Hall of Fame
By all appearances, Dr. Ekido J. MaCaulay is a normal man and, as such, is outfitted with a head, a torso and two arms... but it is those legs that may not be human. To the ordinary eye, they look like human legs, but Macaulay's accomplishments in field events suggest that his legs were really springs. A student from Nigeria, MaCaulay transferred to Coe in 1975 and gravitated toward sports. In the fall of that year he played soccer but when the weather turned cold, he went indoors to show off his talents. At the 1976 Midwest Conference Indoor Track Championships, his legs propelled him to titles in the Long Jump, High Jump and Triple Jump. He set the school record in the long jump at 23 feet, 4 inches, a mark that still stands today. At the outdoor championships held that same year, MaCaulay sprung his way to championships in the same events. The following school year, he did it all over again and was awarded the Forest Rittgers Award of Excellence. By the time he graduated, MaCaulay had lettered in both soccer and track and won a total of 12 conference championships in jumping events. Every time he jumped his way to a title, MaCaulay would earn another Thelma Lamb Award, a gold shoe that was given by Coe's legendary Harris Lamb. His strong legs weighed down with those 12 gold shoes, carried him across the stage in 1977 to pick up both his diploma and the award for Coe's Most Valuable Athlete. After leaving Coe, MaCaulay attended Illinois State to complete his master's degree in Political Science before leaping off to the University of Cincinnati for a Ph.D. in that same field. In his graduate programs, he researched the economies and political structures of Nigeria and other West African countries. Upon completion of his dissertation, MaCaulay returned to Nigeria where he jumped into government service. He has served as an educator, advisor and leader for his country. Today he lives in Texas, where he is a consultant for the Ford Foundation and other organizations on issues of race and ethnicity. MaCaulay's many achievements have shown that determination and motivation lead to greater success whether it is in jumping as far as possible or in leading a country to its fullest potential.
