Ed Temple statue

Welcome to First Horizon Park, the home of the Nashville Sounds. A baseball stadium may seem an unlikely place for a statue of famed track coach Ed Temple, but don’t worry, we can explain! Located at the stadium’s North Entrance, former Mayor Karl Dean said, “It’s on the greenway so it is in a [prominent] area where people will be running. . . We’re proud of Ed Temple and we want people to know we’re proud of him.” This work of public art was completed by master sculptor Brian Hanlon in 2015.

The sculpture depicts Coach Edward “Ed” Temple on one knee, holding an open book in one hand and a stopwatch in the other. WPLN news noted: “It’s a pose he likely struck countless times during his 44-year career as he imparted advice to his legendary Tigerbelle teams.” Dedicated in 2015, the 87-year old Temple was in attendance when the statue was unveiled. He said, “They’re the ones that made the statue. I didn’t run those races.” Many of his former athletes would beg to differ. They credit their success to Coach Temple’s unrelenting drive, dedication, and determination.

Ed Temple came to Nashville in 1950 and was paid $150 a month to coach the track team and run the Tennessee State University post office. His total budget was $300, and there were no athletic scholarships. To help offset tuition costs, he creatively used work-aid funding, which paid student-athletes to “work” on campus. One of those athletes was Olympian Wyomia Tyus who won multiple gold medals in 1964 and 1968. Tyus said Coach Temple ran a tight ship: “There [was] a right way, a wrong way, and his way.”

Under Temple’s leadership, 40 members of the TSU women’s track and field team competed in the Olympics—winning 23 medals. He’s one of only four coaches inducted in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Coach Temple retired in 1994, and journalist Emil Moffot best describes the significance of his career: “There was the tension of the time and a lack of full scholarships. It was before Title IX gave female sports equal funding, leaving the brown two-toned station wagon to double as the team bus.” You’ll learn more about Ed Temple and the Tigerbelles at the stop for TSU’s Olympic Plaza.

Next, we head to the Tennessee State Museum, which is free to the public. From John Lewis Way, turn LEFT onto Jefferson St. Drive three blocks then turn LEFT onto Rosa L. Parks Blvd. Once you pass the Tennessee State Museum sign turn LEFT and enter the visitor’s parking lot between the museum and the Farmer’s Market. Enter the museum and head to the second floor for the exhibit space. The women’s sports section is in the “Tennessee Transforms” gallery at the end of the permanent exhibit. To get there, you can either start at the beginning and walk through the museum gallery or go to the door that serves as the exit and backtrack to find “Tennessee Transforms,” which showcases Tennessee history from 1945 to the present.