BOXTOROW would like to send our condolences to the family and Tennessee State family of Ed Temple who passed away last Thursday at the age of 89.
We had the very distinct honor of having a 20-minute interview with Coach Temple back in 2012, shortly after he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
The interview helped to launch our HBCU Legends series.
Below is the blog written about the interview with Coach Temple as well as the interview itself. Please enjoy and share his thoughts.
Tennessee State University will hold a memorial for Coach Temple on Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. CT at at Kean Hall Gymnasium on campus.
Ed Temple blog as written on BOXTOROW Blog July, 22, 2012.
Ed Temple, one of the great HBCU living legends
By Donal Ware
Boxtorow.com
Every four years, the world comes together for athletic competition at the Summer Olympic Games.
We at Boxtorow pride ourselves on bringing you interviews with newsmakers in the world of sports and that includes those participating in the Olympics. After not receiving much assistance from the USOC PR department on a couple of requests, we took it upon ourselves to score interviews with former Jackson State All-American and new Olympian Michael Tinsley who participates in the 400m hurdle and Hampton graduate Kellie Wells also a new Olympian in the 100m hurdles.
We would be remiss if we did not thank the athletic PR departments of Jackson State and Hampton.
We also received a huge assist from the athletic PR department of Tennessee State to speak with one of the legendary figures in track and field history in the Olympics or on the collegiate level.
We had a chance to speak with Ed Temple.
Temple was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame on July 12 and is one of only four coaches to receive that honor.
There may be more notable HBCU graduates to coach Olympic teams. The most recent HBCU graduate to coach an Olympic team was George Williams of Saint Augustine’s College (soon to be University) in Raleigh. Leroy T. Walker, a graduate of Benedict (S.C.) College and coach at North Carolina Central University, who was the first Black coach of a men’s U.S. Olympic track and field team and head of the USOC, passed a way in late April.
In between both of them is Temple.
Temple was also a pioneer. He helped to develop women’s track and field and make it more known internationally through his world-renowned “Tigerbelles”. Temple became the first Black head coach to lead a U.S. Olympic team, coaching the women’s track and field team in 1960 and again in 1964. His Tigerbelles and the 1960 Olympic team were intertwined.
“We only had two coaches in 1960, while the men had six coaches,” Temple recalls. “Women’s sports weren’t thought of much in the 1960’s. When we put seven on the team in 1960, I thought that was a tremendous feat.”
His 1960 4x100m team consisted of Lucinda Williams, Barbara Jones, Martha Hudson, and Wilma Rudolph – all Tigerbelles.
But it was Rudolph who became Temple’s star most notable athlete. Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during an Olympic Games.
“Wilma participated in a summer program we had when she was 15 years old,” remembers Temple. “As a 16-year-old junior she ran the third leg of the 4x100m U.S. Olympic team that placed third in 1956. Wilma was not our great star up until the ’60 Olympics.”
Over his career, Temple coached the likes of three-time Olympic gold medal winner Wyomia Tyus and one of the greatest track and field collegians of all time in Chandra Cheeseboro.
When Temple took over the Tennessee State program in 1953, he had a budget of $350.00. His student-athletes did not receive scholarships as is the custom today; they received work-aid. With hard work he put the Tennessee State women’s track and field program on the map. In a 41-year coaching tenure, the Tigerbelles won 34 national championships, and 23 Olympic medals. More importantly all of his athletes received one or more degree, with 80 percent receiving their Master’s and half of those their Ph.D.
During a time when Tennessee State athletics was a powerhouse in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s when the men’s basketball team led by John McLendon won three-straight national championships and the legendary John Merritt began his legendary coaching career at TSU, Temple also excelled with much less. He credits then TSU president Dr. Walter S. Davis for not only the successes of his track and field program, but athletics as a whole.
“He was the man,” said Temple. “He brought [Johnny] McLendon in. He brought Coach Merritt in. It was him that gave us an opportunity in women’s track.”
It was heard first on Boxtorow the top six greatest moments in Temple’s illustrious career. Click here to listen
There are many great and legendary athletes that attended HBCUs who are still living. The one regret that I will always have is not having Mr. Walker as a guest on Boxtorow. Coach Temple is 84, retired 18 years ago, yet has the energy as if he could still get out there and coach.
We must do our part so that young people will know the contributions made by HBCU legends.
BOXTOROW w/ Donal Ware interview with Ed Temple from July 21, 2016