By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Judy Dyer has made a life out of overcoming obstacles. A metaphor for her life would be when she climbed over a fence to try out the hurdles assembled on the Washburn University track, even though her coach told her he didn’t want her to try the event.
Topeka High graduate and former Olympian Judy Dyer will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on July 18. [File photo/TSN]
Without a track team – or any girls sports teams – in the Topeka Public Schools in the early 1960s, Dyer’s only outlet was to compete in track with a club team known as the Topeka Cosmopolitans. She did most of her training on her own and pushed herself to compete against her four brothers.
A Black girl growing up at that time might have seen too many barriers in her path to success, but Dyer didn’t see it that way.
“I still look back at it today when I come to any obstacle that I may have in my life,” Dyer said. “I tell myself, ‘If I can make it to the Olympics and jump over eight hurdles with three steps in between and make it to the highest level, I can do anything.’ It's the mindset. You know, you have to want it in life.”
Dyer applied that desire to a stellar track career that earned her a place among the greatest athletes in state history. On July 25, Dyer will be enshrined in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Wichita.
What started out as a way to get out of the house at nine years of age turned into an outlet into which she poured her heart and soul. Dyer trained with boys sprinting in the halls of Topeka High and racing around the block under the watchful eyes of her brothers. Her club coach initially targeted her because of her coordination. With no opportunities to play team sports like basketball, softball or volleyball, Dyer gave track and field her all.
“I was a pioneer in those days because we only had a club. We didn't have a team,” Dyer said. “We didn't have all the equipment. We didn't know how to basically train, but we actually had natural talent. And that's what we thrived on was the natural talent.”
Already a nationally-ranked long-jumper and an accomplished sprinter by age 17, Dyer had to convince her club coach to allow her to compete in the hurdles. It proved a fortuitous decision. During her senior year of high school, she won the 60-yard hurdles at a meet in Kansas City and caught the eye of the coach of Texas Southern University, who offered her a full-ride scholarship.
The 1966 Topeka High graduate enjoyed a decorated college career that culminated with a trip to the 1968 Olympic Trials in California. Fortune shined upon Dyer when, despite finishing fifth in the 80-meter hurdles, she was bumped up to the Olympic team by injuries to other runners. Competing in the Mexico City games in October of 1968, Dyer made it to the semifinal round where her best time placed her in the top 15 fastest hurdlers in the world.
A pulled muscle derailed Dyer’s pursuit of a spot on the 1972 Olympic team, but it didn’t alter her upward trajectory in life. She earned a master’s degree from Texas Southern and embarked upon a successful business and counseling career. For three years in the 1980s, Dyer owned and operated Simply Julia’s Fitness Center on Southwest Gage Boulevard. A longtime resident of Houston, Dyer retired in 2020, but remains active in a variety of advisory roles.
Dyer has received a host of honors for her track and field success, but she said being recognized in her home state is special.
“This one validates who I am. It validates that this is where I came from,” Dyer said. “For the people from home to recognize you for what you've done, the hard work that you've achieved, it's wonderful. It's like winning the lottery. I'm so grateful and thankful for all the people of Topeka and in the state that have supported me throughout my career.”
This year, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is inducting 32 new members at three separate ceremonies. Dyer and nine others will be honored at the Kansas Star Casino near Wichita. Information about the ceremonies is available online at www.kshof.org.
