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Former Coach Remembers Olympic Hurdler

Posted at 9:01 AM, May 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-27 10:01:59-04

The former coach of Olympic hurdler Mamie Rallins said she was a "hard worker" who achieved success on and off the track.

Legendary Tennessee State University track and field coach Ed Temple said in a news release from the university that the 74-year-old Rallins worked hard throughout her life. She died May 16 in a car wreck in Ohio.

She enrolled at Tennessee State at the age of 30 and became one of the famous Tigerbelles. The team won 23 Olympic medals under coach Temple.

After she graduated from Tennessee State in 1976, Rallins became the first African-American female coach at Ohio State and helped start the Buckeyes' women's track and field program.