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Wilma Rudolph never became a professional athlete. (Professional athletes are paid to compete; amateur athletes are not.)
In 1962, she retired from athletic competition. For many years, racial prejudice kept her from receiving the same offers that successful White women athletes had. “I was besieged with money problems,” Rudolph said. “People were always expecting me to be a star, but I wasn’t making the money to live like one. I felt exploited both as a woman and as a Black person.”
Although Rudolph didn’t have a long life (she died in 1994 at the age of 54), she spent it teaching, standing up for justice, and serving others.
Rudolph meeting with President John F. Kennedy
▲ On her retirement as a runner, Rudolph served as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. State Department. She visited dignitaries around the world. She also went to the White House to discuss the importance of youth sports programs. In 1963, she graduated from college with a degree in education and was offered a teaching position at the elementary school she had attended. She also coached track at her former high school. In 1987, she became the director of DePauw University’s women’s track program and the school’s consultant on minority affairs.
◀ In 1963, Rudolph was among 300 Blacks trying to integrate Clarksville’s Shoney’s Restaurant, which had a Whites-only policy. Rudolph and the others were locked out of the restaurant while 150 or so Whites watched on, jeering and heckling. Rudolph’s presence drew news reporters and cameras to the scene. The next day, an image of her being locked out of the restaurant appeared in the local paper, along with her comment, “I just can’t believe it. Remember the reception I had here in 1960?” Weeks later, Clarksville’s restaurants were integrated. “I guess I could go every place now,” Rudolph remarked, “but there are still places I won’t go.”
Reflection
Reflect on what Rudolph said after restaurants in Clarksville were integrated. Would you have felt the same way? Why or why not?
▲ In his book We Will Win the Day, history professor Louis Moore paints a rounded portrait of Rudolph.
When we tell Wilma’s story, it’s not just to say, ‘Well, she triumphed, so can you, too.’ It’s also about being open and real about why so many people struggle who come from those backgrounds – backgrounds this nation created with Jim Crow [segregation] and forced poverty.
▲ Rudolph (right) was an inspiration to Black female athletes. That was especially true for Florence Griffith Joyner (left), a three-time gold medalist for track in the 1988 Olympic Games. Rudolph watched as Griffith Joyner took the gold. “It was a great thrill for me to see,” she said. “I thought I’d never get to see that . . . every time she ran, I ran.”
Wilma Rudolph distinguished herself in many ways. She was an Olympic champion. She stood up for gender and racial equality and paved the way for icons like Serena Williams. Some say she was a Jackie Robinson for Black women. (Jackie Robinson was the first Black to play in Major League Baseball.) All this after overcoming a severe handicap. It’s no wonder that in 2004, the United States Postal Service honored her by issuing a stamp with her likeness as part of the Distinguished Americans series. ▶
▲ Rudolph earned Olympic gold in 1960. But she was celebrated again and again, long after her win. Here are some of the awards she received.
1960
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
1961
Sullivan Award as the year’s outstanding amateur athlete/Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year (for second consecutive year)
1962
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award
1973
Inducted into Black Athletes Hall of Fame
1974
Inducted into National Track and Field Hall of Fame
1980
Inducted into Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame
1983
Inducted into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
1984
Named one of the five greatest women athletes in the U.S. by the Women’s Sports Foundation
1987
National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Silver Anniversary Award
1993
Honored as one of the National Sports Awards “Great Ones”
Think Piece!
Wilma Rudolph is known for saying, “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” Do you agree with Rudolph? Share your thinking with others.
◀ In 2004, the Wilma Rudolph Learning Center opened, in Chicago, Illinois. The school is not formally connected to Rudolph. But as an athlete who overcame illness and physical weakness to win Olympic gold, she is the inspiration for its mission and vision: To provide a safe and supportive learning environment for students with physical and medical needs not met in a more typical setting.
