Name: Willye White
Sport: Track and Field
Event(s): Long Jump, 4x100-meter
DOB: 12/31/1939
Birthplace: Money, Miss.
Hometown: Greenwood, Miss.
High School: Broad Street High School (Shelby, Miss.)
College: Tennessee State University; Chicago State University
Olympic Experience
- Five-time Olympian (1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972); two-time Olympic medalist (2 silver)
- Melbourne 1956, silver (long jump)
- Rome 1960
- Tokyo 1964, silver (4x100-meter relay)
- Mexico City Games 1968
- Munich 1972
Personal:
Raised by her grandparents in Greenwood, Mississippi….Earned money to support her family by chopping cotton throughout her childhood...Began competing in track and field events at age 10...Briefly attended Tennessee State University where she was coached by the legendary Ed Temple, but left after six months to move to Chicago…Competed in every Olympic Games between 1956 and 1972...Won her first Olympic medal at the age of 16...Won nine consecutive U.S. outdoor championships in long jump and set seven American records...In 1991, founded the Willye White Foundation to help children develop self-esteem...Elected to 11 hall of fames, including the International Women’s Sports, the National Track and Field, and Black Sports.