Alice Coachman facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Alice Marie Coachman | |||||||||||||
| Born | November 9, 1923 Albany, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Died | July 14, 2014 (aged 90) Albany, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Country | United States | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||
| Retired | yes | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alice Marie Coachman Davis (born November 9, 1923 – died July 14, 2014) was an amazing American athlete. She was best known for her skills in the high jump. Alice made history as the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Contents
Alice Coachman's Life Story
Growing Up and School
Alice Coachman was born in Albany, Georgia, on November 9, 1923. She was one of ten children in her family. When Alice was young, she faced challenges because of her skin color. It was hard for her to find places to train or join sports teams.
Also, many people at that time did not think girls should play sports. But Alice did not let this stop her. She trained by running barefoot on dirt roads. She even made her own equipment to practice jumping.
Alice went to Monroe Street Elementary School. Her teacher, Cora Bailey, and her aunt, Carrie Spry, encouraged her. Even though her parents had some worries, they supported her. In 1938, she joined the track team at Madison High School. There, she worked with coach Harry E. Lash to become a better athlete.
By 1939, Alice's talent caught the eye of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. She received a scholarship to attend Tuskegee Preparatory School at age 16. The scholarship meant she had to work while she studied and trained. This included cleaning sports areas and fixing uniforms.
Alice graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in 1946. She earned a degree in dressmaking. The next year, she studied at Albany State College. In 1949, she got a degree in Home Economics. Later, she became a teacher and a track-and-field coach.
Her Amazing Sports Career
Before joining Tuskegee, Alice competed in the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) Women's National Championships. She broke college and national high jump records, even while competing barefoot! Her jumping style was special. It mixed straight jumping with a technique called the western roll.
Alice was the best in the AAU outdoor high jump championship for many years. She won ten national championships in a row from 1939 to 1948. Besides high jump, she also won national titles in running races. These included the 50-meter dash and the 100-meter dash. She also won with her 400-meter relay team while at the Tuskegee Institute.
During this time, Alice also played basketball. She was a guard on the Tuskegee women's basketball team. She helped them win three conference championships. Alice was at her peak during the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games. However, these Olympics were canceled because of World War II. Many people believe she would have won even more medals if those games had happened.
Alice finally got to compete on a world stage at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. She qualified for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches. This jump broke a 16-year-old record! In the high jump finals, Alice leaped 1.68 meters (about 5 feet 6 inches) on her first try. Her closest competitor, Dorothy Tyler from Great Britain, matched her jump, but only on her second try.
Alice Coachman was the only American woman to win a gold medal in athletics at the 1948 Olympics. King George VI himself presented her with the medal.
When Alice returned to the United States, she was a huge celebrity. She met President Harry Truman and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Parades were held in her honor from Atlanta to Albany. The famous musician Count Basie even threw a party for her.
In 1952, Alice made history again. She became the first African-American woman to endorse a major product. The Coca-Cola Company signed her as a spokesperson. They featured her on billboards next to the 1936 Olympic winner Jesse Owens. In her hometown, a street called Alice Avenue and Coachman Elementary School were named after her.
Later Years and Legacy
Alice Coachman stopped competing in sports when she was 24. She spent the rest of her life working in education. She also worked with the Job Corps, helping young people.
Alice Coachman passed away in Albany, Georgia, on July 14, 2014. She had two children from her first marriage.
Her Lasting Impact
Alice Coachman received many honors for her achievements. In 1979, she was added to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. During the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, she was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympians. She was also inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975. In 2004, she joined the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
Alice Coachman is remembered for opening doors for other black female track stars. Athletes like Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee followed in her footsteps. Since her Olympic win, black women have made up most of the US women's Olympic track and field team. Alice once said, "I think I opened the gate for all of them." She believed they should be thankful to someone from the black community who achieved these things.
See also
In Spanish: Alice Coachman para niños
