Wilma Rudolph beat polio to become a champion athlete – first, a basketball star, then a runner.
About her running ability she said, “I don’t know why I run so fast; I just run.” And run she did – all 5 feet 11 inches of her. Though her records have since been broken, in her day, Rudolph was known as the fastest woman in the world – and she was.
Was it luck or something else? As a record-breaking, all-state basketball player, Rudolph was getting attention. One of the people paying attention was Ed Temple (right), track and field coach at Tennessee State University – and he was impressed. Temple wanted to train Rudolph as a sprinter, but her high school didn’t have a track team so he asked Rudolph’s basketball coach to form one. The coach did, and Rudolph tried out for the team; she was a natural. Soon afterward, Rudolph began practicing at Tennessee State as well. ▶

Running, at the time, was nothing but pure enjoyment for me. I loved the feeling of freedom . . . the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I’m really competing against in this is me.

◀ Rudolph thrived under Temple’s coaching, but he was tough. If a runner was late for practice, there were extra laps to run – one for each late minute. One day, Rudolph overslept and was 30 minutes late for practice, so she ran 30 extra laps that day. According to the story, the next day Rudolph was at the track 30 minutes early.
Think Piece!
What is your opinion of coach Temple’s policy for late runners? Was it too harsh, not harsh enough? Share your ideas about whether the penalty should have been something different altogether.

◀ The year was 1956. Wilma Rudolph was still in high school, but coach Temple thought she had the talent to compete in the Olympics. That year, they were being held in Melbourne, Australia. Rudolph did not qualify for the 200-meter dash – to participate in certain Olympic events, athletes have to qualify by competing even before the games begin – but she used that experience to push herself to get ready for the 100-meter relay race. Not only did her team run that race, they won a bronze medal. It was Rudolph’s first Olympic medal, but not her last. Years later, Rudolph observed this:
Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.
Think Piece!
What is your reaction to Rudolph’s observation about winning and losing? Do you think she’s right? If you wish, share a personal experience that supports your idea.

▲ After the 1956 Olympics, Rudolph attended Tennessee State University. Rudolph never stopped running, now with the Tigerbelles, as the track team was called. In 1959, the team competed in the Pan American Games in Chicago. Rudolph won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at those games and helped win a gold medal in the 100-meter relay race. While at Tennessee State, Rudolph also won seven Amateur Athletic Union national sprint titles and set the indoor track record for the 60-meter dash. It seemed like there was no stopping her.

REFLECTION
Reflect on Wilma Rudolph’s early life and later achievements. What do you think is the message her life offers? Share your thinking.

To her high school coach, Rudolph was “Skeeter,” but by the end of the 1960 Olympics, she had acquired a handful of other nicknames. Hugely popular throughout the world – especially in Europe – she was known as “the Black Pearl” in Italy and “the Black Gazelle” in France, but friends at home called her “the Tennessee Tornado” or “the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.” To everyone, she was “the Queen of the Olympics.” ▶


▲ It was planned for October 4, soon after the Olympics – Wilma Rudolph Day. The celebration would take place in Clarksville, Tennessee, Rudolph’s hometown, but there was a hitch. Tennessee was a segregated state, so two separate celebrations were planned, one for Whites and one for Blacks. Rudolph was having none of it. She made it known that she would take part only if all the activities were integrated. No one would deny Rudolph’s demand, and so, for the first time in Tennessee, Blacks and Whites mixed socially. As one sports historian wrote of Rudolph, “She was one of the first African American athletes to use her celebrity to fight against injustice.”
Clarksville’s celebration of Wilma Rudolph included a banquet in her honor. As Rudolph had insisted, both Blacks and Whites attended. County Judge William Hudson spoke to the guests. Among his many remarks was this: “Wilma has competed with the world and brought home three medals. If you want to get good music out of a piano, you have to play both white and black keys.” ▶
Think Piece!
Consider Judge Hudson’s comment at the banquet for Rudolph. What do you think he meant? Do you agree?
