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21 unusual facts about Jesse Owens


1935 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships

Ohio State's Jesse Owens won championships in four individual events—the 100-yard sprint, the 220-yard sprint, the 220-yard low hurdles, and the broad jump (now called the long jump).

1936 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships

For the second consecutive year, Ohio State's Jesse Owens won championships in four individual events—the 100-meter sprint, the 200-meter sprint, the 110-meter high hurdles and the broad jump (now called the long jump).

1. Jesse Owens, Ohio State - 10.2 seconds (new world record)

Art Fowler

"If running is so important, Jesse Owens would be a twenty-game winner. And, the only reason I don't like to run is that it makes me tired." -- Fowler, 1957

Berlin 36

During the presentation of the movie in the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, the consular officer Lutz Görgens compared the theme of the movie to Jeremy Schaap's book Triumph, which tells the story of the American athlete Jesse Owens, who won the gold medal in the 1936 Olympic Games, despite the strong discrimination he suffered.

Chelsea Piers

In July 1936, the Chelsea Piers were the point of departure for Jesse Owens and the United States Olympic team as they left for the Summer Games in Berlin, Germany.

Criticism of Franklin D. Roosevelt

No such invitation was made to the black athletes including even Jesse Owens, who had won four gold medals.

Dolores Moore

She instead gained experience in the National Girls Baseball League of Chicago during four years, where legendary athlete Jesse Owens presented her with the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 1952.

Downing Stadium

Built on Randalls Island in the East River as a WPA project, 15,000 attendees witnessed Jesse Owens compete at Randall's Island Stadium in the Men's Olympic Trials on July 11, 1936, the opening night of the new facility.

Ernie Toseland

He has been described as 'a flying winger – football's Jesse Owens'.

Ferry Field

In 1935 Ohio State sprinter Jesse Owens set world records in the 220 yard dash, the 200 meter dash, the 220 yard low hurdles, the 200 meter low hurdles, and the long jump, and tied the world record in the 100 yard dash.

George Case

During that season, new Indians owner Bill Veeck staged one of his famous promotions, matching Case against Jesse Owens in a 100-yard race which Owens won.

Ico Hitrec

He was able to sprint 100 meters in under 12 seconds which was quite fast given that the fastest sprinter at the time Jesse Owens ran the 100-meter dash in 10.30 seconds.

Jeff Burlingame

In 2012, Burlingame was once again nominated for an Image Award, this time for his in-depth biography of Olympic track and field legend Jesse Owens, and traveled to Los Angeles, California, for the award ceremonies, held at the historic Shrine Auditorium, in February 2012.

Jeremy Schaap

A native and resident of New York City, Schaap is the author of Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History (Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-618-55117-4), a New York Times best-seller, and Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics.

John Lysak

While observing some of the athletic events, he claims to have witnessed Adolf Hitler refusing to congratulate or shake the hand of Jesse Owens.

John Milton Yinger

At university, was part of the athletics track team, running flat races and hurdles, at one point racing against Jesse Owens.

The Book Thief

He is known throughout the neighborhood due to the "Jesse Owens incident" in which he colored himself with coal one night and ran one hundred meters at the local sporting field.

Trenton, Missouri

In 1939 nationally famous track star Jesse Owens came to Trenton to run promotional races against a variety of opponents such as a man on a horse, a man in a truck, as well as anyone who wanted to run against the Olympic Gold Medalist.

Vaughn Street Park

The stadium also became, however briefly, the home of the Portland Rosebuds, a team owned by Jesse Owens.

William Montague Cobb

Finally, the article “Race and Runners,” published in 1936 focused on the runner Jesse Owens to dispel the idea that he was a quadruple gold medal winner based on his “ African American genes” and that accounted for decreased intelligence.


Mary Lou Petty

Despite food poisoning, she managed to place 4th in the competition and recalls observing both German Leader Adolf Hitler and athlete Jesse Owens at the games.

Tracy Mattes

In 2009 Tracy was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, joining an elite fraternity of past inductees such as Tennis great Arthur Ashe, Olympian Jesse Owens, Gymnast Mary Lou Retton, Major League Baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, soccer great Pelé and the Harlem Globetrotters.