There’s always been something special about the Olympics to me.

No, I don’t watch it religiously like I watch my other sports. It doesn’t hold the same intrigue as, say, the NFL or college football.

But there’s always been something special about seeing the greatest athletes in the world get the recognition they deserve, recognition they don’t get if their names aren’t Kobe, LeBron or Calvin.

But 60 years ago, that recognition never came for Gainesville resident Milt Campbell.

At the 1952 Games, Campbell took silver in the decathlon. Four years later, he became the first African-American to win the gold in the event. But, as illustrated in a story from Sports Illustrated in 1996, Campbell never made a penny off of his gold medal and was left off the ballot for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Hall of Fame in 1983. He was finally elected to the Hall in 1992.

Today, at 78, he’s the oldest surviving gold medalist decathlete, and an individual deserving of the recognition afforded to today’s star Olympians.

For one, he’s a winner.

Winning the decathlon isn’t like winning in other events. Sure, no one’s turning up their noses at accomplishments like the eight gold medals Michael Phelps won at the 2008 Games. But winning a decathlon takes an individual who is among the most well-rounded athletes in the world.

It consists of ten events, ranging from a 100-meter sprint and 1500-meter run to the shot put, pole vault and high jump, and requires speed, endurance, strength and agility.

Being successful enough in each of those events to win the gold is a sign of an incredible athlete. That’s why they call the winner the “World’s Greatest Athlete.”

He was also a pioneer.

In a time when race held an important place in the social dialogue, Campbell put his name among the great pioneers in athletics.

No other African-American had yet achieved what he did in 1956, and he told Sports Illustrated in 1996 that he wasn’t sure America was ready for a black man to be the greatest athlete in the world.

But he broke down that barrier and cemented his place in history.

Lastly, he’s a survivor.

Campbell was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 12 years ago when he lived in his native New Jersey. Since moving to Gainesville, he has undergone treatment for the cancer as well as side effects that damaged nerves in his right leg.

Today, we regard our Olympians as the best of the best. We know their names, we read about them in the newspapers and, for a few weeks every four years, there are no greater rock stars.

But it’s important not to forget the ones that came before them, the people that laid the groundwork for the popularity of their sports.

People like Milt Campbell not only ensured the popularity of the Olympics today, but they also made impacts in society that extended beyond the field of play.

Today, we begin to watch those that will do the same for future generations. And that’s why it’s always special to watch them compete.