Tommy Smith, Savannah LaBrant’s Ex-Boyfriend, Has Sadly Passed Away

What happened to the murder of Tommy Smith?

Although Tommy and Savannah seem to be getting along well as co-parents, everything changes when Tommy’s sister Amber Smith tells Savannah on September 13, 2022 that Tommy died suddenly. So far, Tommy’s family has not said what caused his death.

Amber wrote in a touching Facebook post, “His love for living life to the fullest and his free spirit will be greatly missed.”

Courtney, who has been courting Tommy for a long time, also made a tribute post on Instagram. He wrote, “You were taken to be with Jesus on September 22 without warning. My heart is breaking into a million pieces as I write this.”

Courtney added, “I know you’re dancing and laughing in heaven right now. I love you so much, Tommy. You will always have a special place in my heart.”

Savannah wrote a tribute to Tommy on Instagram. She said, “Our hearts are so heavy as we deal with the loss of Everleigh’s father, Tommy. He loves Everleigh very much. In this grief, we ask for privacy so that our family can continue to love Ev, pray for her, and grieve with her. Your prayers for Everleigh are greatly appreciated.”

Early years and work

Tommie Smith was born in Clarksville, Texas, on June 6, 1944. He was the seventh of twelve children born to Richard and Dora Smith. He had pneumonia as a child, but he still grew up to be a great athlete. Smith showed a lot of promise when he entered Lemoore High School in Lemoore, California. He set most of the school’s track records, many of which still stand. He won the 440-yard dash at the 1963 CIF California State Meet. He was voted Lemoore’s “Most Valuable Athlete” in basketball, football, and track and field. He was also voted vice president of his senior class. His accomplishments earned him a scholarship to San José State University.

On May 7, 1966, while he was a student at San Jose State, Smith ran the 200m straight in 19.5 seconds on a cinder track.[8] On May 16, 2010, Tyson Gay broke that record for the 200m, but Smith still holds the record for the slightly longer 220-yard event. Since the IAAF stopped approving records for this event, Smith will always hold the record for the 200m/220 yards straight.

A few weeks later, on June 11, 1966, Smith became the first person to run 200 meters and 220 yards in one turn under 20 seconds. He won the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship six days after that. In 1967, Smith also won the national collegiate 220-yard (201.17 m) and AAU furlong (201.17 m) titles. He went to Japan for the Summer Universiade in 1967 and won the gold medal in the 200m. In 1968, he won the AAU 200m title for the second time and made the Olympic team.

The Summer Olympics in 1968

Before the Olympics, the US men At the Olympic Trials in Echo Summit, California, Smith’s teammate John Carlos ran 19.92A to beat Smith and his world record. John Carlos’ record was taken because he was wearing shoes with brush spikes. Vince Matthews’ 400-meter record was also obtained for the same reason.

As a member of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), Smith wanted to boycott the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City unless four things happened: South Africa and Rhodesia were kicked out of the Olympics, the world heavyweight boxing title was restored to Muhammad Ali, Avery Brundage stepped down as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and more African-American assistant coaches were hired. After the IOC pulled the invitations for South Africa and Rhodesia, the boycott did not get enough support, so he and Carlos decided not only to wear their gloves, but also barefoot to protest poverty, wear necklaces to protest lynchings, and wear OPHR buttons.

Smith ran in the 200-meter final at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico with an injured groin. In the race, Carlos took the lead at the first turn, while Smith got off to a slow start. After the turn, Smith quickly passed Carlos and quickly won the race. He outlasted his training partner and his closest competitor, so he knew he had won. He raised his arms 10m before the finish line in celebration. However, he beat his own world record, which stood until Pietro Mennea beat it on the same track 11 years later. Smith’s time of 19.83 was one of the first world records for the event to be automatically timed and recorded by the IAAF.

Carlos and Smith’s black-gloved fist raise at the medal ceremony made world news. Both athletes stood on the podium with no shoes and black socks to show how poor African-American people in the United States are. Peter Norman, an Australian athlete who won a silver medal in white, took part in the protest by wearing an OPHR badge.

IOC president Avery Brundage thought it was a domestic political statement that was not involved in the Olympics, which are meant to be a nonpolitical international event. Because of what they did, he told Smith and Carlos to leave the US team and never return to the Olympic Village. When the US Olympic Committee said no, Brundage said the entire US track team would be banned. Both athletes were expelled from the Games because of this threat.

An IOC spokesman said what Smith and Carlos did was “a deliberate and violent violation of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit.” When he was president of the USOC in 1936, Brundage said nothing about Nazi salutes at the Berlin Olympics. He said that the Nazi salute, which was a national salute at the time, was okay in a competition between countries, but the athletes’ salute was not from one country and thus was not okay.

Smith and Carlos got into trouble for questioning the authority of white people in the US Ralph Boston, a black US long jumper at the 1968 games, said, “The rest of the world didn’t seem to find it so insulting. They thought it was very positive. Only America thought it was bad.” The men’s actions had a lasting effect on all three athletes, with death threats against Smith, Carlos, and their families being the most serious. After being banned of the IOC, they struggled to make money.

Smith said in later years, “We were concerned about how few black assistant coaches there were, how Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title, how hard it was to find a good place to live, and how the our children in the best colleges.”

Tommie Smith in Stockholm, 1966

During his career, Smith set seven individual world records and was on several relay teams at San Jose State that set world records. His coach there was Lloyd (Bud) Winter. Smith still ranks high on the world all-time lists, with personal records of 10.1 for the 100 meters, 19.83 for the 200 meters, and 44.5 for the 400 meters.

Smith was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League in the ninth round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He then signed with the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League and played wide receiver for the team for nearly three seasons. He played in two games during the 1969 season and caught one pass for 41 yards.

Smith earned his BA in Social Science from San Jose State University a year after he won the Olympics. He then went on to earn his master’s in Social Change from Goddard College, where he used his teaching and writing skills in his coursework.

He ran track and played football, and in 1978, he was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 1996, Smith was inducted into the California Black Sports Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was given the Sportsman of the Millennium Award by the same group. In 2000 and 2001, the County of Los Angeles and the State of Texas presented Smith with awards, recognition, and proclamations.

He later became a track coach at Oberlin College in Ohio, where he also taught sociology. From 2003 to 2005, he was on the faculty at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where he taught physical education.

Temple University Press came out with Smith’s autobiography, Silent Gesture, in 2007. In August 2008, he gave one of his shoes from the 1968 Olympics to Usain Bolt of Jamaica, who won three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.

Smith sold his gold medal and spikes at an auction in 2010. The first bid was for $250,000, and the sale was set to end on November 4, 2010. In 2013, Goddard College presented Smith with the Presidential Award for Activism as a way to thank him for his work there.