Wilma Goldean Rudolph By: Carolina Costa

Background Wilma Rudolph was born into a large family. She was the 20th of 22 children! Her parents, Ed and Blanche Rudolph, were honest, hardworking people, but were very poor. Mr. Rudolph worked as a railroad porter and handyman. Mrs. Rudolph did cooking, laundry and housecleaning for wealthy white families. 

The Early Years Wilma Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940 in Clarksville, Tennessee. Wilma was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. She was told she had polio, a crippling disease that had no cure. The doctor told her mom that she was not going to be able to walk. Wilma’s mother did not give up on her. By the age of 12 she could walk normally, without the crutches, brace, or corrective shoes. It was then that she decided to become an athlete.   

Education Wilma was tutored at home by her family because she was crippled. She first began school at the age of seven. In 1947, the schools of the Southern states were segregated. Even though blacks had to pay the same taxes as whites, the schools for black students were usually poorly funded. After graduating from high school, Wilma received a full scholarship to Tennessee State. Wilma decided to take a year off from her studies to make appearances and compete in international track event. Then, she returned and received a Bachelor's degree in education, graduating in 1963.   

Family Wilma married Robert Eldridge in 1963. She had four children, Yolanda (1958), Djuanna (1964), Robert Jr. (1965), and Xurry (1971). Later, Wilma and Robert got divorced.

Accomplishments In high school, she became a basketball star first, who set state records for scoring, and led her team to a state championship. Then she became a track star. Wilma went to her first Olympic Games in 1956 at the age of 16. She won a bronze medal in the 4x4 relay. On September 7th, 1960, in Rome, Wilma became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics. She won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and ran the anchor on the 400-meter relay team.   

Awards United Press Athlete of the Year 1960 Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year 1960 James E. Sullivan Award for Good Sportsmanship 1961 The Babe Zaharias Award 1962 European Sportswriters' Sportsman of the Year Christopher Columbus Award for Most Outstanding International Sports Personality 1960 The Penn Relays 1961 New York Athletic Club Track Meet Black Sports Hall of Fame 1980 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame 1983 Women's Sports Foundation Award 1984

Quotes “I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I'm competing with is me.” “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you.” “When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” “Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.”

Death Wilma died in her home in Nashville, Tennessee. She died on Saturday, November 12, 1994, at the age of 54.