Hall of Fame

Ed Temple was head coach of the U.S. track and field team at two Olympic Games (1960, 1964), during which his athletes brought home 23 medals. He was the most celebrated women’s track and field coach in the United States, having coached athletes such as Wilma Rudolph and Wyomia Tyus. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Temple helped produce 40 Olympians while coaching at Tennessee State University, and his athletes won 13 gold medals, six silvers and four bronzes. Thirty-nine of those Olympians graduated with bachelor’s degrees, 28 earned master’s degrees and eight earned medical degrees or doctorates. His teams were known as the Tigerbelles, and throughout his coaching career, won 36 national titles: 16 indoor, 13 outdoor and five junior. Temple also served as head coach of the U.S. track and field teams at the Pan-American Games in 1959 and 1975. In 1978, the new Tennessee State track was dedicated to Temple and named the Edward S. Temple Track. In 2015, a statue of Temple was installed at the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team’s stadium. He was inducted into six hall of fames, including the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.