John Wesley Carlos (born June 5, 1945 in Harlem, New York) is an African American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics and his black power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. He went on to equal the world record in the 100 yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record (although the latter achievement was never ratified). After his track career, he enjoyed brief stints in the National Football League and Canadian Football League but retired due to injury.
He became involved with the United States Olympic Committee and helped to organise the 1984 Summer Olympics. Following this he became a track coach at Palm Springs High School. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2003.
Biography
Born in Harlem, New York, John Carlos was a gifted high school athlete and outstanding student who went on to study at East Texas State University on a full track-and-field scholarship. His victories in the 100 and 200-meter dash and as a member of the 4x400-meter relay helped lead ETSU to the 1967 Lone Star Conference Championship. After his first year, Carlos matriculated to San Jose State University where he was trained by future National Track & Field Hall of Fame coach, Lloyd (Bud) Winter.
Carlos became a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), initially created to organize a boycott of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. At the 1968 Olympic Trials, Carlos stunned the track world when he won the 200-meter dash in 19.92 seconds, beating world-record holder Tommie Smith and surpassing his record by 0.3 seconds. Though the record was never ratified because the spike formation on Carlos' shoes ("brush spikes") was not accepted at the time, the race reinforced his status as a world-class sprinter.
Following his third-place finish behind fellow American Smith and Australian Peter Norman in the 200 at the Mexico Olympics, Carlos and Smith made headlines around the world by raising their black-gloved fists at the medal award ceremony. Both athletes wore black socks and no shoes on the podium to represent black poverty in America. In support, Peter Norman, the silver medalist who was a white athlete from Australia, participated in the protest by wearing an OPHR badge.
IOC president Avery Brundage deemed a domestic political statement unfit for the apolitical, international forum the Olympic Games was supposed to be. In an immediate response to their actions, he ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the U.S. team and banned from the Olympic Village. Many supporters, however, praised the men for their bravery. The men's gesture had lingering effects for all three athletes, the most serious of which were death threats against Carlos, Smith, and their families. Although it has been reported that Carlos and Smith were stripped of their medals, Carlos has indicated this is not true and his medal is with his mother. [1]
Carlos had his greatest year in track and field in 1969, equaling the world 100-yard record of 9.1, winning the AAU 220-yard run, and leading San Jose State to its first NCAA championship with victories in the 100 and 220 and as a member of the 4x110-yard relay. He was also the gold medalist at 200 meters at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and set indoor world bests in the 60-yard dash (5.9) and 220-yard dash (20.2).
Following his track career, Carlos tried professional football, a 15th round selection in the 1970 NFL Draft, but a knee injury curtailed his one-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He then went on to the Canadian Football League where he played one season each for the Montreal Alouettes and the Toronto Argonauts. Following his retirement from football, Carlos worked for Puma, the United States Olympic Committee, the Organising Committee of the 1984 Summer Olympics and the City of Los Angeles.
In 1985, Carlos became a counselor and in-school suspension supervisor, as well as the track and field coach, at Palm Springs High School. In 2003, he was elected to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
On July 16, 2008, John Carlos and Tommie Smith accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for their black-gloved fist salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics at the 2008 ESPY Awards held at NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, California.
Recent Activities
In 2005, a statue showing Carlos and Smith on the medal stand was constructed by political artist Rigo 23 and dedicated on the campus of San Jose State University. [2]
In 2007, John Carlos was honored at the Trumpet Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Carlos is the godfather of Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams. Carlos and Williams' father ran track together in college.
In April 2008, Carlos was a torch-bearer for the Human Rights Torch, [1], which ran in parallel to the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay and focusing attention on China's human rights record.[3][4]
In 2008, Carlos was awarded the Arthur Ashe award at the Espys.
Cultural references
- The best-selling 1974 album "Livet är en fest" by Swedish progg band Nationalteatern includes a song titled "Mr. John Carlos", which depicts the events at the medal award ceremony and the subsequent hardships of Carlos.
See also
References
- ^ Ginn, Leighton (February 23, 2008). "John Carlos has led a powerful life". The Desert Sun. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:w7I1JE3R954J:www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20080223/SPORTS/802230331/1109/RSS05+%22John+Carlos%22+%22Palm+Desert%22&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- ^ Crumpacker, John (October 18, 2005). "OLYMPIC PROTEST: Smith and Carlos Statue captures sprinters' moment". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/18/SPGJTF9THS1.DTL.
- ^ San Francisco Welcomes Human Rights Torch
- ^ Numbers low for S.F. Human Rights Torch rally
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