HOWARD DREW, LLC
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

Howard Drew was Springfield, Massachusetts' greatest track athlete and the first man to hold the title of "World's Fastest Human." He was an African-American multi-sport athlete, scholar, soldier, lawyer, judge and gentleman. Long ago Howard Drew was referred to by the Springfield Newspapers as the man who "helped make Springfield famous" Howard Drew was born in Lexington, Virginia on June 28, 1890 but was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Howard Drew likely ran in his first track meet in the summer of 1905 when he competed in [Howard Drew's gold medal from the Springfield City Games, July 4 1905] Howard Drew with Springfield High School Track Team - Junior Year Photos of Howard Drew while in high school Howard Drew - Olympian Although a bone fide high school student, Howard Drew had a wife and children to support.  When the mayor of Boston learned that Drew might not be able to go to the Olympics, he started a fund with a $25 donation.  The Springfield Newspapers wired AAU Commissioner Sullivan to make sure that if donated funds were given to Drew's family that it would not affect Drew's amateur status.  Students and citizens of Springfield were eager to help Howard Drew travel to Stockholm and the donations poured in allowing him to make the journey.   Drew went to the starting line for the 100m final but could hardly move and had to be helped back.  The trainers tried everything to get Drew in shape to run the 200m but decided that he risked permanent injury and kept him from any further running events. Jesse Owens became the first nationally-renown African-American Olympic athlete as a result of his stellar performances in 1936. Not until the 1936 Berlin Games were exponents of the American melting-pot ideology forced to address the blatant contradiction in opposing Nazi racial philosophy while doing nothing about racism at home except to use Jesse Owens as anti-Nazi propaganda. Fate stepped in one more time to deny Howard Drew his chance for Olympic glory. during the summer of 1919 near Paris where the biggest star was thought to be "sensational sprinter" Howard Drew.  Although he helped select and train the US Track Team, there is no record he ever competed.