In middle distance it was Woodruff from Pitt. 1936 Olympic Champion. In distance running it was Deacon Jones, from Purdue I believe NCAA SC and XC Champion and Olympian. In long distance Colbertt.
In middle distance it was Woodruff from Pitt. 1936 Olympic Champion. In distance running it was Deacon Jones, from Purdue I believe NCAA SC and XC Champion and Olympian. In long distance Colbertt.
Jackie Robinson was the "Jackie Robinson of baseball" because he was the 1st black MLB player in the modern era and integrated MLB.
The "Jackie Robinson of distance running" would be the black distance runner that integrated previously segregated distance running. That assumes that distance running was racially segregated in the same way as baseball, and I don't know whether that was the case or not and what definition you would use for segregation, since distance running didn't involve a single organization like MLB.
As far as sprinters go, there were major black sprinters before Jesse Owens. At the '32 Olympics gold and silver in the 100m were won by Eddie Tolan and Ralph Metcalfe - both black and great sprinters. Even if we are including sprinters, Jesse Owens wasn't even the "Jackie Robinson" of sprints.
Made me laugh out loud.
shoot the moon wrote:
Abede Bikila or whatever the barefoot dude's name is
^^^^^^^^^^^ This one. He was the first African to make a huge mark at the Olympics. He won the gold in the marathon while running barefoot. It is probably the closest comparison.
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.
I don't think there is anyone like that nor could there be. Distance running in the US is an overwhelmingly white sport but that's not by design or policy as was the case with professional baseball. When Ted Corbitt decided he wanted to be a distance runner in the 1940s he was able to. There is no "barrier," i.e. something preventing blacks who want to run distance races from doing so and so there can't be an athlete like Robinson who was a barrier breaker.
Bad Wigins wrote:
And the correct answer to the OP is Johnny Gray.
Absolute worse answer so far. But coming from Bad Wigins that doesn't surprise me.
keeping it real!!! wrote:
Bad Wigins wrote:And the correct answer to the OP is Johnny Gray.
Absolute worse answer so far. But coming from Bad Wigins that doesn't surprise me.
Is it worse or worst? Either way you must be new here. Most people have learned to simply ignore the posts from Bad Wigins.
Kip Keino of course
Suzy Favor Hamilton. First world class distance runner to break the Red Light District barrier. (As far as we know...)
do you guys ever talk to anyone over 30 yr.s old ? How about Charles Decon Jones of Iowa. First black-American to win the ncaa cross country meet, ran the steeple in both the 1956 and 60' Olympics. won the natl. steeple three times, was Big Ten champion and record holder in mile and 2 mile several times. also won the natl. 2 mile, and clocked an 8:42 for the steeple at the Pan Am games !!!!!
Ted Corbitt. This guy accomplished an amazing variety of impressive things, among them becoming the first top-level African American distance runner, which seems to be the OP's criterion (color-barrier breaker). As a kid, he'd go for a run and frequently be threatened/chased by racists or stopped by suspicious cops. Nevertheless kept it up and made the 1948 Olympic marathon team. Got up to 200-plus-mile weeks and set many ultramarathon records. Basically instituted masters-division competition and perfected road-race course measurement. First editor of the New York Road Runners' magazine. Lifelong physical therapist. And on top of all that, a humble, quiet guy who never made any claims of being great at anything. One of the greatest men who just about nobody's ever heard of.
Ted Corbitt. This guy accomplished an amazing variety of impressive things, among them becoming the first top-level African American distance runner, which seems to be the OP's criterion (color-barrier breaker). As a kid, he'd go for runs and frequently be threatened/chased by racists or stopped by suspicious cops. Nevertheless kept it up and made the 1948 Olympic marathon team. Got up to 200-plus-mile weeks and set many ultramarathon records. Basically instituted masters-division competition and perfected road-race course measurement. First editor of the New York Road Runners' magazine. Lifelong physical therapist. And on top of all that, a humble, quiet guy who never made any claims of being great at anything. One of the most impressive people who just about nobody's ever heard of.
Please excuse unintended double post. Slow response first time.
60andrunning wrote:
In middle distance it was Woodruff from Pitt. 1936 Olympic Champion. In distance running it was Deacon Jones, from Purdue I believe NCAA SC and XC Champion and Olympian. In long distance Colbertt.
I mentioned Ted Wheeler yesterday, but Deacon Jones who ran for Iowa also made the 1956 Olympic team. Two African Americans from U of Iowa on the same Oly team? Jones ran an 8:47 steeple, way back then.
Darrell General was a bit better than that -- 2:14 marathoner.
And back in the 1970s, Herm Atkins threw down a 2:11.
I'm another vote for Ted Corbitt.
For anyone one who has done the proper research the obvious answer had to be TED CORBITT....it is not even close!
Oscar Pistorius
Caster Semenya
I'd get it...if they were distance runners.
Fact Based wrote:
Anyone who didn't answer Ted Corbitt in an instant needs to read some running history.
There is no other answer for anyone that knows who he is.
Great biography of him, "Corbitt", covers a lot of the amazing things he did.
Running a lap of the ISLAND of Manhattan as a regular workout is amazing.
wineturtle wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7UJqnClWxwGlobal TV Olympics Barefoot Floodlights
like JR he was not the first but he made a lasting impact as well as a breakthrough moment.
Special Mention Ted Corbitt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VerfPNA3e8
Semi finalists
auto Q 4 mentions
little q-3 mentions we have none yet
Ted Corbitt-Q
Abebe Bikila-Q