Growing up in the segregated South, she overcame discrimination and unequal access to inspire generations of other black athletes to reach for their athletic goals. The white mayor of Albany sat on the stage with Coachman but refused to shake her hand. She was 90 years old. Cardiac arrest Alice Coachman/Cause of death The 1948 Olympics were held in London, and when Coachman boarded the ship with teammates to sail to England, she had never been outside of the United States. Coachman said that track and field was my key to getting a degree and meeting great people and opening a lot of doors in high school and college. In 1943, Coachman entered the Tuskegee Institute college division to study dressmaking while continuing to compete for the schools track-and-field and basketball teams. *Distances have varied as follows: 40 yards (192732), 50 meters (193354), 50 yards (195664), 60 yards (196586), 55 meters (198790), "Alice Coachman - First African American Woman Gold Medallist", "Alice Coachman Biography Track and Field Athlete (19232014)", "Alice Coachman - obituary; Alice Coachman was an American athlete who became the first black woman to win Olympic gold", "The Greatest Black Female Athletes Of All-Time", "Why An African-American Sports Pioneer Remains Obscure", "Alice Coachman, 90, Dies; First Black Woman to Win Olympic Gold - NYTimes.com", "Sports of The Times; Good Things Happening for One Who Decided to Wait", "Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Members by Year", "Alpha Kappa Alpha Mourns The Loss Of Honorary Member Alice Marie Coachman Davis", "Honorees: 2010 National Women's History Month", "BBC News - US black female gold Olympian Alice Coachman Davis dies", Alice Coachman's oral history video excerpts, 1948 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alice_Coachman&oldid=1142152250, African-American female track and field athletes, Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics, College women's basketball players in the United States, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field, USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners, USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Olympics.com template with different ID for Olympic.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Barred from public sports facilities because of her race, Coachman used whatever materials she could piece together to practice jumping. How has Title IX impacted women in education and sports over the last 5 decades? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. In 1994, she founded the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to provide assistance to young athletes and former Olympic competitors. Coachman felt she was at her peak at the age of 16 in 1939, but she wasn't able to compete in the Olympics at the time because the Games were . While competing for her high school track team in Albany, she caught the attention of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The day after Patterson's historic Bronze medal, Alice Coachman became the first black woman from any country to win a gold medal in track and field. Encyclopedia.com. Rudolph, Wilma 1940 She received little support for her athletic pursuits from her parents, who thought she should direct herself on a more ladylike. Later a school and street in her hometown of Albany, Georgia, were named after her. Biography [ edit] Early life and education [ edit] Alice Coachman was born on November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia. Although Coachman quit track and field when she was at her peak, she amassed 25 national titles to go along with her Olympic gold medal during her active years of competing from 1939 to 1948. On August 8, 1948, Alice Coachman leapt 5 feet 6 1/8 inches to set a new Olympic record and win a gold medal for the high jump. advertisement advertisement Philanthropy The Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation was founded in 1994 by Coachman to assist former Olympic competitors and youth athletes. Olympic athlete, track and field coach Coachman married Frank A. Davis and is the mother of two children. In 1948 Alice qualified for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches. ." Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 23 Feb. 2023 . Born November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia, to Evelyn and Fred Coachman, Alice was the fifth of ten children. . The 1959 distance was 60 meters. Born on November 9, 1923, in Albany, the fifth of Fred and Evelyn Coachman's ten children, Coachman grew up in the segregated South. "Whether they think that or not, they should be grateful to someone in the black race who was able to do these things.". Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the greatest multi-event track and field athlete of all time, announced, Devers, Gail 1966 "Georgia's Top 100 Athletes of the 1900s." She specialized in high jump and was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Subjects: Do you find this information helpful? She was honored in meetings with President Harry Truman and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and with a parade that snaked 175 miles from Atlanta to Albany, with crowds cheering her in every town in between. High jumper, teacher, coach. Alice Coachman was born on November 9, 1923 in Albany, Georgia. "A Place in History, Not Just a Footnote." And although she was formally retired from athletic competitions, Coachman's star power remained: In 1952, the Coca-Cola Company tapped her to become a spokesperson, making Coachman the first African American to earn an endorsement deal. She was also a standout performer at basketball, leading her team to three straight SIAC womens basketball championships as an All-American guard. She specialized in high jump and was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal . Notable Sports Figures. Jet (July 29, 1996): 53. Back in her hometown, meanwhile, Alice Avenue and Coachman Elementary School were named in her honor. [15], Coachman has received recognition for opening the door for future African-American track stars such as Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. She was also the only U.S. woman to win a track & field gold medal in 1948. "Alice Coachman," National Women's History Project, http://www.nwhp.org/tlp/biographies/coachman/coachman_bio.html (December 30, 2005). This organization helps develop young athletes, and to help former Olympic athletes to establish new careers. In an interview with The New York Times, she observed, "I made a difference among the blacks, being one of the leaders. Alan Greenblatt, Why an African-American Sports Pioneer Remains Obscure, CodeSw!tch, NPR, July 19, 2014, Richard Goldstein, Alice Coachman, 90, Dies; First Black Woman to Win Olympic Gold,, William C. Rhoden, Good Things Happening for One Who Decided to Wait,. Corrections? Alice Marie Coachman Davis (November 9, 1923 July 14, 2014) was an American athlete. Coachman was the only American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics in 1948. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Alice Coachman was born circa 1670, at birth place, to Frances Yemones and Jane Yemones. Infoplease.com. In 1952, she signed a product endorsement deal with the Coca-Cola Company, becoming the first black female athlete to benefit from such an arrangement. Coachman enthusiastically obliged. Ive had that strong will, that oneness of purpose, all my life. Count Basie, the famous jazz musician, threw her a party. At age 25, she launched herself into the record books in front of 83,000 spectators, becoming the first woman of African descent to win an Olympic gold medal. When the games were back on 1948, Coachman was still reluctant to try out for the team. [11], Coachman died in Albany, Georgia on July 14, 2014, of cardiac arrest after suffering through respiratory problems. 1936- However, the date of retrieval is often important. But she felt she had accomplished all that she set out to achieve. Coachmans formative years as an athlete were hardly by the book. One of 10 children, Coachman was raised in the heart of the segregated South, where she was often denied the opportunity to train for or compete in organized sports events. After demonstrating her skills on the track at Madison High School, Tuskegee Institute offered sixteen-year-old Coachman a scholarship to attend its high school program. Despite suffering a bad back at the trials for team selection held at the Brown University stadium in Rhode Island, she topped the American record, clearing the 5 4 1/4 bar and easily qualifying for the team. During the course of the competition, Coachman defeated her biggest challenger, British high jumper Dorothy Tyler. With this medal, Coachman became not only the first black woman to win Olympic gold, but the only American woman to win a gold medal at the 1948 Olympic Games. Did Alice Coachman have siblings? Her welcome-home ceremony in the Albany Municipal Auditorium was also segregated, with whites sitting on one side of the stage and blacks on the other. When Coachman set sail for England with the rest of the team, she had no expectations of receiving any special attention across the Atlantic. But World War II forced the cancellation of those games and those of 1944. From there she went on to Tuskegee Institute college, pursuing a trade degree in dressmaking that she earned in 1946. November 9, Alice Coachman. She became the Gold Medalist when she cleared the 5 feet 6 1/8-inch bar on her first attempt. Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, Book IV, Gale Group, 2000. 1923, Albany, Georgia, United States of America. The English had pinned their hopes on high jumper D.J. However, in 1940 and 1944, during her prime competitive years, the Olympic Games were cancelled because of World War II. Career: Won her first Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) high jump competition at age 16, 1939; enrolled in and joined track and field team at Tuskegee Institute high school; trained under coaches Christine Evans Petty and Cleveland Abbott; set high school and juniorcollege age group record in high jump, 1939; won numerous national titles in the 100-meter dash, 50-meter dash, relays, and high jump, 1940s; was named to five All-American track and field teams, 1940s; made All-American team as guard and led college basketball team to three SIAC titles, 1940s; set Olympic and American record in high jump at Olympic Games, London, U.K., 1948; retired from track and field, 1948; signed endorsement contracts after Olympic Games, late 1940s; became physical education teacher and coach, 1949; set up Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to help down-and-out former athletes. She was one of the best track-and-field competitors in the country, winning national titles in the 50m, 100m, and 400m relay. She racked up a dozen national indoor and outdoor high jump titles and was named to five All-American teams in the high jump while complete during her college years. Alice Coachman 1923 -. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. [6], Coachman dominated the AAU outdoor high jump championship from 1939 through 1948, winning ten national championships in a row. On a rainy afternoon at Wembley Stadium in London in August 1948, Coachman competed for her Olympic gold in the high jump. They divorced and later Coachman married Frank Davis, who died five years before her. She married N. F. Davis, had two children, and strove to become a role model away from the athletic limelight. Coachman was inducted into nine halls of fame including the National Track-and-Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame (2004). The people you pass on the ladder will be the same people youll be with when the ladder comes down.. She had two children during her first marriage to N. F. Davis, which ended in divorce. At The Olympics in London Coachman had been suffering from a back problem. advertisement In 1952, Coachman became the first Black female athlete to endorse an international consumer brand, Coca Cola. Her second husband, Frank Davis, predeceased her. Atlanta Journal and Constitution (August 11, 1995): 6D. (February 23, 2023). At the trials held at Brown University in Rhode Island, she easily qualified when she obliterated the American high jump record by an inch and a half with a five-foot four-inch jump, despite suffering from back spasms. "83,000 At Olympics." "I didn't know I'd won," Coachman later said. "I think I opened the gate for all of them," she reflected. At Tuskegee Institute High School Coachmans skills were honed by womens track coach Christine Evans Petty and the schools famous head coach, Cleveland Abbott. In 1994, Coachman founded the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation in Akron, Ohio; her son Richmond Davis operates the nonprofit organization designed to assist young athletes and help Olympians adjust to life after retirement from competition. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Encyclopedia of World Biography. This leap broke the existing16 year old record by inch. At Madison High School, Coachman came under the tutelage of the boys' track coach, Harry E. Lash, who recognized and nurtured her talent. At the 1948 Olympics in London, her teammate Audrey Patterson earned a bronze medal in the 200-metre sprint to become the first Black woman to win a medal. he was a buisness worker. Contemporary Black Biography. Contemporary Black Biography. ." She won the AAU outdoor high-jump championship for the next nine years, also winning three indoor high-jump championships. Coachman first attracted attention in 1939 by breaking Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) high school and college women's high-jump records while barefoot. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation was founded in 1994 by Coachman to assist former Olympic competitors and youth athletes. They divorced and later Coachman married Frank Davis, who died five years before her. Her peak performance came before she won gold. Over the next several years, Coachman dominated AAU competitions. She continued to rack up the national honors during the 1940s, first at Tuskegee and then at Albany State College where she resumed her educational and athletic pursuits in 1947. Coachman further distinguished herself by being the only black on the All-American womens track and field and team for five years prior to the 1948 Olympics. 16/06/2022 . Her parents were poor, and while she was in elementary school, Coachman had to work at picking cotton and other crops to help her family meet expenses. For nearly a decade betw, Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, Alice Lloyd College: Narrative Description, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/coachman-alice-1923, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/coachman-alice, http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0771730.html, https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/coachman-alice, Founds Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation, Wins her first Amateur Athletic Union competition, Wins national high jump championship every year, Named to the women's All-America track and field team for 1945, Becomes first African-American woman selected for an Olympic team, Wins gold medal in the high jump at the Olympics, becoming the first black woman to win Olympic gold, Inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, Honored as one of the 100 Greatest Olympic Athletes. Fanny Blankers-Koen (born 1918) was known as the "first queen of women's Olympics." She also taught physical education at South Carolina State College, Albany State College, and Tuskegee High School. Image Credit:By unknown - Original publication: Albany HeraldImmediate source: http://www.albanyherald.com/photos/2012/jan/29/35507/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46868328, Alice CoachmanGold Medal Moments, Team USA, Youtube, Alice Coachman - Gold Medal Moments, Emily Langer, Alice Coachman, first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, dies at 91, The Washington Post, July 15, 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/alice-coachman-first-black-woman-to-win-an-olympic-gold-medal-dies-at-91/2014/07/15/f48251d0-0c2e-11e4-b8e5-d0de80767fc2_story.html, By Emma Rothberg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Predoctoral Fellow in Gender Studies, 2020-2022. Alice Coachman. National Womens History Museum. . Coachman also realized that her performance at the Olympics had made her an important symbol for blacks. In 1994, she founded the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to provide assistance to young athletes and former Olympic competitors. Death Year: 2014, Death date: July 14, 2014, Death State: Georgia, Death City: Albany, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Alice Coachman Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/alice-coachman, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 6, 2021, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014. Coachman, however, continued to practice in secret. King George VI of Great Britain put the medal around her neck. Alice CoachmanGold Medal Moments, Team USA, Youtube, Emily Langer, Alice Coachman, first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, dies at 91,, Elinor Lin Ostrom, Nobel Prize Economist, Lessons in Leadership: The Honorable Yvonne B. Miller, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation, https://olympics.com/en/news/alice-coachman-athletics, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/coachman-alice-marie-1923/, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/07/19/332665921/why-an-african-american-sports-pioneer-remains-obscure, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/sports/alice-coachman-90-dies-groundbreaking-medalist.html?_r=0, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/alice-coachman, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/alice-coachman-first-black-woman-to-win-an-olympic-gold-medal-dies-at-91/2014/07/15/f48251d0-0c2e-11e4-b8e5-d0de80767fc2_story.html.