Biography Report

Jesse Owens - The Buckeye Bullet

By Stuart Tobin

Jesse Owens was born on September 12, 1913 in Oakville, Alabama, USA to Henry and Emma Owens. He had six brothers and three sisters. His brother’s names were Prentice, Johnson, Henry, Ernest, Quincy and Sylvester. His sister’s names were Ida, Josephine and Lily. Growing up in Oakville, Jesse was often very sick suffering from pneumonia.  Jesse’s birth name was James Cleveland Owens. However, at the age of nine his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where his new teacher accidently wrote down his name as “Jesse” instead of J.C. which he used for the rest of his life. Jesse started running in the fifth grade and set a record for the 100-yard dash in junior high school. At the National Interscholastic Championships, Jesse won the 100-yard dash, 200-yard dash and broad jump. His success attracted attention from several universities wishing to recruit him. On July 5, 1935 Jesse married Ruth Solomon. They had three children named Gloria, Beverly and Marlene and they loved them very much.

Jesse attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. During his time at Ohio State he set three world records and tied a fourth, all within 45 minutes. Experts in track and field believe this is one of the greatest athletic feats in history. This success gave Jesse the confidence to compete at the highest level.

In 1936, Jesse Owens competed in the Berlin Olympics and became the first American in Track and Field history to win four gold medals at a single Olympics. Jesse won the following events:

 ·         100-meter dash in 10.3 seconds (tying the world record)

·         200-meter dash in 20.7 seconds (Olympic record)

·         long jump with a jump of 26' 5 1/4" (Olympic record)

·         400-meter relay (first leg) in 39.8 seconds (Olympic and world record)

For Adolph Hitler, the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were expected to be a German showcase and a statement for their supremacy. Hitler criticised America for including black athletes and after Owens won the 100-meter event, a furious Hitler stormed out of the stadium, though some reports indicate that Hitler later congratulated the athlete on his success.

During the games, German shoemaker Adolf or Adi Dassler launched his athletic shoe business and successfully lobbied not only German athletes, but Owens as well, to wear his personally handcrafted leather track shoes with extra-long spikes. Owens success at the games helped to launch his business, and a decade later Dassler would start his own company- Adidas.

Interesting Facts

·         Jesse Owens was the grandson of a slave

·         Jesse Owens got the nickname Buckeye Bullet at Ohio State University because of the records he set

·         After the Olympics Jesse Owens was still struggling for money and often raced against horses, motorcycles and dogs for money. Owens response when asked about these races was, "I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals."

·         In 1976 Jesse Owens received the Medal of Freedom from President Gerald Ford

·         In 1979 President Carter gave Jesse Owens the Living Legend Award at the White House

·         On March 31st, 1980 Jesse Owens died in Tucson, Arizona due to complications from lung cancer

I picked Jesse Owens for my January report because he was a famous track athlete who won four gold medals at the Olympics in Berlin and he inspires me to always keep trying and never give up.

100m - Berlin Olympics