John Carlos
FameRank: 6

"John Wesley Carlos" is a former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meters at the 1968 Summer Olympics and his 1968 Olympics Black Power salute/Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. 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 ratified). After his track career, he enjoyed brief stints in the National Football League and Canadian Football League but retired due to injury.

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 [http://zinnedproject.org/materials/the-john-carlos-story-the-sports-moment-that-changed-the-world/ The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World], published in 2011 by Haymarket Books.

More John Carlos on Wikipedia.

I don't feel embraced. I feel like a survivor. I was almost like we were on a deserted island. But we survived.

We didn't come up there with any bombs. We were trying to wake the country up and wake the world up too.

We were under tremendous economic stress. I took any job I could find. We had four children and some night I would have to chop up our furniture and make a fire in the middle of the room.

When you are caught driving under the influence and the result is a conviction, that record will translate into your driving record.

Those people should put all their millions of dollars together and make a factory that builds athlete-robots. Athletes are human beings. We have feelings, too. How can you ask someone to live in the world, to exist in the world, and not have something to say about injustice?

This statue is a glorified thing to have on my alma mater. It is here for the youth of America.