The School Athletics Center - Copernicus Education Gateway

Milt Campbell

After a stint in the navy, he claimed the title of "The World's Greatest Athlete" when he won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

In Milt's case, that title is more than a convenient handle to honor his decathlon success. During his varied athletic career, he was an All-American swimmer, a national champion hurdler, and a professional football player for the Cleveland Browns and two teams in the Canadian Football League. He has been inducted into ten different Halls of Fame, including halls for National Track and Field, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and even the International Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame.

As a businessman, Milt founded the Chad School, which serves inner-city youth; ran the Milt Campbell Community Center; and has created Milt Campbell Enterprise, a personal development and motivational company.

He addresses children and adults across the country, speaking on various motivational topics from "overcoming the hurdles of life" to "you don't have to quit at second place."

Milt stands alongside the other great decathlon champions - Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bruce Jenner, and Dan O'Brien as a true American sports hero.

For more information about Milt Campbell:

USA Track and Field

Black Athlete.com: "The Greatest and Most Forgotten," Part I and Part II

For more information about decathlon:

Decathlon USA's "The Nature of Decathlon"
Decathlon USA's "The Decathlon in Olympic History"

Excerpted from Awaken the Olympian Within: Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators, Edited by John Naber
© 1999 by Griffin Publishing Group
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable rights. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including fax, photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system by anyone except the purchaser for his or her own use.
The material used in this publication is the sole responsibility of Griffin Publishing Group.

Awaken the Olympian Within
Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators
Paperback $19.95
© 1999, Griffin Publishing; ISBN: 1882180984
288 pages

For information on purchasing the book from bookstores or here online, please go to the Web page for Awaken the Olympian Within (Griffin Publishing) or Awaken the Olympian Within (Amazon).