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The Tigerbelles

Olympic Legends from Tennessee State
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The Tigerbelles tells the epic story of the 1960 Tennessee State University all-black women's track team, which found Olympic glory at the 1960 games in Rome.The author tells an epic story of desire, success and failure-of beating the odds-against the backdrop of a changing America, but tells it in an intimate way. Readers will come to know the individuals' unique struggles and triumphs, while also understanding how these dreams emerged and solidified just as the country was struggling to leave the Jim Crow era behind. Coach Edward Temple pushed each team member to the limit and saw the possibilities in them that they often did not see themselves. The elite group of talent included Wilma Rudolph, Barbara Jones, Lucinda Williams, Martha Hudson, Willye B. White and Shirley Crowder: women who once were and should still be known world-wide. Ultimately the team's drive was for more than medals: Coach Temple and the Tigerbelles wanted to change the world's perception of what a group of young Black women in the Jim Crow south were capable of. Tigerbelles is a multi-layered inspirational tale of triumph over adversity. Operating on a shoestring budget and pitted dirt track, they nevertheless shared a common goal: to represent the USA in Track and Field. The arc of their story starts in Tennessee in the summer of 1960, and continues through the national meets in Texas, training in Kansas, media events in New York City and finally the Olympics in Rome in the early fall. Based on memoirs and interviews with surviving team members, including Coach Temple, this is the story of an impossible dream come true.
For the past several years, Aime Alley Card has been researching, interviewing and writing about the Tennessee State Tigerbelles and those who supported them along their path. She conducted and reviewed hundreds of hours of interviews and read just as many books and articles, ranging from concurrent to retrospective. She has an active presence on social media in the writers' communities and is a nonfiction editor for Pangyrus literary magazine and a board member for the Women's National Book Association, Boston Chapter.
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