MILWAUKEE — Let's go back in time to the early 20th century. The year was 1904. It was the third-ever Olympic Games—the first in the U.S. And a man from Wisconsin made history. But his story isn't one we are all familiar with. Until the past few years when he has finally been given the recognition he deserves.
That man is George Poage. He was the first African-American to win a medal in the Olympics. He won the bronze in the 200 and 400-meter hurdles at the 1904 Games in St. Louis.
"When we're thinking that we're less than 50 years out of slavery, for an African American to be able to compete against white people and win, that's an important contribution," Clayborn Benson, the Executive Director for the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, said.
Poage was born in Missouri in 1880 but moved to La Crosse, WI, as a child. He was a standout student and athlete in high school. Then he went to UW-Madison for college. He was the first African American on the team and the first to win a Big 10 championship. He graduated in 1904. Shortly after, he competed in the St. Louis Olympics where he won two medals. He was also sponsored by the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
"For an African American and for a citizen of Wisconsin, that's a big deal," Benson said.
But his story isn't well known. in the early 1900s, the Olympics had little fanfare. There were no media tours for the winners or even cash payouts for being on the podium. The era of lucrative sponsorships were still years to come.
"All we've got are some very grainy, a few still, precious still, pictures of George, so I think the documentation of it all is challenging," Tod Pritchard, who is in charge of media and public relations at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, said.
Pritchard discovered Poage around 2019 while doing a research project about famous UW-Madison alumni from all the counties in the state. He said that Poage was never really widely known. He said, Poage shied away from any potential fame.
"George didn't really make a big deal about it, right? Once he won those medals he really decided to take a different path," he said.
That started to change in the 1990s. Poage was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and given a plaque near other inductees by Panther Arena in Milwaukee.
"Even at that point people didn't know a lot about his achievements," Pritchard said.
Until a few years ago. Recently he has been the subject of a local documentary and multiple short biographies. In 2016, the city of La Crosse built a statue of him. Slowly, his story is being told more.
"I wish he was here today. I wish we could really celebrate him and really give him the kudos that he deserves," Pritchard said.
After the Olympics, he became a teacher and principal in St. Louis. Then he moved to Chicago to be a postal clerk. There he lived the rest of his life in relative anonymity. He never married or had kids. He was a private man holding onto a secret. He didn't come out himself, but it was a relative who told the public George Poage was gay.
"So I think that in today's world that George Page would be shocked and astonished by how far the world has come. But I think that he would also be more proud and be more open to accepting himself and who he was," Michail Takach, the Chair of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, said.
He wasn't looking for the attention, especially given the social implications of the time between the 1910s to 60s.
"So we have to Understand in George Poage time the world was very different. People could lose their jobs. They could be evicted. They could be banished by their families, their friends, everyone, simply for being who they were," Takach said.
Watch this story in the video player below:
Takach is hopeful Poage would have thought differently about his identity in the 21st century.
"I do think that George Page would be more willing to be seen today knowing he could have an impact on someone else's life," Takach said.
George Poage lived in Chicago until he passed away in 1962. His achievements helped pave the way for many great athletes like Jesse Owens.
"If he can do it, so can we—and they do do it," Benson said.
While his Olympic story isn't the most well-known, 120 years later, George Poage is finally being recognized as a pioneer.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
