Archie Williams

Archie Williams

Archie Williams at the 1936 Olympics
Personal information
Born	Archie Franklin Williams May 1, 1915 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	June 24, 1993 (aged 78) Fairfax, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	200 m, 400 m
Club	California Golden Bears, Berkeley
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	200 m – 21.4 (1936) 400 m – 46.1 (1936)[1][2]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1936 Berlin 400 m

Archie Franklin Williams (May 1, 1915 – June 24, 1993) was an American U.S. Air Force officer, athlete, and teacher. He was the winner of the 400 meter run at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Archie Williams was born on May 1, 1915, in Oakland, California, to a family that was active in promoting Black civil rights.^[3] He attended University High School in Oakland before going to San Mateo Junior College (now College of San Mateo). Williams' coach, Dr. Oliver Byrd, was instrumental in preparing him for future achievements. Williams eventually transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, to become a mechanical engineer and he continued to run track.^[4]

Until 1936, Williams had never broken 49 seconds for the 440 yd (402 m). However, during 1936, Williams kept lowering his times and reached his peak at the NCAA championships, setting a world record in 400m of 46.1. Williams' time was set in the preliminaries, and he also prevailed in the final for a 47.0 victory. Williams followed that up with a first in the Olympic Trials, then went to Berlin and won the Olympic gold medal in the 400m. When asked about the infamous incident in which Adolf Hitler reportedly refused to shake the hand of black fellow gold medalist Jesse Owens, Williams replied, "Hitler wouldn't shake my hand either."^{[5][dubious – discuss]} In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the 18 Black American athletes, including Williams, was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.^[6]

After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in mechanical engineering, Williams was in the first Civilian Pilot Training class in 1939 at Oakland, California. After earning his private pilot's license, Williams earned his instructor rating and was later a civilian instructor at Tuskegee. Entering the service in late 1942, he was one of only 14 African-Americans who were commissioned during World War II in the aviation meteorological cadet program; Williams graduated from the UCLA program on September 6, 1943. By September 1944, he was in the first Service Pilot training class at Tuskegee and, after graduation, instructed flight cadets in instrument flying as well as teaching meteorology.^[7] After the war, Williams earned qualification as a line pilot and then attended the Air Force Institute of Technology from 1948 to 1950, earning a B.S. in engineering sciences; he and fellow Tuskegee meteorologist Milton Hopkins were the third and fourth African-American Air Force officers to attend this prestigious program. Williams remained a weather officer and rated pilot his entire career, earning his command pilot rating and commanding several weather detachments before retirement from the Air Force in 1964.

A serious leg injury at a meet in Sweden in 1936 ended his running career, but Williams became a commercial pilot.^[1] During World War II, which he once whimsically referred to as his "return to the Olympics—in the Pacific," Williams was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and retired from the military 22 years later as a lieutenant colonel. A flight instructor while in the air force, Williams remained in education following his military retirement and taught mathematics and computers in California high schools.

Williams was a teacher for 21 years until his retirement at age 72 in Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo. He was noted for his love for teaching and helping students, including future author Konrad Dryden. Sir Francis Drake High School was renamed after Williams in 2021, after the George Floyd protests spurred a worldwide reexamination of place names and monuments connected to racism.^[8]

Williams was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.^[9] He died in Fairfax, California on June 24, 1993, at age 78.^[1]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Archie Williams.

• The Joy of Flying: Olympic Gold, Air Force Colonel, and Teacher – Archie F. Williams
• Archie Williams at www.USATF.org
• Archie Williams at the USATF Hall of Fame (archived)