Flo Hyman

Flo Hyman was the captain of the 1984 Olympic volleyball team. This team went on to win the first U.S. medal in volleyball. In the 1981 World Cup, Hyman was named best hitter. She has been on the All-World Cup Team and recognized as one of the best in the world. Flo Hyman is known for her "dignity, spirit, and commitment to excellence. She pushed for the passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, which protects against sex discrimination in high school and college athletic programs. Also, she was a leader in promoting opportunities for women athletes (NGWSD, 1998).

Sadly, the one thing Hyman is most remembered for is her tragic death from Marfan's Syndrome, an inherited disease. Hyman was playing in Japan in 1986. During a substitution, she left the game, sat on the bench, and slid to the floor. She was dead, apparently from a heart attack. After an autopsy was performed, they found that Marfan's Syndrome killed the 6'5" athlete (Demak, 1986).

Marfan's Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that affects a person's bones, ligaments, eyes, heart, and lungs. The disease tends to gravitate toward tall, lanky people, like Hyman. Other characteristics of the disease are long arms and fingers, deformities of the breastbone, and near-sightedness. Hyman was nearsighted, but there was not another single sign of the disease. She passed her physicals with flying colors. No one had detected the small weak spot in her aorta. The artery burst. Her blood pressure had risen too high, and the weak spot could not withstand the increased force. The high pressured flow ripped the aorta apart. People with Marfan's Syndrome have less than half of normal life expectancy. Hyman was lucky to live so long playing such an aggressive sport (Demak, 1986).

The Flo Hyman Memorial Award was established in 1987. It is awarded to athletes who show Flo's "dignity, spirit, and commitment to excellence." It is awarded annually in Washington, D.C. by the Women's Sports Foundation. Some recipients include Mary Lou Retton, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Chris Evert (NGWSD, 1998)

Flo Hyman loved her sport more than anything. She once said, "You're only young once, and you can only do this once" (Demak, 1986)

References

Demak, R. (1986). Marfan Syndrome: A silent killer. Sports illustrated. [Online]. Available: http://www.marfan.org/vol04/flo.html.

(1997). FIVB's 100 year history of volleyball. Volleyball hall of fame. [Online]. Available: http://www.volleyhall.org/FIVB.htm.

(1998). NGWSD Flo Hyman history. AAHPERD. [Online]. Available: http://www.aahperd.org/nagws/history.htm.

Plowden, M.W. (1996). Olympic black women. Pelican Publishing Company.

Flo Hyman

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Further Readings