A Century Later Track Legend John Baxter Taylor Finally Gets His Just Due!
By Jeff Benjamin
Like many out there, this writer doesn’t believe in coincidences. It sometimes seems like serendipitous is not a concept of coincidence but rather destined and planned out.
Take the case of John Baxter Taylor, a long forgotten early 20th century Track Legend, who should be very well-remembered by many as the first African-American to win an Olympic Gold Medal!
“Sonny Hill is an ICON in basketball-especially Philly ball and has a radio show every Sunday morning on the local station,” said Mid-Atlantic AAU Governor Alison Eachus. “I listen as he has great guests and some awesome information.”
“One Sunday morning about 6 to 9 months ago someone calls in and says, “Sonny, do you know who John Baxter Taylor is?”
“Well, Sonny had no clue and says (as he always does), “let me know”.
As Eachus is listening the caller tells a super compressed story of how Taylor was the first African- American to win a Gold medal in the Olympics (London 1908) and he was from Central HS in Philadelphia.
“It was very quick but I wrote his name down and looked him up,” said Eachus.
“The man was correct.”
As the Mid-Atlantic AAU holds an annual Hall Of Fame induction, Eachus went to work doing her research.
“I checked and Taylor did hold an AAU card from our district and so he was eligible for the Middle Atlantic Hall of Fame,” said Eachus.
The information on John Baxter Taylor from the internet (especially Ian McGowan’s great and detailed webpage tribute to Taylor and others on the Irish-American Athletic Club – http://www.wingedfist.org/
So who is John Baxter Taylor? Watch the video here to learn all about the meteoric rise and tragic sudden passing only a few months after the Olympics of one of the Sport’s now NOT forgotten Greats!
