Wilma Rudolph Essays - Wilma Rudolph, Clarksville, Tennessee, Wilma

Wilma Rudolph This report is on Wilma Glodean Rudolph. Wilma was born June 23,1940 in Clarksville, Tennessee. William's education is: her mother tutored she until she started school when she was seven. She eventually graduated from the school, went to Tennessee State University and graduated with "flying colors". When Wilma was born she weighed only 4.5 pounds, and was the twentieth of twenty-two children! Since than she was nursed by her mother until she was seven. She was sick all the time. She had measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox, and double pneumonia. She had to be taken to the doctor because her left leg was getting very weak, she soon found out she had polio in her left leg. They thought she would never walk again. But she and her mother would never give up hope that easily. The only place Wilma could go to get treated was at Meharry Hospital, the black medical college of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. It was fifty miles away but her mother took her twice a week for two years until she could walk with the help of a metal brace on her leg Finally at the age of twelve a miracle happened, she walk without a metal brace, without a crutch, without any help at all. In junior high school she followed her sister's footsteps and became a basketball player. The coach Clinton Gray did not put her in a game for three years. He finally started she her sophomore year. She started as point guard. During a tournament she was spotted by Ed Temple the couch of the famous track team called the Tigerbells. Because her school did not have a track team Ed invited Wilma to a summer sports camp for track at Tennessee State University. After graduating from high school, she received a sports scholarship and went to Tennessee State University. Because of her celebrity from her track carrier she took a year off year studies, she made appearances and participated in International track events. She returned to her studies and received a degree in education when she graduated in 1963. In 1963 she also married her high school sweetheart, Robert Eldrige, with whom she had four children, Yolanda {1958}, Djuanna {1964}, Robert Jr. {1965}, and Xurry {1971}. They later got divorced. Now I will tell you about her accomplishments. Her first accomplishment was just staying alive. But after that she won a bronze metal in the 4x4 relay race in the1956 Olympic Games at the age of 16. On September 17th 1960 in Rome she became the first women to win three Olympic gold metals. She won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and ran the anchor in the 400-meter relay team. That led her to become one of the most celebrated female athletes in history. Because of her celebrity she caused gender barriers to be broken. Because, previously women were not allowed in all track events. So she went where no women have gone before, and so did other women thanks to her. HER AWARDS United Press Athlete of the year 1960 Associated Press Women Athlete of the year 1960 The Babe Zaharias Award 1962 Black Sports Hall of Fame 1980 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame 1983 Vitalis Cup for Sports Excellence 1983 Women's Sports Foundation Award 1984 The First Women to get these Awards James E. Sulivan Award for good sportsmanship 1961 European Sportswriters' Sportsman of the year Christopher Columbus Award for Most Outstanding t International Sports Personality 1960 The Penn Relays 1961 New York Athlete Club Track Meet. The Millrose Games There were other honors as well. In 1963 she was selected to represent the U.S. State Department as a Goodwill Ambassador at the Games of Friendship in Dakar, Senegal. Later, that year she was invited by Doctor Billy Graham to join the Baptist Christian Athletes in Japan. She had the first party recorded in Clarksville history where blacks and whites gathered for the same event. She also went on to protest about segregation until the laws where brought down. After retiring from her track carrier she went back to Clarksville and taught at her old school Cobb Elementary, and was the track coach at her alma matter, Burt High School. She replaced her old coach Clinton Gray who tragically, died in an auto accident. After that she moved on to coaching positions first Maine, than Indiana. She was a gust speaker at dozons of schools and universities. She then became a sports commentary on national television and the co-host of a