Mamie Rallins, who became the first African-American woman to coach at Ohio State when she helped launch the women’s track and cross country teams in the mid-1970s, was killed in a four-vehicle accident near Port Clinton on Monday. The Chicago native was 74.
Rallins, who competed collegiately at Tennessee State, arrived at Ohio State in 1976 after having competed as a hurdler at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. She coached 60 Big Ten indoor and outdoor champions at Ohio State, as well as 24 All-Americans, nine Olympic qualifiers and one Olympian (Stephanie Hightower) during an 18-year career.
Rallins was returning from Columbus to her Port Clinton home after attending the Big Ten Championships in Nebraska when her 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit crossed center on Route 53 and crashed into a semi, then continued left of center and crashed into a second semi that ricocheted her vehicle into a four-door hatchback before coming to rest, according to an Ohio Highway Patrol release.