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Nov 1, 2007 · John Woodruff’s halting, come-from-behind victory in the 800-meter run in the 1936 Berlin Olympics astonished the sports world and helped embarrass Adolf Hitler.
Oct 31, 2007 · PITTSBURGH-University of Pittsburgh alumnus John Woodruff, whose dramatic victory in the 800-meter run during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin made him the first African American to win a gold medal in the 1936 games and helped to spike the Nazi myth of Aryan racial superiority, died Oct. 30 in Fountain Hills, Ariz.
Nov 2, 2007 · John Woodruff, the black American runner who won the 800 meters in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the face of Adolf Hitler and his “master race” agenda, has died. He was 92.
- Grandson of A Slave Graduated from College
- First Black Athlete to Win Gold in Berlin
- World Record Wrongly Taken Away
- Military Service and Overcoming Obstacles
- An Olympic Oak For A Living Legacy
John Youie Woodruff was born July 5, 1915, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, a small town in steelmaking country. His father, Silas, was the son of Virginia slaves and worked for the J.C. Frick Coke Company. His mother, Sarah, gave birth to 12 children, six of whom died in infancy. “Woodruff” was the surname of a white family owning slaves at Locust ...
The Connellsville newspaper urged funds be raised to help Woodruff on the voyage across the Atlantic. The plea netted $55. He had never been farther than 51 miles from home, and here he was sailing on the S.S. Manhattan. His roommate on the ship was Mack Robinson, older brother of Jackie Robinson, who 10 years later would break the color barrier in...
Although Woodruff had reached the pinnacle of his sport, he was not done with the sport. He won NCAA 880-yard titles in 1937-38-39. The only other half-milers ever to win three were the Hoosiers’ Hornbostel (1932-34) and Tennessee’s Tony Parilla (1992-94). Woodruff was the first in the history of the Penn Relays to anchor three championship relays ...
Woodruff twice served in the Army, during World War II and then the Korean War. He left active service in 1957 as a lieutenant colonel. According to the National African American Registry, he commanded two battalions, one of them integrated, and was executive officer for five artillery battalions. And he had many other jobs. He worked for the New Y...
In Berlin, 24 saplings were presented to American athletes. Some threw them overboard on the way home. Other saplings never made it out of government quarantine. Woodruff’s oak was first planted at the Connellsville Free Library before being moved to the new high school stadium, finished in 1938. Don Holst, a 1968 Olympic track coach, visited Conne...
John Youie "Long John" Woodruff (July 5, 1915 – October 30, 2007) was an American middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meter event at the 1936 Summer Olympics. [3] [1] Early life.
Aug 1, 2006 · On Aug. 4, 1936, John Woodruff won one of the most memorable races in Olympic history. In the 800-meter final in Berlin, he was boxed in by other runners at 300 meters and forced to stop in his...
In 1936, John Woodruff was one of 18 African Americans on the US Olympic team competing in Berlin. He won the gold medal for the men's 800-meter race. In this clip he describes his feelings upon winning the medal. Interview date: May 15, 1996.
