June 23: Birthday of Wilma Rudolph
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who have mobility impairments.
History Note
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born prematurely on June 23, 1940, in the Saint Bethlehem community outside Clarksville, Tennessee. She was the twentieth of twenty-two children in her family.
Wilma suffered from several diseases in childhood, including polio. A doctor warned that she might not be able to walk again. However, her family believed that she could recover, and they provided heroic help. Wilma wore leg braces for several years but was eventually able not just to walk but to run.
By the time she was in high school, Wilma had become a star basketball athlete. She got the attention of Edward S. Temple, women’s track coach at Tennessee A&I State College (now Tennessee State University). Coach Temple sent six athletes to compete at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. At age 16, Wilma Rudolph won a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 4x100-meter relay race. Rudolph also competed at the 1959 Pan American Games.
At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals—in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the 4x100-meter relay. The U.S. track team toured Greece, England, the Netherlands, and Germany after the Olympics, and fans came out to see Rudolph run.
When she returned to the United States, Rudolph refused to attend any celebrations that were segregated. Clarksville hosted an integrated parade and banquet in her honor.
Rudolph retired from competing in 1962. She married and became a mother. She also became a track and field coach.
Wilma Rudolph died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 54.
This 1960 photo shows Wilma Rudolph in the Netherlands during her team’s European tour after the 1960 Olympics. Photo courtesy the Dutch National Archives.
Learn More
See highlights of Wilma Rudolph’s races at the 1960 Olympics.
Find other resources at Homeschool History.
