Harrison Dillard, The Fastest Man
Everyone has at least one talent and some have more, use it or loose it.
Mr. Dillard, a Cleveland native idolized another Cleveland native, Jessie Owens and ran in his shoes to stardom achieving and excelling in two categories, sprints and hurdles.
The Forgotten Fastest Man left a noteworthy legacy and set the example for many to follow. He was noted as an example to be followed due to how he lived and never mumbled an unkind word about another. He walked or ran in the shoes of his idol, Jesse Owens. He had a talent and used it to set records that made the world take note. His legacy to us is that each of us can do the same. He lead the way to show us how to find your idol, run in his/her shoes and make it happen by any means necessary while keeping the faith as you run your journey like him, no looking back, going at full speed ahead, jumping the roadblocks and hurdles that may get in your way.
Mr. Dillard, 96 years old, was a Solider that dashed to Olympic Gold. He took his place in history with an untouchable legacy. While he was a notable former Buffalo Soldier, became the only Olympic runner to win gold medals in both the sprints and high hurdles. He was the 1955 Sullivan Award winner as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete and was the oldest living U.S. Olympic champion.
No pun intended but nothing about Mr. Dillard is amateur. Here’s a man who set records never accomplished by others and his accomplishments has the adjective, amateur, attached to it. This is so wrong. Words do matter.
In the military, he was a sharpshooter in the last racially segregated unit in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served as a Buffalo Soldier in the 92nd Infantry Division. Again, he was a veteran who should be celebrated in every sense of the word putting his life on the line for this Country. This man is a double hero and should be noted as such.
Afterward the military, he returned to Europe for the Olympics and made history during the 1948 London Games, where he won the 100 meters in 10.3 second and earned another gold medal on the United States’ 400 relay team.
At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Mr. Dillard won his specialty, the 110 high hurdles, in 13.91 and again ran on the winning relay team. He won over 400 races, 82 in a row at one point. Also, he won 11 indoor and outdoor national championships, including the indoor 60-yard hurdles a record eight consecutive years. He won that event at the Millrose Games nine years in a row. He held world hurdles records at 60 yards indoors, and 110 yards and 220 yards outdoors.
Hence, the true title, The Fastest Man!!
Mr. Dillard was inducted in 1974 into the Track and Field Hall of Fame and in 1983 he was a charter inductee into the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame.
In conclusion, Mr. Dillard legacy is a true testament that what is your’s is your’s and your talent will speak for itself. Find your role model and follow the steps to be the best you can be no matter what others may say or do. While he may have been forgotten by the masses but there is always a mighty few that will recognize and appreciate the legacy left behind for others to follow. He open doors for others to enter. Enter and keep his legacy alive while leaving a legacy of your own for others to tread. Every life counts.
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