People Say That It Was Degrading For

We All Have Dreams. But In Order To Make Dreams Come Into Reality, It Takes An Awful Lot Of Determination, Dedication, Self-discipline, And Effort.

People Who Worked With Me Or Knew Me Still Called Me The 'world's Fastest Human' Because I Almost Never Stopped. I'd Found That I Could Get More Done With No Regular Job Or Regular Hours At All, But By Being On My Own, Flying To Speak Here, Help With A Public Relations Campaign For Some Client There, Tape My Regular Jazz Radio Show One Morning At 5:00 A.m. Before Leaving On A Plane For Another City Or Another Continent Three Hours Later To Preside Over A Major Sporting Event.

People Say That It Was Degrading For An Olympic Champion To Run Against A Horse, But What Was I Supposed To Do? I Had Four Gold Medals, But You Can't Eat Four Gold Medals. There Was No Television, No Big Advertising, No Endorsements Then. Not For A Black Man, Anyway.

Well, I Couldn't Play An Instrument. I'd Just Stand Up Front And Announce The Numbers. They Had Me Sing A Little, But That Was A Horrible Mistake. I Can't Carry A Tune In A Bucket. We Played Black Theaters And Nightclubs All Over Hell. One-nighters. Apollo Theater In Harlem And The Earle Theater In Philly - That Was Big Time For Blacks.

If You Don't Try To Win You Might As Well Hold The Olympics In Somebody's Back Yard. The Thrill Of Competing Carries With It The Thrill Of A Gold Medal. One Wants To Win To Prove Himself The Best.