Joetta Clark Diggs, four-time Olympian and New Jersey Hall of Fame inductee, is the recipient of Felician University’s 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award.

Joetta Clark Diggs and President Prisco

In her legendary 24-year elite career as a half-mile runner, Mrs. Clark Diggs represented the United States of America at the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.  The New Jersey-native established the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation in 2002 to promote involvement with physical activities for girls and boys in grades K-12. The Foundation is committed to teaching good health and positive work ethics associated with participation in sports. In addition, it strives to introduce different opportunities to children in the sports and entertainment industries and focuses on the correlation between academics and athletics.

Mrs. Clark Diggs is also the President of Joetta Sports & Beyond, LLC, where she delivers messages of health, fitness and empowerment to corporations, colleges, medical programs and civic organizations. In 2009, she authored her first book, Joetta’s “P” Principles for Success: Life Lessons Learned from Track & Field. The acclaimed book has been considered a tremendous resource to corporate executives and an inspiration to youth.

“In honoring Joetta Clark Diggs, we also recognize and cherish the strength and power of women leaders throughout our nation and the world,” said Felician University President, Dr. Anne Prisco. “By uniquely fusing the synergistic elements of athletics and education, Joetta has positively impacted the lives of some 50,000-young people.”

Mrs. Clark Diggs is a graduate of University of Tennessee, where she was a nine-time NCAA champion and 15-time All-American. She would later be inducted into the UT Hall of Fame in 2001.

• An individual whose life’s work reflects and promotes the University’s core values – especially passion for issues related to social justice, civil rights and economic equality
• A personal mission in life that also embodies the mission and values of the University’s Felician/Franciscan heritage – compassion, justice and peace, and finding goodness in all God’s creation
• A person who compels all people to give the gift of hope

Watch video of 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award Presentation.