Milt Campbell Dies at 78: First Black Decathlon Olympic Gold Winner

Milt Campbell, 1956 Summer Games gold medallist in the decathlon, died Friday at his residence in Gainesville, Ga, at the age of 78, said sports official in statement.

News reports suggested that he died of prostate cancer.

Campbell is the first African-American to win a gold medal in the decathlon and revered as one of the greatest all-around male athletes in history. He also won the Olympic silver medal in the decathlon in 1952," said U.S.A. Track & Field organization in a press release.

Besides bagging Olympic medals, Campbell made it big other sports. He played for both the National Football League and the Canadian Football League as a member of the Cleveland Browns and Montreal Alouettes, respectively.

Campbell, a native of New Jersey, a Indiana University graduate. The Newark Star-Ledger selected him as the greatest athlete of the 20th century. He is also a member of the Black Athletes' Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

"He [Campbell] was extremely disciplined. He had huge passion. For you to win the gold you have to be so self-motivated and so self-disciplined. And you have to have a very strong mind. He literally had to train himself to have this incredible mind, to be such a positive thinker. He carried that way of life throughout his whole entire being." Linda Rusch, wife of Campbell told The Associated Press.