November 9, 1923 – Birth of Alice Coachman, 1st African American Woman to Win Gold at the Olympics

Alice Coachman was the first African American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics, when, at age 24, she won the high jump (setting a new record) in 1948.

Born on this date in 1923 in Albany, Georgia, Alice loved to jump hurdles, running on dirt roads and making her own barriers out of sticks and rags. She was denied access to regular training facilities because of her race. Her aunt and a fifth grade teacher encouraged her to develop her talents, and in high school, she came under the tutelage of the boys’ track coach, who recognized and nurtured her talent. At age 16, she got noticed by Tuskegee Institute, and Alice was offered a scholarship there. (She still had to pay for room and board, however, so she sewed football uniforms to earn the money.) Now she was able to compete against all-Black teams throughout the South.

Coachman dominated the AAU outdoor high jump championship from 1939 through 1948, winning ten national championships in a row. She also won national championships in the 50-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and with the 400-meter relay team as a student at the Tuskegee Institute. During the same period, Coachman won three conference championships playing as a guard on the Tuskegee women’s basketball team. Coachman was unable to compete in the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games, however, as they were canceled because of World War II.

Coachman’s first opportunity to compete on a global stage was during the 1948 Olympic Games in London. She was the only American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics that year. Her medal was presented by King George VI.

Alice Coachman of the United States, after winning the high jump at Wembley Stadium during the 1948 London Olympics.
Credit Associated Press

During her career, she won thirty-four national titles and was inducted into nine halls of fame including the National Track-and-Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (2004). She was also the first Black woman to endorse an international product when Coca-Cola signed her as a spokesperson in 1952. [Actually this was part of Coke’s effort to overcome its well-founded racist reputation and increase market-share.] In 1994, she founded the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to provide assistance to young athletes and former Olympic competitors.

Coachman in 2012.
Credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times

Alice Coachman died on July 14, 2014 in Georgia, at the age of 90.