Alice Coachmen

In honor of Black History Month, every school day The Cardinal will feature a prominent and/or historical Black American, living or dead, who has worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes, who deserve recognition, and have made a contributions to make society a better place.

February 5, 2024

On November 9, 1923, American athlete Alice Marie Coachman Davis was born. She was the fifth child of 10 born to Fred and Evelyn Coachman. Because of her skin color, Coachman could not use athletic training facilities or participate in organized sports. She practiced her jump using improvised equipment and ran barefoot along the dirt roads around her house. She trained with everything she had. At the age of 16, Coachman accepted a scholarship offer and joined the Tuskegee Preparatory School in 1939. Before attending Tuskegee Preparatory School, Coachman broke the university and national high jump records when competing in the Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) Women’s National Championships. Coachman was unable to compete in the Olympic Games in 1940 or 1944 because of World War II.

Coachman’s first chance to compete internationally came in 1948 when the Olympics were in London. She cleared the 16-year-old record by ¾ of an inch to qualify for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches. During the high jump finals, she shattered the world record and became the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the high jump. On her first attempt, Coachman set the record at 1.68 meters, or 5 feet and 6 ⅛ inches. Coachman had become a celebrity by the time she returned to the United States following the Olympics.

Not long after she met with the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Harry Truman. At 24, her athletic career came to an end. She spent the remainder of her life in the Job Corps and education. Despite Coachman’s passing on July 14, 2014, the majority of the US women’s Olympic track and field team has been made up of black women in the years following her display of Olympic ability.

About the Contributor

Emanuel Cruz, Staff Writer

Emanuel Cruz is a junior at Hoover High School. He was born on April 13, raised in San Diego, California, by his parents who immigrated to live the American Dream. He has two older siblings but he will be the first one in his family to graduate from Hoover, as the class of 2025. He also has two cats that he treasures and loves. He doesn’t really have a plan after high school but does want to attend SDSU. He wishes to have a career and is inspired by both his sister and brother.

Outside of school he enjoys watching movies and of course playing video games. His current favorite movies are Everything Everywhere All At Once, Interstellar, and La La Land. As for his video games, they are Roblox, Good Pizza Great Pizza, and Mario Kart 8. But something else that he absolutely loves is FOOD! His favorite dish is chilaquiles with a cold glass of Iced Tea.

He hopes to work in the medical field, but can’t decide on which career. What he does know is that he wants to help people whether that be helping them physically or mentally. He is currently in FACES and in Cardinals Interact which are programs that will expose him to decide which career is the best option for him.