Born December 9, 1894, Yankton, SD. Died April 16, 1955.

One of the pioneer coaches of women's track and field during a four-decade period, Cleve Abbott was the head coach at Tuskegee Institute from 1936 to 1955, a period in which his Golden Tigers won 14 national team outdoor titles, including eight in a row. Among his star athletes were several who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame -- Alice Coachman, Mildred McDaniel and Nell Jackson. Tuskegee athletes won 49 indoor and outdoor individual titles and a half dozen were on the Olympic team. Coachman won the 1948 Olympic Games high jump title and McDaniel repeated that feat in 1956 with a world-record clearance. Abbott was still coaching Tuskegee when he died. Besides being an outstanding coach, Abbott served on the women's committee of the old National AAU (one of USA Track & Field's predecessors) and twice was on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Committee. He is also a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.