Flora Hyman

 Flora “Flo” Hyman was an Olympic silver medalist volleyball player. She was one of the greatest of her time period, while unknowingly suffering from Marfan Syndrome. She made history in the volleyball community and brought attention to women of color in sports. Flo Hyman was the most influential women’s volleyball player of her time because she was an Olympian, a civil rights activist, and she brought awareness to her illness. 

    Hyman was an Olympic silver medalist who accomplished many things within the volleyball community. Flo was gifted with many awards to show her incredible athletic achievements. Furthermore, “In 1985, she was named one of the All-Time Great Volleyball Players, as she had been named All World and had been selected as MVP in countless international tournaments, in addition to being named to various All-Star Teams during her playing career”(“Black”). This statistic is a great reference for how truly talented she was. The entire world recognized and appreciated her for what she was able to do. If she wasn’t skilled she wouldn’t have been able to attain so many honors. Furthermore, she made impacts on her corner of the world that outlived her. The National Girls and Women in Sports Dat (NGWSD) was created to honor Hyman’s fight for equality in sports as well as her athletic achievements (Verner). Organizations were made in her name and as a tribute to her. There was no other volleyball player of her time that was even able to come close to what she did. Sports Illustrated writer Nancy Foley wrote, "Hyman was known for her awe-inspiring spiking abilities, her equally strong defensive skills, and her personal integrity and charisma (“Flora”). This shows how she was not only an extremely talented volleyball player, but she also had a great personality and was a good person. Her integrity and charisma shows what type of person she was even off the court. Overall, Flo Hyman’s athletic accomplishments were untouchable by any other player during that time. 

     Flo Hyman was not only a great volleyball player, she was a civil rights activist and fought for equality in the sports world. This is supported when Hyman joined a civil rights leader named Coretta Scott King, Geraldine Ferraro, who was a Democratic vice- presidential candidate, and Sally Ride to fight for women's sports causes and the Civil Rights Restoration Act during the presidential election (“Flora”). Flo felt that women should have equal opportunities as men playing sports. Even though she was very busy with volleyball, she still found time to fight for what she wanted and was a very determined person. This act was a prominent part of history and knowing that Flo Hyman was a part of it shows the great woman she was. Not only was she a leader, she also was the first woman to get a sports scholarship at the University of Houston. Author Chimsima Zuhri says, “Hyman attended the University of Houston as that school’s first female scholarship athlete and was a three-time All-American selection” (Zuhri). This shows how she fought for equality because it might have been scary to be the first female to get a scholarship to the University of Houston. She had to go against the normal and accept that she is the start to a better education for females. She had the option to decline the scholarship and take the safe route, but she was brave enough to accept it. Flo also fought for equality by joining another female athlete to strengthen Title IX. This is shown when, “Hyman and Cheryl Miller, a basketball standout at the University of Southern California and later a broadcaster, testified on Capitol Hill in Washington on behalf of strengthening Title IX, the break-through 1972 legislation that prohibited sex discrimination by athletic programs in universities that receive federal funding”(“Hyman”). This evidence supports how Flo fought for equality by expressing that she and another female athlete worked together to fight against discrimination. She was dedicated to getting equality in sports. By strengthening Title IX, she gave more girls and women in sports opportunities to be great. In conclusion, Flo was an athlete that also pushed for a better world.

      She brought awareness and attention to the silent killer, Marfan’s Syndrome. Throughout Flo’s life she was thought to be extremely fit and healthy. One day in 1986, all of that changed. During a game for her Japanese league, Hyman collapsed and died prematurely at the age of 31 (“Black”). This was devastating to the USA team and the entire athletic world. She was one of the greatest players of the time. For her to drop dead in the middle of a game was very disturbing and eye-opening for the world. After her death it was revealed that she died because of Marfan’s Syndrome. Marfan’s Syndrome is a genetic disease that damages blood vessels and bones. However, it was not all for nothing because, “Her death brought attention to a disease that was little known in the mid-1980s… about 50,000 Americans had Marfan syndrome in 2005, and an additional 200,000 have related connective-tissue disorders”(“Hyman”). Many people have started to look for and notice the symptoms of Marfan’s Syndrome. If it is noticed and diagnosed the disease can be treated and the person’s life can be extended. Hyman’s own brother underwent treatment and survived, due to early detection (“Hyman”). This shows how she didn’t die in vain. She was able to save her brother and other people who have symptoms. All in all, her death saved many people and brought much needed attention to an awful disease.  

    Flora Hyman was a powerful volleyball player and an important woman in history, as well as an attention giver to a lesser known illness. Her great accomplishments that she made were used to shape the world as it is today. Flora was greatly overlooked but she truly was an outstanding woman and really shook up the volleyball world as a great player. She had dreams and a strong desire to end discrimination against women of color while also persevering to be a great athlete.