In 1896 the first modern Olympic Games were held, but did you know that it wasn’t until 1948 that the first African American women won a gold medal? That pioneer’s name was Alice Coachman, and she was one of the best Olympians of all time.
Alice Coachman was born November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia. She was the fifth sibling out of ten born to her father Fred Coachman and mother Evelyn Coachman. In segregated Georgia, life for Alice wasn’t so easy especially if you were African American and poor, which she was. To support her family’s income, she would pick cotton, plums, and pecans to sell after school.
Even though her life was filled with these tiring tasks, the thing that never seemed to leave her was her love of sports. Unfortunately due to segregation, she was unable to access public sports facilities because of her race. But this didn’t stop Coachman. From a young age, she persevered through whatever challenge came her way. So whatever materials and scraps she came across she would piece them together and practice her jumps.
However, not many people supported her love of sports. Many during that time thought that it was “unladylike” for women to do sports, and her father was one of them. Her father sometimes whipped Coachman for pursuing athletics, preferring that she sit on the front porch and look “dainty.”
The few people who did support her were her fifth-grade teacher Cora Bailey and her aunt Carrie Spry. They not only defended her love of sports but also encouraged it. In seventh grade, she was soon enough the best athlete in Albany. Boy or girl.
Alice Coachman enrolled at Madison High School soon after. She was the best, but she was still unable to access sports facilities as they were for white kids. But once again, Coachman’s determination overpowered everything else. She began improvising her training by running barefoot in fields and dirt roads to improve her stamina and using old track equipment.
It was almost instantly that Coachman was recognized for her incredible talents. It got to the point where the athletic department at the Tuskegee Institute offered 16-year-old Alice Coachman a scholarship. The Tuskegee Institute is one of the earliest historically black colleges in the US.
Even though her parents were initially against her pursuing an athletic career, they quickly agreed to her enrollment. She ended up enrolling in her sophomore year to complete high school.
According to the National Women’s History Museum, Coachman said, “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.”
While at Tuskegee, Coachman won four national championships for sprinting and high jumping. The people around Coachman were continuously pushing her to try out for the Olympics. Finally, in 1948, she did it. She officially became a member of the American Olympic team that was taking place in London. Coachman set a remarkable record in the high jump marking 5 feet, 6 inches. Ultimately this made her the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
According to Biography, Coachman said, “I didn’t know I’d won. I was on my way to receive the medal and I saw my name on the board. And, of course, I glanced over into the stands where my coach was, and she was clapping her hands.”
After returning to America and finishing her degree at Albany State, she formally retired from the sport. But even after retirement, she had star power. It was in 1952 that the Coca-Cola Company made her a spokesperson, which made her the first African American to earn an endorsement deal.
In the 1996 Summer Olympics, she was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympians in history. Alongside that, she was inducted into nine different halls of fame. Unfortunately, on July 14, 2014, Coachman passed away at the age of ninety. However, still to this day, Coachman’s achievements will never be forgotten. She was the pioneer who helped pave the way for younger generations.
