Podcast Summary:

New Books Network: Brian Hallstoos — "Sol Butler: An Olympian's Odyssey through Jim Crow America"
Aired: February 17, 2026 | Host: Craig Gill | Guest: Brian Hallstoos

Episode Overview

In this episode, Craig Gill interviews Brian Hallstoos, historian and professor at the University of Dubuque, about his new biography Sol Butler: An Olympian's Odyssey through Jim Crow America (University of Illinois Press, 2026). Hallstoos shares Butler's extraordinary but often overlooked story as a Black athlete during the Jim Crow era—a multi-sport star, Olympian, journalist, mentor, and civil rights pioneer. The discussion explores how Butler navigated racial barriers, pushed for integration, and sustained a decades-long engagement with sports and activism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of the Project

• Hallstoos describes the origins of his interest in Sol Butler, tracing it to an academic encounter in 2013 which led to the accumulation of rare primary documents on Butler and other Black athletes.
• Encouraged by fellow historians, he undertook a decade-long research project, often combining family travels with research trips (02:21–04:52).

2. Purpose & Ambition of the Book

• Hallstoos frames Butler as both a "civil rights hero" and a "sports hero," arguing that Butler used athletics as a tool for dismantling segregation and promoting social change.

• He hopes readers will find inspiration in Butler’s resilience, drawing parallels between past and current struggles for racial justice (05:04–06:24).

  "I want people to see him as a civil rights hero... that sports is a tool for opening doors and pushing back against segregation."
  — Brian Hallstoos (05:04)

3. Who Was Sol Butler? Spark Notes Biography

• Born 1895, died 1954; his life brackets the Jim Crow era (Plessy v. Ferguson to Brown v. Board).

• Butler was a world-class long jumper, narrowly missing Olympic gold due to injury, and starred in football, basketball, and later in boxing.

• His career included stints in early NFL teams (with Jim Thorpe), all-Black basketball teams, and as a journalist, coach, and mentor (06:43–09:55).

  "He probably should have been the first Black Olympian to win an individual gold, if not for injury."
  — Brian Hallstoos (09:32)

4. Butler as Athlete-Entrepreneur & Innovator

• Hallstoos coins the term "sports entrepreneur" to better encapsulate Butler’s legacy—not only as an athlete but as an innovator and persistent agent for inclusion.
• Butler continually found ways to participate in and shape the sporting world, including pushing for women's sporting opportunities (10:36–12:51).

5. Family Background and Upbringing

• Butler's father was born into slavery in Alabama; the family fled racist violence in Memphis before settling in Kansas.
• Family prioritization of mobility and education enabled Sol and his siblings to pursue integrated schooling and athletic opportunities (13:08–15:27).

6. Respectability Politics and Navigating the Spotlight

• Butler was acutely aware of public scrutiny, especially as a Black athlete during Jim Crow.

• Drawing lessons from his mother and the example of Jack Johnson, Butler adopted humility and civic-mindedness as tactical choices to further his career and the race (16:20–19:38).

  "He approached sports during this time with great humility... but he was not subservient."
  — Brian Hallstoos (16:20)

7. Teenage Authorship: The Memoir as Activism

• As high schoolers, Sol and his brother Ben published a memoir to bolster their college prospects and assert their ambition to become "race leaders."

• The work serves both as family self-narrative and evidence of strategy within the Black community for advancement during segregation (21:05–23:42).

  "They saw writing this book as a tool to get them into higher education... They want to be race leaders."
  — Brian Hallstoos (21:10)

8. Path to College and Experience at Dubuque German College

• Butler came to Dubuque likely with the intent to transfer; found unexpected safety and support in its international, Presbyterian culture (27:00–30:08).
• Despite being one of very few Black students, he engaged in campus activities with an unusual level of acceptance for the era (30:30–33:21).

9. Race, Representation & the Inter-Allied Games

• In 1919, Butler competed in the Inter-Allied Games in France, winning gold in long jump.
• The Games symbolized racial progress, but the reality for Black soldiers remained harsh—segregation persisted even in cosmopolitan Paris (33:21–36:35).

10. 1920 Olympics and the Move to Urban Black America

• After injury at the 1920 Olympics, Butler shifted from collegiate and amateur athletics to professional sports, journalism, and entrepreneurship in major Black urban centers (Chicago, NYC, LA).
• He moved from integrated teams to all-Black teams amidst intensifying segregation in the 1920s and 1930s (37:11–39:33).

11. Journalism & Activism in the Black Press

• Butler used platforms like the Chicago Defender and Chicago Bee to challenge segregation and poll white sports figures on their stances toward integration (39:55–43:11).

  "[He was] trying to help speak out against this injustice and keep the focus on that... Let me get you on record identifying how you feel about Black athletes."
  — Brian Hallstoos (40:33)

12. Late Career: Boxing, Mentorship, and Legacy

• Inspired by Jack Johnson, Butler entered the boxing world in his later career, especially during the Depression and his years in Los Angeles, adopting a more flamboyant persona (44:43–47:54).

• He returned to Chicago, focused on working with Black youth, forming mentorship clubs with notable athletes like Jesse Owens and Jack Johnson (47:58–50:06).

• His final years were marked by withdrawal from the limelight, ending tragically in a fatal shooting during an altercation while working as a bar manager in 1954 (50:11–52:01).

  "He died in a gunfight at the very end... protecting women who had been harassed at the bar at that time."
  — Brian Hallstoos (50:11)

13. Lasting Significance and the Long Sporting Struggle

• Hallstoos reflects on Butler's unique longevity as an athlete and community figure, citing his persistent push for inclusivity and innovation in American sports.

• He influenced many across generations and realms, representing team-based collective action as much as personal achievement (52:12–55:17).

  "He was just following his story, you see all the many ways that many athletes... were part of his team and pushing back and seeing sports as a way to kind of innovate and create an integrated sporting realm."
  — Brian Hallstoos (54:34)

14. Future Work

• Hallstoos is active in local memory work (memorializing a lynching victim in Dubuque) and plans new scholarship on "walking while Black" and a graphic novel on Black performance (55:31–56:52).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [05:04] “I want people to see him as a civil rights hero... that sports is a tool for opening doors and pushing back against segregation.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [09:32] “He probably should have been the first Black Olympian to win an individual gold, if not for injury.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [16:20] “He approached sports during this time with great humility... but he was not subservient.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [21:10] “They saw writing this book as a tool to get them into higher education... They want to be race leaders.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [40:33] “[He was] trying to help speak out against this injustice and keep the focus on that... Let me get you on record identifying how you feel about Black athletes.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [50:11] “He died in a gunfight at the very end... protecting women who had been harassed at the bar at that time.” — Brian Hallstoos
• [54:34] "You see all the many ways that many athletes... were part of his team and pushing back and seeing sports as a way to kind of innovate and create an integrated sporting realm." — Brian Hallstoos

Timestamps for Key Segments

• (02:21–04:52): Project origins and research journey
• (05:04–06:24): Framing Butler as civil rights hero
• (06:43–09:55): Biographical "Spark Notes" on Butler
• (10:36–12:51): Butler as athlete-entrepreneur
• (13:08–15:27): Family background, mobility, and education
• (16:20–19:38): Navigating respectability and racial politics
• (21:05–23:42): The teenage memoir as college activism
• (27:00–30:08): Choosing and experiencing Dubuque German College
• (33:21–36:35): Inter-Allied Games and racial reality
• (37:11–39:33): The "third act" and shift to Black urban America
• (39:55–43:11): Journalism as activism
• (44:43–47:54): Embracing the boxing world and Jack Johnson persona
• (47:58–50:06): Community mentoring and Old Timers' Club
• (50:11–52:01): Violent end and reflections on mortality
• (52:12–55:17): Butler’s lasting legacy and the Black athletic tradition
• (55:31–56:52): Hallstoos’s next projects

Final Reflections

Brian Hallstoos's biography of Sol Butler re-centers a pioneering, resilient, and adaptable athlete within the wider landscape of the Black sporting experience and the long civil rights movement. Butler's life embraces the contradictions and stratagems of Black ambition under Jim Crow—combining humility with boldness, sporting excellence with entrepreneurship, and personal advancement with collective uplift. This rich discussion offers valuable insights for students of sports history, civil rights, and African American studies.