John Wesley Carlos: John Carlos is an African American former track and field athlete and professional football player. He was a founding member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights and won the bronze-medal in the 200 meters race at the 1968 Summer Olympics. His black power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. He went on to equal the world record in the 100 yard dash and beat the 200 meters world record. 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. He later became a track coach at a high school in Palm Springs, where he now resides. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2003. "John Carlos Memoir" is his first book. Dave Zirin is the author of four books, including Bad Sports, A Peoples' History of Sports in the United States, What's My Name Fool! and Welcome to the Terrordome. He writes the popular weekly column "The Edge of Sports" (edgeofsports.com) and is a regular contributor to SI.com, SLAM, The Los Angeles Times, and The Nation where he is the publications first Sports Editor. He lives in Washington, D.C..
Contents Foreword by Cornel West
ix Preface by Dave Zirin
xi Introduction: To Sleep with Anger
1 One: Harlem World
5" Two: Street Level Protest: You Have Forty-Eight Hours . . .
33" Three: Trouble in Texas
59 Four: 1968
77 Five: The Medal Stand
103 Six: The Unraveling
129 Seven: Efforts at Resurrection
155 Eight: Save Your Redemption
167 Afterword by Dave Zirin
175 Appendix: John W. Carlos's Track and Field Records