NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A statue honoring legendary track coach Ed Temple was unveiled in downtown Nashville on Friday as some of the athletes he led to Olympic glory looked on.
Temple, 87, coached women's track and field at Tennessee State University from 1953 to 1994 and led the U.S. women's Olympic track team in 1960 and 1964. He coached 23 Olympic medalists at TSU, including Wilma Rudolph, and his teams were known as the Tigerbelles.
Many of the athletes Temple coached attended the dedication of the 9-foot bronze statue, erected near the right field entrance to First Tennessee Park, Nashville's new minor league baseball stadium. They included gold medalists Wyomia Tyus and Edith McGuire.
The statue cost $60,000, raised mostly through private contributions.