Wilma Rudolph .net - FanSite & Bookstore

Former track star and Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph led a prodigious life. She was a true powerhouse on the field; few athletes could match her jaguar-like sprinting speeds.

And her legacy lives on today, in several forms. A boulevard is named in her honor in Tennessee, her state of birth. A life-sized statue of her stands in that same state. And, most importantly, the Women’s Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award is given out to any female athlete who demonstrates particular prowess and courage in carrying out their dreams (particularly important for Rudolph, given that the majority of her career took place in a time that wasn’t friendly to blacks.

The first of these awards was given out to Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1996 for her prowess in pulling off the heptathlon and the long jump in several Olympic games from 1984 to 1996.