John William Brooks (July 31, 1910 – October 9, 1990) was an American

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er. He competed in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, placing seventh in the long jump.

Career

Representing the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, Brooks placed second behind Lambert Redd at the 1932 NCAA championships with a season-best jump of 25 ft in (7.69 m). He placed fourth with a leap of 24 ft in (7.58 m) at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials, missing qualifying for the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

by one place. Brooks won the NCAA championship in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

, his senior year; he placed second behind

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...

at the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU)'s national outdoor championships that year. He placed third at the AAU meet in 1934 and 1935; he set his lifetime best, 25 ft in (7.76 m), at the 1935 championships. At the 1936 Olympic Trials Brooks placed second behind Owens with a jump of 25 ft in (7.70 m), making the American team for the Olympic Games in Berlin. He placed seventh in the Olympic final, reaching a wind-aided 7.41 m (24 ft in) on his best attempt. Brooks took second at the AAU meet in 1937, his final podium appearance. In addition to his own career, Brooks had a role in coaching

Tidye Pickett Tidye Pickett (November 3, 1914 – November 17, 1986) was an American track and field athlete. She represented the United States in the 80-meter hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, becoming the first African-American woman to compet ...

, the first African-American woman to compete in the Olympic Games. In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Brooks and Pickett, was documented in the film ''

Olympic Pride, American Prejudice ''Olympic Pride, American Prejudice'' is a 2016 American documentary film written and directed by Deborah Riley Draper. Dr. Amy Tiemann, Michael A. Draper, and Blair Underwood (who also narrated the film) were executive producers. The film premier ...

''.

References

1910 births 1990 deaths American male long jumpers African-American male track and field athletes Chicago Maroons men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{US-longjump-athletics-bio-stub