The FCN would would like to pay tribute to one of all time track & field coaching greats – Mamie Rallins after her tragic death on May 16th.
Mamie was an American hurdler who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics and went on to serve as the USA Head Coach at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, assistant coach for 1996 US Olympic Team and Head Team Manager for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Mamie Rallins – July 8, 1941 – May 16, 2016
Early Life
Mexico 1968 Olympic Games
The United States had quite the woman’s track and field team in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Sports
“Mamie Rallins, that tiny-waisted thing who does not look strong enough to handle a hurdle, always does. It was typical: the gun went off and here came Mamie—who had politely waited for the other girls to start first, since Mamie is courteous that way—suddenly moving so fast that she seemed to be taking tippy-toes steps between the hurdles and passing everybody easily. When it was over, she ran a few dainty steps beyond the finish, stopped and threw her head back in a sort of madcap gesture”.
Despite coming in fifth in the 80-meter hurdles, in 1969 she was ranked the top hurdler in the world according to MEAC/ SWAC Sports Main Street.
Munich 1972 Olympic Games
Rallins also competed in the 1972 Munich Germany Olympics when she was 31, running the 100-meter
“I missed the final in a photo-finish by one-thousandth of a second,” she said. “The speaker in my (starting) blocks didn’t work and I couldn’t hear the commands (from the starter). I got out late and I couldn’t make it up at the finish line.”
While this was extremely disheartening, Rallins continued to be connected to the Olympics for many years to follow by coaching future Olympians.
Coaching Career
Mamie was equally as successful coaching as she was at competing. She was an effective coach on both the national and international level, coaching as the Head Coach of the U.S. Indoor World Championship team in 1987. She also served as assistant coach of the USA Olympic Games in 1996, 1995 World University Games, 1981 USA vs. USSR Meet and the World University Games in 1979. Rallins was also the Head Coach at Ohio State University of the Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country team for 18 years (1976-94). She was also the first black woman to ever coach at Ohio State University. During that time, she coached 60 Big Ten indoor/outdoor champions, 24 All Americans, nine Olympic trial qualifiers and one Olympian. She also served as assistant athletic director for three years. After her coaching career at Ohio State University, she was the Olympic head manager for the USA women’s track team in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.
Mamie receiving the Phyllis Bailey Career Achievement award at Ohio University in January 2016