the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event

William DeHart Hubbard was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 25, 1903. As a student at Douglass School, Stowe School, and Walnut Hills High School, Hubbard was known as the fastest kid in school; he was also a very intelligent student, with a four-year scholastic average of 90 (out of 100).

At the University of Michigan (1922-1927) Hubbard won six straight AAU long jump titles, two AAU triple jump titles, and two NCAA long jump titles. He also tied the world records for the 60- and 100-yard dashes. In 1927, he set a new world record for the long jump with a leap of 25 feet 10.85 inches.

At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Hubbard became the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event, when he won the long jump with a leap of 24 feet 5 inches. He also participated in the triple jump, but did not win a medal in that event. Hubbard also participated in the long jump at the 1928 Olympic Games, but did not earn a medal.

In 1927 Hubbard was hired by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, for which he worked until 1941. In 1942 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked as the Racial Relations Advisor for the Federal Housing Authority until retiring in 1969.

William DeHart Hubbard was voted into the National Track Hall of Fame in 1957. He died in Cleveland on June 23, 1976.

Sources

Ohio History Central www.ohiohistorycentral.org
USA Track & Field www.usatf.org

See Also

Ohio

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This page was last updated on January 25, 2019.