The Summer Olympics are almost here! On July 26th, the XXXIII Olympiad will begin with an opening ceremony on the Seine, in the heart of Paris.
Readers who want to delve into Olympic history can explore Robert Yarnall Richie’s collection of photographs from the 1936 Randall’s Island Olympic Trials in New York City. Events held on July 11th and 12th determined the U.S. Men’s Track and Field team. Competing those days was Olympic legend Jesse Owens, whom Richie captured shaking hands with fellow Olympian Ralph Metcalfe. At the trials, Owens won the 100-meter and 200-meter races, with Metcalfe coming in second in the 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meters. At the 1936 Berlin Games, Owens won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.3 seconds, finishing a tenth of a second ahead of Metcalfe, who took the silver medal. Owens also won gold in the 200 meters, 4×100-meter relay, and the long jump. After the games, Ralph Metcalfe, who also won gold in the 4×100-meter relay and had previously won silver and bronze medals in the 1932 Olympics, was elected to Congress in 1970, representing Illinois’ first district. Metcalfe co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and served until his death in 1978.
Owens’s performance at the Olympics, combined with his previous world records, earned him recognition as the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history. As the most successful athlete at the 1936 Olympics and as a Black American, he defied the racist ideology the Nazi Party had intended to promote through the games. Following the Olympics, he traveled widely as an inspirational speaker and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976.
SMU has had its share of Olympians. Dallas native Jerry Heidenreich took home multiple swimming gold medals at the Munich Games, and at the 1996 Atlanta Games, current Dallas resident Ryan Berube earned gold as part of the US swim team. Jon Koncak won gold with the 1984 US men’s basketball team, while swimmer Steve Lundquist also secured two gold medals at the same games. SMU swimmer and current coach Martina Moravcová competed in five Summer Olympics, earning two silver medals in 2000. Swimmer Lars Frölander also competed in the 2000 Sydney Games, winning a gold medal for Sweden. High jumper Kajsa Bergqvist won a bronze for Sweden in 2000. The Men’s Track & Field team produced 28 Olympians, including Michael Carter, who won silver at the 1984 Olympics. Diver Scott Donie also won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics.
Email degolyer@smu.edu to learn more