Following her 1955 high school graduation in Savannah, Georgia, Lucinda Williams Adams enrolled at Tennessee State University in Nashville where for four years she starred both academically and athletically. As a member of the famed Tigerbelles, the Tennessee State University Women’s track and field team, Adams competed all over the world. She was a member of the 1956 United States Olympic team, which competed in the XVI Olympiad in Melbourne, Australia. In 1958 she was a member of the United States team which competed in the first U.S. vs. USSR Track and Field Meet held in Moscow. At the Moscow meet, Adams won two gold medals, one each in the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter relay. The U.S. team also toured and competed in Hungary, Poland, Greece, Germany and England. In 1958 she was a member of the U.S. team in the Pan American Games held in Chicago, winning three gold medals and setting the American record for the women’s 220-yard dash. That same year Ms. Adams finished third in the Sullivan Award voting. She capped her distinguished track career as a member of the 1960 United States National Team, competing in the XVII Olympic Games in Rome Italy. At the Rome games, she won another gold medal as a member of the 400-meter relay team. She has been elected to the Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame, the Tennessee State University Athletic Hall of Fame and in 1994 was named to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
