Nov. 27, 2007

GREENVILLE, S.C. -

Mike Foley, The Greenville News

Forty years after he shocked the world with his black-gloved protest atop the victory stand at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Tommie Smith will present a talk at Furman University in April on his silent civil rights gesture that spoke volumes.

At the time, Smith who was being awarded the gold medal for winning the 200 meters in a world record time, stood next to teammate, John Carlos, and both bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists in the air when the "Star-Spangled Banner" was played.

While the non-violent protest from the two African-American men was meant to symbolize that the civil rights movement in America had not progressed far enough, their actions were met with outrage. They were both suspended from the national team and banned from the Olympic Village.

When Smith talks at the Blue Shoes fund-raising dinner April 11, the night before the annual Furman Invitational track meet, it's a sure thing his talk -- titled "My Stand, Your Challenge" -- won't raise as many eyebrows as his iconic stand in 1968.

Furman alum Chris Borch, the driving force behind the Blue Shoes movement that seeks to drive Furman cross country and track to the national level, said the idea to seek Smith to talk at the dinner was a simple one. 



"I'm always looking for an interesting story," Borch said via telephone from California. 



Such interesting stories have already brought Olympic gold medalists Dave Wottle and Frank Shorter to town, as well as America's top miler, Alan Webb who last spring became the first person to run a sub-4 minute mile on a South Carolina track. 



"Our theme for Blue Shoes is `Life lessons through college athletics,' " Borch said. "And I think Tommie Smith's story fits well with that. I think he transcends sports." 



Smith later played professional football for the Cincinnati Bengals, was a track coach and faculty member at Oberlin College, and retired from Santa Monica (Calif.) College in 2005 after teaching and coaching there for 27 years. Earlier this year Smith released his autobiography, "Silent Gesture."

The Blue Shoes Dinner is set for April 11, starting at 6 p.m., in Timmons Arena, at Furman University.