Major Taylor
Major Taylor
Marshall Walter "Major" Taylorwas an American cyclist who won the world 1 miletrack cycling championship in 1899 after setting numerous world records and overcoming racial discrimination. Taylor was the first African-American cyclist to achieve the level of world champion and only the second black man to win a world championship in any sport, after Canadian boxer George Dixon...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth26 November 1878
CountryUnited States of America
advice american-athlete face few goes heart words
Now a few words of advice to boys, and especially to those of my own race, my heart goes out to them as they face life's struggles.
practice play careers
I would advise all youths aspiring to athletic fame or a professional career to practice clean living, fair play and good sportsmanship.
courage simple may
These rules may seem simple enough, but it will require great morale and physical courage to adhere to them. But if carried out in the strict sense of the word it will surely lead to a greater success than could otherwise be attained.
athlete champion reason
An athlete must have ability to reach the top, but many who have ability and who do not live clean lives never have and never will be champions for obvious reasons.
confidence winning ovation
I have also noticed that when a rider who had confidence in his ability was defeated, after doing his level best to win, always received an ovation from the gathering.
friends men white-man
In closing I wish to say that while I was sorely beset by a number of white riders in my racing days, I have also enjoyed the friendship of countless thousands of white men whom I class as among my closest friends.
success track world
To these ideals which were instilled in me when I was a youth, I attribute in a large degree the success that was mine on the bicycle tracks of the world.
athlete character world
Clean living is the cardinal principle in the lives of the world's greatest athletes, as the phenomenal performances of these outstanding characters will obviously show.
boys long today
The moral turpitude of the boys of today appears to center in their failure to concentrate on any particular objective long enough to obtain their maximum results.
sportsmanship stones golden
It is my thought that clean living and a strict observance of the golden rule of true sportsmanship are foundation stones without which a championship structure cannot be built.
opportunity moral granted
There are positively no mental, physical or moral attainments too lofty for the Negro to accomplish if granted a fair and equal opportunity.
color battle prejudice
There will always be that dreadful monster prejudice to do extra battle against because of their color.
pioneers trails my-own
In a word I was a pioneer, and therefore had to blaze my own trail.
giving champion racing
I know that a good many champions have entertained the thought that the more they discourage youngsters, the longer they would reign. However, this theory never impressed me, and I always made it a point to give youths the benefit of my experience in bicycle racing.