Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars

Dr. Keith Wunderlich shares the life and legacy of D.L. Holmes, athletic director of what is now Wayne State University from 1917 though 1958. With a meager budget and outdated equipment, Coach Holmes nurtured a generation of track and field Olympians and world record holders in Detroit, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religious background. Wunderlich is co-author of Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars . Related Resources: Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars Related Collections: Wayne State University Collegian Newspapers (WSR001897) Wayne State University Yearbooks (WSR002149) Episode Credits Interviewee: Keith Wunderlich Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English Music: Bart Bealmear

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Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars is an episode from Tales from the Reuther Library by Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.

This episode is 53:04 long.

This episode was published on Sep 11, 2025.

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