Jesse Owens

Born as James Cleveland Owens in Oakville, Alabama, on September 12, 1913, Jesse Owens had a remarkable life that went beyond the realms of society and athletics. Raised in a racist, discriminatory, and racially segregated America, Owens had to overcome enormous obstacles at a young age. But it was in Cleveland, Ohio, during his high school years-where he set records in track and field-that his natural athletic ability was made apparent. This signalled the start of an incredible journey in which Owens broke both racial records and barriers.

During the Berlin Olympics in 1936, at the time of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, Jesse Owens made history. Owens triumphed in the 100-, 200-, long-jump, and 4x100-meter relay events, defying the odds and the prevalent racism of the era, which hinted at the possibility of Aryan supremacy. His unmatched accomplishments challenged the dominant racial ideologies of the time while also showcasing his extraordinary athletic ability. After returning to the United States, Owens had to deal with the unpleasant reality of racial discrimination, which overshadowed the glory of his Olympic victory.

He battled discrimination and injustice back home despite his valiant performances on the global scene. On the other hand, Owens questioned social conventions and promoted civil rights using his platform. His life story became an example of tenacity, willpower, and how sport can break down barriers. Owens found himself at the crossroads of social change and sports as he negotiated the challenges of celebrity and cultural expectations.

His legacy lives on as a symbol of bravery that dismantled racial barriers with his unwavering dedication to justice and his athletic prowess. The life story of Jesse Owens is a memorable chapter in American history that honors perseverance in the face of hardship and the ability of one person to inspire change continuously.

Early Life and Education

African American track and field athlete Jesse Owens was born as James Cleveland Owens on September 12, 1913, in Oakville, Alabama. He rose to prominence as a symbol of resiliency and victory amid a period of racial discrimination and segregation in the US. His upbringing and schooling laid the groundwork for both his outstanding athletic career and his influence on the sports industry. Owens was raised in a large, impoverished family consisting of ten siblings.

Henry and Emma Owens, his parents, were sharecroppers, and the family had hard times financially. When Jesse was a small boy, the Owens family relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, seeking better prospects and a way out of the South's pervasive racial prejudice. Owens attended Fairmount Junior High School in Cleveland, where he fell in love with and excelled at running. Jesse's junior high track coach, Charles Riley, saw his extraordinary speed and encouraged him to go competitive running.

Owens's journey into the world of athletics began with this. Jesse Owens pursued his education at Cleveland's East Technical High School, where he remained a track and field standout. Charles Riley, Owens' high school coach, helped him break records across the country and become well-known for his exceptional long jump and sprinting skills. His stellar high school performance paved the way for a bright future in sports.

After attending Ohio State University, Owens enrolled in 1933 as a high school graduate. He struggled financially, but the university gave him a scholarship so he could continue to improve his long jump and sprinting abilities. Larry Snyder, Owens's Ohio State coach, was a major contributor to his growth as an athlete. At the 1935 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jesse Owens made waves by breaking three world records in 45 minutes and tying another.

Due to his extraordinary accomplishments, Owens became well-known and became a strong candidate for the Berlin Summer Olympics in 1936. For Owens, the 1936 Nazi Germany-hosted Olympics brought a special set of difficulties. Adolf Hitler wanted to use the Olympics to demonstrate Aryan supremacy, but Owens' incredible performances dispelled this idea. He was the first track and field athlete from the United States to win four gold medals in the 100, 200, long jump and 4x100 meters relay.

Jesse Owens's Olympic triumph went beyond sports and turned into a potent symbol of resistance to racism and prejudice. He faced the harsh reality of racial inequality upon his return to a segregated America despite his accomplishments. By using his position to promote equality and civil rights, Owens inspired future generations and became an inspiration to many. Following his sporting career, Owens continued to significantly impact society through a variety of activities, such as business ventures and motivational speaking engagements.

Until his passing on March 31, 1980, he continued to be a significant player in the struggle against racism and prejudice. Early on in his life, Jesse Owens demonstrated talent, tenacity, and the encouragement of powerful mentors. His journey from an impoverished upbringing to Olympic success is a prime example of how sports can break down social barriers and motivate positive change.

Career

A legendary figure in the history of track and field, Jesse Owens gained international recognition during a turbulent time by using his unmatched athletic prowess to overcome racial prejudice and discrimination. Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, on September 12, 1913. His remarkable journey from a difficult childhood to winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is evidence of his unwavering determination and exceptional athletic ability. Raised in an impoverished, large family in the racially segregated United States of America during the early 1900s, Owens experienced financial hardships.

After fleeing the harsh realities of the South, the Owens family relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, where Jesse's early love of running blossomed at Fairmount Junior High School. It was there that Charles Riley, Owens' coach, noticed his innate talent and took notice, starting Owens on a path that would change the definition of success in track and field. Owens carried on his education at Cleveland's East Technical High School, where he established himself as a formidable athlete. He broke national records under coach Riley's tutelage, indicating the greatness to come.

Because of his extraordinary talent, Owens was given a scholarship to Ohio State University, where he improved even more under Larry Snyder's tutelage. At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Jesse Owens defied Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy, marking the apex of his career. In addition to establishing Owens as a sports legend, his incredible performance-which included gold in the 100, 200, long jump, and 4x100-meter relay-challenged prevalent racial stereotypes. Owens's global achievements extended beyond the sports arena, positioning him as a representation of tenacity and motivation in the face of racial injustice and political unrest.

In addition to his Olympic accomplishments, Owens' career had a long-lasting influence on equality and civil rights. Even after being segregated when he returned to the US, Owens persisted in his support of social justice and made use of his position to encourage constructive change. Jesse Owens's career is a source of inspiration, demonstrating the ability of sports to break down barriers and leave a lasting legacy that goes well beyond the track.

1. Ohio State University

Jesse Owens's athletic career and international prominence were significantly shaped by his time at Ohio State University. When Owens enrolled at Ohio State in the early 1930s, he had to deal with the difficulties of being a college student as well as the racial prejudices that were pervasive in American culture at the time. Owens received a scholarship to Ohio State, which was a huge opportunity given his family's financial difficulties. He trained under famed track and field coach Larry Snyder at the university, who saw Owens's extraordinary potential.

Snyder was instrumental in helping Owens become a world-class athlete by developing his natural talent and perfecting his technique. In collegiate track and field, Owens had outstanding success while attending Ohio State. At the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1935, he made headlines by setting three world records and tying another in less than 45 minutes. Owens was widely praised for this incredible achievement, which established him as a strong competitor for the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Even at Ohio State, Owens had to deal with the harsh reality of racial segregation in addition to the accolades and records. He faced limitations and discrimination despite his athletic prowess, underscoring the prevalent racial attitudes of the era. Despite these obstacles, Owens's performances on the track won praise and admiration for their unquestionable talent, which helped to dissolve racial barriers. His success in college preceded Owens's historic triumphs at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

In addition to giving him a stage for athletic brilliance, his time at Ohio State gave him the perseverance and resolve that would come to define his career. Owens was greatly influenced by Coach Larry Snyder's support and direction, as well as the community at the university, in developing his character and getting him ready for the global arena. At Ohio State University, Jesse Owens's influence goes beyond his specific accomplishments.

In his time, there is evidence of the transformational power of learning, mentoring others, and striving for greatness in the face of difficulty. Owens's transformation from an Ohio State Buckeye to a world-renowned athlete is still a significant aspect of the school's legacy and a source of motivation for upcoming generations.

2. 1936 Olympics

Walter Francis White, the NAACP Secretary, wrote Owens a letter on December 4, 1935, but he never sent it. He was attempting to talk Owens out of competing in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany, claiming that after all that his race had been through at the hands of racists in his nation, an African American should not support a racist government. The case for a boycott grew stronger in the months before the Games. The NAACP persuaded Owens to declare that "the United States should withdraw from the 1936 Olympics if there is discrimination against minorities in Germany."

However, he and other participants eventually participated after being labeled as "un-American agitators" by American Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage. Owens arrived in Germany in 1936 to compete in the Summer Olympics in Berlin with his American teammates aboard the SS Manhattan. The 400-meter bronze medalist James LuValle, an American sprinter, claims that when Owens arrived at the new Olympic stadium, a large crowd of people, many of them young girls, yelled, "Wo ist Jesse? "Where is Jesse?" "Jesse, where are you? "Where is Jesse?" Adi Dassler, the founder of the athletic shoe company Adidas, visited Owens in the Olympic Village shortly before the competitions and convinced him to wear Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik shoes.

This was the first time a male African American athlete had been sponsored. Owens won the 100-meter dash on August 3 in 10.3 seconds, besting Dutchman Tinus Osendarp by two-tenths of a second and teammate and college friend Ralph Metcalfe by a tenth of a second. With a leap of 8.06 meters (26 feet 5 inches), which was 3 and a half inches short of his world record, he won the long jump on August 4. He later acknowledged that this was untrue because he did not meet Luz Long until after the competition was over.

Initially, he attributed this accomplishment to the technical advice that Long, the German opponent he defeated, gave him. Recalling that Jewish-American sprinter Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were replaced by Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, who, along with Frank Wykoff and Foy Draper, set a world record of 39.8 seconds in the event, Owens won his fourth gold medal in the 4 × 100 m sprint relay on August 9. Head coach Lawson Robertson made the switch. When Owens first objected to the last-minute change, assistant coach Dean Cromwell told him, "You'll do as you are told."

Not until Carl Lewis won gold in the same events at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles did Owens' record-breaking performance of four gold medals become official. In 1935, the year before the Berlin Olympics, Owens had set the world record for the long jump with a leap of 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in). This record remained unbroken for 25 years until countryman Ralph Boston broke it in 1960. It so happened that Owens was in Rome during the 1960 Summer Olympics when Boston won the gold in the long jump.

The victory in the long jump is captured, along with many other 1936 events, in Leni Riefenstahl's 1938 film Olympia. Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, shook hands with the German winners alone on August 1, 1936, and then departed the stadium. Henri de Baillet-Latour, president of the International Olympic Committee, insisted that Hitler greet each medalist individually or not at all. Hitler chose the latter and did not accept any more medals.

In the 100-meter final, Owens made his debut on Day 2 by competing in the first and second qualifying rounds. In the first race, he broke the world and Olympic records, but the new time was disregarded because the wind assisted it. Cornelius Johnson, an African-American teammate of Owens', set a new Olympic record of 2.03 meters to win gold in the high jump final later that day. Even so, the communist New York City newspaper, the Daily Worker, reported that Hitler received all the track winners save for Johnson and left the stadium as a "deliberate snub" after witnessing Johnson's winning jump. Hitler did not publicly congratulate any of the medal winners this time.

Hitler was then charged with not shaking hands or acknowledging Owens. Hitler was upset by Owens's performance in the games because he was using them to showcase a resurgent Nazi Germany to the world. He had hoped, along with other government officials, that German athletes would win the most medals. Hitler "was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens," according to a letter written by Nazi minister Albert Speer.

Hitler shrugged and said, "Those with jungle ancestry are primitive; their bodies are stronger than civilized white people, so they should not be allowed to compete in future games." When Black Americans in many parts of the United States were forced to stay in segregated hotels that catered only to Black guests, Owens had been granted permission to travel with and stay in the same hotels as White people in Germany. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia welcomed Owens back to the United States when he arrived.

Owens received a paper bag from someone during a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan that took place along Broadway's Canyon of Heroes in his honor. Only when the parade was over did Owens give it more thought. He discovered that the bag held $10,000 in cash when he opened it. Following the parade, Owens was compelled to ride a freight elevator to the reception honoring him rather than being allowed to enter the Waldorf Astoria New York through the main doors.

Following his Olympic victories, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) never extended an invitation for Jesse Owens to visit the White House. Defying Democratic overtures, Owens endorsed Alf Landon, Roosevelt's Republican opponent in the 1936 presidential contest, because he was a devout Republican. In order to help Republican Alf Landon win the presidency in 1936, Owens was hired to conduct outreach for African American votes.

Life After Olympics

Following his historic victory in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he disproved Adolf Hitler's belief in Aryan supremacy and won four gold medals, Jesse Owens's life took a turn for the worse as he dealt with the difficulties of post-Olympic fame, racial discrimination, and shifting geopolitical conditions. In sharp contrast to the hero's welcome he received in many parts of Europe, Owens encountered the harsh realities of racial segregation upon his return to the United States. Even though he was a world-renowned athlete, he went back to a nation where racial discrimination still existed.

Because of the prevalent racial attitudes of the time, Owens had difficulty obtaining lucrative endorsement deals and faced limited opportunities. Owens's life after the Olympics was characterized by his need to find other ways to provide for his family and himself. He tried his hand at a number of jobs, such as janitor of a playground, gas station attendant, and even entertainment horse racing. These difficulties brought to light the institutionalized racism that he endured in spite of his Olympic accomplishments.

Owens became embroiled in a discussion about racial equality and patriotism during World War II. He claimed that African American soldiers should receive equal treatment and criticized the discriminatory policies used by the military. In spite of this, Owens participated in exhibition races and inspired service members in an effort to raise troop morale. Owens experienced financial hardship and bankruptcy following the war.

His attempts to start companies and make money off of his celebrity could have been more successful. He persisted in fighting for African Americans' civil rights and equitable opportunities, though, and he remained strong. Owens got involved in a number of charitable endeavors and motivational speaking engagements in the 1950s and 1960s. He spoke to audiences all over the world about his experiences, highlighting the value of racial barrier-breaking, tenacity, and determination.

In addition, Owens worked with young athletes, inspiring them to follow their goals in spite of social constraints. Owens made more than just verbal contributions to the civil rights movement. He actively opposed racial inequality and segregation by supporting the civil rights movement. His commitment to the struggle against racial injustice was demonstrated by his participation in a number of initiatives, such as his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his affiliation with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Towards the end of his life, Owens' accomplishments were finally acknowledged. Gerald Ford, the President, gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. Generations have been inspired by Owens's legacy, which includes his incredible athletic achievements, fortitude in the face of hardship, and contributions to the continuous fight for equality.

Retirement and Death

Following the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens formally announced his retirement from competitive athletics, capping a career that had elevated him to the status of a worldwide sporting icon. With four gold medals under his belt and a powerful message against racism, Owens had made history on the global scene. After giving up on competitive sports, Owens struggled to find steady work and dealt with financial difficulties.

Even though Owens was a highly regarded athlete, racial discrimination restricted his opportunities, forcing him to work multiple jobs in order to provide for his family. In addition to working as a gas station attendant and playground janitor, he enjoyed entertaining himself by going horse racing. Following the war, Owens turned into a proponent of equality and civil rights, adding his voice to the continuous fight against racial injustice. He gave inspirational speeches at events, sharing his own experiences and inspiring others to keep going in the face of difficulty.

At the age of sixty-six, Jesse Owens passed away in Tucson, Arizona, on March 31, 1980, from lung cancer. Even though Owens had financial troubles in his later years, he left a lasting legacy. Dignitaries and other athletes attended his funeral, which honored not only his outstanding athletic accomplishments but also his contributions to the larger social and civil rights movements.

Although Owens's passing signaled the end of an era, his influence lives on thanks to his ongoing contributions to sports, civil rights, and the ongoing battle against racial inequality. Jesse Owens' legacy serves as a constant reminder of the strength of resiliency, willpower, and the pursuit of justice.