40 years later, track fans cheer Carlos in Eugene

Tag : sporting glove

Column by John Pisapia
For The Daily News

It was Oct. 16, 1968. The TV across the way in Jim Sund’sdorm room in Quigley Hall at Central Washington State University inEllensburg was blaring. Two or three Wildcat students sat quietlytransfixed. A collective “whoa” broke the stillness.

“Look at that,” Sund said.

On the black and white, John Carlos and Tommie Smith had justchanged the course of their history.

Smith, who had lost to Carlos in the U.S. Olympic Trials, won the200 meters in a then-world-record time of 19.83 seconds.Australia’s Peter Norman was second (20.06) and Carlosclaimed third (20.10).

But those performances weren’t what prompted the gasp fromthe group.

It was the medal presentation. Smith and Carlos received theirmedals shoeless, but wearing black socks to represent blackpoverty. Smith wore a black scarf around his neck to representblack pride and Carlos wore beads to pay homage to all the namelessand faceless blacks who were tortured and killed through the years.

All three wore Olympic Project for Human Rights badges. The OPHRwas an organization established by sociologist Harry Edwards. Theaim was to protest racial apartheid in the U.S. and South Africa,and racism in sport generally.

As the trio approached the medal stand, Carlos realized he hadforgotten his black gloves. Norman suggested they shareSmith’s pair. So Smith wore the right glove and Carlos theleft.

When the national anthem was played, Smith and Carlos deliveredtheir salute with heads bowed, a gesture which became front-pagenews worldwide. They were booed as they left the podium.

International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage orderedSmith and Carlos suspended from the U.S. team and banned from theOlympic Village. When the U.S. Olympic Committee refused, Averythreatened to ban the entire U.S. track team. This threat led tothe two athletes being expelled from the Games.

The IOC said the athletes’ actions undermined the principlesof the Olympic spirit.

Smith and Carlos were ostracized by much of the sporting communityin the U.S. for many years. They were subject to abuse and deaththreats as well.

Smith played football briefly for the Cincinnati Bengals and becamean assistant professor of Physical Education at Oberlin College. Hecoached the U.S. track and field team at the World IndoorChampionships in 1995. He is now a public speaker.

Carlos continued in track and equaled the 100-meter world mark in1969. He played pro football for the Philadelphia Eagles before aknee injury ended his career.

In 1982, Carlos was employed by the Organizing Committee for the1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles to promote the Games and act asliaison with the city’s African-American community. Sincethen, he has been a track and field coach at a high school in PalmSprings, Calif.

Both runners have been inducted into the Track and Field Hall ofFame.

So 40 years later on a sunny Sunday in Eugene, the loudest cheerfor a non-competitor at the United States Olympic Track and FieldTrials belonged to John Carlos.

Carlos was introduced to the Hayward Field crowd near theconclusion of the trials, and the applause and cheers built uponeach other. While Carlos had already made peace over the years withthe various Olympic committees, this gave a stadium filled withtrack fanatics its opportunity.

To that, Carlos raised both hands, sans gloves, waved and then blewkisses to the fans.

John Pisapia is a former sports editor of The Daily News. He can bereached at sports@tdn.com
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