Alice Coachman
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| Born | November 9, 1923 Albany, Georgia, United States |
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| Died | July 14, 2014 (aged 90) Albany, Georgia, United States |
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Alice Coachman Davis (November 9, 1923 – July 14, 2014) was an American athlete. She specialized in high jump and was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Coachman was born on November 9, 1923 in Albany, Georgia. She was the fifth of Fred and Evelyn Coachman's ten children.
Coachman attended Monroe Street Elementary School where she was encouraged by her fifth-grade teacher Cora Bailey and from her aunt, Carrie Spry, despite the reservations of her parents. Upon enrolling at Madison High School in 1938 she joined the track team, working with Harry E. Lash to develop her skill as an athlete. Within a year she drew the attenion of the Tuskegee Institute, in Tuskegee, Alabama.
In 1939 she joined the Tuskegee Preparatory School at the age of 16 after being offered a scholarship. The scholarship required her to work while studying and training, which included cleaning and maintaining sports facilities as well as mending uniforms.
Coachman went on to graduate with a degree in dressmaking from the Tuskegee Institute in 1946. The following year she continuted her studies at Albany State College, receiving a B.A. in home economics with a minor in science in 1949 and becoming a teacher.
Prior to arriving at the Tuskegee Preparatory School, Coachman competed in the Amateur Athletic Union's (AAU) Women's National Championships breaking the college and National high jump records while competing barefoot. Her unusual jumping style was a combination of straight jumping and western roll techniques.
Coachman dominated the AAU outdoor high jump championship from 1939 through 1948, winning ten national championships in a row. In addition to her high jump accomplishments, she won national championships in the 50-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and with the 400-meter relay team as a student at the Tuskegee Institute. During the same period Coachman won three conference championships playing as a guard on the Tuskegee women's basketball team. Despite being in her prime, Coachman was unable to compete in the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games as they were cancelled because of World War II. In the opinion of sportswriter Eric Williams, "Had she competed in those canceled Olympics, we would probably be talking about her as the No. 1 female athlete of all time."
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