Dave Albritton

Dave Albritton. 1936 Olympic Silver Medalist, also, Morgan County Track and Field Legend. 1936 Olympic Silver Medalist. Morgan County native David Donald Albritton competed at the XI Olympics in Berlin, Germany and became the first Alabama native to win an Olympic track and field medal. During Olympic Trials on July 11, 1936 at Randall's Island in New York City, Albritton tied Cornelius Johnson for the World High Jump Record at 6 feet, 9¾ inches. They were the first African-Americans to set the world mark. During competition at the Olympic Games on August 2, 1936 in Germany, Johnson took the gold, Albritton won silver, and Delos Thurber earned bronze. Five minutes before they were to receive medals, German Chancellor Adolph Hitler and his entourage left the stadium. Newspaper headlines read “Hitler Snubs American Negro Winners.” The lore that Hitler snubbed Jesse Owens is incorrect. Owens competed for the first time on August 3, 1936. The Chancellor ignored the U.S. team that finished 1-2-3 in the high jump event., Morgan County Track and Field Legend. David D. Albritton was born April 13, 1913 in Danville, Alabama. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio with his parents Josephine and Peter Albritton, where he met Jesse Owens as a student and remained a lifelong friend. Albritton graduated from Ohio State University after the Olympic Games. Student athletes had working scholarships and Albritton was a page for the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate. Albritton earned a B.S. degree in education and moved to Dayton, Ohio where he taught and also coached at Dunbar High School. As a coach, he led three teams to the Ohio State High School Championships. Albritton owned an insurance agency in Dayton for more than 30 years. In 1960, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives as a Republican from the 85th District in west central Ohio. Albritton became the first African-American to chair an Ohio House committee as Chairman of the Interstate Cooperation Committee in 1969. He completed six terms in the Ohio General Assembly. Dave Albritton died on May 14, 1994.