Wilma Rudolph - Related Biography: Coach Ed Temple

Edward Stanley Temple, who served as head women's track coach at Tennessee State University from 1953 to 1994, led over forty athletes to Olympic competition, bringing home a total of twenty-three Olympic medals (thirteen gold, six silver, and four bronze). His teams also won thirty-four national team titles and thirty Pan-American Games medals. As a women's coach, Temple laid a foundation for growth in women's athletics, a boom that continues to this day.

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1927, Temple manifested an early interest in sports. An All-State athlete in track and field, football, and basketball at John Harris High School, he became the school's first African-American captain of both the track and field and basketball teams.

Temple attended Tennessee State University. A sprinter, Temple ran 9.7 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.5 in the 220-meter dash while at the school. After obtaining a bachelor's degree, Temple continued to study, eventually earning a master's in health and physical education. While he was still studying, in 1953, he was offered a position as assistant Women's Track and Field Coach, and later that year, became head coach. He called the women's team the "Tigerbelles," a name that would soon become famous in national and international track circles.

Temple's team members included many women who later became well-known in track and field; Wilma Rudolph was the most notable. The team competed throughout Europe and North America, and was so successful that Temple was chosen as head coach for the Women's Track team for the Olympics in 1960 and 1964.

Temple retired from Tennessee State University in May, 1994. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Helms Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Black Athletes Hall of Fame, and the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.