The first woman to compete for the U.S. Team in five Olympic Games, Willye White’s Olympic career spanned 16 years, from 1956 to 1972. Specializing in the long jump and 100 meters, she earned a silver medal in long jump at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne at the age of 16, marking the first time an American woman medaled in the event. She won her second silver medal in 1964 as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team in Tokyo.

White was a member of more than 30 international and national track teams and won 12 Amateur Athletic Union long jump titles during her career. She has been inducted into 11 sports hall of fames, including her 1981 induction into the USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame.

• Was a five-time Olympian and earned two silver medals: long jump in 1956 and 4x100 meter relay in 1964
• Competed in her first Olympic Games at age 16 in 1956
• First American woman to win an Olympic medal in the long jump
• Set the national long jump record on seven different occasions
• In 1999, named one of Sports Illustrated for Women’s 100 great female athletes in the 20th century