Sport: Track & Field
Born: August 1, 1962
Town: East Orange, New Jersey
Joetta Clark was born August 1, 1962 in East Orange and grew up in South Orange, NJ, as the daughter of Joe Clark—the meteoric high-school principal played by Morgan Freeman in Lean On Me. Joetta stood 5’6” and weighed 120 pounds. As a member of the Columbia High School track team, she developed a combination of speed and stamina that made her ideal for events like the 800 meters.
Joetta was the star of the Cougars track team in the late-1970s, winning the state title in the 800 and making it to the Olympic Trials in 1980. She would participate in a total of six Olympic Trials during her remarkable career. The 2:04.5 time she logged in the 800 meters as a junior stood as a national prep record for nearly three decades.
Joetta received a scholarship from the University of Tennessee, where she continued to flourish. She won the AIAW Indoor 1,000-yard championship in 1982, and the NCAA Indoor 880-yard titles in 1983 and 1984, and the NCAA Outdoor 800 in those same seasons. In all, Joetta captured 5 US Outdoor titles, 7 US Indoor titles. She also won 7 titles at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden, cheered on by throngs of friends and family, as well as two bronze medals at the World Championships. Her best personal time in the 800 was 1:57.84.
Joetta competed for the US in four Olympics—1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000. Joetta’s coach was Joe Clark Jr. (aka JJ), who also coached Hazel, her younger sister, as well as his wife (Joetta’s sister-in-law) Jearl Miles-Clark. At the 2000 Olympic Trials, the three Clarks swept the 800 final, with Joetta eking out third place with a final, desperate lunge at the age of 37.
In 2002, Joetta launched a Sports Foundation that bears her name. It promoted involvement in sports and teaches good health and positive work ethic. In 2009, Joetta was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame. That same year she authored the book Joetta’s P Principles for Success.