Edward Stanley Temple (September 20, 1927 – September 22, 2016) was a women's track and field pioneer and coach.[1] Temple was Head Women's Track and Field Coach at Nashville's Tennessee State University for 44 years and was Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Women's Track and Field Team twice, in 1960 and 1964, and Assistant Coach in 1980.[2] He was also a member of the International Women's Track & Field Committee and a member of the U.S. Olympic Council.

Ed Temple
A black and white photo of a smiling man wearing a light-colored shirt and dark pants and hat carrying a vase of flowers.
Ed Temple at the 1960 Olympics
Born
Edward Stanley Temple

(1927-09-20)September 20, 1927
DiedSeptember 22, 2016(2016-09-22) (aged 89)
EducationTennessee State University
OccupationWomen's track and field coach

During his coaching career at Tennessee State University, forty members of the famed Tigerbelle teams represented their countries in Olympic competition. Coach Temple led the team to 34 national titles, and 8 Tigerbelles have been inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, including Wilma Rudolph, Edith McGuire, Wyomia Tyus, and Chandra Cheeseborough, the current Women's Coach at TSU.[3]

The Coach Ed Temple statue at First Horizon Park in Nashville

Temple is a member of nine different Halls of Fame, including the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.[2] On August 28, 2015, a statue to memorialize Temple was unveiled along a greenway near the right field entrance to First Horizon Park, a Minor League Baseball stadium in Nashville.[4] In 2014, Temple was honoured by becoming the first USA Track & Field Legend Coach.[5][6]

Temple died on September 22, 2016, following an illness, two days after his 89th birthday.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Ed Temple". USA Track & Field. August 28, 2015. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Temple, Edward S." Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  3. ^ Temple, Ed (1980), Only the Pure in Heart Survive, Nashville: Broadman, p. 59, ISBN 0805455108
  4. ^ "Legendary Olympic Track Coach Ed Temple Honored With Statue". WKRN. August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Legendary Tigerbelles coach Ed Temple honored at USA Outdoors". USA Track & Field. June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Temple Becomes First USATF Legend Coach". TSUTigers.com. July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  7. ^ Schudel, Matt (September 23, 2016). "Ed Temple, who molded Olympic champions and built Tenn. State track dynasty, dies at 89". Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
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