William DeHart Hubbard
William DeHart Hubbard was a distinguished athlete born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, who rose to prominence in the early 20th century, particularly in track and field. A gifted student and athlete, he developed the "hitch kick" technique in jumping, which later became a standard practice. After excelling in sports during high school, he secured a scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he achieved significant success, winning multiple Amateur Athletic Union championships and the NCAA long-jump title.
Hubbard made history at the Paris Olympics in 1924 by becoming the first African American to win an individual Olympic gold medal, triumphing in the long jump. His athletic career continued with notable achievements, including breaking world records, but he transitioned into sports management and community service after graduation. He founded the Cincinnati Tigers, a Negro League baseball team, and worked as a race-relations adviser to improve housing for minorities.
Hubbard's contributions to athletics and his efforts towards advancing the status of African American athletes have been recognized posthumously, with inductions into several Halls of Fame and tributes in his hometown. He passed away in 1976, leaving a legacy as a pioneer in both athletics and social progress.
William DeHart Hubbard
Olympic Athlete
- Born: November 25, 1903
- Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Died: June 23, 1976
- Place of death: Cleveland, Ohio
Sport: Track and field (long jump and sprints)
Early Life
William DeHart Hubbard was born November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a child, he liked to run and was always the fastest among his schoolmates. William attended Douglass School and Stowe School before entering Walnut Hills High School. There, he starred in football, baseball, gymnastics, and track. In practicing for jumping events, William pioneered the “hitch kick,” in which the athlete continues to run in the air after takeoff. The style, which later became a standard technique, added distance to a jump. In conjunction with his dedication to sports, William was also an excellent student. He maintained an A-minus average during four years of school.
The Road to Excellence
After graduating from Walnut Hills High School in 1921, William received a scholarship to the University of Michigan. In college, William focused on track and field. He competed in 60- and 100-yard dashes and in the long jump and the triple jump. In his first year of competition, he won Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships in both the long and the triple jumps. He captured both titles again in 1923, the same year he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) long-jump championship.
In 1924, William again took first in the long jump at the AAU championships and was selected for the U.S. Olympic team. At the Paris Olympics, he represented the United States in both the long jump and the triple jump. Before sailing to Europe, William promised his mother to do his best to achieve the ultimate goal of amateur athletics: to compete against the world’s best and to be crowned champion.
William kept his promise. At Paris, he leapt 24 feet 5 inches to win the long jump and became the first African American to win an individual Olympic gold medal. In 1908, in London, John Taylor, had been the first African American to win a gold medal of any kind, as a member of the U.S. medley-relay team. However, William’s feat was only second best in distance at the Olympics. Teammate John LeGendre, competing in the pentathlon, soared 25 feet 5 3/4 inches to break the world long-jump record.
The Emerging Champion
Despite intensive training to compete at Big Ten Conference and international levels, William maintained good grades. In 1925, he graduated with honors, one of only 8 African Americans in a class of more than 1,450 students. William continued to run and jump throughout his collegiate career and beyond.
William’s senior year in college was particularly memorable. He won his fourth consecutive AAU long-jump title. He also won the NCAA 100-yard dash, tying the world record of 9.6 seconds. His fantastic season culminated with the NCAA long-jump title after a prodigious leap of 25 feet 10 3/4 inches, which shattered LeGendre’s world record.
Following graduation from the University of Michigan, William worked in Cincinnati as a recreation supervisor of the Department of Colored Works, part of the Public Recreation Commission. Meanwhile, he continued to train and compete, winning his final three AAU titles as an unaffiliated, or independent, athlete. In 1928, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic team again but did not win any medals. Though his own track and field career was over, William remained close to sports for many years.
Continuing the Story
In 1934, William took on a new sporting venture. He founded the Cincinnati Tigers, a professional baseball team that played briefly in the Negro Leagues. Wearing second-hand Cincinnati Reds uniforms, the Tigers played three seasons as an independent team. In 1937, the Negro American League began. The Cincinnati Tigers, a charter member of the league, battled such teams as the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago American Giants, Memphis Red Sox, and Birmingham Black Barons. At home, the Tigers played games at the Reds’ park, Crosley Field, where the team often drew more than 15,000 fans. Though the Tigers finished in third place that inaugural season, the team beat the Chicago American Giants in the playoffs to win the Negro League Championship. Then, the team folded.
William continued to work with the Public Recreation Commission in Cincinnati until 1941. He managed Valley Homes, a public housing project, for a year, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio. There, he was employed with the Federal Housing Authority. A race-relations adviser, he worked to improve housing for minorities.
During the 1950’s, William had one last major encounter with sports. An avid bowler, he served as president of the National Bowling Association (formerly the National Negro Bowling Association). As president, William helped promote professional African American bowlers, who at the time were not allowed to compete with the segregated American Bowling Congress.
Finally recognized for his athletic achievements, William was elected to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1957. He was also inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame. He retired from the Federal Housing Authority in 1969. He died in Cleveland in 1976. A Cincinnati playground was named for him in 2001. In 2006, the refurbished Walnut Hills High School track was dedicated in his honor.
Summary
An early African American superstar, William DeHart Hubbard dominated track and field jumping and short-sprint events during the 1920’s. Competing both on national and on international levels, he was the first African American to win an individual Olympic gold medal. His feats as an athlete served as a model for such later outstanding multi-event performers as Carl Lewis. William’s work to improve the status of African American professional athletes helped set the stage for full integration in American sports.
Bibliography
Barber, Gary. Getting Started in Track and Field Athletics: Advice and Ideas for Children, Parents, and Teachers. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2006.
Dabney, Wendell Phillips. Cincinnati’s Colored Citizens. Reprint. Cincinnati: Ohio Book Store, 1988.
Entine, Jon. Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About It. New York: PublicAffairs Books, 1999.
Findling, John E., and Kimberly D. Pelle, eds. Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.