Photo by Joe Tacconi
Joetta Clark Diggs
A four-time Olympian walks among us. Her name is Joetta Clark Diggs. But you can just call her Joetta. “It’s like Prince, Madonna or Oprah. It’s just Joetta,” she explains. Clark Diggs has certainly earned solo-name status. For more than two decades, she was a force to be reckoned with on the track, racking up piles of awards and accolades in the 800- and 1,500-meter competitions. From 1991 until 1998, she was ranked in the top 10 in the world, andwas an 11-time USA National Champion. She also competed in 20 USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and six Olympic trials. Although her competitive running days are now in the rearview mirror, her second wind in the public eye has brought her a new career as a successful speaker, author, businesswoman and coach.
Clark Diggs was born in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1962. She and her siblings (brother J.J. and sister Hazel) got into running at the behest of their father, Joe Clark, who has his own claim to fame—he’s the tough and tenacious Eastside High School principal who was portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the 1989 film Lean on Me. Clark Diggs says, when he decided he wanted his children to give running a go, that was that. “At that time, you didn’t talk back to your parents,” she says. Luckily, there was no arm-twisting needed. Clark Diggs says she took a liking to the sport right away. Of course, it probably helped that she was good at it. “There weren’t that many sports that were available for [girls] to do,” she says. “I would be with the boys, I would beat the boys.”
She graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1980. That same year, she participated in the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships and earned a gold medal in the 800-meter event. Then it was off the University of Tennessee, where she was a nine-time NCAA champion and 15-time All-American. But even as she was making a name for herself as one of the best middle-distance runners in the country, Clark Diggs was uncertain about the road ahead. “It was a different landscape. I didn’t think I would make a living from it,” she explains. “There was no money in it. There were no sponsors. There were no scholarships.”
So even while she continued to train at an elite level, she made sure to pursue other opportunities away from the track. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in public relations in 1984, and would later work as a special investigator for the New Jersey Attorney General’s office. But once she started receiving some sponsorship money from companies like Nike, Foot Locker and PowerBar, she decided to devote all of her time and energy to her running career. By that time, she had already added “Olympic athlete” to her resume; she represented the U.S. at the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic games. Clark Diggs says her first experience at the games was memorable, but her last appearance was especially poignant. “My family went one, two, three in [the Olympic trials in] 2000,” she explains. Her sister, Hazel Clark, took the top spot in the 800, while her sister-in-law, Jearl Miles-Clark, came in second, and Clark Diggs herself snagged third. All three were coached by J.J. Clark, brother of Joetta and Hazel, and husband of Jearl. And best of all, says Clark Diggs: both of her parents were alive to see it.
That same year, Clark Diggs decided it was time to hang up her sneakers and figure out the next chapter. In 2002, she founded the Joetta Clark Diggs Sports Foundation. The nonprofit aims to promote physical activity and well-being for students in grades K–12 through events like the Head 2 Toe Fitness (H2T) program. Clark Diggs says she strives to teach the principles of discipline, focus and team camaraderie. And even though the vast majority of the young athletes under her tutelage won’t go on to participate in the Olympic Games, the life lessons they learn can be applied to any challenges they hope to master down the road. “It starts by being mentally and physically fit,” Clark Diggs says. “A sound mind and sound body equal a sound future.”
She’s also the president of Joetta Sports & Beyond, LLC, through which she organizes women’s empowerment summits and offers her words of wisdom via speaking engagements at various corporations, colleges and community organizations. In 2009, she authored her first book, Joetta’s “P” Principles for Success: Life Lessons Learned from Track & Field, and she has another one in the works, which will feature fitness tips coupled with quotes meant to inspire. She hopes to release it on August 1, which happens to be her birthday. And if that’s not enough Joetta for you, she also sells a namesake perfume and body scrub.
Clark Diggs is married to Ronald Diggs. They moved with their daughter, Talitha, from New Jersey to the Lehigh Valley about 10 years ago. And it seems the “first family” of track and field has a new star. Talitha Diggs, a recent graduate of Saucon Valley High School, has been burning up the track in the 200- and 400-meter events. When it comes to making headlines in the sport she loves so much, Clark Diggs has willingly passed the baton to her daughter. “If you put her name in [a search engine] now, it probably comes up more than mine,” says Clark Diggs. Talitha Diggs already has several titles and medals under her belt. Described by her coaches as “Olympic caliber,” she’ll continue her running career at the University of Florida in the fall. “I think I’ve given her enough to be successful as a woman, a student and an athlete,” Clark Diggs says. She’s grateful that her daughter won’t encounter the same hurdles that she did as a young athlete embarking on what could be a long and successful career. “A lot of the things that I didn’t get, or people of my generation didn’t get, it’s all different,” she says. “Everything is state of the art now. It’s a good thing. We put the work in, but the work has to continue with her generation.”
Clark Diggs admits that getting used to an empty nest will be an adjustment, but she has plenty to keep her occupied. In addition to her work with her sports foundation and her namesake corporation, she enjoys spending time with friends and getting out and about in the Lehigh Valley. She loves the decorations that come out at Christmastime, but she’s not a fan of the colder weather that accompanies them. “I’m a die-hard summer person,” she says. She’ll likely soak up a lot of sun at the shore this summer. You also might find her at any of the various sporting events in the region, or at a fundraiser or charitable event. “I try to support the community, but I go undercover,” she explains. She also toys with the idea of producing a movie or documentary about her life. Is she busy? Certainly. But Clark Diggs looks at it in a different way. “I like to say I’m being productive,” she explains. “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do.”
