Harrison Dillard - Bones: The Life and Times of Harrison Dillard

BONES

The Life and Times of Harrison Dillard

Harrison Dillard

with
Michael McIntosh

AuthorHouse

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2012 Harrison Dillard with Michael McIntosh. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 7/16/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-3732-8 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-3733-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-3734-2 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012912721

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Contents

By Bill Cosby

By Michael McIntosh

PRAISE FOR HARRISON DILLARD

T he National AAU championships were held in Madison Square Garden in 1942. That was the first time we recognised each other. Harrison Dillard placed 2 nd in the 60 yard low hurdles and I placed 3 rd in the 60 yard dash.

Because of World War II we were not reunited again until 1946 after the war had ended. That was where our friendship started to rekindle, but it was still track and field related. But as we progressed, as we continued to go down the path, we became more and more into good friends. After we both retired from track and field we went our separate ways. We reunited again when I started the Jesse Owens International Trophy Award and also the Jesse Owens Global Award for Peace, back in the 1980s. We then continued to communicate on a frequent basis, and still do up until now. It seems like the older we get the somewhat closer we become to depend on one another.

Harrison is a loyal and wonderful friend and has always given back to others. He is kind of laid-back, but laid-back with a lot of intelligence. He does the four basics in life, he may not realise it, but he analyses, organises, initiates and then he follows through. Harrison has consistently shown this throughout his life. Not only did he do this in his athletic career but also in his working career.

During our athletic competitive years we traveled abroad on many occasuins, we always requested Harrison Dillard to represent us at any special engagements we attended. Why? He could articulate, he had the presence and he had the knowledge as to how to put it all together in an analytical fashion.

Harrison was really the icon of the 1948 London Olympic Games. The reason I say this because of his competitive inner being, he beat some of the greatest sprinters in the world in the 100m final that year. Keeping in mind this was not even his specialty event and no one expected him to do so.

To summarise Harrison he perhaps could have been a president of a company because of his academic background, along being innovative he would have chosen and done so many other things. However he chose to represent his country in war and in peace time. Four gold medals are pretty good though. I am proud to say, we have now been friends for more than seventy years.

Herb Douglas, long jump bronze medalist
in the 1948 London Olympics.

I am delighted to learn that an autobiography is finally now being published about this distinguished athlete and gentleman, Harrison Dillard. I recall in my youth, witnessing his great accomplishments. I wish him the very best.

Judge George E. Carter. The first Canadian born,
black Judge, in Canada.

Having Harrison Dillard be part of the Legends of Gold was indeed pure gold. How many 4 time gold medal winners are there? Not many. Harrison made our event truly special.

Jerry Bouma, Co-chair,
Legends of Gold 2001. Villanova 1974.

What Harrison Dillard means to John Carlos? I think Harrison Dillard exemplified competitiveness, the heart of being consistent. His endeavours in track and field from the high hurdles to the 100m sprint. His consistency there, then and his consistency is there today. In 1948 he makes a U-turn and then comes back to England again. We cannot have the Olympics in England and not have Mr. Harrison Dillards history involved in those games. His professionalism, his wisdom, his clairvoyance relative to the sport of track and field. Hip, hip hurray, hip, hip hurray, hip, hip hurray for Harrison Dillard!

John Carlos 1968 200m Olympic bronze medal
winner and a pioneer for human rights.

Harrison or BONES, as we had called him so much, is just always a very nice compassionate man. Always jovial, always had good things to say about people, just someone you loved being around. Someone you would not, you know, wouldnt mind spending a day, three or four days with. I have always enjoyed him tremendously in any occasions, weather it was out on the track or sitting around having lunch or something like that. He is a person that I think the world should get to know. But not just by his track ability but just by the person himself. He is such a great man and the things he did in sports, for this country and for himself, they are unspeakable. These are things that the world should know about and we should always award our heroes, I think.

Wyomia Tyus. 1964 Olympic gold and silver
medalist in Tokyo and two time gold medalist
at the 1968 Mexico Olympic games.

By Bill Cosby

Y ou might see him these days, this very, very handsome man somewhere in his 80s, standing in a suit and tie with a topcoat draped across his forearm. You may not know anything about him except, Wow, that is one handsome man.

You probably noticed something about him but paid about as much attention to him as you would to someone whom you passed by and thought, Oh, that person seems, uh, familiar, or, That person seems important cause there is a certain aura about him. Thats the beauty of this man. He never puts on airs, but you can sense that theres something special about him. Hes not begging anybody to recognize him cause he knows who he is and what he has done.

And you should, too. You should know who he is and what he has done. Cause if you dont know anything about that man standing there in his suit and tie, you will be very, very upset that someone didnt enlighten you.

That man is Harrison Dillard, also known as Bones.

Now heres what I have to tell you: Dont be embarrassed that you didnt recognize him. You just didnt know. But, be happy cause now youre gonna know. Let me just pull you aside and tell you a little about him before he fills you in on the details.

I have known Bones on a personal level for 30 years or so, maybe a little longer. But as a fan of Bones as an athlete and follower of track and field, I have known about his exploits for a lot longer than that.

Bones is the winner of four Olympic gold medals, the same number as his friend and idol, the great Jesse Owens. Betcha didnt know that they both graduated from East Tech High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Or that Bones is still the only man in Olympic history to win gold in both the 100 meters and the 110-meter hurdles.

Hes also clinched countless AAU and NCAA championships indoors and outdoors. At certain indoor meets, he was undefeated for periods ranging up to 10 consecutive years. As for halls of fame, there are too many to mention here.