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Mal Whitfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tuskegee Airman and US Olympic athlete 1924–2015)

Mal Whitfield
Whitfield in 1998
Personal information
Nickname
Marvelous Mal
BornMalvin Greston Whitfield
(1924-10-11)October 11, 1924
DiedNovember 19, 2015(2015-11-19) (aged 91)
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight168 lb (76 kg)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)
400 metres,800 metres
Achievements and titles
Personalbest(s)400 m: 45.9 (1953)
800 m: 1:47.9 (1953)

Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete,goodwill ambassador, andairman. NicknamedMarvelous Mal, he was theOlympic champion in the800 meters at the1948 and1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the1948 gold medal team in the4 × 400 metres relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze). After his competitive career, he worked for 47 years as a coach, goodwill ambassador, as well as an athletic mentor inAfrica on behalf of theUnited States Information Service.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Whitfield was born inBay City, Texas. He moved to theWatts district ofLos Angeles when he was 4 years old. At that age, his father died. His mother died when he was 12, after which he was raised by his older sister. He sneaked into theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the1932 Summer Olympic Games, where he watchedEddie Tolan defeatRalph Metcalfe in the 100 meter race, an event that spurred his own Olympic goals.[1]

Whitfield joined theUnited States Army Air Forces in 1943 as a member of theTuskegee Airmen.[2] AfterWorld War II, he remained in the military, but also enrolled atOhio State University. In the early 1950s, he also served in theUnited States Air Force during theKorean War, flying 27 combat missions as atail gunner.[3] Under the coaching ofLarry Snyder, he won theNCAA title while at Ohio State in the 800 m in 1948 and 880 yd in 1949. After leaving the university, he won theAAU title from 1949 to 1951 at 800 m, in 1953 and 1954 at 880 yd and in 1952 at 400 m. He also won the 800 m at the 1951Pan American Games inBuenos Aires,Argentina.[4]

Olympic career

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Whitfield at the 1948 Summer Olympics

At the1948 Olympics inLondon, Whitfield won the 800 m and was a member of the winning 4 × 400 mrelay team. He also earned a bronze medal in the 400 m. At the1952 Olympics inHelsinki,Finland, he repeated his 800 m victory. He also earned a silver medal as a member of United States 4 × 400 m relay team. He set aworld record at 880 yd of 1:49.2 in 1950 and dropped it to 1:48.6 in 1952. In 1954, Whitfield became the first black athlete to win theJames E. Sullivan Award, given annually by the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU) to the outstanding amateur athlete in the country. Whitfield narrowly missed making the1956 Olympic team while a student atCalifornia State University, Los Angeles, and he retired from track competition shortly thereafter.[4]

Sports ambassador

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After graduating, he worked for theUnited States Department of State and theUnited States Information Service, conducting sports clinics inAfrica.[5]

In his 47 years in Africa, Whitfield trained and gave consultation to dozens of athletes who represented their countries as Olympians andAll-Africa Games champions. He coached in 20 countries and lived inKenya,Uganda andEgypt.[1] Whitfield also arranged sports scholarships for over 5,000 African athletes to study in the United States.[6] During his career as a diplomat, he traveled to over 132 countries and played a key role in training and developing African athletes. United States PresidentRonald Reagan wrote of him: "Whether flying combat missions over Korea, or winning gold medal after gold medal at the Olympics, or serving as an ambassador of goodwill among the young athletes of Africa, you have given your all. This country is proud of you, and grateful to you." Shortly after his retirement from government service in 1989, Whitfield was invited to the Oval Office, where PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush recognized his service to the nation and the world.[7]

Awards

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In 1954, Whitfield won theJames E. Sullivan Award for amateur athletics.[1] Whitfield was inducted into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974, andOhio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1978. Among track and field athletes, onlyJesse Owens had been inducted before him.[3][8]

Memoir

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Whitfield wrote the bookLearning to Run, which was translated into French.[5][9] His memoir was published by his foundation and titledBeyond the Finish Line.[10]

Personal life

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He was married to Nola Whitfield. He was also the father of Nyna Konishi, Lonnie Whitfield,CNN anchorFredricka Whitfield[11] and accomplished high jumper Ed Wright.[12] In 1989 Whitfield founded the Mal Whitfield Foundation for the promotion of sports, academics, and culture. The foundation has distributed 5,000 athletic scholarships.[13]

Whitfield died at aDepartment of Veterans Affairs hospice center inWashington, D.C. on the night of November 19, 2015, aged 91.[14] He was interred atArlington National Cemetery.[2]

Competition record

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YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTime
Representing United States
1948OlympicsLondon,United Kingdom3rd400 m46.9

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdLitsky, Frank (November 19, 2015)."Mal Whitfield, Olympic Gold Medalist and Tuskegee Airman, Dies at 91".New York Times. RetrievedNovember 19, 2015.
  2. ^abShapira, Ian."Olympian and Tuskegee Airman who survived segregation and combat is buried at Arlington".The Washington Post. RetrievedFebruary 26, 2022.
  3. ^ab"Three-Time Olympic Track Champion Mal Whitfield Dies at 91". Team USA.org. Archived fromthe original on November 20, 2015. RetrievedNovember 19, 2015.
  4. ^ab"Mal Whitfield". Sports Reference. Archived fromthe original on April 17, 2020. RetrievedNovember 19, 2015.
  5. ^abGarnett, Barnard (October 31, 1968)."US Ex-Olympian Trained African Olympic Stars".Jet.35 (4):57–59.
  6. ^"Marvelous" Mal Whitfield Biography – Page 3Archived October 4, 2011, at theWayback Machine
  7. ^"Marvelous" Mal Whitfield Biography – Page 2Archived October 4, 2011, at theWayback Machine
  8. ^"Men's Varsity "O" Hall of Fame". Ohio State Buckeyes. Archived fromthe original on November 16, 2012. RetrievedNovember 19, 2015.
  9. ^Whitfield, Mal (1967).Learning to Run. East African Pub. House.OCLC 639849.
  10. ^Whitfield, Mal (2002).Beyond the Finish Line. Whitfield Foundation.ISBN 0972443908.OCLC 51464414.
  11. ^Navy SEALs in Afghanistan; Dance fever. July 6, 2005.CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2008
  12. ^"Cal's Wright has genes of an Olympic champion".SFGate. May 10, 2007.
  13. ^"The Mal Whitfield Foundation". 2004. RetrievedNovember 19, 2015.
  14. ^Schudel, Matt."Mal Whitfield, three-time Olympic gold medalist, dies at 91".Washington Post. RetrievedNovember 22, 2015.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Walter, John C., and Malina Iida.Better Than the Best: Black Athletes Speak, 1920–2007. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2010.ISBN 9780295990538

External links

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toMal Whitfield.
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  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
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  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
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