Olympic Champion, Scholar Edwin Moses to Be at Morristown Campus

Edwin Moses won two Olympic gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles. He went on to lead major changes in the world of amateur athletics, including drug testing and athletic pay.

Olympic Champ to Speak, Show Documentary at Walters State

History’s greatest hurdler and one of the most respected voices in sports will be at Walters State Feb. 17. 

Two-time Olympic champion Edwin Moses will speak at 1 p.m. in the Lyceum, located in the Dr. Wade B. McCamey Student Services Building on the Morristown Campus. The public is invited, and no tickets are needed. 

As a hurdler, Moses won his first gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, setting the world record in the process. He broke his own record several times before winning his second gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980. He is perhaps best known for his winning streak of nine years, nine months and nine days.

As Dr. Edwin Moses, a physicist, he pioneered the structure and protocols that significantly reduced the use of illegal, performance-enhancing drugs in athletics.  He was instrumental in reforming international and Olympic eligibility rules. At his urging, an Athletes Trust Fund was established to allow Olympians to benefit from commercial and corporate donations at a time when U.S. Olympians were required to be amateurs. 

Moses attended Morehouse College on an academic scholarship and trained for the Olympics at local high school facilities. He worked as an engineer for General Dynamics before taking a leave of absence to train full time for the Olympics. 

Moses will show his documentary “Moses – 13 Steps” during his visit. This movie premiered in September and has earned several film festival awards.

This film tells the story behind his historic winning streak. He developed his method by calculating the optimal number of steps between hurdles, which was 13. 

The track star also led efforts to allow South Africa to return to the Olympics following the end of the apartheid.

Moses has been active in the movement for fair pay for athletes and in campaigns for social justice. He remains a champion of the Olympic movement. He has given countless hours to many worthy causes. He also enjoyed a successful career as a financial and investment counselor. 

The appearance is part of Walters State’s celebration of Black History Month. For more information, contact Roxanne Bowen, a counselor and director of multicultural engagement, at 423-585-6806 or Roxanne.BowenFREEWS.