BHS Day 11: Willye White

Hi! For the second Sports Spotlight of the year I wanted to focus on a sport I love and has consistently had Black presence in--track and field. It's one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics, which brings me to today's entrant. She is definitely an unsung hero for both Black athletes and Olympians because you don't hear her name as much anymore, but she broke so many barriers with her skill and lasting career. She did a lot for both Blacks and Americans in making them a dominant force in track and field, and I just wanted to get her name back out there because you don't hear it too much these days. 

Name: Willye White, 1939-2007

Profession: Olympian track and field athlete

Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her accomplishments as an athlete, an Olympian and her longevity in track and field

Notables:
--was the first American track and field athlete to compete in five Olympics
--was named as one of the 10 greatest Black female athletes by Ebony Magazine in 2002
--was inducted into the Black Sports Hall of Fame
--was coached by Hall of Fame coach Ed Temple while at Tennessee State University
--was inducted into the Chicago Hall of Fame
--earned her degree in public health administration from Chicago State University after leaving Tennessee, but was still an active athlete at the time
--was awarded the Women's Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award
--set a long jump record at her high school that stood for 16 years
--founded the WBW Hang on Productions company, which was a consulting business for individuals in sports and fitness
--was named as one of the 100 greatest female athletes by Sports Illustrated
--was only 16 when she competed and medaled in her first Olympics in 1956
--was a member of four Pan-American Games teams
--was inducted into the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame 
--was inducted into the National Association of Sport and Physical Education 
--helped coach the US 1981 World Cup and 1994 Olympic Festival teams
--was inducted into the US Track and Field Hall of Fame
--competed in over 150 countries throughout her career
--was posthumously honored by having a children's football team named after her
--was the first American female to medal in the long jump
--became a nurse and public health administrator after her career was over, working at both Greenwood Medical Center and Cook County Hospital, both in Chicago
--was the first American to be awarded the UNESCO Pierre de Courbetin International Fair Play Trophy
--won two silver medals at two different Olympics games
--founded the Willye White Foundation in Chicago after her career was over, which helped local children get off the streets, get access to healthcare, and gave parents somewhere safe to take their children during the summers and after school
--served on the US Olympic Committee and ran for the vice president's seat
--was posthumously honored with a park and two 10-foot murals constructed in her name in her adopted hometown of Chicago

Further reading links:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Quote of the Day: 
"A dream without a plan is only a wish."