Marshall “Major” Taylor: the Incredible Story of the First African

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Marshall “Major” Taylor:

The incredible story of the first African American world champion

[1] The year was 1878—the same year that bicycles were first made in the United States. It was also when Marshall Taylor was born, just outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.

[2] As a child, Taylor often joined his father at work. He helped him on a wealthy estate which was owned and run by the Southards. While there, Taylor became good friends with the family’s son. The Southards provided Taylor with clothing, private schooling, and his first bicycle.

[3] But Taylor’s life changed drastically in 1892 when the Southards moved to Chicago. In his own words, Taylor went from “the happy life of a millionaire kid to that of a common errand boy.”

[4] To help support his family, Taylor began working for a bicycle shop. In order to attract customers, Taylor would perform stunts in an army uniform. It was here that Taylor earned his nickname: “Major.”

[5] The bicycle shop owner entered Taylor into his first bicycle race at the age of 13. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Taylor won! Over the next twenty years, Taylor became one of the world’s most famous bicycle racers. By 1898, Taylor held seven world records. In 1900, he was named the National Cycling Champion.

[6] Taylor traveled around the world breaking records and earning world champion titles. At the height of his career, he was one of the highest paid athletes and “Major Taylor” became a household name.

[7] Despite his fame and talent, Taylor faced racism and discrimination. He was excluded from races. He was turned away from restaurants and hotels. He had to deal with racist insults. At one point, Taylor was not allowed to race on a track in his hometown of Indianapolis after he defeated white cyclists.

[8] Taylor retired from cycling in 1910. Once world famous, he was quickly forgotten. As a retired black athlete in the 1900s, Taylor did not have many job options. Without money coming in, he fell into poverty. In 1932, at the age of 53, Taylor died alone and penniless and was buried in an unmarked grave.

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[9] It was not until the 1980s that Taylor was finally recognized as the world’s first black cycling champion. It was during this time that he was accepted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. In addition, Indianapolis built a new cycling track and named it the Major Taylor Velodrome.

[10] In the years following his death, Taylor was awarded the Korbel Lifetime Achievement Award by USA Cycling. In addition, a statue honoring Taylor was built in Worcester, Massachusetts. Marshall “Major” Taylor was a pioneer black athlete, and his incredible achievements are finally receiving the recognition they deserve.

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