Olympians with intriguing pre- and post-games lives

<p dir="ltr">The pageantry, competition and drama of the <strong><a href= "https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee">Tokyo Summer Olympics</a></strong> was supposed to be underway at this point, concluding with a closing ceremony on Aug. 9. Instead, the games have been postponed until July 23-Aug. 8 2021 due to the<strong> Covid-19 pandemic</strong> - and some analysts have speculated they may not even happen then.</p> <p dir="ltr">Regardless, Hoosier History Live will spotlight Olympians with connections to Indiana who competed in an array of sports for more than 100 years. Rather than focusing on superstars such as <strong>Mark Spitz</strong>, the swimmer who captured a then-record seven gold medals at the <strong><a href= "https://www.olympic.org/munich-1972">1972 Munich Olympics</a></strong>, or basketball sensation <strong>Larry Bird</strong> and others on the "Dream Team" of the <strong><a href= "https://www.olympic.org/barcelona-1992">1992 Barcelona Olympics</a></strong>, we will explore Olympians whose lives, before or after the games in which they competed, involved compelling - and sometimes little-known - personal stories.</p> <p dir="ltr">Among the stories of Hoosier-connected Olympic athletes we'll explore: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">A gold medalist in the long jump who grew up in poverty and recently retired, at age 89, from a career as a dentist at <strong><a href= "https://www.in.gov/fssa/dmha/3333.htm">Logansport State Hospital</a></strong>.</li> <li dir="ltr">The first <strong>African-American</strong> gold medalist in the decathlon who, after the <strong><a href= "https://www.olympic.org/melbourne-stockholm-1956">1956 Melbourne Olympics</a></strong>, became a pro football player - and, according to several accounts, was fired for marrying a white woman.</li> <li dir="ltr">Hoosier athletes who followed up their Olympics experiences by becoming FBI agents and, in at least one case, a Navy SEAL.</li> </ul> <p dir="lt