 25, 1968, Times magazine wrote: “‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ is the motto of the Olympic Games. ‘Angrier, nastier, uglier’ better describes the scene in Mexico City last week.” It was not until decades later that Smith and Carlos were saluted for their heroism and boldness for highlighting racial injustice in America. Men like Colin Kaepernick stands on their broad and bold shoulders.
I cannot let this post go without mentioning Florence Griffeth-Joyner, better known as Flo Jo. One of the COLDEST to grace a track but I will leave that for your homework assignment. :)
— Kimara Morgan, track coach
