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Willye White
Track and Field

Willye White

Olympian 1956, 1960, 1964, 1972

  • 0

    GOLD

  • 2

    SILVER

  • 0

    BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Willye White

Age

Died (Aged 67)

1939-2007

Hometown

Greenwood, MS

Education

Broad Street High School (Shelby, Miss.) Tennessee State University; Chicago State University

Quick Facts
  • Raised by her grandparents in Greenwood, Mississippi
  • Earned money to support her family by chopping cotton throughout her childhood
  • Began competing in track and field events at age 10
  • Briefly attended Tennessee State University where she was coached by the legendary Ed Temple, but left after six months to move to Chicago
  • Competed in every Olympic Games between 1956 and 1972
  • Won her first Olympic medal at the age of 16
  • Won nine consecutive U.S. outdoor championships in long jump and set seven American records
  • In 1991, founded the Willye White Foundation to help children develop self-esteem
  • Elected to 11 hall of fames, including the International Women’s Sports, the National Track and Field, and Black Sports.
Olympic Experience
  • 4-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (2 silver)
    • Olympic Games Munich 1972, 11th (Long Jump - Women)
    • Olympic Games Tokyo 1964, silver (4 x 100m Relay - Women), 12th (Long Jump - Women)
    • Olympic Games Rome 1960, 16th (Long Jump - Women)
    • Olympic Games Melbourne 1956, silver (Long Jump - Women)
Hall Of Fame Bio #

Willye White was the first American track and field athlete to compete in five Olympic Games, competing in every Games from 1956-72. Born in Money, Mississippi, White started competing in Track and Field as a 10-year-old sprinter, but soon turned to long jump. She made her first Olympic team in 1956 when she was a sophomore in high school, and ended up winning her first of two career silver medals, the second in 1964. For nearly two decades, White was the best female long jumper in the country, with a career-best jump of 21 feet 6 inches. She won nine consecutive U.S. outdoor championships and set seven world records. After graduating from Chicago State University, White spent 37 years working in city government as a health administrator, a director of recreational services and a founder of sports programs for underserved youth. White has been elected to nearly a dozen hall of fames. 

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