But when you come from a large, wonderful family, there's always a way to achieve your goals.
There were good jobs, but they were never what I wanted to do. Somehow, people always thought of Wilma Rudolph as a threat.
They would say, 'If you run around too much as a girl, you'll never be able to have children.' The running was supposed to be too much strain for your body, and your body would never be the same again.
I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.
In college, I was an education major and qualified for several jobs. But the fame that came with the Olympic medals was too threatening to many people.
