Jarvis Scott

American sprinter

Jarvis Lavonne Scott
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born(1947-04-06)April 6, 1947
Waco, Texas
DiedSeptember 29, 2017(2017-09-29) (aged 70)
Lubbock, Texas
Sport
SportSprinting
Event400 metres

Jarvis Lavonne Scott (born April 6, 1947 – September 29, 2017)[1] was an American sprinter. She competed in the women's 400 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[2] She qualified by winning the 1968 Olympic Trials. She also finished third in the 800 meters behind eventual gold medalist Madeline Manning but declined her position in that event allowing Francie Kraker to run. She is the first American woman and the last American to qualify for the Olympics in both the 400 and 800.

Biography

Scott was the first American woman to reach the finals of the 400 meters. In the final, she burst into the lead, making up the stagger on eventual winner Colette Besson and taking a clear lead down the backstretch. She held the lead onto the homestretch before being overtaken by eventual silver medalist Lillian Board on the inside. After the fast beginning of the race, she was unable to respond to the sprint finishes of the other competitors and finished in sixth.

Running for the Los Angeles Mercurettes, she won the National Championship in the 400 meters that year.[3] At the time she was working for an insurance underwriter and attending Los Angeles City College at night. She also won the National Indoor Championships twice, first in 1969 after the Olympics and again in 1971.[4] While running for California State University, Los Angeles she won the 1975 AIAW National Championship. She was also part of the CSU, LA winning sprint medley relay team in 1973.

The eldest of six children, Scott originally moved to the Los Angeles area as a 9 year old, starting her track career while a student at Pomona High School but the state and school had no track program for girls at the time. She also played basketball and threw the javelin. After graduating, she took up coaching at Texas Tech and remained a resident of Lubbock, Texas. She suffered a stroke in 2004.[1] She was voted “Most Outstanding Young Woman of America” in 1980 and is a member of the CSU, LA Hall of Fame.[5][6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jarvis Scott, Olympian and former Tech coach, dies at 70". Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jarvis Scott Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "USA Track & Field - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "USA Track & Field - USA Indoor Track & Field Champions". www.usatf.org. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "Hall of Fame - Cal State L.A. Athletics". lagoldeneagles.com. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  6. ^ "Scott, Jarvis Lavonne (1947-- ) - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. September 13, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  7. ^ [email protected], News Release & Posted By Staff (January 21, 2017). "22nd Annual 100 Black Men of West Texas, Inc. Scholarship Gala Saturday Evening". Retrieved August 2, 2017.

External links

  • v
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Qualification
1968 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's
track and road
athletesMen's
field athletesWomen's track and
road athletesWomen's
field athletesCoaches
  • Payton Jordan (men's head coach)
  • Ted Haydon (men's assistant coach)
  • John Oelkers (men's assistant coach)
  • Frank Potts (men's assistant coach)
  • Stan Wright (men's assistant coach)
  • Alex Ferenczy (women's coach)
  • Conrad Ford (women's coach)
  • v
  • t
  • e
1958–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • OT: Since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials in Olympic years, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Distance:The event was over 440 yards until 1932, 1955, 1957–8, 1961–3, 1965–6, 1969–70 and 1973–4
  • v
  • t
  • e
US National Championship winners in women's indoor 400-meter dash
1959–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–present
USA Track & Field
Notes
*Distances have varied as follows: 440 yards (1959–1986), 400 meters (1987–date) alternating with 300 meters in odd numbered years starting 2015