“Tweety” was unofficially crowned the fastest woman in America.Ĭompeting in the 100-meter dash, Daniels finished in third place, but post-race photos moved her to fourth, barely missing an Olympic medal. Among the runners she defeated was future Olympic superstar Wilma Rudolph. ![]() The girl from Jakin, whose childhood nickname of “Tweety” followed her throughout her career, ran and won the 100-meter dash. On July 4th of that year, in our nation’s capital, Isabelle Daniels of the all-black Carver High School in tiny Jakin, Georgia, competed with the greatest athletes in this country at the United States Olympic Track and Field Trials. The pinnacle of her success came in 1956. National team that competed in the Pan American Games in Mexico City where she won the silver medal in the 60-yard dash and the gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay. ![]() A year out of high school, she qualified for the U. They were also not exempt from the racial prejudice of that era, riding all night in a station wagon to track meets without stopping for rest because of low funds and the inability to find lodging due to their race.ĭaniels found success quickly. Instead, they received work study opportunities. There were no true athletic scholarships in those days for Tigerbelle athletes. The program at A & I, later known as Tennessee State, was based on the blueprint created by Tuskegee Institute whose most successful athlete had been Alice Coachman of Albany, Ga., the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal (in the high jump). She was offered and accepted a scholarship, of sorts, to become a member of the most celebrated college women’s track team in the country – the Tennessee A & I University Tigerbelles. Later that spring she competed in the prestigious Penn Relays, a track meet reserved for elite athletes.ĭaniels’ accomplishments brought with it notoriety. In 1954, her senior season, she won state championships in the 50-yard dash and the 100-yard dash. Isabelle Daniels, daughter of Fred and Vera Daniels of Jakin, attended all-black Carver High School during the segregated 1950s. Many a potentially future professional or Olympian went unnoticed, their performances and records considered invalid although the competition they faced was as stiff as their white counterparts.īut if the cream truly does rise to the top, the best of the best will indeed be noticed. Many competed in all-black schools and in all-black athletic associations that did not receive the same notoriety as mostly white leagues. In past generations, it was not always easy for African American athletes of obvious talent to be noticed and receive their due recognition.
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