SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 22 (UPI) – Olympic gold medal sprinter Lee Evans is being treated for a brain tumor in California, a former teammate says.
Evans, who now lives in Nigeria, was visiting a sister in the San Francisco area when the tumor on his pituitary gland was discovered, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
In 1968, Evans, now 63, was one of the “Speed City” runners from San Jose State University. He and his teammates made history with the medals they picked up in Mexico City and with their open political activism. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who won gold and bronze in the 200 meters, gave Black Power salutes from the podium.
Evans won gold medals in the 400 meters and the 1,600-meter relay in 1968. He and his relay teammates wore black berets like those worn by the Black Panthers during the medal ceremony.
Carlos announced Evans’ illness in an e-mail to other Olympic athletes.
“All of our teammates want to go out and say some prayers,” Carlos said. “There’s not too much we can do but pray.”
Evans, who is married to a Liberian refugee, is trying to raise money for a school outside Monrovia. He moved to Africa to work for the United Nations after leaving his job as a coach at the University of Alabama in 2008.
Lee Evans update: He’s doing well, no longer in pain, says his sister
Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News tells me this morning: “I just talked to [sister] Rosemary and you can pass this along. Lee is doing well, no longer in pain and his vitals are stable. The hospital’s pituitary specialist is in D.C. until a week from Monday so the surgery won’t take place until then. We expect Lee to be sent home in the interim but that is not official yet. As I believe you know the tumor is benign and they want to surgically remove it going through the nasal cavity and not opening the cranial. The neurosurgeon also hopes Lee responds to medication that is shrinking the tumor.”
Lee Evans, a 1968 Olympic champion from San Jose, underwent surgery Tuesday to remove a nickel-sized tumor in his brain, the runner’s sister said.
Rosemary Evans said “all went well” with the procedure at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Evans, a member of the famed “Speed City” running group at San Jose State, entered the hospital Dec. 20 complaining of severe head pain.
Evans, 63, was visiting family when the incident occurred. He has been living in West Africa for the past four years in semiretirement. The Overfelt High alum won gold medals in the 400 meters and the 1,600 relay at the Mexico City Games.