Pitt Track Olympians to be Honored at Iowa Game
9/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Sept. 17, 2008
PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh will celebrate two Olympic anniversaries this weekend during the Iowa football game. Pitt will honor the 20th anniversary of Roger Kingdom’s gold medal victory in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Games and the 60th anniversary of Herb Douglas’ bronze medal performance in the long jump at the 1948 London Games.
Born and bred in Pittsburgh, Douglas enrolled at Pitt in 1945 and, along with teammate Jimmy Joe Robinson, integrated the Panthers’ football team. That year, he would become just the second African-American to score a touchdown against Notre Dame.
As a track star, Douglas won a combined eight Amateur Athletic Union and intercollegiate championships. His Pitt long jump record (25-3) would stand for 23 years.
A Pitt emeritus trustee, Douglas went on to become vice president at Shieffelin & Co., only the third African-American vice president of a top-ranked national company, and founded the International Amateur Athletic Association (IAA), the Jesse Owens International Trophy Award and the Jesse Owens Global Award. The IAA has raised millions to encourage and nurture gifted amateur athletes.
Kingdom is Pitt’s only two-time Olympic medal winner. He captured gold in the 110-meter hurdles at both the 1984 Los Angeles Games and 1988 Seoul Games. The Monroeville native’s distinguished career highlights include five United States championships, two NCAA championships and an induction into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
He was the first man to run a sub 13-second final in the 110-meter hurdles at the Olympics, crossing the finish line in 12.98 seconds for his second straight gold medal at the Seoul Games. Shortly after his historic record-breaking Olympic performance, Kingdom set the world record in the 110-meter high hurdles in Zurich, Switzerland, running a 12.92.
After retiring from competition in 1998, Kingdom now employs his knowledge of the sport as the head track and field coach at California University of Pennsylvania.