Debbie Miller-Brown had a dream throughout her childhood of going to the Olympics. Her dreams were fulfilled when she made it to the 1968 Games in Mexico City.
Miller-Brown, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, moved with her family to Hamilton at a young age before settling in Brantford.
“My foster parents and my mother worked at a high school in Hamilton… when I got a little older, I used to go and meet her after school and run around the hallways there,” recalled Miller-Brown. “One day, my mother said that if I loved running so much, she was going to put me in a track club… that’s when I became a member of the Hamilton Olympic Club.”
Miller-Brown’s exceptional running talent was noticed at an early age, especially while living in Brantford.
“Back in those days, we used to have races like the skipping world race. I would always win, but it wasn’t about winning for me, it was just so much fun. When I was ten-years-old, I joined the Brantford Track and Field Club and trained a lot at Mohawk Park (BTFC) with George Churchill, who was a great coach,” said Miller-Brown. “One day coach Churchill asked me what I wanted to do and I told him I wanted to be like Wyomia Tyus [who was an Olympian]…and I wanted to be the fastest woman. He said I could do it, but I needed to keep focused and I needed to stay true to myself, which I did.”
Over the years, Miller-Brown dedicated herself to training and competing as much as she could.
“I did my core training [and] worked at the rep club during the summers,” she said. I had to get up and go training around 5:00 a.m. every morning, even when I was in school. After classes, I would train some more. I had many friends, but there wasn’t much time for hanging out and playing… I was dedicated to the sport and I was focused on going to the Olympics.”
However, her coach, George Churchill, who is enshrined as a builder in track and field in the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition, was with Miller-Brown every step of the way.
“We would travel to different parts of Ontario to compete including Toronto and London,” said Miller-Brown. “I don’t ever recall losing and I even ran against football players during practice and always won. I was running 60 meters at that time and continued training under coach Churchill.
By the age of 17, all the training and hard work paid off when Miller-Brown got a call that would change her life and fulfill her dream.
“I was very excited, I remember not being nervous because I knew that I could do it,” she said. “I also thought about the other athletes that would be with me on the Olympic team like Jenny Wingerson-Meldrum and Irene Piotrowski. Before going off to the Olympics, we all had to go to Vancouver and train there for a week because it would get us ready for the high altitude of Mexico City.”
Despite reaching Mexico in 1968 in the middle of social upheaval with student riots going on, Miller-Brown adjusted within the safe confines of the Canadian pavilion and was later visited by her mother with some help from the community.
“The City of Brantford, the police department and the fire department were so, so good to us… they sponsored my mom so that she could come and see me in Mexico,” she said. “The people of Brantford were selling tickets for different things to get my mom there with me. She was supported by the City of Brantford and it was a very good feeling to have her by my side when I was in Mexico City… that was an honour.
For the 100 meters, Miller-Brown would do well in the heats. Although she didn’t medal, the results from the Olympics bolstered her world ranking to eighth-best.
“I was so nervous [and] my arms were shaking so much that I was starting to cramp up,” she said. “I told myself to relax and to just do what I did best but I had a false start. We used to be able to have three false starts…[and] now I think they are going to just one, and then you’re out.”
Miller-Brown regained her composure and focused on the race at hand.
“I got back on track, and told myself ‘I’m going do it,’” she recalled. “That ended up being my best heat and I competed against Wyomia Tyus, who I looked up to. She ended up winning the gold in the 100-meter finals during those Olympics.
Miller-Brown also would participate in the 4 x 100 meter relays.
“The team was Irene Piotrowski and Stephanie Berto, and Jenny Wingerson-Meldrum and me,” she said. “I was the anchor and we placed fifth in our heat, but we couldn’t get those Americans, who along with Tyus, won the gold in the relay. I ran it in 10.5 seconds, one of my best times, and I was so proud of our team. “
During her time at the Olympics, Miller-Brown met many of her childhood idols and experienced history firsthand.
“I saw Tommie Smith and John Carlos who put their fists up for Black Power. At that point, I didn’t understand what that meant [and] then found out that they were an important part of history,” she said. “I also saw Jesse Owen who won gold medals as a runner [and] Wilma Rudolph who overcame polio to be one of the fastest women runners. I was right down by the long jump when Bob Beamon made his historic jump. Seeing and meeting all of these people made me feel like I was a part of history.”
Although Miller-Brown would solidify herself to be one of the fastest runners on earth and with an option of going to the 1972 Olympics, she decided on another path in her life.
She would become an airline steward for Air Canada for many years, and later moved back to her hometown in Halifax in 1975 to start a family.
Later down the road, Miller-Brown would eventually become a coach.
“I got an offer at St. Mary’s University as a track coach,” she said. “Larry Uteck, who was the university’s football coach and a phenomenal CFL football player, was my boss during that time. I was there for four years and trained the football players while I built the track team from scratch.
Miller-Brown has also led a successful sales career, being a high-performer for companies which have included Mary Kay and Avon, winning various awards for her achievements.
She would later be recognized for her track success by being enshrined into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition, as well as being honoured with an annual track and field meet bearing her name.
“When the Kiwanis Club decided to build this wonderful track facility at Pauline Johnson Collegiate, I loved the idea. They would eventually end up calling me up and saying that they were going to nominate me for a special track and field meet called the ‘Debbie Miller Classic,’” said Miller-Brown. “When I went to it for the first time, I was so overwhelmed and started crying as it is such an amazing facility… I went right to the Kiwanis Club and thanked them. This year was another great meet, the mayor was there and the president of the Kiwanis Club and representatives from Toyota Canada, who sponsored us, all came out. The kids did great and it was a phenomenal event.”
As an Olympian, Miller-Brown has followed Canada over the years during the summer Olympics, especially this year’s Games in France.
“I was glued to the TV especially for track and field,” she said. “I was so amazed with Canada because they reached new heights. The men’s relay did exceptional winning the gold [and] I was impressed with other nations like France, [and as always] the Americans did very well.
After spending some time away from coaching, Miller-Brown now intends on continuing to guide the next generation.
“I’m going to go back to coaching because it just brings so much joy to see them succeed and I love to see the kids that are very dedicated,” she said. “I coached about 15 girls and 18 boys in a track and field program last year [and] I am looking forward to building it up.”
