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Who was Jesse Owens?
James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens was an American track and field athlete, and four-time gold medalist in the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens first gained national attention when he was a student at East Technical High School. At the 1933, National High School Championship, he equaled the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100 yards dash, and long jumped 24 feet 9 ½ inched. He also attended the Ohio State University, working a part time job to pay for school.
Owens became known as the “Buckeye Bullet” and under the coaching of, Larry Snyder, he won a record eight individual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. He gained national attention, and became an athletic success, however he still had to live off campus with other African American athletes. When they traveled, they were forced to order out, eat at “blacks-only” restaurants, and stay at “blacks-only” hotels.
On May 25th, 1935, during the Big Ten meet, at Ferry Field, in Michigan, Owens set three world record and tied a fourth. The following year Owens and his teammates sailed on the SS Manhattan and arrived in Germany to compete in the Summer Olympics. According to Wikipedia, before the competitions, Adi Dassler – founder of Adidas – persuaded Owens to wear Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik shoes. This became the first sponsorship for a male African American athlete.
During the Summer Olympics, he won four gold medals, including gold for the 100-meter sprint, the 200-meter sprint, the 4x100 meter relay, and the long jump. When Owens returned to the United States he was honored with a ticker tape parade. His career ended after he capitalized on his success and took up some profitable endorsement deals. United States athletic officials were furious, and withdrew his amateur status, which immediately ended his career.
After the 1936 Olympics Owens returned home with four gold medals and international fame, however he was unable to find a steady job. In 1942, Willis Ward brought Owens to Detroit, where he worked as Assistant Personal Director, at Ford Motor Company until 1946. He also worked as a running instructor for the New York Mets, gas station attendant, playground janitor, and manager of a dry-cleaning firm.
On March 31st, 1980, at 66 years old, Jesse Owens passes away due to an extremely aggressive, and drug resistant type of lung cancer.
Books
*Kids*
Jesse: Little People, Big Dreams | Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Who Was Jesse Owens? | James Buckley, Jr.
*Adults*
Jesse: The Man Who Outran Hitler | Jesse Owens
Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics | Jeremy Schaap
Jesse Owens | Richard S. Rennert
Movie(s) | Film(s) | Documentaries'
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations|1938
Jesse Owens | 2012
Jesse Owens Return to Berlin | 1996
Sources
"Jesse Owens." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 June 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Owens
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