1960 Summer Olympics. Clay was awarded a gold medal in the light heavyweight division.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos
At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the iconic image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their gloved fists in the air in a Black Power salute as the American anthem played made headlines around the world, stirring controversy and getting the two men banned from the Olympics. At the games, Smith won the gold medal for the 200-meter dash and Carlos won the bronze.
A year after his Olympic win, Smith finished his BA in Social Science at San Jose State University and went on to earn a Masters in Social Change from Goddard College, whose program enabled Smith to integrate his teaching and writing practices into his coursework.
After his track and football careers, he became a member of the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1978. In 1996, Smith was inducted into the California Black Sports Hall of Fame, and in 1999 he received that