February is Black History Month and Jazzy 88.9 WCSU is paying tribute to the many African-Americans who have made a difference in the Miami Valley. Today we salute Edwin C. Moses, Olympic Track & Field Athlete and Fairview high school graduate from Dayton, Ohio.
While attending the prestigious Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, the historically Black institution did not have its own track, so Moses would use public high school facilities around the city to train. In the 1976 Olympics, Edwin C. Moses won a Gold Medal in the 400 meter hurdles and would return eight years later to capture another Gold Medal in the 1984 games. During that period Moses would run his winning streak to 122 and set the world record in his event four times. In 1981, Edwin Moses became the first recipient of USA Track & Field's Jesse Owens Award as Outstanding U.S Track & Field Performer. Moses was also instrumental in reforming international and Olympic eligibility rules and created the Athlete's Trust Fund Program that allows athletes to benefit from the government, direct payments and commercial endowment money without jeopardizing their Olympic eligibility.
As a Sports Administrator, Moses participated in the development of a number of anti-drug policies and helped the sport develop one of track & field's most stringent random in competition drug testing systems.
In 1984, his hometown in Dayton renamed Miami Boulevard West and Sunrise Avenue "Edwin C.Moses Boulevard. In 1999, Moses ranked #47 on ESPN's Sport Century 50 Greatest Athletes.
This Black History tribute is brought to you by your Miami Valley Jazz Authority, Jazzy 88.9 WCSU.
