Alice Coachman, Track and Field

1922-
First African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal

Coachman reigned supreme in the high jump.  AP

Alice Coachman was born in Albany, Ga. in 1922. One of 10 children, she was a talented athlete from an early age, no small feat considering that African-Americans were excluded from all organized athletic activities in Southern YMCAs and schools. Coachman trained for sprint events on dirt roads and in fields, and practiced the high jump barefoot at a neighborhood playground. At 16, she received a scholarship to the Tuskegee Institute. Coachman was the national high jump champion for 10 years (1939 to '48) though her chances to win an Olympic medal were slimmed due to the cancellation of the 1940 and '44 Games because of World War II. At the 1948 London Games, Coachman's jump of 5' 6" earned her the gold. As the first African-American woman to win an Olympic event, she was feted with parades and also given the opportunity to meet Charles de Gaulle, Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt. Count Basie even threw a party for her in New York. She retired from track after the 1948 Olympics, earned a degree from Albany State college and later worked as a teacher and track coach. In 1994, she created the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to help young athletes pursue their dreams and former Olympians adjust to life after the games.

They said it: "I never thought I'd be famous for running track." --Coachman

-- Susan Brody

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.