Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens 1913-80, U.S. track star, b. Alabama. He was also called John Cleveland Owens, although his original name was said to be simply J. C. Owens. After his family moved to Cleveland he excelled at track and field events in high school. He won the broad-jump titles at the outdoor (1933-34) and indoor (1934-35) meets of the National Amateur Athletic Union, and while on the track team of Ohio State Univ., he broke (1935-36) several world records at broad jumping, hurdle racing, and flat racing. At the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Owens astounded the world and upset Hitler's "Aryan" theories by equaling the world mark (10.3 sec) in the 100-meter race, by breaking world records in the 200-meter race (20.7 sec) and in the broad jump (26 ft 5 3/8 in./8.07 m) and by winning also (along with Ralph Metcalfe and others) the 400-meter relay race. His records lasted for more than 20 years. Owens later participated in professional exhibitions and in various business enterprises. He was secretary of the Illinois Athletic commission until 1955 and later became active in the Illinois youth commission.

Bibliography: See his semiautobiographical Blackthink: My Life as Black Man and White Man (1970).

Owens, Jesse (1913–80) US black athlete. Owens broke several world records for jumping, hurdling, and running (1935–36). He won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, angering Adolf Hitler, who was keen to use the Games as a political demonstration of Aryan racial superiority.

Owens, Jesse (1913–1980), track‐and‐field star, winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.Born in Oakville, Alabama, Owens first gained notice as a track‐and‐field performer at East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Under the tutelage of coach Charles Riley, Owens captured three titles at the National Interscholastic Track and Field Meet in 1933 in Chicago. Continuing his athletic career at Ohio State University, he further enhanced his reputation as one of the nation's greatest track‐and‐field stars. At the Western Conference Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1935, Owens put on one of the most memorable single‐day performances in the history of the sport. Within a span of 45 minutes, he tied the world record in the 100‐meter dash and broke world records in the broad jump, 200‐yard dash, and 220‐yard low hurdles. Remarkable as these performances were, it was Owens's triumphs in the politically charged 1936 Berlin Olympics that brought him lasting fame. His four gold medals helped discredit Adolf Hitler's assertions of Aryan racial superiority and laid the groundwork for an unprecedented record of performance by African Americans in Olympic track and field.

Following the Berlin games, Owens was reduced to running races against horses for money and pursued several failed business ventures. Later in life he worked for several public agencies; toured on behalf of the U.S. Department of State; and spoke to business, religious, civic, and sports groups. In 1974, he was elected as a charter member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
See also Sports: Amateur Sports and Recreation.

Bibliography

Marc Bloom , Jesse Owens: The Legacy of an American Hero, Runner, June 1980, 30–31.
William J. Baker , Jesse Owens: An American Life, 1986.

David K. Wiggins