View source for John Carlos

{{short description|American track and field athlete}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name=
| image = John Carlos (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = Carlos in 2012
| full_name = John Wesley Carlos
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1945|06|05}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S. 
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| height = {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|187|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| sport = Sprint running
| club = Santa Clara Valley Youth Village
| pb = 100 y – 9.1 (1969)<br />100 m – 10.0 (1968)<br />200 m – 19.92 (1968)<br />440 y – 47.0 (1967)<ref name=sr/>
| alma_mater = 
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] }}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico City]]|[[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Athletics at the Pan American Games|Pan American Games]] }}
{{MedalGold| [[1967 Pan American Games|1967 Winnipeg]] | [[Athletics at the 1967 Pan American Games|200 m]] }}
}}

'''John Wesley Carlos''' (born June 5, 1945) is an American former [[track and field]] athlete and professional [[gridiron football|football]] player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]], where he displayed the [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|Black Power salute on the podium]] with [[Tommie Smith]]. He went on to tie the world record in the [[100-yard dash]] and beat the [[Men's 200 metres world record progression|200 meters world record]] (although the latter achievement was never certified). After his track career, he enjoyed a brief stint in the [[Canadian Football League]] but retired due to injury.<ref name=sr/>

He became involved with the [[United States Olympic Committee]] and helped to organize the [[1984 Summer Olympics]]. Following this, he became a track coach at [[Palm Springs High School]]. He was inducted into the [[USA Track & Field]] Hall of Fame in 2003.

He is the author, with sportswriter [[Dave Zirin]], of ''The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World'', published in 2011 by [[Haymarket Books]].

==Early life and education==
Born in [[The Bronx]], Carlos was raised in the [[Harlem]] neighborhood of New York City.  His mother, Violis ([[née]] Lawrence, 1919–2016), was born in [[Jamaica]] to Black [[Cubans|Cuban]] parents and grew up in [[Santiago, Cuba]]. His father, Earl V. Carlos Sr. (1895–1969), was from [[South Carolina]]. Carlos participated in a 200-meter dash and as a member of the 4×400-meter relay helped lead ETSU to the 1967 [[Lone Star Conference]] Championship. After his first year, Carlos enrolled at [[San Jose State University]] where he was trained by future National Track & Field Hall of Fame coach [[Lloyd (Bud) Winter]].

Carlos was awarded an honorary doctorate from [[California State University]] in 2008. In 2012, he was awarded honorary doctorates from his alma maters Texas A&M University-Commerce (formerly East Texas State University) and San Jose State University.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pizzaro |first=Sal |date=June 29, 2024 |orig-date=June 29, 2024 |title=Iconic San Jose State monument gets a touch-up before the Olympics |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/06/29/iconic-san-jose-state-monument-gets-a-touch-up-before-the-olympics/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629172119/https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/06/29/iconic-san-jose-state-monument-gets-a-touch-up-before-the-olympics/ |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |access-date=September 13, 2024 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Olympics==
The 1968 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials]] were held on the Californian side of Lake Tahoe at [[Echo Summit#1968 U.S. Olympic Trials|Echo Summit trailhead]], which at 7,377 feet above sea level is approximately the same altitude as [[1968 Summer Olympics|Mexico City]].<ref name="1968 Olympians Return to Echo Summit, USA Track & Field, June 27, 2014">[http://www.legacy.usatf.org/News/1968-Olympians-Return-to-Echo-Summit.aspx 1968 Olympians Return to Echo Summit], USA Track & Field, Bob Burns, June 27, 2014.</ref><ref name="U.S. Olympic Trials at Echo Summit (Lake Tahoe), Sports Illustrated, Sept. 23, 1968">[https://www.si.com/vault/1968/09/23/617519/triumph-and-tragedy-at-tahoe TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY AT TAHOE: Past heroes like Billy Mills and Gerry Lindgren failed at the U.S. Olympic Trials and Jim Ryun nearly did, but for others, like John Carlos, Lee Evans and Bob Seagren, the meet was sheer heaven], ''Sports Illustrated'' (Vault), John Underwood, Sept. 23, 1968.</ref> Carlos won the 200-meter dash in 19.92 seconds, beating world-record holder [[Tommie Smith]] and surpassing his record by 0.3 seconds. Though the record was never ratified because the spike formation on Carlos's shoes ("brush spikes") was not accepted at the time,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puma-catchup.com/the-forbidden-shoe|title=The Forbidden Shoe|date=September 22, 2014 }}</ref> the race reinforced his status as a world-class sprinter.

Carlos became a founding member of the [[Olympic Project for Human Rights]] (OPHR), and originally advocated a [[boycott]] of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games unless four conditions were met: withdrawal of South Africa and Rhodesia from the games, restoration of Muhammad Ali's world heavyweight boxing title, [[Avery Brundage]] to step down as president of the IOC, and the hiring of more African-American assistant coaches. As the boycott failed to achieve support after the IOC withdrew invitations for South Africa and Rhodesia, he decided, together with Smith, to participate but to stage a protest in case he received a medal.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Zirin, Dave |author2=Edwards, Gareth |url=http://www.isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=823&issue=135 |title=Resistance: the best Olympic spirit|journal=International Socialism|volume=135|date= June 28, 2012}}</ref> Following his third-place finish behind fellow American Smith and Australian [[Peter Norman]] in the 200 meters at the Mexico Olympics, Carlos and Smith made headlines around the world by [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|raising their black-gloved fists]] at the medal award ceremony. Both athletes wore black socks and no shoes on the podium to represent [[African-American]] [[poverty in the United States]]. In support, Peter Norman, the silver medalist who was a white athlete from Australia, participated in the protest by wearing an OPHR badge.

[[File:John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Peter Norman 1968cr.jpg|thumb| John Carlos (right) and [[Tommie Smith]] (center) showing the [[raised fist]] on the podium after the 200 m race at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]; both wear [[Olympic Project for Human Rights]] badges. [[Peter Norman]] (silver medalist, left) from Australia also wears an OPHR badge in solidarity with Smith and Carlos.]]
[[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) president [[Avery Brundage]] deemed it to be a domestic political statement unfit for the supposedly apolitical, international forum the Olympic Games were claimed to be. In response to their actions, he ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the US team and banned from the Olympic Village. When the US Olympic Committee refused, Brundage threatened to ban the entire US track team. This threat led to the expulsion of the two athletes from the Games.<ref>[http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/September-October-08/On-this-Day--US-Athletes-Give-Black-Power-Salute-on-Olympic-Podium.html On This Day: Tommie Smith and John Carlos Give Black Power Salute on Olympic Podium] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109003515/http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/September-October-08/On-this-Day--US-Athletes-Give-Black-Power-Salute-on-Olympic-Podium.html |date=November 9, 2020 }}. Findingdulcinea.com. Retrieved on 13 June 2015.</ref>

A spokesman for the IOC called Smith and Carlos's actions "a deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit."<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/17/newsid_3535000/3535348.stm |publisher=BBC |title=1968: Black athletes make silent protest |access-date=9 November 2008 |date=17 October 1968 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723190733/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/17/newsid_3535000/3535348.stm |archive-date=23 July 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref> Brundage, who was president of the United States Olympic Committee in 1936, had made no objections against [[Nazi salute]]s during the [[1936 Berlin Olympics|Berlin Olympics]]. He argued that the Nazi salute, being a national salute at the time, was acceptable in a competition of nations, while the athletes' salute was not of a nation and therefore unacceptable.<ref>"The Olympic Story", editor James E. Churchill, Jr., published 1983 by Grolier Enterprises Inc.</ref>

Carlos had his greatest year in track and field in 1969, equaling the world 100-yard record of 9.1, winning the AAU 220-yard run, and leading San Jose State to its first [[NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships|NCAA championship]] with victories in the 100 and 220 and as a member of the 4×110-yard relay.  He was featured on the cover of ''[[Track and Field News]]''' May 1969 issue.<ref>[https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/28-covers/136-past-covers-1967 Past Covers 1969] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212328/https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/28-covers/136-past-covers-1967 |date=March 3, 2016 }}. Trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2015.</ref>

He was also the gold medalist at 200 meters at the 1967 [[Pan American Games]] in [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]], Canada, and set indoor world bests in the 60-yard dash (5.9) and the indoor 220-yard dash (21.2).<ref name=sr>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/john-carlos-1.html John Carlos] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611034916/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/john-carlos-1.html |date=June 11, 2015 }}. sports-reference.com</ref>

The 1968 Olympics were in the middle of several significant events pertaining to the Civil Rights movement: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968#Title VIII–IX: Fair Housing Act|Fair Housing Act]] law was passed on April 11, 1968, and the 1968 Olympics were in October 1968. At this time, countless protests around the country in response to the Vietnam War and US laws on individual human rights being actively fought for. The [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Olympics]] were broadcast nationally and internationally through television and radio, giving athletes a platform to share their thoughts on issues around the world in front of a large audience of people. The international press the games were given was a tool used in international relations during the cold war. Acts of peaceful protest by popular athletes in sports is something that is still very prevalent in today's society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mikkelsen Library {{!}} Augustana University |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1734621926 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=augie.idm.oclc.org| id={{ProQuest|1734621926}} }}</ref>

==Career==
Following his track career, Carlos, a 15th-round selection in the [[1970 NFL draft]], tried professional football, but a knee injury curtailed his tryout with the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] of the [[National Football League]].<ref name="DidingerLyons2005">{{cite book|author1=Ray Didinger|author2=Robert S. Lyons|title=The Eagles Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yV7lvstPuqgC&pg=PA244|year=2005|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-59213-454-0|pages=244–}}</ref> He then went on to the [[Canadian Football League]] where he played one season for the [[Montreal Alouettes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/c/.htm|title=John Carlos|website=www.cflapedia.com}}</ref> Following his retirement from football, Carlos worked for [[Puma AG|Puma]], the [[United States Olympic Committee]], the Organising Committee of the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] and the City of [[Los Angeles]].

In 1985, Carlos became a counselor and in-school suspension supervisor, as well as the track and field coach, at [[Palm Springs High School]] in California. In 2003, he was elected to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
In 2005, a statue titled ''[[Victory Salute (statue)|Victory Salute]]'' showing Carlos and Smith on the medal stand was constructed by political artist [[Rigo 23]] and dedicated on the campus of [[San Jose State University]].<ref name="Statue">{{cite news|last=Crumpacker|first=John|title=OLYMPIC PROTEST: Smith and Carlos Statue captures sprinters' moment|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=October 18, 2005|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/10/18/SPGJTF9THS1.DTL}}</ref>

In 2006, John Carlos delivered a eulogy at Peter Norman's funeral and was also a pallbearer at the ceremony, as was Tommie Smith.

In 2007, John Carlos was honored at the Trumpet Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Carlos is the godfather of [[Chicago White Sox]] General Manager [[Kenny Williams (baseball)|Kenny Williams]]. Carlos ran track with Williams's father in college.

In April 2008, Carlos was a torch-bearer for the [[Human Rights Torch]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.humanrightstorch.org/news/ |title= Human Rights Torch Relay|website=www.humanrightstorch.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403051643/http://www.humanrightstorch.org/news/ |archive-date=April 3, 2008}}</ref> which ran in parallel to the [[2008 Summer Olympics torch relay]] and focusing attention on [[Human rights in China|China's human rights record]].<ref>Velinov, Ivan (April 8, 2008) [https://web.archive.org/web/20080411232939/http://www.humanrightstorch.org/news/2008/04/08/san-francisco-welcomes-human-rights-torch/ San Francisco Welcomes Human Rights Torch]. humanrightstorch.org.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/06/MNA7100OB9.DTL&hw=human+rights+torch&sn=006&sc=473|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|title=Numbers low for S.F. Human Rights Torch rally|first1=Christopher|last1=Heredia|first2=Carolyn| last2=Jones|first3=Stacy|last3=Finz|date=April 6, 2008}}</ref>

On July 16, 2008, John Carlos and Tommie Smith accepted the [[Arthur Ashe Award for Courage]] for their salute, at the 2008 [[ESPY Awards]] held at [[Microsoft Theater|NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE]] in Los Angeles, California.

On October 10, 2011, Carlos spoke and raised his fist at [[Occupy Wall Street]]. He said: "Today I am here for you. Why? Because I am you. We're here forty-three years later because there's a fight still to be won. This day is not for us but for our children to come." The following day he appeared on [[MSNBC]] and on [[Current TV]]'s ''[[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]]''.<ref>Dave Zirin, [http://www.thenation.com/blog/163891/dr-john-carlos-raises-his-fist-occupy-wall-street "Dr. John Carlos Raises His Fist With Occupy Wall Street"], ''The Nation'', October 11, 2011.</ref>

In July 2018, Carlos attended the Socialism 2018 conference hosted by the [[International Socialist Organization]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Socialism 2018 Olympian John Carlos on the benefits of socialism |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCrt_m0CbI |website=Youtube | date=July 12, 2018 |publisher=Hard Lens Media |access-date=July 29, 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Carlos married his first wife, Karen Benjamin "Kim" Groce, in 1965 when the two were still in high school. The two divorced in 1974, and in 1977, Kim committed suicide. He remarried to Charlene Norwood in 1984.

In 1986, Carlos was arrested for cocaine possession. After he was found guilty in court, he attended a drug rehabilitation program, after which his conviction was expunged.

Carlos has identified with various religions, including a period of [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] that brought him into conflict with [[Black power|Black Power]] ideologies. He later stated that he is no longer a [[Christians|Christian]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-03-26 |title=John Carlos - whatiwannaknow.com |url=https://whatiwannaknow.com/john-carlos/ |access-date=2024-06-29 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=[The John Carlos Story] {{!}} C-SPAN.org |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?303011-1/the-john-carlos-story |access-date=2024-06-29 |website=www.c-span.org}}</ref>

== Awards ==
* [[World Athletics Awards]] - President's award：2020<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coe backs athlete protests by giving President's Award to Smith, Norman and Carlos |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1101639/coe-smith-carlos-norman-award-protests |website=InsideTheGames |format= |date=5 December 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
* Hartmann, Douglas (March 29, 2019). "The Olympic "Revolt" of 1968 and its Lessons for Contemporary African American Athletic Activism". ''European Journal of American Studies''.
* Hartmann, Douglas (2003). ''Race, Culture, and the Revolt of the Black Athlete: The 1968 Olympic Protests and Their Aftermath''. University of Chicago Press.
* Castañeda, Luis M. (2014). ''Spectacular Mexico: Design, Propaganda, and the 1968 Olympics''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

==Further reading==
*{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/7/13/12118332/john-carlos-olympics |title=Raising my fist at the Olympics cost me friends and my marriage — but I'd do it again |first=John |last=Carlos |others=As told to Eleanor Barkhorn |date= 2016-07-13 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] }}
*{{cite web |url= https://www.npr.org/2018/10/16/657724894/50-years-later-raised-fists-during-national-anthem-still-resonate |title= 50 Years Later, Raised Fists During National Anthem Still Resonate |first=Karen Grigsby |last= Bates |date= 2018-10-16 |work=Morning Edition|publisher = NPR }}
*{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/10/16/a-cry-freedom-black-power-salute-that-rocked-world-years-ago |title= 'A cry for freedom': The Black Power salute that rocked the world 50 years ago |first= DeNeen |last=  Brown  |date=2018-10-16 |newspaper=Washington Post }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.johncarlos.org}}
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=john-carlos|old_id=John-Carlos}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{YouTube|--lzACn0aZ8|1968 Olympic 200 Meters}}
* {{C-SPAN|64261}}
* {{IMDb name}}

{{s-start}}
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{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Tommie Smith]]|title=[[200 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 200m Best Year Performance]]|years=1969–1970|after={{flagicon|JAM}} [[Don Quarrie]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 200m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}
{{Footer WBYP 200m Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1968 Summer Olympics}}
{{Arthur Ashe Courage}}
{{Eagles1970DraftPicks}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlos, John}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American people of Cuban descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Cuban descent]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canadian football return specialists]]
[[Category:Canadian football wide receivers]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Montreal Alouettes players]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from New York City]]
[[Category:San Jose State Spartans men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Palm Springs High School people]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1967 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:American masters athletes]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:East Texas A&M Lions men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:People notable for being the subject of a specific photograph]]