David Donald Albritton was born on April 13, 1913, in Danville, Alabama, to sharecroppers Peter and Josephine Albritton. He was a standout member of the track team at East Coast Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended and utilized the straddle technique, a pioneering approach in high jumping at the time.
Following his graduation from high school in 1934, Albritton enrolled at Ohio State University, where he was a member of the Alpha Fi Alpha fraternity and received expert coaching from the renowned Larry Snyder. During his sophomore year in 1936, Albritton won the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship and, along with fellow athlete Cornelius Johnson, set a new world record height of 6'9 3/4 feet at the Olympic Trials.
That same year, Albritton won a silver medal in the high jump event at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. His impressive career continued, as he won or tied for seven National Athletic Amateur Union outdoor titles from 1936 to 1950, and was the AAU champion in 1937, 1946, and 1947. Additionally, he tied for three national collegiate titles in 1938, 1945, and 1950.
Aside from his athletic achievements, Albritton worked as an industrial arts teacher and track and field coach at Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, where he led the school to three state track titles. In 1960, he ran for the Ohio House of Representatives and served six terms on the General Assembly, making history in 1969 by becoming the first black man to chair a House committee.
Throughout his life, Albritton received numerous accolades, including his induction into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978. He passed away at the age of 81 on May 14, 1994, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazing athlete, educator, and politician.
