Joshua Culbreath (September 14, 1932 – July 1, 2021) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 meter hurdles—the national outdoor champion from 1953 to 1955; three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays in the same years, and Olympic bronze medal winner in 1956, while he was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; and world record holder in 1957. Culbreath was inducted into the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Early life
Culbreath was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, on September 14, 1932.
He began running the hurdles in high school and in 1951 was ranked second in the U.S. in the 200 yard low hurdles and was the Pennsylvania's state high school champion in that event.

Culbreath graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Morgan State College, where he was the USA Outdoor champion in the 400m hurdles for three consecutive years—1953, 1954, and 1955. He was also a three-time winner of the event in the Penn Relays during the same years, the last time this has been accomplished.  Culbreath later received a Master of Arts degree in education from Temple University.

Career
Culbreath served in the United States Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958.  During his time in the Marine Corps, he competed for the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia in the 400 metre hurdles where he won the bronze medal.  He also won several military and NATO track and field medals. He set the world records in the hurdles in 1956 and 1957—in the 300 yard Oval Grass Track, set in Bendigo, Australia in  1956 and in the 440 yard hurdles, set in Oslo, Norway in 1957.

Culbreath became the track and field coach at Central State University in 1988.  He went on to coach his team to ten NAIA championships.  Four of his athletes competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, including the 400m hurdles gold medalist, Deon Hemmings.  After his time coaching at Central State, he became the athletic director at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Personal life
Culbreath had five children: Sandra, Khaliq, Maliq, Jahan and Camille.  Jahan followed in his father's footsteps and became an All-American 400 m hurdler, as well as the coach at Central State.  Khaliq predeceased Culbreath after being hit by a vehicle while cross-country cycling.

He made two guest appearances on The Cosby Show, playing the character Colonel Sanford B. "Tailwind" Turner, Cliff Huxtable's college track rival.

Culbreath died on July 1, 2021, under hospice care in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He was 88, and suffered a period of declining health prior to his death.

See also
 
 Edwin Moses, 1976 and 1984 American 400m hurdles Olympic gold medalist

References

External links
 
 

1932 births
2021 deaths
American male hurdlers
Sportspeople from Norristown, Pennsylvania
African-American male track and field athletes
Athletes (track and field) at the 1955 Pan American Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games
Morgan State University alumni
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field
United States Marines
American masters athletes
Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania
Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people