 Douglas in 2018 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representing United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1948 London | Long jump |
Herbert Paul Douglas Jr. (March 9, 1922 – April 22, 2023) was an American athlete who competed mainly in thelong jump.[1] He was the oldest living U.S. Olympic medalist prior to his death at the age of 101.[1]
Douglas graduated fromTaylor Allderdice High School inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1940.[2] He was Allderdice's first black basketball player.[3]
Douglas first attendedXavier University of Louisiana in 1942, and competed at the 48th AnnualPenn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, helping Xavier win the American Quarter-Mile Relay Championship. He also competed in college at theUniversity of Pittsburgh and was inducted into the inaugural class of their sports hall of fame in 2018. Douglas was a member ofAlpha Phi Omega service fraternity.
Douglas represented the U.S. in the long jump at the1948 Summer Olympics inLondon, where he won the bronze medal with a jump of 24 feet 9 inches (7.54 m).Willie Steele of the United States won the gold medal with 25 feet 8 inches (7.82 m) and Australia'sTheo Bruce took the silver medal with 24 feet 9.5 inches (7.56 m). Prior to the2012 Summer Olympics Douglas was recognized as the oldest livingAfrican-American Olympic medalist.[4]
Douglasturned 100 in March 2022,[5] and died in Pittsburgh on April 22, 2023, at the age of 101.[6] Douglas was inducted into the Taylor Allderdice High School alumni hall of fame in 2009.[2]
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