REED, VIVIAN BROWN - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

REED, VIVIAN BROWN (1942 - 20 Aug. 1998) was a track and field star who competed in the 1964 Olympic games and later became a successful high school coach. She was born in Detroit to Lois and Cornelius Brown. Her family moved to Cleveland when she was young. She got her start in basketball and track as a child at the Portland Outhwaite Recreation Center and joined the Cleveland Division of Recreation Girls Track Team, where she competed in the Junior Olympics. She graduated from EAST TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL in 1960 and went on to Tennessee State University in Nashville on a scholarship. While there, she trained under coach Ed Temple and received a bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation in 1965 after taking a quarter off to compete in the Olympics.

Reed won a gold medal in the Pan American games in the 200 meter dash but was eliminated in the semi-finals for the event at the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. After graduating, Reed came back to coach the recreation girls track team at Portland Outhwaite Recreation Center. She later taught physical education, was a basketball and track and field coach and worked as a drug prevention counselor for the CLEVELAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS before retiring in 1993. Reed coached several championship track and field and basketball teams at John Adams High School. She was inducted into the GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS HALL OF FAME in 1976, the East Technical High School Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1998, she was honored as a Woman of Achievement during Black History Month at the Gund Arena. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Reed died at MERIDIA EUCLID HOSPITAL after suffering a heart attack. She was survived by her son Raymon Reed and is buried at Highland Park Cemetery.

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