Coage, Allen J.

Judo

b. Oct. 22, 1942, New York, NY

Coage took up judo when he was twenty-two and in little more than a year he won the 1965 national heavyweight championship. He was also the champion in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1975.

He won the bronze medal in the heavyweight class at the 1976 Olympic Games, becoming the first black to win an individual medal in a sport other than boxing or track. Coage was the Pan-American Games heavyweight champion in 1967 and 1975.

Since retiring from competition, he has often served as a bodyguard for Aretha Franklin and other entertainers.