View source for Wilma Rudolph

{{Short description|American athlete (1940–1994)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Wilma Rudolph
| image = Wilma Rudolph 1960.jpg
| caption = Rudolph in 1960
| birth_name = Wilma Glodean Rudolph
| fullname = Wilma Glodean Rudolph<ref name=sports-reference>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wilma-rudolph-1.html |title=Wilma Rudolph |website=sports-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=27 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113083713/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wilma-rudolph-1.html |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |df=mdy-all |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| nickname = Skeeter<ref name=Bio-WR>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552rudolph-9466552 |title=Wilma Rudolph Biography |work=Biography.com |publisher=A&E Television Networks |date=June 19, 2016 |access-date=9 February 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><br>The Black Gazelle<br>The Tornado<br>The Black Pearl<br>The Flash<br>The Track Star
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|06|23}}
| birth_place = [[Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|11|12|1940|06|23}}
| death_place = [[Brentwood, Tennessee]], U.S.
| height = 5 ft 11 in<ref name=sports-reference/>
| weight = 130 lb<ref name=sports-reference/>
| country = United States
| sport = [[Track and field]]
| club = [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|TSU Tigerbelles]], Nashville
| retired = 1962
| olympics = [[1956 Summer Olympics]]<br>[[1960 Summer Olympics]]
| pb = {{ubl
 |'''[[100 metres|100&nbsp;m]]''': 11.0h ([[Rome]], Italy, September 2, 1960; Olympic final, wind-assisted +2.8 m/s)
 |'''[[200 metres|200&nbsp;m]]''': 22.9h ([[Corpus Christi, Texas]], USA, July 9, 1960; wind-assisted +1.4 m/s)
 |'''[[4 × 100 metres relay|4×100&nbsp;m relay]]''': 44.3h ([[Moscow]], USSR, July 15, 1961; wind-assisted)
 |'''[[60-yard dash|60-yard dash]]''': 6.9 ([[Los Angeles]], USA, January 22, 1961; World Indoor Record)
 }}
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport | Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Rome]] | [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres|100 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1960 Rome | [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1960 Rome | [[Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1956 Summer Olympics|1956 Melbourne]] | [[Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
}}

'''Wilma Glodean Rudolph''' (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American [[sprint (running)|sprinter]] who overcame [[polio]] as a child and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in [[track and field]] following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 [[Olympic Games]]. Rudolph competed in the [[200 metres|200-meter]] dash and won a [[bronze medal]] in the [[4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100-meter relay]] at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] at [[Melbourne]], Australia. She also won three [[gold medal]]s, in the [[100 metres|100-]] and 200-meter individual events and the 4 × 100-meter relay at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome]], Italy.<ref>"Women on the Scene Cleveland, Ohio." ''Milwaukee Star'', vol. VIII, no. 80, 12 Apr. 1969, p. Page 12.</ref> Rudolph was acclaimed as the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s; she became the first American woman to win three [[gold medal]]s in track and field during a single Olympic Games.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2023 |title=Ethelda Bleibtrey, the trailblazer for women's swimming who was arrested due to her swimsuit |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/ethelda-bleibtrey-the-trailblazer-for-women-s-swimming-who-was-arrested-due-to-h |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=Olympics.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Helene Madison |url=https://usopm.org/helene-madison/ |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=usopm.org|date=21 July 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Liberti |first=Rita |title=(Re) Presenting Wilma Rudolph |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=2015 |isbn=9780815633846 |pages=9 |language=English}}</ref>

With the worldwide television coverage of the 1960 Summer Olympics, Rudolph became an international star, along with other Olympic athletes such as [[Muhammad Ali|Cassius Clay]] (later known as Muhammad Ali), [[Oscar Robertson]], and [[Rafer Johnson]].

As an Olympic champion in the early 1960s, Rudolph was among the most highly visible black women in America and abroad. She became a role model for black and female athletes; her Olympic successes helped elevate women's track and field in the United States. Rudolph is also regarded as a civil rights and women's rights pioneer. In 1962, Rudolph retired from competition at the peak of her athletic career as the world record-holder in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 × 100-meter relays. After competing in the 1960 Summer Olympics, the 1963 graduate of [[Tennessee State University]] became an educator and coach. Rudolph died of brain and throat cancer in 1994, and her achievements are memorialized in a variety of tributes, including a U.S. postage stamp, documentary films, and a made-for-television movie, as well as in numerous publications, especially books for young readers.

==Early life and education==
Wilma Rudolph was [[preterm birth|born prematurely]] to Blanche Rudolph at {{convert|4.5|lb|kg}} on June 23, 1940, in [[Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee]] (now part of Clarksville).<ref name=sports-reference/><ref name=NBAW958-61>James E. Haney, "Wilma Rudolph" in {{cite book| editor=Smith, Jessie Carnie| title =Notable Black American Women| publisher =Gale Research | year =1992| location =Detroit | pages =958–61}}</ref> She was the 20th of 22 children from her father Ed Rudolph's two marriages.<ref name=bbc>{{cite news| title =1960: Rudolph takes third Olympic gold| date =11 September 1960| publisher =BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/11/newsid_3554000/3554568.stm | access-date =February 9, 2017}}</ref><ref name=espn>{{cite web| author=M. B. Roberts |title=Rudolph ran and world went wild |publisher =ESPN | url=https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016444.html | access-date =February 9, 2017 |quote= Rudolph grew up in a poor family, the 20th of her father Ed's 22 children (from two marriages). Although she never shared a home with all her siblings and half-siblings at once, there were still plenty of brothers and sisters to serve as "lookouts" if she mischievously removed her braces. Her brothers and sisters took turns massaging her crippled leg every day. Once a week her mother Blanche, a domestic worker, drove her 90 miles roundtrip to a Nashville hospital for therapy.}}</ref><ref name=LibertiSmith-12>{{cite book | author=Rita Liberti and Maureen M. Smith | title =(Re)Presenting Wilma Rudolph | publisher =Syracuse University Press | series =Sports and Entertainment | year =2015 | location =Syracuse, New York | page=12 | isbn =978-0-8156-3384-6}}</ref> Shortly after Wilma's birth, her family moved to [[Clarksville, Tennessee]],<ref name=NBAW958-61/> where she grew up and attended elementary and high school. Ed, who worked as a railway porter and did odd jobs in Clarksville, died in 1961; her mother, Blanche, worked as a maid in Clarksville homes and died in 1994.<ref name="guardianolysrs">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jun/01/50-stunning-olympic-moments-wilma-rudolph |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No35: Wilma Rudolph's triple gold in 1960 |date=June 1, 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |author=Rob Bagchi}}</ref>

Rudolph had several early childhood illnesses, including pneumonia and scarlet fever, and she contracted [[Poliomyelitis|infantile paralysis]] (caused by the [[poliovirus]]) at age five.<ref name=Hine-992-93>Brenda Meese, "Wilma Glodean Rudolph" in {{cite book| author=Hine, Darlene Clark, Elsa Barkley Brown, and Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, eds.| title =Black Women in American: A Historical Encyclopedia| publisher =IU Press| volume =II| year =1993| location =Bloomington, Indiana | pages =992–93}}</ref> Rudolph recovered from polio but lost strength in her left leg and foot. Physically disabled for much of her early life, Rudolph wore a leg brace until she was 12 years old. Because there was little medical care available to African American residents of Clarksville in the 1940s, Rudolph's parents sought treatment for her at the historically black [[Meharry Medical College]] (now Nashville General Hospital at Meharry) in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], about {{convert|50|mi|km}} from Clarksville.<ref name=LS29>Liberti and Smith, p. 29.</ref>

For two years, Rudolph and her mother made weekly bus trips to Nashville for treatments to regain the use of her weakened leg.<ref name=LS29/> Rudolph also received subsequent at-home massage treatments four times a day from members of her family and wore an orthopedic shoe for support of her foot for another two years.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Olympic Black Women|author=Martha Ward Plowden|publisher=Pelican Publishing Company|year=1996|isbn=1-56554-080-8|location=Tennessee State University Library|pages=[https://archive.org/details/olympicblackwome00plow/page/121 121]|url=https://archive.org/details/olympicblackwome00plow/page/121}}</ref> Because of the treatments she received at Meharry and the daily massages from her family members, Rudolph was able to overcome the debilitating effects of polio and learned to walk without a leg brace or orthopedic shoe for support by the time she was 12 years old.<ref name=NBAW958-61/><ref name=Hine-992-93/>

Rudolph was initially homeschooled due to the frequent illnesses that caused her to miss kindergarten and first grade. Rudolph began attending second grade at Cobb Elementary School in Clarksville in 1947 at age seven.<ref name=Hine-992-93/> She attended Clarksville's all-black [[Burt High School]], where Rudolph excelled in basketball and track. During her senior year of high school, Rudolph became pregnant with her first child, Yolanda, who was born in 1958, a few weeks before her enrollment at [[Tennessee State University]] in Nashville.<ref name=Bio-WR/><ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 124–25.</ref> In college, Rudolph continued to compete in track. She also became a member of the [[Delta Sigma Theta]] sorority. In 1963, Rudolph graduated from Tennessee State with a bachelor's degree in education. Her college education was paid by her participation in a work-study scholarship program that required Rudolph to work on the TSU campus for two hours a day.<ref name=NBAW958-61/><ref name=Hine-992-93/><ref name=s22/>

==Career==
===Early years===
Rudolph was first introduced to organized sports at Burt High School, the center of Clarksville's African American community. After completing several years of medical treatments to regain the use of her left leg, Rudolph chose to follow in her sister Yvonne's footsteps and began playing basketball in the eighth grade. Rudolph continued to play basketball in high school, where she became a starter on the team and began competing in track. In her sophomore year, Rudolph scored 803 points and set a new record for high school girls' basketball.<ref name=NBAW958-61/> Rudolph's high school coach, C. C. Gray, gave her the nickname of "Skeeter" (for mosquito) because she moved so fast.<ref name="guardianolysrs"/>

While playing for her high school basketball team, Rudolph was spotted by [[Ed Temple]], [[Tennessee State University|Tennessee State]]'s track and field coach, a major break for the active young athlete. The day that Temple saw the tenth grader for the first time, he knew Rudolph was a natural athlete. She had already gained some track experience on Burt High School's track team two years earlier, mostly as a way to keep busy between basketball seasons.<ref>Biracree (1988), p. 47</ref> As a high school sophomore, Rudolph competed at [[Alabama]]'s [[Tuskegee University|Tuskegee Institute]] in her first major track event. Although she lost the race, Rudolph was determined to continue competing and win.<ref name=NBAW958-61/>

Temple invited 14-year-old Rudolph to join his summer training program at Tennessee State. After attending the track camp, Rudolph won all nine events she entered at an [[Amateur Athletic Union]] track meet in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania.<ref name=NBAW958-61/> Under Temple's guidance, she continued to train regularly at TSU while still a high school student. Rudolph raced at amateur athletic events with TSU's women's track team, known as the Tigerbelles, for two more years before enrolling at TSU as a student in 1958.<ref name="guardianolysrs"/>

===1956 Summer Olympics===
When Rudolph was 16 and a junior in high school, she attended the 1956 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials in [[Seattle]], Washington, and qualified to compete in the [[200 metres at the Olympics|200-meter]] individual event at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]], Australia. Rudolph, the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, was one of five TSU Tigerbelles to qualify for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.<ref name=Bio-WR/><ref name=t>{{cite web |url=http://www.tnstate.edu/library/documents/Rudolph.pdf |title=Wilma Rudolph and the TSU Tigerbelles|author=Bobby Lovett|date=June 20, 2016|website=Tennessee State University|access-date=February 9, 2017}} See also: {{cite encyclopedia| author= Bobby Lovett| author-link= Bobby Lovett|title=Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) and the TSU Tigerbelles | encyclopedia =Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture Version 2 (online edition) | publisher =University of Tennessee Press | date =March 1, 2012|url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1156| access-date =2017-02-09}}</ref>

Rudolph was defeated in a preliminary heat of the 200-meter race at the Melbourne Olympic Games but ran the third leg of the [[4 × 100 meters relay|4 × 100 m relay]].<ref name=RomanConquest>{{cite web| author=Larry Schwartz |title=Her Roman Conquest | publisher =ESPN | url =https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016446.html | access-date =February 17, 2017}}</ref> The American team of Rudolph, [[Isabelle Daniels]], [[Mae Faggs]], and [[Margaret Matthews]], all of whom were TSU Tigerbelles, won the [[bronze medal]], matching the world-record time of 44.9 seconds. The [[Great Britain|British]] team won the silver medal. The Australian team, with the 100- and 200-meter gold medalist [[Betty Cuthbert]] as their anchor leg, won the gold medal in a time of 44.5 seconds.<ref name="guardianolysrs"/> After Rudolph returned to her Tennessee home from the Melbourne Olympic Games, Rudolph showed her high school classmates the [[bronze medal]] that she had won and decided to try to win a gold medal at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in [[Rome]], Italy.<ref name=sports-reference/><ref name="guardianolysrs"/>

In 1958, Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State, where Temple continued as her track coach.<ref name=Hine-992-93/> At the [[Pan American Games]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] the following year, Rudolph won a silver medal in the 100-meter individual event, as well as a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay with teammates [[Isabelle Dan]], [[Barbara Joe (cheerleader)|Barbara Joe]], and [[Lucinda Williams (athlete)|Lucinda Williams]]. She also won the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] 200-meter title in 1959 and defended it for four consecutive years. During her career, Rudolph also won three AAU indoor titles.<ref name=sports-reference/>

===1960 Summer Olympics===
[[File:Giuseppina leone.jpg|260px|thumb|Rudolph wins the women's 100-meter dash at the 1960 Summer Olympics in [[Rome]].]]

While she was still a sophomore at Tennessee State, Rudolph competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at [[Abilene Christian University]] in [[Abilene, Texas]], where she set a world record in the 200-meter dash that stood for eight years. Rudolph also qualified for the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in the [[100 meters at the Olympics|100-meter]] dash.<ref name=NBAW958-61/>

At the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome, Italy, Rudolph competed in three events on a [[cinder track]] in Rome's [[Stadio Olimpico]]: the 100- and 200-meter sprints, as well as the 4 × 100-meter relay. Rudolph, who won a gold medal in each of these events, became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympiad.<ref name=bbc/><ref name=espn/>

Rudolph ran the finals in the 100-meter dash in a wind-aided time of 11.0 seconds. (The record-setting time was not credited as a [[list of world records in athletics|world record]], because the wind, at {{convert|2.75|m|yard}} per second, exceeded the maximum of {{convert|2|m|yard}}.) Rudolph became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the 100-meter race since [[Helen Stephens]] did so in the [[1936 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=espn/><ref name=RomanConquest/> Rudolph won another gold medal in the finals of the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.0 seconds, after setting a new Olympic record of 23.2 seconds in the opening heat.<ref name=Bio-WR/> After these wins, she was hailed throughout the world as "the fastest woman in history."<ref name=Bio-WR/>

On September 7, 1960, the temperature climbed toward {{convert|40|C|F}} as thousands of spectators jammed the stadium. Rudolph combined efforts with her Olympic teammates from Tennessee State—[[Martha Hudson]], Lucinda Williams, and Barbara Jones—to win the 4 × 100-meter relays with a time of 44.5 seconds, after setting a world record of 44.4 seconds in the semifinals. Rudolph ran the anchor leg for the American team in the finals and nearly dropped the baton after a pass from Williams, but she overtook Germany's anchor leg to win the relay in a close finish.<ref name=bbc/><ref name="guardianolysrs"/> Rudolph had a special, personal reason to hope for victory—to pay tribute to [[Jesse Owens]], the celebrated American athlete and star of the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] in [[Berlin]], Germany, who had been her inspiration.<ref>Biracree (1988), p. 16.</ref>

Rudolph was one of the most popular athletes of the 1960 Rome Olympics and emerged from the Olympic Games as "The Tornado, the fastest woman on earth."<ref name=Biracree82>Tom Biracree (1988), ''Wilma Rudolph'', p. 82.</ref> The Italians nicknamed her "La Gazzella Nera" ("The Black Gazelle").<ref>{{cite book|author=Jan Onofrio|title=Tennessee Biographical Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zyw4bSvQxJUC&pg=RA1-PA228|date=1 June 1999|publisher=North American Book Dist LLC|isbn=978-0-403-09700-5|page=1}}</ref> The French called her "La Perle Noire" ("The Black Pearl"), as well as "La Chattanooga Choo-Choo."<ref name=Biracree82/><ref name=Time-FastestFemale>{{cite journal| title =The Fastest Female | journal =Time Time | date = September 19, 1960 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826652,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306125327/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826652,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2007 |access-date = February 9, 2017}}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>"'Sportin Life' with Dennis J. Harrington Wilma Rudolph' a Sprinter Named Desire'." ''Chicago Metro News'', 12 July 1975, p. PAGE 18.</ref> Along with other 1960 Olympic athletes such as [[Cassius Clay]] (later known as Muhammad Ali), [[Oscar Robertson]], and [[Rafer Johnson]], Rudolph became an international star due to the first worldwide television coverage of the Olympics that year.<ref>{{cite book|author=Amy Ruth|title=Wilma Rudolph|publisher=Lerner Publications|year=2000|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph00ruth/page/34 34, 61]|isbn=978-0-8225-4976-5|url=https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph00ruth/page/34}} See also: {{Cite book|title =Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture|author=Carroll Van West|publisher = Tennessee Historical Society and Rutledge Hill Press|year =1998|isbn =1558535993 |location =Nashville|page = 813}}</ref> The 1960 Rome Olympics launched her into the public spotlight and the media cast her as America's athletic "leading lady" and a "queen," with praises of Rudolph's athletic accomplishments as well as her feminine beauty and poise.<ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 42, 46.</ref>

===Post-Olympic career===
[[File: Wilma Rudolph.jpg|thumb|left|Rudolph at the finish line during the 50-yard dash at the track meet at Madison Square Garden in 1961]]

Rudolph returned home to Clarksville after completing a post-games European tour, where she and her Olympic teammates competed in meets in [[London]], [[West Germany]], the [[Netherlands]], and at other venues in Europe. Rudolph's hometown of Clarksville celebrated "Welcome Wilma Day" on October 4, 1960, with a full day of festivities. Governor Buford Ellington had created these plans to welcome Rudolph home with a parade. Ellington was elected because he had old fashioned segregationist beliefs. This was the complete opposite of what Rudolph stood for. Rudolph heard this and refused to attend her own celebration because of it being segregated. Due to the concert of Rudolph not attending her own event, the parade was changed to be integrated. She makes everlasting history by standing up for what she believes in as this marks the first ever integrated event in her hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee. An estimated 1,100 attended the banquet in Rudolph's honor and thousands lined the city streets to watch the parade.<ref name="guardianolysrs"/><ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 18–19, 39.</ref>

Rudolph's gold-medal victories in Rome also "propelled her to become one of the most highly visible black women across the United States and around the world."<ref>Liberti and Smith, p. 13.</ref> Her Olympic star status also "gave an enormous boost to the indoor track circuit in the months following the Olympic Games in Rome."<ref>Liberti and Smith, p. 45.</ref> In 1961, Rudolph competed in the prestigious, [[Los Angeles Invitational]] indoor track meet, where thousands turned out to watch her run. Besides, Rudolph was invited to compete in [[New York Athletic Club]] track events and became the first woman invited to compete at the Millrose Games. She was also invited to compete at the [[Penn Relays]] and the [[Drake Relays]], among others.<ref name=NBAW958-61/><ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 49–50, 55.</ref>

Following Rudolph's Olympic victories, the United States Information Agency made a 10-minute documentary film, ''Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Champion'' (1961), to highlight her accomplishments on the track.<ref name=LS83-85>Liberti and Smith, pp. 83–85.</ref> Rudolph's appearance in 1960 on ''[[To Tell the Truth]]'', an American television game show, and later as a guest on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' also helped promote her status as an iconic sports star.<ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 16, 42, 46.</ref>

In 1961, Rudolph married William Ward, a North Carolina College at Durham track team member;<ref name=Eagle/> they divorced in 1963.<ref name=LS-98>Liberti and Smith, p. 98.</ref> In the interim, Rudolph retired from track competition at age 22, following victories in the 100-meter and 4 × 100-meter-relay races at the U.S.–[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] meet at Stanford University in 1962.<ref name=USATF>{{cite web | title =Wilma Rudolph | publisher =USA Track and Field | url =http://www.legacy.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=141 | access-date =November 16, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130423092652/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=141 | archive-date =April 23, 2013 | url-status =dead }}</ref> At the time of her retirement, Rudolph was still the world record-holder in the 100-meter (11.2 seconds set on July 19, 1961), 200-meter (22.9 seconds set on July 9, 1960), and 4 × 100-meter-relay events. She had also won seven national AAU sprint titles and set the women's indoor track record of 6.9 seconds in the 60-yard dash. As Rudolph explained it, she retired at the peak of her athletic career because Rudolph wanted to leave the sport while still at her best. As such, Rudolph did not compete at the [[1964 Summer Olympic Games]] in [[Tokyo]], Japan,<ref name=RomanConquest/><ref name=USATF/> saying, "If I won two gold medals, there would be something lacking. I'll stick with the glory I've already won like Jesse Owens did in 1936."<ref name=RomanConquest/>

After retiring from competition, Rudolph continued her education at Tennessee State and earned a [[bachelor's degree]] in elementary education in 1963.<ref name=Hine-992-93/><ref name=s22/> That same year, she made a month-long trip to [[West Africa]] as a goodwill ambassador for the [[United States Department of State|U.S State Department]]. Rudolph served as U.S. representative to the 1963 Friendship Games in [[Dakar]], Senegal, and visited [[Ghana]], [[Guinea]], [[Mali]], and [[Republic of Upper Volta|Upper Volta]], where she attended sporting events, visited schools, and made guest appearances on television and radio broadcasts. Rudolph also attended the premiere of the U.S. Information Agency's documentary film that highlighted her track career.<ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 91–94.</ref>

In May 1963, a few weeks after returning from Africa, Rudolph participated in a civil rights protest in her hometown of Clarksville to desegregate one of the city's restaurants. Within a short time, the mayor announced that the city's public facilities, including its restaurants, would become fully integrated.<ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 88, 96.</ref> Rudolph also married Robert Eldridge, who had fathered her child when she was in high school, later that year. The couple had three additional children,<ref name=NBAW958-61/><ref name=Hine-992-93/> but divorced after 17 years of marriage.<ref name=s23/>

==Later years==
Rudolph did not earn significant money as an amateur athlete and shifted to a career in teaching and coaching after her retirement from track competition.<ref name=bbc/> She began as a second-grade teacher at Cobb Elementary School, which Rudolph had attended as a child, and coached track at Burt High School, where she had once been a student-athlete herself.<ref name=NBAW958-61/>

Rudolph moved several times over the years and lived in various places such as Chicago, Illinois; [[Indianapolis]], Indiana; [[St. Louis]], Missouri; [[Detroit]], Michigan; Tennessee; [[California]]; and [[Maine]].<ref name="t" />

Rudolph's autobiography, ''Wilma: The Story of Wilma Rudolph'', was published in 1977. It served as the basis for several other publications and films. By 2014, at least 21 books on Rudolph's life had been published for children, from pre-school youth to high school students.<ref>Liberti and Smith, pp. 14–15.</ref>

In addition to teaching, Rudolph worked for nonprofit organizations and government-sponsored projects that supported athletic development among American children. In [[Boston]], Massachusetts, she became involved in the federal [[Job Corps]] program, and Rudolph served as a track specialist for Operation Champion in 1967.<ref name=NBAW958-61/><ref name=bio1/> In 1981, Rudolph established and led the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that trains youth athletes.<ref name=Hine-992-93/> Six years later, she joined [[DePauw University]] in [[Greencastle, Indiana]], as director of its women's track program and served as a consultant on minority affairs to the university's president.<ref name=Depauw>{{cite web | title = Olympic Gold Medalist Wilma Rudolph Joins DePauw Team | publisher = DePauw University | date = January 14, 1987 | url = http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=21712 | access-date = February 9, 2017 | archive-date = August 7, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110807035927/http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=21712 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Rudolph went on to host a local television show in Indianapolis. She was also a publicist for Universal Studios as well as a television sports commentator for [[ESPN on ABC|ABC Sports]] during the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]], California, and lit the cauldron to open the Pan American Games in Indianapolis in 1987 in front of 80,000 spectators at the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]].<ref name=Depauw/><ref>{{cite journal| author=Wilma L. Moore| title =Everyday People: Champions and History Makers | journal =Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History | volume =24| issue =4 | pages=26–29 | publisher =Indiana Historical Society | location =Indianapolis | date =Fall 2012}}</ref> In 1992, two years before her untimely death, Rudolph became a vice president at Nashville's Baptist Hospital.<ref name="t" />

==Marriage and family==
Rudolph dated boxing legend [[Muhammad Ali]] during the early 1960's. She was married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce. On October 14, 1961, Rudolph married William "Willie" Ward, a member of the [[North Carolina Central University|North Carolina College]] at Durham track team.<ref name=Eagle>{{cite book
|title=The Eagle|publisher=North Carolina Central University |volume=1960 |year=1960 |location=Durham |url=https://archive.org/details/eagle1960nort}}</ref> They divorced in May 1963. After her graduation from Tennessee State in 1963, Rudolph married Robert Eldridge, her high school sweetheart, with whom she already had a daughter, Yolanda, born in 1958.<ref name=s22/><ref>{{cite magazine| author=Anita Verschoth | title =Slight Change Of Pace For Wilma |magazine =Sports Illustrated| date =September 7, 1964 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076342/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131116090725/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076342/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 16, 2013}}</ref> Rudolph and Eldridge had four children: two daughters (Yolanda, born in 1958, and Djuanna, born in 1964) and two sons (Robert Jr., born in 1965, and Xurry, born in 1971 and died in 2025).<ref name=espn/><ref name=s22>Smith (2006), p. xxii.</ref><ref name=bio1/><ref>{{cite journal|author=Charles Chamberlain |date=February 22, 1973 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19730222&id=i55cAAAAIBAJ&pg=6736,4123510 |title=Will Wilma Rudolph Eldridge's Daughter Add To Three Olympic Gold Medals Her Mom Won In International Competition? |journal=Gettysburg Times
|page=14|access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref> They divorced in 1980. 

==Death and legacy==
In July 1994 (shortly after her mother's death), Rudolph was diagnosed with [[brain tumor|brain cancer]]. She also had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and Rudolph died on November 12, 1994, at her home in [[Brentwood, Tennessee|Brentwood]], a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee; she was only 54 years old.<ref name=sports-reference/><ref>{{cite book|author=Amy Ruth|title=Wilma Rudolph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rBq3xO9far0C&pg=PA97ID|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-8225-4976-5|page=97}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Maureen Margaret Smith |title=Wilma Rudolph: A Biography |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2006|isbn=0313333076}}</ref>

Rudolph's legacy lies in her efforts to overcome obstacles that included childhood illnesses and a physical disability to become the fastest woman runner in the world in 1960. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympiad. Rudolph was one of the first role models for black and female athletes. Her Olympic success "gave a tremendous boost to women's track in the United States."<ref name=Hine-992-93/> Rudolph's celebrity also caused gender barriers to be broken at previously all-male track and field events such as the Millrose Games.<ref name=Hine-992-93/>

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Rudolph is remembered for her contributions to youth, including founding and heading the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, which trains youth athletes.<ref name=Hine-992-93/> Her life is remembered in numerous publications, especially books for young readers. Rudolph's life has been featured in documentary films and made-for-television movies too:
* Walter de Hoog directed ''Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Champion'' (1961), the United States Information Agency's ten-minute film documentary of her accomplishments on the track.<ref name=LS83-85/>
* In 1977, [[Bud Greenspan]] produced ''Wilma'' (also known as ''The Story of Wilma Rudolph''), a made-for-television [[docudrama]] adaptation of her autobiography starring Shirley Jo Finney as Rudolph and costarring [[Cicely Tyson]], [[Jason Bernard]], and [[Denzel Washington]] in one of his first roles.<ref>{{IMDb title|0076923|Wilma}}</ref>
* In 2015, Positive Edge Education Ltd. commissioned Pixel Revolution Films, a [[United Kingdom]]-based film company, to produce three short inspiration dramas to be screened in schools, including one about Rudolph's life. ''Unlimited'' (2015) was written and directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins.<ref>{{IMDb title|4809778|Unlimited}}</ref>
* A children's book on her life was distributed by [[McDonald's]] in 2025-26.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilma Rudolph |url=https://littlepeoplebigdreams.com/book/wilma-rudolph/ |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=Little People, BIG DREAMS |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
[[File:WilmaRudolphFOEAward.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Rudolph receiving a [[Fraternal Order of Eagles]] Award with [[Roger Maris]] ''(left)'']]
Rudolph was named [[United Press International]] Athlete of the Year (1960) and [[Associated Press Athlete of the Year|Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year]] (1960 and 1961). She was also the recipient of the [[James E. Sullivan Award]] (1960) for the top amateur athlete in the United States and the [[Babe Didrikson Zaharias]] Award (1962). In addition, Rudolph had
a private meeting with [[President of the United States|President]] [[John F. Kennedy]] in the [[Oval Office]].<ref name=s22/><ref name=bio1>{{cite web | url=http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/rudo-wil.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104072633/http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/rudo-wil.htm | archive-date=2012-11-04 | title=Wilma Rudolph biography | publisher=Women in History | access-date=June 11, 2007}}</ref> Rudolph was also honored with the National Sports Award (1993).<ref name=s23/>

Rudolph was inducted into several women's and sports halls of fame:
* Black Sports Hall of Fame (1973)<ref name=Hine-992-93/>
* U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1974)<ref name=espn/><ref name=USATF/>
* [[U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame]] (1983)<ref name=Hine-992-93/>
* [[National Women's Hall of Fame]] (1994)<ref>{{cite web|title=Wilma Rudolph |publisher=National Women's Hall of Fame |url=http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=131 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091358/http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=131 |archive-date=September 29, 2007| access-date =February 9, 2017}}</ref>
* National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame (2001)<ref>{{cite journal| author=Amy Waldman| title =Black Hall of Fame Is Honoring Entertainment and Sports Stars | journal =The New York Times | date =August 29, 2001| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/nyregion/black-hall-of-fame-is-honoring-entertainment-and-sports-stars.html| access-date =February 9, 2017}} {{cite web| title =Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame | work =UPI Archives | publisher =UPI | date =August 30, 2001 | url = http://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/08/30/Black-Sports-and-Entertainment-Hall-of-Fame/3424999144000/ | access-date =February 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harlemdiscover.com/halloffame/ |title=National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207033002/http://www.harlemdiscover.com/halloffame/ |archive-date=February 7, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}. harlemdiscover.com</ref>

In 1984, the Women's Sports Foundation selected Rudolph as one of the five greatest women athletes in the United States. In 1996, the foundation presented its first [[Wilma Rudolph Courage Award]] to [[Jackie Joyner-Kersee]].<ref name=Hine-992-93/><ref>{{cite web| title=Wilma Rudolph Courage Award |publisher =Women's Sports Foundation| url= http://www.womensportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/about/awards/results.html?record=14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928141238/http://www.womensportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/about/awards/results.html?record=14|archive-date=September 28, 2007| access-date =February 9, 2017}}</ref>

In 1994, a portion of [[U.S. Route 79]] was named [[Wilma Rudolph Boulevard]], extending from Interstate 24, exit 4, in Clarksville to the Red River (Lynnwood-Tarpley) bridge near the Kraft Street intersection.<ref name=s23>Smith (2006), p. xxiii.</ref> On November 21, 1995, the Wilma Rudolph Memorial Commission placed a black [[marble]] marker at her grave site in Edgefield Missionary Baptist Church.<ref name=bio1/> In April 1996, a life-size bronze statue of Rudolph was erected "at the southern end of the Cumberland River Walk at the base of the Pedestrian Overpass" at College Street and Riverside Drive in Clarksville.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=What To See: Wilma Rudolph Statue
 |publisher=Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council
 |date=August 4, 2009
 |url=http://www.clarksville.tn.us/info-html/what_to_see.html
 |access-date=February 9, 2017
 |url-status=bot: unknown
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804125453/http://www.clarksville.tn.us/info-html/what_to_see.html
 |archive-date=August 4, 2009
 |df=mdy-all
}}</ref>

In 2012, the city of Clarksville, Tennessee built the Wilma Rudolph Event Center, located at Liberty Park on Cumberland Drive. The life-size bronze statue was moved there from its previous location at Riverside Drive, and stands near the entrance of the building.

On December 2, 1980, Tennessee State University named its indoor track in Rudolph's honor.<ref name="t" /> On August 11, 1995 (nine months after Rudolph's death), Tennessee State University dedicated a new, six-story dormitory as the Wilma G. Rudolph Residence Center. The building, which includes a computer lab, beauty salon, and cafeteria, houses upper class and graduate women.<ref name="t" /> In 1997, Governor [[Don Sundquist]] proclaimed June 23 as "Wilma Rudolph Day" in Tennessee.<ref name=bio1/>

The December 29, 1999, issue of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' ranked Rudolph first on its list of the top 50 greatest sports figures of the twentieth-century from Tennessee.<ref>{{cite magazine| title =The Master List: The 50 Greatest Sports Figures of the Century from Each of the 50 States | magazine =Sports Illustrated | date = December 29, 1999| url = https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/271866/the-master-list-the-50-greatest-sports-figures-of-the-century-from-each-of-the-50-states| access-date=February 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>Lovett, Bobby. {{cite web|url=http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1156 |title=Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) and the TSU Tigerbelles |access-date=2013-02-15 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030160329/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1156 |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}, ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''</ref> ESPN ranked Rudolph forty-first in its listing of the twentieth century's greatest athletes.<ref name=s23/>

Following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Berlin in 1994, Berlin American High School (BAHS) was turned over to the people of Berlin and became the "Gesamtschule Am Hegewinkel". The school was renamed the "Wilma Rudolph Oberschule" in her honor in the summer of 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.be.schule.de/schulen/gesamtschule-zehlendorf/ |title=Wilma-Rudolph-Oberschule |access-date=2010-03-30 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727222142/http://www.be.schule.de/schulen/gesamtschule-zehlendorf/ |archive-date=July 27, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}. be.schule.de.</ref>

On July 14, 2004, the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] issued a 23-cent postage stamp, the fifth in its [[Distinguished Americans series]], in recognition of Rudolph's accomplishments.<ref name=USPS>{{cite web| title =Postal Service Honors Wilma Rudolph with 'Distinguished America| publisher =DePauw University| date =July 14, 2004| url =http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/21829/| access-date =February 9, 2017| archive-date =February 18, 2017| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170218204803/http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/21829/| url-status =dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|Sport of athletics}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==References==
* {{cite news| title =1960: Rudolph takes third Olympic gold | date =11 September 1960 | publisher =BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/11/newsid_3554000/3554568.stm | access-date =February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite journal |author= Bagchi, Rob |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jun/01/50-stunning-olympic-moments-wilma-rudolph |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No. 35: Wilma Rudolph's triple gold in 1960 |date=June 1, 2012 |journal=The Guardian |access-date=February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite web| author =Biography.com Editors| title =Wilma Rudolph Biography| publisher =A&E Television Networks| date =June 17, 2016| url =http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552| access-date =February 9, 2017| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160822022116/http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552| archive-date =August 22, 2016| url-status =dead}}
* {{cite book | author =Biracree, Tom | title =Wilma Rudolph: Champion Athlete | publisher =Chelsea House Publishers | year =1988 | location =New York | isbn =1555466753 | url =https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph00bira }}
* {{cite web| title =Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame | work =UPI Archives | publisher =UPI | date =August 30, 2001 | url = http://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/08/30/Black-Sports-and-Entertainment-Hall-of-Fame/3424999144000/ | access-date =February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite book|author=Braun, Eric|title=Wilma Rudolph|publisher=Capstone Press|year=2005|isbn=0-7368-4234-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph0000brau}}
* {{cite journal| author= Chamberlain, Charles | title =Will Wilma Rudolph Eldridge's Daughter Add To Three Olympic Gold Medals Her Mom Won In International Competition? | journal =The Gettysburg Times | page=14 | location =Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | date =February 22, 1973| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i55cAAAAIBAJ&pg=6736%2C4123510| access-date =2017-02-09}}
* {{cite book|author=Coffey, Wayne R.|title=Wilma Rudolph|publisher=Blackbirch Press|year=1993|isbn=1-56711-004-5|url=https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph00coff}}
* {{cite book|author=Conrad, David |title=Stick to It!: The Story of Wilma Rudolph |publisher=Compass Point Books |year=2002 |isbn=0-7565-0384-1}}
* {{cite book| title =The Eagle | publisher =North Carolina Central University | volume =1960 | year =1960 | location =Durham | url =https://archive.org/details/eagle1960nort}}
* {{cite magazine| title =The Fastest Female | magazine =Time | date = September 19, 1960| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826652,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306125327/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826652,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 6, 2007 | access-date = February 9, 2017}}{{subscription required}}
* Haney, James E., "Wilma Rudolph" in {{cite book| editor=Smith, Jessie Carnie| title =Notable Black American Women| publisher =Gale Research | year =1992| location =Detroit | pages =958–61}}
* Harper, Jo. ''Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner'' (Childhood of Famous Americans), Aladdin (January 6, 2004)&nbsp;– {{ISBN|0-606-29739-1}}
* Krull, Kathleen. ''Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman'', Harcourt * Children's Books; Library Binding edition (April 1, 1996)&nbsp;– {{ISBN|0-15-201267-2}}
* {{cite book | author=Liberti, Rita, and Maureen M. Smith | title =(Re)Presenting Wilma Rudolph | publisher =Syracuse University Press | series =Sports and Entertainment | year =2015 | location =Syracuse, New York | isbn =978-0-8156-3384-6}}
* {{cite web |author=Lovett, Bobby L. |url=http://www.tnstate.edu/library/documents/Rudolph.pdf |title=Wilma Rudolph and the TSU Tigerbelles |date=June 20, 2016|website=Tennessee State University|access-date=February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite encyclopedia| author=Lovett, Bobby L. |title=Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) and the TSU Tigerbelles | encyclopedia =Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture Version 2 (online edition) | publisher =University of Tennessee Press | date =February 24, 2011|url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1156| access-date =2017-02-09}}
* {{cite book|author=Maraniss, David |title=Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed The World |url=https://archive.org/details/rome1960olympics00mara |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4165-3408-2}}
* {{cite magazine| title =The Master List: The 50 Greatest Sports Figures of the Century from Each of the 50 States | magazine =Sports Illustrated | date = December 29, 1999| url = https://www.si.com/vault/1999/12/27/271866/the-master-list-the-50-greatest-sports-figures-of-the-century-from-each-of-the-50-states| access-date=February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite journal| author= Moore, Wilma L. | title =Everyday People: Sports Champions and History Makers | journal =Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History | volume =24| issue =4 | pages=26–29 | publisher =Indiana Historical Society | location =Indianapolis | date =Fall 2012}}
* Norwood, Arlisha. [https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wilma-rudolph "Wilma Rudolph.]" National Women's History Museum. 2017.
* {{cite web | title =Olympic Gold Medalist Wilma Rudolph Joins DePauw Team | publisher =DePauw University | date =January 14, 1987 | url =http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=21712 | access-date =February 9, 2017 | archive-date =August 7, 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110807035927/http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=21712 | url-status =dead }}
* {{cite book|author=Onofrio, Jan |title=Tennessee Biographical Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zyw4bSvQxJUC&pg=RA1-PA228|date=June 1, 1999|publisher=North American Book Dist LLC|isbn=978-0-403-09700-5}}
* {{cite book|author=Plowden, Martha Ward|title=Olympic Black Women|publisher=Pelican Publishing Company|year=1996|isbn=1-56554-080-8|location=Tennessee State University Library|url=https://archive.org/details/olympicblackwome00plow}}
* {{cite web| title =Postal Service Honors Wilma Rudolph with 'Distinguished America| publisher =DePauw University| date =July 14, 2004| url =http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/21829/| access-date =February 9, 2017| archive-date =February 18, 2017| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170218204803/http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/21829/| url-status =dead}}
* {{cite web| author=Roberts, M. B. | title =Rudolph ran and world went wild | publisher =ESPN | url =https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016444.html | access-date =February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite book |author=Ruth, Amy |title=Wilma Rudolph |publisher=Lerner Publications |year=2000 |isbn=0-8225-4976-X |url=https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolph00ruth }}
* {{cite book |author=Schraff, Anne E. |title=Wilma Rudolph: The Greatest Woman Sprinter in History |publisher=Enslow Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=0-7660-2291-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/wilmarudolphgrea0000schr }}
* {{cite web| author= Schwartz, Larry |title=Her Roman Conquest | publisher =ESPN | url =https://www.espn.com/sportscentury/features/00016446.html | access-date =February 17, 2017}}
* {{cite book |author=Sherrow, Victoria |title=Wilma Rudolph |series=On My Own Biographies |publisher=Carolrhoda Books |year=2000 |isbn=1-57505-246-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Smith, Maureen Margaret |year=2006 |title=Wilma Rudolph: A Biography |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0313333076}}
* {{cite book |author=Streissguth, Tom |title=Wilma Rudolph |publisher=Turnaround Publisher |year=2007|isbn=978-0-8225-6693-9}}
* {{IMDb title|4809778|Unlimited}}
* {{cite book|author=Van West, Carroll |title =Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture |publisher =Tennessee Historical Society/Rutledge Hill Press|year = 1998|isbn = 1558535993|location = Nashville }}
* {{cite journal| author=Waldman, Amy | title =Black Hall of Fame Is Honoring Entertainment and Sports Stars | journal =The New York Times | date =August 29, 2001| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/29/nyregion/black-hall-of-fame-is-honoring-entertainment-and-sports-stars.html| access-date =February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite web|title=What To See: Wilma Rudolph Statue |publisher=Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council |date=August 4, 2009 |url=http://www.clarksville.tn.us/info-html/what_to_see.html |access-date=February 9, 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804125453/http://www.clarksville.tn.us/info-html/what_to_see.html |archive-date=August 4, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}
* {{IMDb title|0076923|Wilma}}
* {{cite web |title=Wilma Rudolph | publisher =National Women's Hall of Fame |url=http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=131|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091358/http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=131 | archive-date=September 29, 2007 | access-date =February 9, 2017}}
* {{cite web|title=Wilma Rudolph |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wilma-rudolph-1.html |website=sports-reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=August 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113083713/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ru/wilma-rudolph-1.html |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}
* {{cite web | title =Wilma Rudolph | publisher =USA Track and Field | url =http://www.legacy.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=141 | access-date =November 16, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130423092652/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=141 | archive-date =April 23, 2013 | url-status =dead }}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/rudo-wil.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104072633/http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/rudo-wil.htm | archive-date=2012-11-04| title=Wilma Rudolph biography | publisher=Women in History | access-date=June 11, 2007}}
* {{cite web|title=Wilma Rudolph Courage Award | publisher =Women's Sports Foundation| url= http://www.womensportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/about/awards/results.html?record=14| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928141238/http://www.womensportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/about/awards/results.html?record=14|archive-date=September 28, 2007| access-date =February 9, 2017}}

==Further reading==
*Lansbury, Jennifer. ''A spectacular leap: black women athletes in twentieth-century America''. University of Arkansas Press, 2014, Fayetteville. {{ISBN|9781557286581}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{sports links}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=wilma-rudolph}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/kids/dreamteam/wilmarudolph.html Wilma Rudolph], Whitehouse Kids
* [http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=wilmaRudolph Sports Heroes: Wilma Rudolph] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205200729/http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=wilmaRudolph |date=2010-02-05 }}, My Hero Project
* {{Find a Grave|5532}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080801085244/http://en.beijing2008.cn/education/stories/n214077706.shtml Wilma Rudolph], [[2008 Summer Olympics]] website
* Norwood, Arlisha. [https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wilma-rudolph "Wilma Rudolph"]. National Women's History Museum. 2017.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Wilma}}
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[[Category:Track and field athletes from Tennessee]]
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