Wilma Rudolph Biography - Early Obstacles, Not Just Walking, But Running, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Wins Bronze At Melbourne Olympics - SELECTED WRITINGS BY RUDOLPH:

Wilma Rudolph - Early Obstacles

Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born June 23, 1940, in Bethlehem, Tennessee, to a poor and very large family. Her father, Ed Rudolph, had eleven children by an earlier marriage, and had eight more with Wilma's mother, Blanche Rudolph. Wilma was the fifth of this second set of children. When she was born, she weighed only four and a half pounds. During Rudolph's infancy, the family moved to…

Wilma Rudolph - Not Just Walking, But Running

When Rudolph was eleven, her family's persistence with her physical therapy, her long training without the brace, and her determination paid off: she took off the brace and was able to walk normally without it. She progressed rapidly from then on, and not only walked, but outran her peers. According to a writer in Great Women in Sports, Rudolph told a Chicago Tribune writer, "By the …

Wilma Rudolph - Chronology

Wilma Rudolph - Awards And Accomplishments

Wilma Rudolph - Wins Bronze At Melbourne Olympics

Although Rudolph had never even heard of the Olympics until high school, she attended the Olympic trials in Seattle and qualified for the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia at the age of sixteen, as a high school junior. The youngest member of the American team, she was excited to go on her first airplane flight. At Melbourne, she was eliminated from the 200-meter event and did not make the fin…

Wilma Rudolph - Wins Gold In 1960 Olympics

In 1960, Rudolph went to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the National AAU meet. The winners of the meet were invited to the Olympic Trials, held two weeks later at Texas Christian University. At the trials, she set a world record in the 200 meter race that would stand for the next eight years, and qualified for the Olympic team in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4 × 100 relay. At the 1960 Olympics…

Wilma Rudolph - "you Can't Go Back To Living The Way You Did Before"

Despite all the awards and praise, Rudolph received little or no money for her success, and though she had to work for a living, she found it hard to fit back into her old life. According to Great Women in Sports, she told a reporter for Ebony, "You become world famous and you sit with kings and queens, and then your first job is just a job. You can't go back to living the way you di…

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 foun…

Wilma Rudolph - Further Information

Biracree, Tom. Wilma Rudolph. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1988. Great Women in Sports, Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. Jackson, Linda. Wilma Rudolph, Eric Corp., 1975. Lewis, Dwight, and Susan Thomas. A Will to Win, Cumberland Press, 1983. Newsmakers 1995, Issue 4, Detroit: Gale, 1995. Notable Black American Women, Book 1, Detroit: Gale, 1992. Rudolph, Wilma. Wilma: The Story of Wilma Rudolph, …