Episode 2: Building a Movement

06/28/22 • 29 min

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By the early 1960s, Speed City was earning a reputation for breaking records. But Bud Winter’s track program was broke. He stretched his scholarship budget so far that many athletes struggled to make ends meet. That, coupled with the racism Black athletes faced on the mostly white campus of San Jose, ignited the budding activist Dr. Harry Edwards. He wanted to take a page out of the playbook being written by civil rights leaders of the moment like Dr. King. And he realized the attention paid to Black athletes gave them the power to be heard.

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Episode 1: Relax and Win

A small group of people — all connected to a second-tier state college — revolutionized coaching and athletic activism in the 1960s. In this episode, we hear how coach Bud Winter took what he learned from working with fighter pilots in World War II and created a system for training sprinters at San Jose State. His “Relax and Win” methods used breathing, visualization and other unconventional coaching techniques to create a powerhouse track program. Another thing that made him unique at the time? His focus on recruiting Black athletes to a mostly white school.

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Episode 3: Exit, Voice or Loyalty

Tommie Smith. Lee Evans. John Carlos. Hear how these three legendary sprinters all ended up at San Jose State. They spurred each other to record-breaking success – and became leaders in the movement to boycott the 1968 Olympic Games. Their mentor and professor Dr. Harry Edwards found them to be the perfect students for his “Revolt of the Black Athlete”. The tragedy and chaos in America leading up to the Games made the decision to take a stand seem essential. But not all athletes wanted to miss their shot to compete.