Wilma Rudolph

[Dixon]

If her story wasn't real it would have been a book or a movie. Wasn't she the youngest of 22 children? I find that hard to believe, how did they afford all those mouths to feed especially in those times? I;m guessing that Forrest Gump bit was inspired by her story.

In that video of her winning the 1960 Olympic 100m she looks almost gazeele like, so smooth, while all those behind her looking anything but gazeele like. What a shame she couldn't have ran into her late 20's.

I'm not sure about this so...help!...but wasn't that 4x1 team made up of her Tennesee State teammates?

Only male sprinter of note I can think from TS was John Moon a 9.4 guy a few years later.

[bambam]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

In that video of her winning the 1960 Olympic 100m she looks almost gazeele like, so smooth, while all those behind her looking anything but gazeele like. What a shame she couldn't have ran into her late 20's.

Her nickname at Rome among the Europeans was La Gazelle Noir - the black gazelle.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

In that video of her winning the 1960 Olympic 100m she looks almost gazeele like, so smooth, while all those behind her looking anything but gazeele like. What a shame she couldn't have ran into her late 20's.

Her nickname at Rome among the Europeans was La Gazelle Noir - the black gazelle.

That's for teaching me how to spell gazelle....

I didn't know that so I guess I'm not the only one who thought that.

[KDFINE]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

I was thinking..."I know there was somebody else"...yep, Ralph Boston.

I'm not too much into female athletics, but I'm thinking there were some other female sprinters of note out of TS after Wilma.

[KDFINE]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Hey Dixon, I suppose we could start a post of what foods are good for preventing brain lock.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Hey Dixon, I suppose we could start a post of what foods are good for preventing brain lock.

I hear that, I'm usually solid when it comes to those HBCU schools,like in their fantasy track teams and so on, how I forget Ralph Boston scares me

[houstonian]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was an imposing athlete and a natural aristocrat, born in very humble circumstances. I met her once in the eighties. I would say she was 6'1" or 6'2". She was one of those athletes whose body transcends eras and translates into athletic dominance, always and in the future (Wilt Chamberlain, Doug Atkins, Bob Mathias). She would be great now.

Even more compelling was Wilma's elegance. According to David Maraniss, author "Rome 1960", Rudolph was invited to the White House months after the Olympics, and President Kennedy was "so taken by her that he nearly missed his rocking chair as he sat down and then talked to her for an hour, leaving his next appointment waiting outside the Oval Office" (very un-Presidential!) . She was, by all accounts, the overwhelming media star of the international press at the 1960 Olympic Games -- male or female. Cassius Clay had a crush on her. Maraniss makes the fascinating point that Cassius Clay was not even the alpha male on the 1960 USA Olympic Team -- Ray Norton and Rafer Johnson were. Clay was intimidated by Norton and Johnson. Can you imagine a s US Olympic team now, where the track men were the alpha dogs? Amazing.
After the Games, Clay paid a much publicized visit to Rudolph in her hometown of Clarksville.
And yes her gold medal sprint relay teammates were all Tennessee State Tigerbelles: Lucinda Williams, Barbara Jones, and Martha Hudson.

[bambam]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

He had to be a decent sprinter. How good was he as a sprinter? DJ or Dixon should know. I don't, offhand. He did, however, finish 4th in the 1963 Pan Am Games high jump - actually =2nd on mark and lost on the countback. A great little trivia ?

[JumboElliott]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

I was thinking..."I know there was somebody else"...yep, Ralph Boston.

I'm not too much into female athletics, but I'm thinking there were some other female sprinters of note out of TS after Wilma.

Rudolph's successors as Olympic gold medalists in both the 100 and 200, Wyomia Tyus and Edith McGuire were both Tigerbelles.

Chandra Cheesborough, the current coach at TSU was as well.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was an imposing athlete and a natural aristocrat, born in very humble circumstances. I met her once in the eighties. I would say she was 6'1" or 6'2". She was one of those athletes whose body transcends eras and translates into athletic dominance, always and in the future (Wilt Chamberlain, Doug Atkins, Bob Mathias). She would be great now.

Even more compelling was Wilma's elegance. According to David Maraniss, author "Rome 1960", Rudolph was invited to the White House months after the Olympics, and President Kennedy was "so taken by her that he nearly missed his rocking chair as he sat down and then talked to her for an hour, leaving his next appointment waiting outside the Oval Office" (very un-Presidential!) . She was, by all accounts, the overwhelming media star of the international press at the 1960 Olympic Games -- male or female. Cassius Clay had a crush on her. Maraniss makes the fascinating point that Cassius Clay was not even the alpha male on the 1960 USA Olympic Team -- Ray Norton and Rafer Johnson were. Clay was intimidated by Norton and Johnson. Can you imagine a s US Olympic team now, where the track men were the alpha dogs? Amazing.
After the Games, Clay paid a much publicized visit to Rudolph in her hometown of Clarksville.
And yes her gold medal sprint relay teammates were all Tennessee State Tigerbelles: Lucinda Williams, Barbara Jones, and Martha Hudson.

Good stuff bro.

I saw her and Muhammad Ali together at some function (tv) Ali leaned over and whispered something in her ear, she gave that.."you silly guy"...look.

Back in 1932 ourOly mens 4x1 team was ran by a team brought there to just run the relay, none of our 100m sprinters were on that team. I'm guessing that Tennesse State team was the second.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

He had to be a decent sprinter. How good was he as a sprinter? DJ or Dixon should know. I don't, offhand. He did, however, finish 4th in the 1963 Pan Am Games high jump - actually =2nd on mark and lost on the countback. A great little trivia ?

Well he did run a 13.7 110hh. but have nothing on him as a sprinter. I 'd guess 9.6ish for yards.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

Not exactly a sprinter but a guy named Ralph Boston was a pretty good track athlete from Tennessee State.

I was thinking..."I know there was somebody else"...yep, Ralph Boston.

I'm not too much into female athletics, but I'm thinking there were some other female sprinters of note out of TS after Wilma.

Rudolph's successors as Olympic gold medalists in both the 100 and 200, Wyomia Tyus and Edith McGuire were both Tigerbelles.

Chandra Cheesborough, the current coach at TSU was as well.

Well when it comes to fantasy 4x1's what school could beat TS?

[BillVol]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

The great Wilma Rudolph lived in the upscale town of Brentwood, Tennessee, at the time of her death. She was a smoker. LIke Jesse Owens, I think. I remember a story in the paper in which Oly swimmer Donna de Varona said to Wilma, when she saw Wilma smoking, "WHY?"

Houston, interesting you refer to Wilma as an "aristocrat." The TSU band is known as the "Aristocrat of Bands." Any connection there?

Dixon, no comment that you didn't know about Boston attending TSU. :? I can't say anything since you know a ton more about our sport than I do.

[Dixon]

Re: Wilma Rudolph

The great Wilma Rudolph lived in the upscale town of Brentwood, Tennessee, at the time of her death. She was a smoker. LIke Jesse Owens, I think. I remember a story in the paper in which Oly swimmer Donna de Varona said to Wilma, when she saw Wilma smoking, "WHY?"

Houston, interesting you refer to Wilma as an "aristocrat." The TSU band is known as the "Aristocrat of Bands." Any connection there?

Dixon, no comment that you didn't know about Boston attending TSU. :? I can't say anything since you know a ton more about our sport than I do.

Well actually I'm pretty solid on all those HBCU athletes, keep in mind I was talking TS sprinters. I knew about Boston and TS. If asked what school Ralph Boston was out of, i'd have said....Tennesee State.

Nolan "Super Gnat" Smith, a tiny kick returner with the KC Chiefs another TSer.