View source for Eddie Tolan

{{Short description|US Olympic sprinter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Eddie Tolan
| image = Eddie Tolan 1932.jpg
| caption = Tolan in 1932
| birth_date= September 29, 1908 
| birth_place= [[Denver]], Colorado, U.S.
| death_date = January 30, 1967 (aged 58)
| death_place = [[Detroit]], Michigan, U.S.
| height = {{convert|1.70|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| weight = {{convert|65|kg|lb|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| sport=Athletics
| event= 100 m, 200 m
| club=
| pb= 100 m – 10.38 (1932)<br> 200 m – 20.9y (1931)<ref name=r1>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/to/eddie-tolan-1.html |title=Eddie Tolan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417094410/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/to/eddie-tolan-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=6722&Gender=M |title=Eddie Tolan |website=trackfield.brinkster.net}}</ref> 
| alma_mater=
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Country|the {{USA}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold  | [[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 meters]]}}
{{Medal|Gold  |1932 Los Angeles | [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 meters]]}}
}}

'''Thomas Edward Tolan''' (September 29, 1908 – January 30, 1967),<ref name=USATF/><ref name=Detnews/> nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who competed in [[Sprint (running)|sprints]]. He set [[List of world records in athletics|world records]] in the 100-yard dash and [[100 metres|100 meters]] event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and [[200 metres|200 meters]] events. He was the first non-Euro-American to receive the title of the "world's fastest human" after winning [[gold medal]]s in the 100 and 200 meters events at the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles. In March 1935, Tolan won the 75, 100 and 220-yard events at the World Professional Sprint Championships in [[Melbourne]] to become the first man to win both the amateur and professional world sprint championships. In his full career as a sprinter, Tolan won 300 races and lost only 7.

==Early years==
Tolan was born in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]], one of four children. Tolan's father was Thomas Tolan. The family moved to [[Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City, Utah]] when Tolan was young, and moved again to [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] in 1924, when Tolan was 15 years old.<ref name=Now>{{cite news|title=Where Are They Now?|publisher=Ironwood Daily Globe (AP wire story)|date=August 3, 1961}}</ref> Tolan later recalled, "My father read about better opportunities for Negroes here, so he packed up Mom and the four kids and we came here."<ref name=Now/>

==Cass Tech High School==
Tolan attended [[Cass Technical High School]] in Detroit where he was an outstanding football player and sprinter. While at Cass Tech, Tolan set state records in the 100 and 220-yard dashes.<ref name=Now/> While still in high school, Tolan ran the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds and the 220-yard dash in 21.5 seconds.<ref>{{cite news|title=Two Negro Sophs in Big Ten Appear Certain of Track Fame|publisher=Ogden (NEA wire service story)|date=March 12, 1929}}</ref> Aged 16, Tolan was a member of a two-man team from Cass Tech that won the 1925 National Interscholastic indoor meet in Chicago.<ref name=Flash>{{cite news|title=Cass Flash Is Dash Finalist|publisher=Lima News (AP wire story)|date=June 4, 1927}}</ref> He won his first sprint double at the state meet as a sophomore, and in 1927 he won the 100 and 220-yard dashes at the National Interscholastic Championship at [[Soldier Field]] in Chicago.<ref name=USATF>{{cite web|title=Eddie Tolan|publisher=USA Track & Field Hall of Fame|url=http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=171|access-date=June 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106192454/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=171|archive-date=January 6, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Flash/><ref name=Ties>{{cite news|title=Tolan Ties World's Mark: Michigan Negro Runs Century Dash in 9 6-10s; Other Records Tumble in Big Ten Meet|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 25, 1929}}</ref> Despite his accomplishments as a sprinter, Tolan's first love was football, and he often said "the six touchdowns he scored in one game as a 131-pound quarterback at Detroit's Cass Tech High School was his greatest thrill, rather than his double win in the Olympics."<ref name=Dies>{{cite news|title=Little Eddie Tolan: Track Immortal Dies|publisher=Lowell Sun|date=February 1, 1967}}</ref>

==University of Michigan==

===Football===
Tolan was recruited by several major universities as a football player and chose the [[University of Michigan]].<ref name=Detnews>{{cite news|author=Patricia Zacharias and Vivian M. Baulch |title=Michigan Athletes have made Olympic history |newspaper=The Detroit News |date=February 2, 2002 |url=http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=148 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710013302/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=148 |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref> There are differing accounts as to why Tolan never played on the varsity football team at Michigan. According to a published account in The Detroit News in 2002, Tolan joined the freshman football team as a freshman in 1927.<ref name=Detnews/> At that time, no African-American had played on Michigan's varsity football team since [[George Jewett]] in the 1890s. Tolan was initially allowed to play, but on the third day of practice, the freshman football coach told him, "Some of the coaches are disagreeing on your chances. Some of them think that you shouldn't be allowed to play football. I'd be tickled to have you, but I'm afraid I'm going to be outvoted."<ref name=Detnews/> ''[[The Detroit News]]'' noted that the freshman coach was outvoted: "They took away Eddie Tolan's football uniform and handed him a track suit in exchange."<ref name=Detnews/>

Other accounts indicate it was an injury that prevented Tolan from playing football at Michigan. An Associated Press story on Tolan in 1958 stated: "He would have been a football great as a quarterback, had a knee injury in his junior year in high school not forced him to channel all his energies to track."<ref name=Now/> In his obituary, the Associated Press reported that the coaches at Michigan "talked the pint-sized speedster into going out for track."<ref name=Dies/> Tolan was also quoted as saying, "The track team did a lot more traveling then, so I saw the opportunity to travel on a Pullman and see the country."<ref name=Dies/>

===Big Ten and world sprint champion===
[[File:Stephen Farrell -1353648506.jpg|thumb|right|130px|Tolan's coach, [[Steve Farrell]], was considered "the greatest professional footracer this country has ever known"]]
At Michigan, Tolan ran track under the mentorship of two of the great sprinters of their generations. Michigan's head coach, [[Steve Farrell]], was considered "the greatest professional footracer this country has ever known" in the 1880s and 1890s.<ref>{{cite news|author=Walter Eckersall|author-link=Walter Eckersall|title=Steve Farrell Once Noted as Keen Sprinter: Track Coach Learns Tricks of Trade in Old School|work=The Anaconda Standard|date=June 23, 1918}}</ref> And Michigan's assistant coach [[Charles B. Hoyt]], who took over from Farrell in 1930, was rated "America's best sprinter" in 1913, but lost his opportunity to compete in the 1916 Olympics due to [[World War I]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Track & Field Timeline & Overview|publisher=Iowa High School Athletic Association|url=http://www.iahsaa.org/Track/Archives/tr_timeline_overview.pdf|access-date=January 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725010234/http://www.iahsaa.org/track/Archives/tr_timeline_overview.pdf|archive-date=July 25, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Coaches at Michigan weren't supportive in the face of racism Tolan faced while traveling, and even told him he'd be the last black athlete on the team if he complained.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Bulanda|first=George|date=January 7, 2015|title=Unlikely Sprinter|url=https://www.hourdetroit.com/community/unlikely-sprinter|magazine=Hour Detroit|publisher=}}</ref>

As a sophomore in May 1929, Tolan broke the Big Ten Conference record and tied the world's record for the 100 yard dash with a time of 9.6.<ref name=Ties/> Press coverage starting with this world record run, and throughout his career, focused on three features – Tolan's race, his eyeglasses, and his short stocky build. Tolan was one of the first African-Americans to have success in sprinting,<ref name=Ages>{{cite book|author= Edward Seldon Sears|title= Running Through the Ages, pp. 178–181|publisher=McFarland|year=2001|isbn= 0-7864-0971-1}}</ref> and he raced with eyeglasses taped to his head.<ref name=Detnews/> Various accounts put his height anywhere from 5 feet, 4&nbsp;inches,<ref name=Dies/><ref name=Jet>{{cite magazine|title=Eddie Tolan Dies: Remembered As High School Idol|magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|date=February 1967}}</ref> to 5 feet, 7&nbsp;inches.<ref name=Detnews/> One writer noted that Tolan "looks like a church deacon."<ref>{{cite news|title=Eddie Tolan Steals Spotlight From Metcalfe: Former Wolverine Takes Limelight in Sprints|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 16, 1932}}</ref> Another writer described Tolan's appearance this way:

<blockquote>Tolan, known as the 'Midnight Express,' was {{convert|5|ft|6|in|m|spell=in}} tall and weighed {{convert|130|lb|kg}}. He smiled often, raced while chewing gum, and could be easily identified by a bandage around his left knee to protect an old football injury. In addition he wore [[horn-rimmed glasses]] held in place with adhesive tape.<ref name=Ages/></blockquote>

Tolan's gum-chewing became part of his routine. He chewed gum before a race to relieve stress. After accidentally running with the gum in his mouth, Tolan found that he was chewing in sync with his stride. Tolan later began chewing gum as part of his routine, chewing the gum faster when he needed to accelerate his leg movements.<ref name=Ages/>

At the Big Ten championships in May 1930, Tolan broke the world's record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.5.<ref name=World>{{cite news|title=Tolan Given Credit For New 100-Yard Mark: Five American Records Get World Recognition|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 21, 1930}}</ref> Tolan's performance was accepted by the International Amateur Athletic Federation as the new official world's record.<ref name=World/>

Seven weeks after breaking the world's record in the 100-yard dash, Tolan also broke the world's record in the 100 meters race. Competing in [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]], Tolan shaved two-tenths of a second off the record with a time of 10-1/5 seconds.<ref name=Flyer>{{cite news|author=Frank G. Gorrie|title=Dash Time Bettered By Tolan: Michigan Flyer Sets New Figure for 100 Meters; Trims Two Rivals|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 2, 1930}}</ref> Track officials in Vancouver announced after the race, that Tolan's record-setting performance was "all the more remarkable in the fact that he ran uphill, the finish mark being thirty inches higher than the starting point."<ref name=Flyer/>

Tolan's world-record performances in 1930 brought him international fame, as he became known as the "Midnight Express."<ref name=Flyer/> In May 1931, Tolan again broke the world's record in the 100 meters event with a time of 10.3 seconds in Vancouver.<ref name=Gorrie>{{cite news|author=Frank G. Gorrie|title=Tolan Defeats Wykoff at Vancouver: Colored Star Breaks Mark; Special 100-Meter Event Won in 10.3s; Michigan Negro Cops Race by Two Yards|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 23, 1931}}</ref> Southern California sprinter [[Frank Wykoff]] jumped to a slight lead, but Tolan came from behind to pass Wykoff at the 100-yard mark.<ref name=Gorrie/>

Tolan graduated from the University of Michigan in 1931.

==Double gold medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics==

===Lead-up to the Olympics===
[[File:General view of Los Angeles Olympic Stadium on the opening day of the Games of the Xth Olympiad, while contenders from all nations take the Olympic Athlete's Oath.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the opening day of the 1932 Olympics]]
After graduating from Michigan, Tolan enrolled at [[West Virginia State University|West Virginia State College]], where he did "graduate work preparatory to teaching and coaching at a Negro institution."<ref name=Cromwell>{{cite news|author=Dean B. Cromwell|title=Olympic Prospects|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 18, 1932}}</ref> Early in 1932, Tolan was not running at his prior level. Despite the slow start, [[Dean Cromwell]], Chairman of the All American Board of Track and Field, predicted great things for Tolan in his column on 1932's "Olympic Prospects." Cromwell wrote of Tolan:

<blockquote>Just as spring warms into summer Tolan slides from the class of mediocre sprinters to that of the champions. He is a slow starter, but when the weather gets warm so does Eddie, and off he goes.<ref name=Cromwell/></blockquote>

While press reports regularly referred to Tolan as "stocky," Cromwell took issue with that characterization:

<blockquote>Eddie is now 24 years of age, five feet six inches tall and weights about 130 pounds. Although he has always been termed 'stocky' by the press, a comparison of his weight and height will show that he cannot properly be so styled. He is well muscled, though, and in action gives the impression of great running power, with his arms and legs working smoothly and strongly in a machine piston-like manner.<ref name=Cromwell/></blockquote>

The [[1932 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic trials]] were held at [[Stanford University]], and [[Ralph Metcalfe]] won both the 100 and 200 meters finals, with Tolan finishing second to Metcalfe in each case. The results meant that the top two American sprinters in the 1932 Olympics would for the first time be African-Americans. As a result, much of the press attention focused on race. ''Los Angeles Times'' sports columnist [[Braven Dyer]] wrote: "Metcalfe and Tolan make the ace of spades look positively pale by comparison … But how these boys can run … And they figure to do even better here than they did at [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]] because it's warmer now and they enjoy the heat."<ref>{{cite news|author=Braven Dyer|title=The Olympic Torch|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 30, 1932}}</ref>

===100 meters race===
The 100 meters contest at the 1932 Olympics was one of the closest races in Olympic history. Tolan broke the Olympic record in the first heat of the second round with a time of 10.4 seconds, but Metcalfe remained the favorite.<ref name=Stiles>{{cite news|author=Maxwell Stiles|title=Great 100 Meters Duel Won by Tolan in 1932 Olympiad|newspaper=Long Beach Press-Telegram|date=April 23, 1948}}</ref> In the finals, Japanese sprinter [[Takayoshi Yoshioka]] jumped out to a four-yard lead after 40 meters. Tolan passed Yoshioka at the 60 meter mark and had a two-yard lead over Metcalfe at the 100-yard mark. But Metcalfe passed Tolan at the tape and appeared to the crowd to be the winner. Sports writer [[Maxwell Stiles]] described the last strides as follows:

<blockquote>His powerful legs churning wildly, Metcalfe swept down upon little Tolan like an avenging angel full of fury. Tolan, his left knee in an elastic bandage and his glasses taped to his head near his ears, dug in for one last desperate stride in his effort to hold the lead. Just at the tape, Metcalfe rushed past Tolan and was well ahead a yard beyond the finish. Almost everyone thought Metcalfe had won.<ref name=Stiles/></blockquote>

It was hours later, after review of films taken with a "Kirby two-eyed camera," that officials were able to declare Tolan the winner with a time of 10.3 seconds.<ref name=Ages/><ref name=Stiles/> The films showed that Tolan and Metcalfe hit the finish line in a dead heat, but Tolan was declared the winner, because he had his entire torso past the line on the ground before Metcalfe.<ref name=Stiles/>

===200 meters race===
[[File:Ralph Metcalfe.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Tolan's rival and roommate at the 1932 Olympics, [[Ralph Metcalfe]], later became a U.S. Congressman.]]
The 200 meters race was held on the fourth day of competition, and this time the race was not close, as Tolan beat Metcalfe easily with an Olympic record time of 21.2 seconds – four-tenths of a second better than the prior record of 21.6 seconds.<ref name=Whiz>{{cite news|author=Braven Dyer|title=Tolan Flashes To New Record: Simpson and Metcalfe Decisively Defeated; Negro Wizzes Over 200-Meter Route in 21.2s for Mark; Americans Win Vault|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 4, 1932}}</ref> Tolan stumbled slightly with three yards to go, but righted himself and finished with a four-foot lead. With double wins in the 100 and 200 meters contests, Tolan was dubbed the "world's fastest human."<ref name=Whiz/> Tolan was the first African-American to have that distinction, and press coverage of his Olympic wins focused on his race. The Associated Press called him the "spectacled little American Negro" and "the dusky little thunderbolt."<ref>{{cite news|title=Tolan Wins Sprint Title of World: Bespectacled Little American Negro Races to Decisive Victory in Olympic 200 Meter Final|publisher=Daily Capital News (AP wire story)|date=August 4, 1932}}</ref> Braven Dyer referred to him as "the stubby colored boy," and noted that "the chunky Detroit Negro" had defeated [[Arthur Jonath]] of Germany, "the white-skinned Teuton."<ref name=Whiz/> Another writer described how the "little black man with horn-rimmed glasses" crossed the finish line, being chased by "a white man of America, [[George Simpson (sprinter)|George Simpson]]," and "a brother black, Ralph Metcalfe."<ref>{{cite news|author=Jean Bosquet|title=Day of Amazing Feats Rung Up in Olympics: Tolan Shatters 200 Meters as Babe Didrikson Thrills Huge Crowd with Record Run|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 4, 1932}}</ref>

Commentators also noted, that the only other two sprinters to win double gold in the 100 and 200 meters races were also University of Michigan athletes, [[Ralph Craig]] and [[Archie Hahn (athlete)|Archie Hahn]].<ref name=Whiz/>

===Reaction to Tolan's Accomplishments===
After the sprint competition concluded, a reporter interviewed Tolan and Metcalfe in their shared room at the Olympic Village. When Metcalfe teased Tolan for being lucky, Tolan replied, "Yeah, I had it all right – but it's 'bout time, Ralph; first little ol' luck I had in eight years!"<ref name=Break>Terrel Delapp (August 5, 1932). ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref> Still in bed at noon wearing pajamas and with a stocking cap on his head, Tolan said he was "in the best condition of my life when the 200 meters final started," and he vowed to give his gold medals to his mother.<ref name=Break/>

Back in Detroit, Mayor [[Frank Murphy]] appointed a reception committee to meet Tolan at the train station,<ref name=Reception/> and Michigan Governor [[Wilber M. Brucker]] declared September 6, 1932 as "Eddie Tolan Day" throughout the state.<ref name=Honors>{{cite news|title=All Michigan Honors Tolan: Colored Star's Achievements in Games to Be Recognized|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 31, 1932}}</ref> The governor issued a proclamation stating that Tolan had "brought honor to our commonwealth" and encouraging communities throughout the state to arrange ceremonies "as an expression of Michigan's pride in his achievement."<ref name=Honors/>

Tolan's mother noted, that she was proud of her son's accomplishments. She noted that, though she had worked hard as the sole provider for the family, it was worth it.<ref name=Reception>{{cite news|title=Reception Awaits Eddie Tolan After Olympic Victory|publisher=Moberly Monitor-Index (AP wire story)|date=August 5, 1932}}</ref> She added, "If my menfolk could only find jobs I could ease up a bit and a mighty big worry would be off Eddie's mind."<ref name=Reception/>

In April 1936, Tolan, along with many other sports champions and stand outs, were honored at a banquet in [[Detroit, MI]].<ref>Degeer, Vern (April 20, 1936) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qg8_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=jk4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6215%2C5649943 Sport Gossip]. ''The Windsor Daily Star''</ref>  This Banquet was the first celebration of [[Champions Day]].

==Vaudeville and hard times==
[[File:Bill Robinson.jpg|thumb|right|130px|After the 1932 Olympics, Tolan appeared in vaudeville with [[Bill Robinson|Bill "Bojangles" Robinson]].]]
Less than six months after winning Olympic gold medals and the title of the "world's fastest human," Tolan garnered national press when he fell on hard times. Syndicated columnist William H. Beatty wrote that "the heady wine of victory has turned overnight to vinegar" for Tolan.<ref name=Job>{{cite news|author=William H. Beatty|title=Eddie Tolan Retired, Is Glad to Have a Job Now|publisher=Daily Capital News|date=January 24, 1933}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=William H. Beatty|title=Tolan Sick on Victory Wine: Feted Littled Colored Hero's Dreams of Becoming a Great Physician Shattered as He Toils at County Clerk's Job; Eddie Says He May Never Run Again|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 24, 1933}}</ref> Tolan noted that, when he was met at the train station by a welcoming committee, his half-brother was collecting waste paper in the grass of the park in front of the train station. Tolan noted that his half-brother was "luckier than I am," because he had a job.<ref name=Job/> His parents had both been unemployed for many months, and it was not until January 1933 that Tolan was able to get a low-paying job as a filing clerk in a county office.<ref name=Job/> Tolan's lifetime dream of becoming a physician was waning, as he had been "unable to make enough to support himself and his parents."<ref name=Job/>

Desperate to earn a living, Tolan "walked the streets of many cities, seeking work," and even briefly appeared in vaudeville in 1932 with [[Bill Robinson|Bill "Bojangles" Robinson]].<ref name=Job/> They made a good team; Tolan had set world records for running forwards, and Robinson had set world's records for running backwards: 50 yards backward sprint (6 seconds), 75 yards backwards sprint (8.2 seconds), and 100 yards backwards sprint (13.2 seconds).

Because of his brief appearance in vaudeville, the Michigan [[Amateur Athletic Association]] stripped Tolan of his amateur status in June 1933.<ref>{{cite news|title=Eddie Tolan Ruled 'Pro' by A.A.U.|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 24, 1933}}</ref> And in April 1934, Tolan's bad luck continued as an automobile he was driving struck and seriously injured an 80-year-old pedestrian.<ref>{{cite news|title=Eddie Tolan Car Injures Man|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 2, 1934}}</ref>

==Professional sprinting career==
In November 1934, Tolan took a leave of absence from his job as assistant county registrar of deeds to compete in the Australian sprint program, a series of five professional races, including the [[Stawell Gift]] handicap.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pro Sprint Career Calls Eddie Tolan|publisher=Pro Sprinter Career Calls Eddie Tolan; Jefferson City Post-Tribune (AP wire story)|date=November 13, 1934}}</ref> Tolan returned in April 1935 after having set new Australian records of 21.5 seconds in the 220-yard dash on a full curve track and 7.5 seconds for the 75-yard dash.<ref name=King>{{cite news|title=Negro Hailed As Next Olympiad Sprint King: Eddie Tolan Optimistic Over Progress Made by Colored Youth in College Athletics|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 21, 1935}}</ref> He won the 75, 100, and 220-yard events at the World Professional Sprint Championships in March 1935 in Melbourne,<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1114422 Fresh laurels]. ''The Courier-Mail'' (September 1, 1933). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2380736 'The Midnight Express' seeks our champions]. ''The Canberra Times'' (December 4, 1934). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2386784 Eddie Tolan wins two sprint events]. ''The Canberra Times'' (March 7, 1935). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2384826 New record]. ''The Canberra Times'' (February 7, 1935). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2387328 World's title]. ''The Canberra Times'' (March 14, 1935). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2387429 Eddie Tolan to give up running]. ''The Canberra Times'' (March 15, 1935). Retrieved on 2015-08-20.</ref> and became the first man to win both the amateur and professional world sprint championships.<ref name=Ages/>

In his full career as a sprinter, Tolan won 300 races and lost only 7.<ref name=USATF/><ref name=Detnews/> Throughout his career as a sprinter, Tolan worked by a simple creed: "Start fast, run easily, stay in your lane and finish strong."<ref>{{cite news|title=Death Takes Ex-Olympian Eddie Tolan|newspaper=Oakland Tribune|date=February 1, 1967}}</ref>

==Civil service and teaching career==
After returning from Australia, Tolan returned to his job in Detroit as a clerk to the Register of Deeds.<ref name=King/> During World War II he worked as a material checker for Packard Motor Car Company and worked at a variety of jobs in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name=Now/><ref name=Dies/> The 1950 census shows that he owned a gas station In 1956, Tolan became a school teacher in physical and health education. He taught at the Irving Elementary School on Detroit's West Side for several years.<ref name=Now/>

==Death and family==
Tolan never married.<ref name=Jet/> He was, however, briefly engaged in 1938 to Johnnie Mae McConcico as was noted in the New Pittsburgh Courier on July 9, 1938.

In 1965, Tolan's kidneys failed, and he was required to undergo weekly [[Kidney dialysis|dialysis]] treatments for the rest of his life.<ref name=Jet/> In 1967, Tolan died from heart failure at age 58 at Detroit's [[Mt. Carmel Hospital]], while undergoing one of his weekly treatments.<ref name=Jet/> At the time of his death, [[Jesse Owens]] paid him tribute in ''[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]'' magazine:

<blockquote>When I was in high school, Eddie and Ralph (Metcalfe) were my idols. Eddie and I later became close friends. I used to live in Detroit and every time I'd go back Eddie was one of the first ones I'd look up.<ref name=Jet/></blockquote>

Tolan was survived by his sisters, June Brown and Martha Lombard, and a brother, Hart H. Tolan.<ref name=Dies/> Though the two never met, Tolan was also a cousin of former [[Major League Baseball]] player [[Bobby Tolan]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Mike Gremaud|title=Ex-Silver Soxer Bobby Tolan's Fast, But Cousin Was Faster|publisher=Nevada State Journal (UPI wire story)|date=June 5, 1966}}</ref> Eddie Tolan is interred at [[United Memorial Gardens]] in [[Plymouth, Michigan|Plymouth]], [[Michigan]].

==Honors and awards==
In 1958, Tolan was inducted into the [[Michigan Sports Hall of Fame]]. He was one of the first 18 persons inducted.<ref>{{cite news|title=Add 3 to State Hall of Fame|publisher=Ironwood Daily Globe (AP wire story)|date=May 7, 1958}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor]] in 1980.<ref name=Hall>{{cite web|title=Hall of Honor|publisher=M Club|url=http://www.letterwinnersmclub.com/hallofhonor.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027023751/http://www.letterwinnersmclub.com/hallofhonor.html|archive-date=October 27, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Only 17 individuals were inducted into the Hall before Tolan.<ref name=Hall/>

Tolan was one of many athletes honored in 1936 for [[Champions Day]] in Detroit, Michigan.

Tolan was a member of [[Alpha Phi Alpha]] fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sports Figures |publisher=Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc |url=https://www.rso.cornell.edu/alpha/prominent/sports.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620141643/http://www.rso.cornell.edu/alpha/prominent/sports.html |archive-date=June 20, 2007 }}</ref>

Eddie Tolan was inducted into the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]] in 1982.

==See also==
* [[University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* {{USATF Hall of Fame|id=171}}

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[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Cass Technical High School alumni]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Salt Lake City]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Denver]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Detroit]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:West Virginia State University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:Alpha Phi Alpha members]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]