Ralph Boston

Born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1939, Ralph Boston grew up in a large family and went on to study at Tennessee A&I State University, now Tennessee State University. There he showed wide-ranging athletic talent, but he became best known for the long jump.

Boston rose to international fame in 1960, when he broke Jesse Owens's long jump world record and became the first person to jump farther than 27 feet. He won Olympic medals in three straight Games: gold in Rome in 1960, silver in Tokyo in 1964, and bronze in Mexico City in 1968.

After his competition years, he worked as a broadcaster and remained a respected public figure in sports. He died in 2023, but he is still remembered as one of the great pioneers of track and field.