Olympic Gold Medalist. William DeHart "DeHart" Hubbard was the first African-American to earn an individual gold medal in an Olympic Games—in Paris in 1924. He was born in Cincinnati and graduated from Walnut Hills High School, where he was an outstanding student, academic, and athlete. He came to the University of Michigan via a Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper subscription contest and the efforts of Mr. Lon Barringer, a Michigan alum who had been reading about DeHart's academic and athletic achievements in high school. Lon approached the Michigan Athletic Director, Fielding H. Yost, for approval to recruit DeHart. Yost had been an iron-willed football coach who had prevented black athletes from playing football for Michigan since 1901. When Yost was appointed Director of Athletics in 1921, he drastically changed his regard for black athletes, and he gave Lon the approval. Lon persuaded DeHart to enter the contest. Nearly every Michigan alumnus in the United States got a letter from Lon on the subject of DeHart. In September 1921, William DeHart Hubbard became the contest winner and enrolled at Michigan. Upon DeHart's arrival on campus, he immediately lived up to his reputation. He tied the University's indoor 50-yard-dash record and long-jumped 24 feet, 63/4 inches, in freshman competition. Because freshmen were ineligible for varsity meets, the only opportunity to really prove himself came in the national AAU meet in Newark, New Jersey, where DeHart excelled. As a sophomore, DeHart set Big Ten marks in the 50-yard dash. In his junior year, he brought Big Ten crowns in the 100-yard dash (9.8 seconds) and the long jump (24 feet,103/4 inches). That would earn him an opportunity to make the U.S. Olympic team and compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics. At the Paris Olympics, athletes were given three preliminary trials, and those with the better marks received three final trials. On DeHart's second jump, he made the finals. On his sixth and final jump of the final, still trailing in the competition, he started down the runway. In stride and gaining speed, he hit the take-off board well and landed 24 feet, 5 inches, down the continent, well beyond the field of challengers, and into the international limelight. In that moment, William DeHart Hubbard became the first African-American to win a gold medal in an individual Olympic event. Upon his return to Michigan, DeHart flashed to victory in the sprints, hurdles, and long jump, leading the 1925 Michigan team to Big Ten titles in both the indoor and outdoor meets. During the course of the season, he tied the world record in the100-yard dash (9.6 seconds) against Ohio State at Ferry Field, as well as setting a long-jump world record of 25 feet, 10 3/4 inches (7.89m), at the NCAA championshipsbin Chicago in June 1925. DeHart completed his illustrious collegiate career by graduating with honors from the University of Michigan, being a three-time track-and-field National Collegiate Athletic Association champion (i.e., All-American), being a seven-time track-and-field Big Ten Conference champion, and being an active member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Phi Chapter (where he was initiated in 1924). After graduating from the U of M in 1927, DeHart took a job as supervisor of the Department of Colored Work for Cincinnati's Public Recreation Commission. He worked for the Recreation Commission until 1941, when he became manager of Valley Homes. In 1942, DeHart moved to Cleveland to work for the Federal Public Housing Authority. He retired in 1969. In 1957, William DeHart Hubbard was voted into the National Track Hall of Fame. He was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Fame in 1979. The William DeHart Hubbard Memorial Scholarship was endowed in 2010.