University renames field to honor Allyson Felix

The University is naming one of its sports fields in honor of USC alumna Allyson Felix, an Olympian who earned the most Olympic medals of any track and field athlete in United States history, President Carol Folt announced Wednesday.

Already a professional runner by the time she attended USC, Felix pursued an undergraduate degree in education while beginning her tenure at the World Championships, where she became the most decorated athlete with 20 medals, seven from individual events and 13 from team relays. Her 4×400 gold medal win at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — the fifth consecutive Olympic games where she medaled — marked her 11th medal overall and broke her tie with Carl Lewis as the most decorated track and field athlete in American history.

“The Allyson Felix Field will recognize her immense achievements as a sports legend and Trojan — while also showing our admiration for her role as an entrepreneur, advocate and champion for women,” Folt said in a press release. “My hope is that students playing on the Allyson Felix Field — or just walking by — will see her name prominently displayed and be curious to learn more about her talent, grit and generosity.”

Previously known as Cromwell Field and located at the center of the Katherine B. Loker Stadium, the field serves as a central hub for the men’s and women’s track and field teams, as well as for recreational sports and groups, including the Trojan Marching Band and the ROTC. The field was originally named after Dean Cromwell, USC’s track and field coach from 1909 to 1948 who coached the team to 12 national track and field championships. 

Cromwell is associated with the removal of two Jewish athletes from the relay team during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, a move that many athletes later said was fueled by anti-Semitism. In his book, “Championship Techniques in Track and Field,” Cromwell also described Black athletes as “primitive.”

“We’re in an evolving process as a University,” Folt said in an interview with the Daily Trojan Wednesday. “There are many, many parts of the University that haven’t been named that people have strong opinions about.”

The naming pays tribute to Felix’s ties to the University and to Los Angeles, her hometown. Quoted in the press release, Felix recalled taking walks around campus with her grandmother and older brother as a little girl. Her brother went on to graduate from USC and she followed in his footsteps.

“For me to be born and raised in Los Angeles and have such a history at USC, I am just completely humbled,” Felix said. “It’s such a huge honor to be a part of history in the campus, and it’s such a special place for me.”

In addition to her successful career as an athlete, Felix is also an advocate for women’s rights and has brought attention to the issues facing athletes of color. Felix became vocal about the unequal conditions BIPOC athletes face compared to white athletes during contract negotiations after personal experience opened her eyes to the injustice. Felix was also inspired to advocate in support of maternal health, including raising awareness of the higher burden of poor pregnancy outcomes among Black women and high child care costs, after becoming a mother in 2018.

Paula Cannon, an associate professor of microbiology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC who leads the renaming committee for the University, called Felix “the ultimate Trojan” in the press release.

“For me to be born and raised in Los Angeles and have such a history at USC, I am just completely humbled.”

Allyson Felix, USC alumna and five-time Olympian

“[Felix] graduated with a degree from Rossier, crushed it at multiple Olympics and international competitions and bravely stood up for what she knew was right when her employer did not,” Cannon said. “It will be so wonderful that the field she walked around as a little girl from the neighborhood will be named in her honor.”

Folt also noted the historical significance of Felix, whom she said was a “beautiful example” of Trojan values, being chosen for the field’s renaming.

“We haven’t had many women or people of color who have been in our most honored positions on buildings and names over time,” Folt said. “I love that we did this during fifty years of Title IX. There’s all sorts of wonderful connections.”

Felix said she believes the multifaceted reasoning behind the renaming, an honor usually reserved for major donors, makes it even more special to her. 

“To have discussions about the renaming [of the track] because of my character, my integrity, and for fighting for women, is something that doesn’t happen,” Felix said. “It just really shows what USC values. I feel proud of the things that I’ve stood for, and it makes me proud to be an alumna because of the direction the school is going.”

Last year, Felix received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from USC and delivered the Class of 2022 commencement speech. In her speech, she emphasized that “there are times when you’ll ask for change, and there are times when you’ll have to create it.”

The University will hold a formal dedication of the newly renamed “Allyson Felix Field” this spring.

Update: This article was updated Jan. 18 at 10:37 p.m. to include an interview with University President Carol Folt.