Danville in Morgan County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
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Dave Albritton
1936 Olympic Silver Medalist ⎯⎯⎯ Morgan County Track & Field Legend
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 21, 2020
1. Dave Albritton (1936 Olympic Silver Medalist) Marker
Inscription.
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 & 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
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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.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 21, 2020
2. Dave Albritton (Morgan County Track & Field Legend) Marker
It was located near 34° 24.885′ N, 87° 4.833′ W. Marker was in Danville, Alabama, in Morgan County. It was on State Road 36 0.1 miles east of Johnson Chapel Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 5534 AL-36, Danville AL 35619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in North Alabama. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it was in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,771 times since then and 111 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 23, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
