Bowling Green State University Athletics
BG Athletics Celebrates Black History Month: Kim (Jamison) Carter
February 05, 2016 | General, Women's Track and Field, Hall of Fame
Throughout the month of February, BGSUFalcons.com will be highlighting some of the African-Americans who have impacted the University, the community and the athletics department. From pioneers to more recent members of the department, Matt Markey will be providing the stories of our history. Today's feature story highlights Falcon track and field star Kim (Jamison) Carter.
Previous Feature Stories
Carlos Jackson
Kim Jamison didn't know if she would be happy at Bowling Green, since the school wasn't the first choice of the highly-regarded track athlete. However, that feeling of uncertainty disappeared quickly, and she settled into her new home and became a record-setting sprinter for the Falcons.
"I wasn't sure at the start, but once I got there I loved it," she said. "Everybody there was about getting their education. Everybody was helpful."
The Toledo native said that she was part of one of the first large groups of African-American students to come to BGSU, but that the racial makeup of the student body was never an issue for her.
"I thought I might run into some prejudice, but I did not. There might have been some things going on that I wasn't aware of, but I did not encounter it. Bowling Green had a strong Black Student Union at the time, and it worked to make sure there was equality across the board."
The 1985 graduate set school records in seven events while competing for the Falcons. Her 11.59 seconds time in the 100 meters, set in 1984, remains the BGSU record more than 30 years after she established that mark. She owns three of the eight fastest times ever posted by a Bowling Green athlete in the 100 meters, and her 200 meter best of 24.02 seconds is the third-fastest in school history.
Jamison was just a freshman at BG in 1981 when she ran on the 880-yard relay team that qualified for a national championship meet, and she followed that up by winning both the 100 and 200-meter dashes in the MAC outdoor championships. She also was part of the winning 400-meter relay team that year, playing a big role in the Falcons winning the MAC title.
She sat out the 1982 season, took second in the MAC in the 200-meters in 1983, and then capped her career in 1984 by winning both the 100 and 200-meter races at the MAC championships, and running a leg on BG's record-setting 400-meter relay team.
Jamison, who is married to BGSU alum Lance Carter, said she was able to balance academics and athletics due to a very strong support network on campus.
"The professors were very open to helping you when you needed it, and the focus was always on education," she said. "There was a lot of help for athletes, and there were study circles and other activities that kept the focus on your education. I enjoyed the athletic experience, and the educational experience, as well."
She received a degree in social work and has spent nearly 30 years in her career field, working with troubled youth in Columbus. Jamison Carter was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
"My experience at BG helped me mature, grow up, and really prepared me for my career," she said. "I worked while I was in school, I volunteered, and I really learned to do things on my own. I always recommend Bowling Green to people, and if I could, I'd go back."
Previous Feature Stories
Carlos Jackson
Kim Jamison didn't know if she would be happy at Bowling Green, since the school wasn't the first choice of the highly-regarded track athlete. However, that feeling of uncertainty disappeared quickly, and she settled into her new home and became a record-setting sprinter for the Falcons.
"I wasn't sure at the start, but once I got there I loved it," she said. "Everybody there was about getting their education. Everybody was helpful."
The Toledo native said that she was part of one of the first large groups of African-American students to come to BGSU, but that the racial makeup of the student body was never an issue for her.
"I thought I might run into some prejudice, but I did not. There might have been some things going on that I wasn't aware of, but I did not encounter it. Bowling Green had a strong Black Student Union at the time, and it worked to make sure there was equality across the board."
The 1985 graduate set school records in seven events while competing for the Falcons. Her 11.59 seconds time in the 100 meters, set in 1984, remains the BGSU record more than 30 years after she established that mark. She owns three of the eight fastest times ever posted by a Bowling Green athlete in the 100 meters, and her 200 meter best of 24.02 seconds is the third-fastest in school history.
Jamison was just a freshman at BG in 1981 when she ran on the 880-yard relay team that qualified for a national championship meet, and she followed that up by winning both the 100 and 200-meter dashes in the MAC outdoor championships. She also was part of the winning 400-meter relay team that year, playing a big role in the Falcons winning the MAC title.
She sat out the 1982 season, took second in the MAC in the 200-meters in 1983, and then capped her career in 1984 by winning both the 100 and 200-meter races at the MAC championships, and running a leg on BG's record-setting 400-meter relay team.
Jamison, who is married to BGSU alum Lance Carter, said she was able to balance academics and athletics due to a very strong support network on campus.
"The professors were very open to helping you when you needed it, and the focus was always on education," she said. "There was a lot of help for athletes, and there were study circles and other activities that kept the focus on your education. I enjoyed the athletic experience, and the educational experience, as well."
She received a degree in social work and has spent nearly 30 years in her career field, working with troubled youth in Columbus. Jamison Carter was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
"My experience at BG helped me mature, grow up, and really prepared me for my career," she said. "I worked while I was in school, I volunteered, and I really learned to do things on my own. I always recommend Bowling Green to people, and if I could, I'd go back."
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Saturday, January 13