Milt Campbell
Source: Web (gettyimages.com)
Sports & Athletics • Historical Archive • 🇺🇸 United States • 8 views

Milt Campbell 🇺🇸

Milton Gray Campbell
Olympic Athlete, Decathlon Gold Medalist, NFL Player, Civil Rights Speaker
Born Dec 09, 1933 🇺🇸 Plainfield, United States
Passed Away Sep 21, 2012 Gainesville, United States
Lifespan 78 years old
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"You can achieve anything in this world if you are willing to dedicate your heart and soul to the pursuit of excellence."

Archival Overview

Superb American multi-sport athlete who made history at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics as the first African American athlete to win the Olympic decathlon gold medal, crowned the 'World's Greatest Athlete'.

Biographical Record

Milton Gray Campbell was a schoolboy prodigy in Plainfield, New Jersey, excelling in track, football, and swimming. At age eighteen while still in high school, he won the silver medal in the decathlon at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics behind American teammate Bob Mathias.

At the 1956 Melbourne Games, Campbell dominated the grueling ten-event decathlon, setting an Olympic record of 7,937 points to win the gold medal. He went on to play professional football in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and in the Canadian Football League, later founding the Chad School in Newark to educate underprivileged youth.

Key Life Milestones

1956

Olympic Decathlon Gold Medal

Made history in Melbourne as the first African American Olympic decathlon champion, setting a new Olympic record.

1989

National Track & Field Hall of Fame

Inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in honor of his pioneering athletic milestones.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Hillside Cemetery
Scotch Plains, United States
GPS: 40.6409, -74.4018
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