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Jesse Owens
(Alabama)
Jesse Owens, (Negro)(brown skin)
Olympic Winner
Born in Alabama in Florence
Son of Mr and Mrs Cleveland Owens
Married Ruth Solomon
Student at the University of Ohio.
Fastest runner in the world
Address: Cleveland, Ohio.
My information on this subject has come from the Record and Research
office, Tuskegee Institute. Clippings on file there from the following
newspapers and book furnished information:
Pittsburg Courier,
Journal and Guide,
Montgomery Advertiser,
Chicago Defender,
"Who's Who In Colored America"
Information also comes from: Tuskegee Institute's Library and Coach Abbott
of Tuskegee Institute.
Jesse Owens, one of eight children was born on an Alabama farm, to
share-cropper parents.
The family migrated to Cleveland in the industrial trek of the war years,
and Jesse became one of the thousands of children in the conjested
eastside. In time, he reached Fairmount Junior High School. Charles Riley
taught here, one time athlete and volunteer coach of schoolboy runners.
Building a boy's track team, Riley met Jesse, timed him in a sprint down
East 167 Street. He was startled at Jesse. Riley learned all about the
boy. He took special delight in Jesse's interests other than running. He
walked with him in the parks, talked to him about the things far more
important than racing; about life, perfection, one hundred percent mental
as well as physical fitness. Some days his school training was merely a
lecture in terms understood by a bright boy, on philosophy. So Jesse came
to be a great understanding and fine track athlete. He was passed along to
a high school coach with experience and feeling similar to Riley's
educational veil of East Tech and when he was ready for college, Ohio
state's staff was ready and eager for him. He climbed steadily the ladder
of fame until he broke the world's record in Berlin, Germany. He received
officially, the Nazi Swastika from Reichfuehrer Adolf Hitler. After
receiving this honor, Owens went to the radio beneath the stands where he
made a brief talk in which he extended greetings to his folks back home in
America.
It was cold and rainy down there in the depths of that concrete bowl in
Berlin, Germany. It was sprinkling and the wind swept across the field and
dampened the overcoats of the spectators. Jesse Owens stood there
shivering in the cold. But at the firing of the gun he ran as though
gliding in the warmth of equatorial sunshine.
There is no record of a human being running faster. He hit the home
stretch, well in lead of the parade. Calmly Owens glided along - no
strain, no sign of exertion, but an automaton moving along to fulfil his
destiny. At the top of the last gate-way, 100 yards from the taut white
worsted, Owens fled like a frightened deer, but unlike the deer in
expression for he gave no impression of running. He had a two yard lead at
the half-way mark, then he really began to go.
In great big letters, America wrote across the Olympic horizon in August
1936, the name Jesse Owens along with a few others in a mighty challenge
for international supremacy in track and field. And Owens did not have to
exert himself to capture the coveted honor. He leaped 25 feet 10 1/4
inches, and then sat down to wait for someone to best his mark. Nobody
did, and Owens called it a day. His world's mark is almost 11 inches
better than that, which he has registered.
By winning the 200-meter dash, Jesse
Owens became the fourth American to capture three or more championships in
one Olympic-meet.
The Chicago Defender carried an article which came from Berlin which
reads: "Jesse Owens is the god of the sports fans here. He has effectively
demonstrated his superiority in winning the finals in the 100 meter event
in which he equalled the world's record and by blasting the Olympic mark
of Eddie Tollan, another race star, set back in 1932 over the 200-meter
route.
On May 23, 1031. -Jesse Owens competed in his first state scholastic meet
at Columbus, set a new all-time scholastic broad jump record of 22 feet 3
7-9 inches, finished second in the 200 yard dash and fourth in the
100-yard dash.
June 7, 1931, he won the 100, 200 and broad jump and lost by inches to Jim
Byrd in the 220-yard low hurdle in his first Senate league meet at Soggy
John Adams field. (Note: this was the last time Owens lost a race on the
Cleveland outdoor track).
May 28, 1932 - Competing in his second state scholastic meet at Columbus,
Jesse ran 100 yards in 9.9 seconds to tie George Simpson's state record;
ran 220 yards in 22.6 seconds, 1.5 seconds off Don Bennet's state record;
won the broad jump at 22 feet 11 1/4 inches and won the 100 yard dash, the
220, the 220 -yard low hurdles at John Adams field.
Closing a speech over the public address system to thousands of cheering
fans to whom he had expressed gratitude and appreciation for their boosts
and cheers, he said, "Believe me ladies and gentlemen, when I run in
college it will be for you. Because you have made me want to run."
June 18, 1933 - Competing in his first national scholastic meet at
Chicago, Owens broke world scholastic records in the 100-9.4; the
220-20.7; and the broad jump at 24 feet 9 5-8inches.
September 1933 - Jesse entered Ohio State with promise of a job to help
his upkeep and tuition.
March 1934 - Practiced on Ohio State track for first time. Coach Larry
Snyder took a special interest in him.
May 25, 1935 - Sprang into international prominence because of a fair
workout in the Big Ten Championship at Ann Arbor Michigan. This was the
day on which he broad-jumped 26 feet 8 1/2 inches, world record; ran the
220-yard low hurdles in 22.6 seconds, world record; ran the 100-yard dash
in 9.4 tying the world record.
June 6,1935 - Elected Captain of the 1936 track team at Ohio State
University. (First Negro to hold such position on any Ohio State Team.)
August 10, 1935 - Happily married to Miss Minnie Ruth Solomon.
July 12, 1936 Owens won his place on the Olympic team in three events
beating Ralph Metcalf in the 200 meter dash.
August 3, 1936 - won Broad jump and August 5, 1936 he broke the world and
Olympic record around one turn in 200-meter dash, winning in 21.1 seconds,
breaking record of 21.2 set by Eddie Tolan in 1932 also Ralph Metcalf.
August 9,1936 Lead-off man in 400-meter relay team which won event in
record breaking time.
Jesse Owens returned home aboard the Queen Mary, amidst wild cheers and
applause from people of all races, colors and nationalities. Thousands
thronged the pier to see the "world's fastest human" in person. More than
a thousand secured passes on the United Coast Guard Cutter to board the
Queen Mary before she docked. Officials stated that it was the largest
number of people who had applied for passes, as they could remember.
Writers, photographers, relatives, friends, promoters and some who were
simply curious to hear what the great Negro Athlete had to say, crowded
around him and found Owens unspoiled by the adulation that had been heaped
upon him. He was friendly towards all and completely the master of the
situation. He could have accepted some of the many cash offers to turn
professional but wished to finish his college education.
Accompained by his mother and father, who was once a tenant farmer in
Alabama, Owens walked down the tourists gang plank with his wife at his
side amidst wild cheers.
When interviewed at the home of Bill Robinson, widely known Negro dancer
he expressed strong opposition to the jim-crow bars which keep Negroes out
of all professional sports. He says, "After all, since we are all
Americans, Negroes should have a chance in every sport. Certainly the
showing of Negroes in track events shows that if they have half a chance,
they produce the goods".
Jesse's dad said, "My boy is a fine respectful boy, the kind that the
white folks down Alabama way really love. I know he's not smart alecky."
He explained about his son's name saying: "I tell them, his name is just
J.C., not John Cleveland Owens or Jesse Owens, just the plain letters J.C.
When my boy went to grade school, they began calling him Jesse and it
stuck. Later, they gave him the name of John Cleveland. Its wrong when
J.C. is all I named him." He told his interviewers that when he was a boy
he could outrun all his playmates down in Dixie himself.
Rhussus L. Perry, Writer
Macon County,
April 22, 1939
Text from: Library of
Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection
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