December 21, 1959 Florence Delorez “Flo-Jo” Griffith-Joyner, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Los Angeles, California. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Griffith-Joyner won the Silver medal in the 200 meter race and at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games she won the Gold medal in the 100 and 200 meter […]
Tag Archives | National Track and Field Hall of Fame
November 11th in African American History – Rodney Milburn, Jr.
November 11, 1997 Rodney Milburn, Jr., hall of fame track and field athlete, died. Milburn was born May 18, 1950 in Opelousas, Louisiana. He attended Southern University and during the early 1970s dominated the 110 meter hurdles, tying the world record three times. In 1971, he was unbeaten in 28 races and was named the […]
November 6th in African American History – Stan Wright
November 6, 1998 Stan Wright, hall of fame track and field coach, died. Wright was born August 11, 1921 in Englewood, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Springfield College and his master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1950, Wright began his coaching career at Texas Southern University. The TSU “Flying Tigers” became nationally […]
November 6th in African American History – George Lawrence “Larry” James
November 6, 1947 George Lawrence “Larry” James, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Mount Pleasant, New York. James started running track in the seventh grade and was a double medalist at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. He won the Silver medal in the 400 meter race and the Gold medal […]
January 31st in African American History – Thomas Edward Tolan
January 31, 1967 Thomas Edward Tolan, “the Midnight Express” and two-time Gold medal winning Olympian, died. Tolan was born September 29, 1908 in Denver, Colorado and moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan when he was 15 years old. Tolan attended Cass Technical High School where he set state records in the 100 and 220-yard […]
November 12th in African American History – Wilma Glodean Rudolph
November 12, 1994 Wilma Glodean Rudolph, the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games, died. Rudolph was born prematurely on June 23, 1940 in Clarksville, Tennessee. Despite a childhood filled with medical problems, she became an accomplished athlete by high school. In high school, she […]
October 11th in African American History – Malvin Greston Mal Whitfield
October 11, 1924 Malvin Greston “Mal” Whitfield, track athlete and diplomat, was born in Bay City, Texas. In 1943, Whitfield joined the United States Army Air Force and became a member of the Tuskegee Airmen with whom he flew 27 combat missions during the Korean War. After World War II he enrolled at Ohio State […]