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Fame for winning three straight victories in the college men's 400-me- ter hurdles during his college career. In 2008, he was enshrined in the U.S. Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, and U.S. Con- gressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) presented a resolution honoring Culbreath during a session of Congress. In 2008, Central State University named its outdoor track as the Josh Culbreath Track. Edward Waters College
"I was the shortest guy in the hurdles, but I knew about those hurdles better than anybody else because of my stature."
bestowed an honorary doctor of humane letters to Culbreath. In 2016, he served as the honorary carnival referee at the Penn Relays, where he was also cel- ebrated the 60th anniversary of his three consecutive wins. He received the B'Nai B'rith Brotherhood Award, Let- ters of Citation from the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Norristown, PA, proclaim a day in 1959 as "Joshua Culbreath Day" in their city. He is a member of the Montgomery County (PA) Coaches Hall of Fame, the Central State University Hall of Fame, and the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. In 1994, U.S. Senator John Glenn (R-OH) invited the Central State University Athletic Department to a White House Rose Garden ceremony where Culbreath met President Bill Clinton. The Cosby Show Culbreath had two guest appear- ances on "The Cosby Show," where he played the character Col. Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, Cliff Huxtable's col- lege track rival. Brother Joshua Culbreath is prede- ceased by his parents and son Khaliq. He is survived by his children Sandra, Camille, Jahan, and Maliq; brother Ernest Culbreath, sister Wilhelmina Barnes; four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Culbreath won gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles at the Pan American Games in 1955 and 1959. Later, he defeated Russian competitors in the heralded first U.S.-U.S.S.R. Games. Culbreath, who earned an M.A. degree in education from Temple Uni- versity, coached the men's and women's track team at Central State University (CSU). He taught and coached in the Norristown School District. From 1988-1996, he led the CSU Maraud- ers teams to ten NAIA championships. The CSU women grabbed national crowns in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997, with indoor titles in 1993 and 1996. The men won national cham- pionships in 1993 and indoor titles in 1993 and 1994. After leaving Central State, Culbreath led the Morehouse College Athletic Department as its director. In the 1996 Summer Olym- pics in Atlanta, GA, four of his athletes participated, including Deon Hem- mings, who won a gold medal for the 400-meter hurdles. Culbreath also served as a communi- ty leader by helping in the development and implementation of Plans for Prog- ress in Philadelphia, a forerunner of the national Affirmative Action Program. He also assisted in developing affirmative
action and equal employment opportu- nity programs for the Sperry/Unisys Cor- poration. He was an administrator with the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Programs, Worldwide Headquarters of Sperry-Univac in Blue Bell, PA. On the international stage, he represented the United States as a lecturer, coach, and sports ambassador in Iraq and India. He did humanitarian work with the International Cultural Exchange Program, which resulted in a groundbreaking integrated competi- tion in Africa between Black and White athletes who raced in Northern and Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. In the United States, he led integration ef- forts in Hollywood, FL, using his stature as a record-setting athlete and talent as a communicator to unite people in that community. His work produced integration in housing complexes and at sporting events. Achievements In addition to his Olympic bronze medal and track & field records, Culbreath received numerous awards and accolades. In 1975, Morgan State University inducted him into this Hall of Fame. In 1994, Culbreath was inducted into the Penn Relays Wall of
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