Marshall "Major" Taylor and Capital City Track

Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball or Jessie Owens competed in the 1936 Olympics, there was another African American who was fighting for an equal chance in sports around the turn of the twentieth century. Marshall “Major” Taylor was born on August 26, 1878 in Indianapolis, Indiana [1]. As a child, Taylor went to work with his father in the coach house of a wealthy Indianapolis family [2]. After a while, Taylor became very close with one of the boys in the family, Daniel. Because of this, he would later become Daniel’s “playmate,” which would allow him to receive many items that he could use to play with him, the most important being a bicycle [3]. A few years later, Daniel’s family moved away, and Taylor needed to find a new job. One day, Taylor was spotted by a bicycle shop owner doing stunts outside his store. Because of his skills on a bicycle, the owner hired him to perform stunts outside their store to attract customers. [4] Taylor wore a military-style costume when he performed his tricks, leading to him earning the nickname “Major”. [5] Later in 1891 his boss from the bike shop encouraged him to participate at a local race, which he surprisingly won. [6] This sparked his interest in cycling which would later lead to him becoming a professional.

Taylor set multiple world records and won multiple national championships during his sixteen-year professional career. In 1896, he set the one-mile record at Capital City Track in Indianapolis. He even won a world championship in 1899, making him only the second African American to win a world championship. [7] Taylor’s skills and accomplishments did not shield him from the realities of his time. Often Taylor would not be able to find hotel accommodations for competitions, be verbally and physically threated by other cyclists. He was even barred from many tracks around the country, including those in his hometown of Indianapolis, because of the color of his skin. [8] Sometimes race officials would even skew the results of a race to prevent Taylor from winning. [9] Even though Major Taylor faced many mental and physical struggles because of the racial tensions in the United States, he still believed that his success on the track would benefit society. He believed that his accomplishments at home and on the world stage proved that African Americans could compete at the same level as whites in the United States. Furthermore, he hoped that his story would inspire young athletes, especially young African American boys, to persevere and strive for greatness. [10] Taylor would also used his public platform to advocate for civil rights. In his 1928 autobiography he states that he hopes his accomplishments and stories help “solicit simple justice, equal rights, and a square deal for the posterity of [his] down-trodden but brave people, not only in athletic games and sports, but in every honorable game of human endeavor.” [11] 

Sadly, after he retired in 1910, Taylor faced many new challenges. [12] A few years after his career had ended, Taylor had significant financial issues. With the money he had won from cycling, Taylor began to invest in different business ventures which ended up failing causing him to lose much of his earnings. [13] In addition to this, Taylor had a hard time finding a job because there were very few opportunities available for black athletes after their careers had ended. Black athletes were not offered the endorsements or speaking opportunities their white peers may have received. [14] Because of this and his deteriorating health, Taylor would end up falling into poverty during the waning years of his life. [15] After years of facing these struggles, Marshall “Major” Taylor passed away in 1932 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Chicago. In the 1940s, many former cyclists heard about this, and used money donated by the bicycle company owner Frank Schwinn to relocate his body in order to properly remember him and his accomplishments. [16] Seventy years after his final race, his hometown of Indianapolis remembered the cycling champion by creating the Major Taylor Velodrome in the 1980s. [17] Later that same decade, Taylor’s accomplishments in the cycling world were finally recognized nationally when he was inducted into the Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1989. [18] In 2009, a historical marker was installed at at the site of the Capital City Track by the Indiana Historical Bureau, Central Indiana Bicycling Association Foundation, and Indiana State Fair Commission. [19] Through these honors and many others, Taylor’s achievements on and off the track are a great example of the role sports played in the fight toward civil rights.

After Major Taylor was inducted into the Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1989, he finally began to receive recognition for his role as a pioneer in cycling and African American civil rights. Since then he has been the subject of a number of short films including the following peice released by ESPN, which shows amazing footage of Major Taylor actually riding in a six day long endurance event.

In addition to the numerous videos that have been created, the University of Pittsburgh University Library System (ULS) currently holds a collection of scrapbooks that through newspaper clippings from American and foreign presses, document the climate of racial opinion in America and abroad as well as Taylor's reactions along with providing more factual information about professional cycling as a national and international sport. These scrapbooks have been entirely digitized and are available online via the ULS Digital Collections page here.

Marshall "Major" Taylor also wrote an autobiography, The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World, allowing us some insight into his thoughts and feelings. In the final chapter of his book, Taylor gives advice and encouragement to young black athletes who followed him: 

"In closing I wish to say that while I was sorely beset by a number of white riders in my racing days, I have also enjoyed the friendship of countless thousands of white men whom I class as among my closest friends. I made them in this country and all the foreign countries in which I competed. My personal observation and experiences indicate to me that while the majority of white people are considerate of my people, the minority are so bitter in their race prejudice that they actually overshadow the goodwill entertained for us by the majority.

Now a few words of advice to boys, and especially to those of my own race, my heart goes out to them as they face life's struggles. I can hardly express in words my deep feeling and sympathy for them, knowing as I do, the many serious handicaps and obstacles that will confront them in almost every walk of life. However, I pray they will carry on in spite of that dreadful monster prejudice, and with patience, courage, fortitude and perseverance achieve success for themselves." [19]

Student Author: Ben Wilson
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey