BHS Day 24: Marshall "Major" Taylor

Hi! For our final Sports Spotlight I wanted to talk about a sport that's very rarely discussed when it comes to Black accomplishments, and is one of the lesser-discussed sports in general. Because it isn't one of the major, more 'exciting' sports, its very easy for the pioneers of the sport to become lost to history. Today I wanted to give one of those said pioneers another moment in the spotlight because regardless of the sport, the people who helped make it what it is today are still important. I loved the stories I read about our entrant in today's further reading links, so please check those out. I left a few interesting tidbits of him out of today's notables for that reason. Let's get to today's entrant!

Source

Name: Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor, 1878-1932 Profession: Track cyclist Why is the Spotlight on him today? For his accomplishments in the cycling world, despite the unrivaled amounts of racism and discrimination he faced  Notables:
--Was the first African-American to win a world cycling championship
--Was the second African-American athlete to become a world champion in any sport
--First received local notoriety and the nickname "Major" from his first job of performing in front of a local bike shop in an Army uniform
--Faced racism and threats throughout his career, being banned from racing in Indiana after winning a race filled with taunts and threats in Indianapolis, being run out of Atlanta for safety concerns, and literally being beaten by white racers, who also sometimes refused to race with him
--Was posthumously honored with a Hennessy campaign, which was rolled out during one of this year's Super Bowl Commercials
--Was the posthumous namesake of the Indianapolis racing track's rededication, as they renamed the track after him possibly in an effort to right the wrong done to him there
--Was able to turn pro at the age of 18 with the help of a move up north and his patron's assistance 
--Unofficially broke a world cycling record in the Indianapolis race, knocking 2/5 of a second from the current record
--In one year, won 29 of his 49 races but was not considered a world champion likely because of racism
--Held several world records by the time he was 20
--Was posthumously honored by Worchester, Mass's public library with a tribute statue erected of him in front of the library
--Is still being posthumously honored around the country with different cycling events and rides in his name
--Was posthumously honored by a collective effort from the Indiana Historical Bureau, the Indiana State Fair Commission and the Central Indiana Bicycle Association Foundation with a historical marker, which was initially commissioned in 2009 and rededicated last year
--During one race, created a world record that stood unbroken for nearly 30 years
--Was one of the first globally recognized athletes and toured throughout Europe and Australia for 8 years
--Through the Hennessy campaign, has had rides scheduled in his honor through a partnership with the National Brotherhood of Cyclists
--Was one of the first athletes to have custom-made equipment, as his bikes became custom-made for him and are still being replicated today for the modern-day cyclist
--Is still being posthumously honored by other cycling clubs, as many African-American cycling clubs bear his name
--Is the namesake of a scholarship sponsored by 
--Was originally buried in an unmarked grave but was later exhumed and given a true burial by the owner of the Schwinn Bicycle Company and a group of ex-racers

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


Quote of the Day: 
"I want African-American children to use that terrible prejudice as an inspiration to struggle on to the heights in their chosen vocations."
--Major Taylor