Herb Douglas, oldest U.S. Olympic medalist, dies at 101

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Herb Douglas Jr., the oldest Olympic medalist in the United States, has passed away at 101.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh who served on its board of trustees and eventually received the title of emeritus trustee, Douglas died on Saturday. According to the University of Pittsburgh’s news wire, he was born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, excelling in various sports at Taylor Allderdice High School, including basketball and track.

Douglas earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1948 and finished second in the long jump at the Olympic trials. He received a bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London a few months later.

“In every role that he filled, as an aspiring athlete from Hazelwood, as a student-athlete and University trustee, and as an esteemed businessman, Olympian and community leader, Herb Douglas excelled,” said Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, according to Pittwire. “He was both a champion himself and a champion of others, never hesitating to open doors of opportunity and help people pursue their own success.”

Douglas said his father, Herbert Paul Douglas Sr., instilled in him the values of devotion, service and honesty. These principles helped him win city titles in tumbling, sprinting, basketball and track and field.

In 1940, Douglas, the first Black basketball player in his high school, left the squad because his teammates wouldn’t give the ball to him. He received an athletic scholarship to attend Xavier University of Louisiana, the nation’s only historically Black Catholic institution.

In 1942, Douglas’ 440-relay squad’s victory made Xavier the first Black college to take home a national championship.

After transferring to Pitt, Douglas stood out on the football and track teams, according to Pittwire. He captured four intercollegiate long-jump titles and one in the 100-yard sprint. In the long jump, he won three national Amateur Athletic Union titles.

While attending Pitt, he joined Jimmy Joe Robinson and Allen Carter in becoming the college’s first Black football players.

Douglas graduated from Pitt with a master’s in education in 1950. He reportedly wanted to be a coach but claimed Pittsburgh did not hire African Americans for the position in the public school system.

In 2018, the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame enshrined Douglas in its first class. Four years later, Gallagher announced that Douglas would receive the honor of having a 300-meter indoor track named in his honor at a celebration of his 100th birthday.

“Pitt Athletics is forever indebted to [Douglas’] passion and support,” said Heather Lyke, director of athletics at Pitt. “It is so fitting that our future indoor track will be named in Herb’s honor, ensuring his name and legacy live on to inspire future Pitt student-athletes.”

Following his retirement, Douglas embarked on a charitable endeavor that gathered money for student-athletes and highlighted significant events in the history of African Americans in sports, Pittwire reported.

He met legendary Black Olympian Jesse Owens in 1936 at age 14. In 1980, Douglas established the International Amateur Athletic Association to recognize Owens’ accomplishments. The organization honors the best amateur athletes in the world.

Douglas also established the Jesse Owens Global Award for Peace, a program that uses athletics’ popularity to address social issues. It recognized an array of people, including late South African leader and president Nelson Mandela, late United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and late former U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

“Unsurprisingly,” Gallagher noted, “Herb left an indelible mark on this world, while leaving an incomprehensible hole in the hearts of so many.”

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