[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 34 (Monday, February 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                           THERESA A. MANUEL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2017

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
an extraordinary Tampa resident and Olympian, Theresa A. Manuel. While 
Ms. Manuel competed internationally in track and field, her undying 
commitment to students at home as a teacher and coach may have had an 
even greater impact on the hearts of my neighbors across the Tampa Bay 
area.
  Despite growing up during segregation, Theresa Manuel persevered 
through adversity to become the first African-American woman from 
Florida to compete in the Olympic Games. Ms. Manuel was born in 1926 in 
Port Tampa City, Florida. As a young woman, she was a star basketball 
player at Middleton High School in Tampa. Ms. Manuel had such a love 
for basketball that she would often convince neighbors to set up lamps 
at night so she and her teammates could practice on the outdoor court 
near Middleton High. She attended the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee 
University in Alabama, where she was affectionately nicknamed Trick 
Shot for her skill in basketball and in addition won multiple 
championships for the Tuskegee Track and Field team.
  In the summer before her senior year, Ms. Manuel made history by 
competing as a member of the U.S. Track and Field team at the 1948 
Olympic Games in London. She competed in the Olympics at a time when 
sports were not widely considered open to women, let alone black women. 
She represented her country with dignity and grace, and upon returning 
home she and her team proudly celebrated their success with President 
Harry Truman at the White House.
  After graduating from Tuskegee, Ms. Manuel moved back to Tampa to 
care for her ailing mother and began her 38-year career as a decorated 
teacher and coach. She was a legendary coach in Tampa. She led her 
teams to multiple state championships and was named the best coach in 
Hillsborough County in 1975, and subsequently the best in the state of 
Florida in 1976.
  Ms. Manuel continued to garner countless honors and awards throughout 
her distinguished lifetime. Some of those honors include being inducted 
into the Tuskegee Institute Hall of Fame and City of Tampa Hall of Fame 
and being named one of the ``100 Distinguished Women of Hillsborough 
County.''
  Ms. Manuel's importance to the African American community in Florida 
and indeed all Floridians transcends even her many accomplishments in 
sport. Most importantly, she will always be remembered as a great 
leader and giant matriarchal figure to the thousands of students whose 
lives she touched. She was a champion in all facets of life. On 
November 21st, 2016, Ms. Manuel passed away at the age of 90 in Tampa, 
Florida.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the citizens of the Tampa Bay community, I 
am proud to honor Ms. Theresa A. Manuel for her lifelong service and 
inspirational life.

                          ____________________