ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Tennessee State Track & Field coach Ed Temple was honored for his service and dedication to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) at the opening session of the association’s annual convention at the J.W. Marriot Grande Lakes.
Temple, a former coach and professor at TSU for more than 40 years, was presented with the George Dales Award.
The George Dales Award is named in honor of longtime Western Michigan coach George Dales for his relentless pursuit in the growth and development of track and field and cross country over more than half a century. This award is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to a distinguished individual who, through their efforts, has enhanced the profession of coaching track and field and cross-country.
A 1950 graduate of Tennessee State University, Coach Temple served as head women’s track coach at Tennessee State University from 1953 to 1994 and became one of the greatest coaches in Olympic history. He helped establish the U.S. as a women’s sprinting powerhouse and served as head coach of two U.S. Olympic teams (1960 and 1964), during which time his athletes brought home 23 Olympic medals (13 gold, six silver and four bronze)
His teams also won 34 national team titles and 30 Pan-American Games medals. As the women’s coach, Coach Temple laid a foundation for growth in women’s athletics, a boom that continues to this day
Temple’s 44-year coaching tenure at Tennessee State University saw him coach and mentor some of the greatest athletes in Olympic history, including Wyomia Tyus, Wilma Rudolph and Willie White. Rudolph was the first American woman of any race to win three track & field gold medals at a single Olympic Games, while Tyus was the first woman to successfully defend an Olympic 100-meter gold medal.
He was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 1996. In addition to coaching at Tennessee State, he coached the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team in 1960 and 1964, and was an assistant on the 1980 team.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
