Who was Ralph Boston? U.S. Olympic track and field legend dies at 83

Ralph Boston, a U.S. Olympic track and field legend, died Sunday at the age of 83 from complications from a recent stroke. Boston, who held three Olympic medals was the first person to break the 27 feet (8.2 m) barrier in the long jump.

Boston rose from a large family in segregated Mississippi to become a world record holder and Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medalist in track and field.

His abilities and accomplishments extended beyond athletics into academic and corporate settings, resulting in continued success in these and other endeavors many years after his athletic career peaked.

Boston went to Oak Park High School in Laurel, where he honed his athletic abilities in football, track, and other sports.

He won the National Collegiate Athletic Association long jump title in 1960 while attending Tennessee State University.

At the Mt. SAC Relays in August of the same year, he broke Jesse Owens’ 25-year-old world record in the event. Already the world record holder, he broke it by jumping 27′ 1/2″ at the Modesto Relays on May 27, 1961.

Boston’s final record improvement to 8.35m came at the Modesto Relays in 1965. Ter-Ovanesyan tied it at altitude in 1967. He lost the national title to Jerry Proctor in 1967.

When rival Bob Beamon was suspended from the University of Texas at El Paso for refusing to compete against Brigham Young University, claiming that it had racist policies, Boston began unofficially coaching him.

Boston was the field event reporter for the CBS Sports Spectacular coverage of domestic track and field events.

He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985.