Both in sports and in life, some say it is human instinct to root for the underdog.@@uh…no…i root for the best.@@ When a person or team overcomes what may seem like insurmountable odds, a success story is produced and the these fans win.  There may not be a bigger underdog story in the history of track than that of Wilma Rudolph.
Rudolph battled a number physical disability possible on her way to becoming one of the best athletes of her generation. She was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, weighing just 4.5 lbs. At age four, she was diagnosed with infantile paralysis. This required her to wear a brace on her entire left leg for five years. As a result, her foot became twisted and her mobility limited. When Wilma’s mother brought her into the doctor’s office to seek a cure, the doctor told them that Wilma would never be able to walk again.
Mrs. Rudolph would not give up. She discovered a medical college in Nashville, Tenn., roughly 50 miles from their home in Clarksville, where Wilma could be treated. The two made the trip to Nashville twice a week for two years to go through physical therapy and reconstruction. In order for her left foot to regain proper form, Rudolph was forced to wear an orthopedic shoe during this time.
She was famously remembered as saying, “My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.”
By the time she was 12, she had fully recovered. In addition to overcoming the odds of being able to walk, she had also battled a variety of severe diseases including measles, chicken pox,@@i’ve had these two@@ scarlet fever, double pneumonia and the whooping cough. As an African-American living in a racially segregated environment, she was unable to obtain proper treatment from doctors. Instead, her mother had to nurse her through these illnesses.
With her physical health back to full strength and her athletic career set to take off, she joined her high school’s basketball team. Almost instantly, she was the best athlete on the team, leading the State of Tennessee in scoring and bringing Burt High School@@checked@@ a state championship. She participated in track during the off-season to stay in shape, but it was more of an afterthought rather than a focal point — at least until she met the man that changed her life: Ed Temple.
Temple was the track and field coach at Tennessee State University and first discovered Rudolph while watching her play in a high school basketball game. He recognized her natural athleticism and persuaded her to take part in his summer track program at the university. By age 16, she qualified to race for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team in the 1956 Melbourne Games.
She returned home from Australia with a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter relay, but that accolade would be an appetizer in comparison to what she would do in the next Olympic Games. Four years later, at the Summer Olympics in Rome, she turned in one legendary performance after another.
She became the first American woman in history to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. She won the 100 meters with a time of exactly 11 seconds. This was a world record at the time but was not credited as such because the race was determined to be wind-aided. Additionally, she set an Olympic record in the 200 meters with a time of 23.2.
Finally, she brought home her third gold medal as she anchored the 4×100-meter relay to a world-record finish of 44.5. This victory was perhaps extra sweet because it not only clinched her a spot in the history books as the first woman to bring home three golds in a single Olympics, but also her three teammates in the race were all friends and teammates of hers at Tennessee State: Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams and Barbara Jones.
“The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me — three Olympic gold medals,” she said after the Games. “I knew that was something that nobody could ever take away from me, ever.”
Just two years later, at age 22, Rudolph retired from professional track and field competition. She raised a family of four children with her high school sweetheart Robert Eldridge. She graduated from Tennessee State University and would later become a teacher, track coach and sports commentator.
Rudolph passed away from brain cancer on November 12, 1994, at age 54. The Woman’s Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award was created in her honor, among numerous other awards, statues and foundations named after her. This award is given to a “female athlete who exhibits extraordinary courage in her athletic performance, demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as an inspiration and role model to those who face challenges, overcomes them and strives for success at all levels.”
Wilma Rudolph will be honored this Saturday, June 30, at Hayward Field prior to the women’s 200-meter final.