You got the best answers in the first handful of posts.
Mills
Bekele
Keino
Ted Corbitt
Lesser known, but Ted Wheeler from the Univeristy of Iowa/Chicago Track Club went to the Sydney Olympics in the 1500. He was 4:04 miler back in the 50s.
You got the best answers in the first handful of posts.
Mills
Bekele
Keino
Ted Corbitt
Lesser known, but Ted Wheeler from the Univeristy of Iowa/Chicago Track Club went to the Sydney Olympics in the 1500. He was 4:04 miler back in the 50s.
Blake wrote:
Abebe Bekele
^^^ This. Bekele's barefooted Olympic marathon victory in 1960 blew everyone's mind. Bellwether of Sub-Saharan excellence in distance running.
Yes! wrote:
Actually MLB was founded in 1876 when the National League was founded.
False.
It's really just East Africa, not all of sub-Saharan Africa.
Steve Holman
Black
American born
Ranked #4 in the world
Gose wrote:
Deadman Running wrote:A better question would be who is the Jackie Robinson of track and field ? Why limit it to distance running ? and the answer is Jesse Owens.
No, that's not a better question. And that wouldn't be the answer anyway.
Really ? It wouldn't be the answer anyway ? A black man embarrassing Hitler, the most barbaric racist in the history of humankind, on Hitler's home soil in the Olympics isn't the most Jackie Robinson-like figure in track and field ? Please tell me who is then.
And, it is the right question. Distance running is a subset of track and field. Asking who is the Jackie Robinson of distance running is like asking who is the Jackie Robinson of catchers in professional baseball.
Jesse Owens was the Jackie Robinson of track field before Jackie Robinson was the Jackie Robinson of baseball. In fact, Jackie Robinson was the Jesse Owens of baseball.
Emmanuel Adebayor wrote:
I don't just mean who was the first black guy to ever run long distance. Jackie Robinson wasn't the first black MLB player either.
I mean who is the distance running equivalent of Jackie Robinson.
Said Aouita is held to be of paramount, foundational influence for North African distance running. There's a documentary about him, Arabian Knight or something. Abebe Bikila might have similar influence on at least Ethiopian distance running. For sure, early pioneers in Kenyan and Ethiopia played a very important role, since, of course, as we now see, East Africans have both the genetic makeup and the early upbringing/lifestyle suited for producing great talent, but needed a distance running culture, infrastructure, etc., and to build that up and get people involved, charismatic role models and heroes seem to be essential. In a sense, both of those figures would be working against prevailing cultural obstacles--local and international--that you might rightly call prejudice. Recall that sub-Saharan Africa and MENA had only, since around the Second World War and after, freed themselves from the immediate legacy of colonialism.
Wrong it would be Jackie Robinson's brother he actually was undefeated before loosing to Jesse Owens in the Olympics (he got silver that year). The Robinson's were tremendous athletes can you name another 4 sport star at the NCAA D1 level? Jackie was actually better in track & field than baseball he batted under .200 in baseball while he broke all his brothers records while winning the NCAA long jump title!
Mack Robinson
Coach H wrote:
Wrong it would be Jackie Robinson's brother he actually was undefeated before loosing to Jesse Owens in the Olympics (he got silver that year). The Robinson's were tremendous athletes can you name another 4 sport star at the NCAA D1 level? Jackie was actually better in track & field than baseball he batted under .200 in baseball while he broke all his brothers records while winning the NCAA long jump title!
Coach H wrote:
Wrong it would be Jackie Robinson's brother he actually was undefeated before loosing to Jesse Owens in the Olympics (he got silver that year). The Robinson's were tremendous athletes can you name another 4 sport star at the NCAA D1 level? Jackie was actually better in track & field than baseball he batted under .200 in baseball while he broke all his brothers records while winning the NCAA long jump title!
He actually batted under .100... pretty terrible in college, which is quite amazing since he went on to be a great hitter -you can have all the athleticism in the world and still not be able to hit MLB pitching. He was a freak athlete like Jim Thorpe or Bo Jackson, except he could hit too.
I would have to go with Ted Corbitt.
Jesse Owens was NOT a distance runner.
Deadman Running wrote:
Really ? It wouldn't be the answer anyway ? A black man embarrassing Hitler, the most barbaric racist in the history of humankind, on Hitler's home soil in the Olympics isn't the most Jackie Robinson-like figure in track and field ? Please tell me who is then.
Because that never happened. Hitler didn't snub him, he was popular with the German crowd, and the Germans won by far the most medals.
He did however have to ride the service elevator in a New York hotel after he returned. Even though the hotel was holding a party in his honor, the regular elevator was whites only and that was that.
And don't insult barbarians by associating us with Hitler and racism. Barbarians are honest, down-to-earth folk who treat people as people.
Reggie macafee first sub 4 African American
Emmanuel Adebayor wrote:
I don't just mean who was the first black guy to ever run long distance. Jackie Robinson wasn't the first black MLB player either.
I mean who is the distance running equivalent of Jackie Robinson.
Please tell us what you think it was about Jackie Robinson that made him "Jackie Robinson"?
And the correct answer to the OP is Johnny Gray.
Are we counting 800m as distance? Phil Edwards, Canadian Bronze in '32 both in the 800m and 1500m(also 4x4). Bronze in 800m '36 also.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Edwards_%28athlete%29
For Americans, John Woodruff took gold in the '36 800m.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Woodruff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khBG2elIIMk
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blackhistory2007/news/story?id=2780877
Some more on Woodruff I left out after winning Gold in '36...
[quote]Deadman Running wrote:
A better question would be who is the Jackie Robinson of track and field ? Why limit it to distance running ? and the answer is Jesse Owens.[/quote
Can we all make up our own questions
Ted Corbitt gained the nickname the father of long distance running, so I would say he takes this. I got to hear him speak when he got a lifetime achievement award from our track team (University of Cincinnati) and he was a very nice and humble guy. Our coach told us when he was at school, anytime they went south for a track meet, he would have to stay at a different hotel than the rest of his teammates (when southern athletes actually allowed him to compete). He ended up running at the Helsinki Olympics in the Marathon, pioneered the ultra distance (ran 30+ miles a day to and from work when he was in top form) and helped found NYRR among many other achievements.
Anyone who didn't answer Ted Corbitt in an instant needs to read some running history.