Mamie Rallins, ex-Olympian and OSU coach, mourned statewide

COLUMBUS - Family, friends, colleagues and countless athletes whose lives were touched by Mamie Rallins, a two-time Olympian and the first African-American female to coach at The Ohio State University, are mourning her death.

Rallins, 74, a Chicago native who has lived in the Port Clinton area since the 1990s, died in a four-vehicle crash in Sandusky County on Monday.

Former Olympian, OSU track coach dies in crash

Rallins’ positive impact spanned the state, reaching many through athletics and coaching and leaving a lasting impression on their everyday lives.

Gene Smith, Ohio State senior vice president and athletics director, described Rallins as an “esteemed” member of the Ohio State community and a “pioneer” in track and field.

“The Ohio State track and field family is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend, Mamie Rallins,” said Karen Dennis, director of track and field and cross country at OSU. “As a former Olympian and the first African-American woman to coach at The Ohio State University, Mamie was a trailblazer and a champion for all things Ohio State.”

Rallins helped the university start its women’s track and field and cross country programs when she became the women’s head coach in 1976, according to a statement from Ohio State.

“Our track and field and cross country programs would not enjoy the success they do today without her dedication, support and hard work over 18 years as women’s head coach and many more as a mentor, friend and volunteer,” Smith said.

Following her 18 years as head coach, Rallins served as an assistant athletic director for three years and remained active with Ohio State’s track and field program throughout her life, as a volunteer coach and statistician.

“She was our biggest supporter — mentor, coach, cheerleader, statistician and team grandma. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, current and former student-athletes,” Dennis said. “A two-time Olympian, Division I track and field coach, athletic administrator and 2000 Olympic team manager, she has touched the lives of countless individuals in the world of track and field.”

Rallins qualified for the Olympic Games in 1968 and 1972, where she competed as a hurdler. In a 2008 interview with The News Herald, Rallins described racial tensions during the time of her competitions and in her home city of Chicago. She referred to the ’68 Games as the “Black Power Olympics,” when two African-American sprinters raised clenched fists in protest during the awards ceremony.

Rallins said winning a scholarship to Tennessee State University in 1970 was one of her proudest moments, as it gave her the opportunity to get out of the projects in the south side of Chicago.

After her graduation from Tennessee State in 1976, having then been running track for 20 years, Rallins began coaching for Ohio State. She also returned to the Olympic Games as an assistant coach in 1996 and as team manager in 2000.

Floyd Keith of Indianapolis, a former collegiate head coach himself and former executive director of the Black Coaches and Administrators, said that when Rallins joined the OSU staff, college athletic programs hiring African-American head coaches were “very few and far between.”

Keith said that although he never met Rallins, he certainly knew what she achieved and the hurdles she had to overcome — not only on the track, but professionally as well.

Keith believes Rallins may have been one of the very first African-American women in the entire country to be a head coach at a major program that was not at a historically black college.

“It was such an accomplishment, I don’t know if they were keeping statistics on it back then,” he said. “You have to give her so much credit for opening doors. We lost a person that made a difference.”

Rallins was returning to Port Clinton on Monday after attending the Big Ten outdoor championships with the Ohio State team. Her car went left of center on Ohio 53 and was struck by two tractor-trailers and a car. She died at the scene, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.

“We are deeply saddened by her passing,” Smith said. “She will be greatly missed by Buckeyes everywhere.”

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