James Cleveland Jesse Owens

James Cleveland Jesse Owens, also known as Jesse Owens, was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. He specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history". He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour, at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan —a feat that has never been equaled and has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". He achieved international fame at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, by winning four gold medals: 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters, and 4 × 100-meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the Games and, as a black American man, was credited with "single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy". The Jesse Owens Award is USA Track and Field's highest accolade for the year's best track and field athlete. Owens was ranked by ESPN as the sixth greatest North American athlete of the 20th century and the highest-ranked in his sport. In 1999, he was on the six-man short-list for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century. Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, as the youngest of ten children. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with his family when he was nine years old. He discovered his talent for running in high school, where he won three events at the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships in Chicago. He attended Ohio State University, where he faced racial discrimination and had to work part-time jobs to pay for his education. He became a star athlete at the university, winning eight individual NCAA championships and leading his team to a national title in 1936. He also married his high school sweetheart, Minnie Ruth Solomon, in 1935 and had four children with her. Owens's Olympic performance in Berlin was a historic moment for sports and civil rights. He defied the Nazi propaganda of racial superiority and received a warm reception from the German crowd and other athletes. He also befriended German long jumper Luz Long, who gave him advice and congratulated him on his victory. Owens later said that Long was "one of the finest, truest friends I ever had". Owens received a hero's welcome when he returned to the United States, but he also faced continued discrimination and segregation. He was not invited to the White House by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, nor did he receive any official recognition for his achievements. He struggled to find lucrative opportunities and had to race against horses and cars to earn money. He also faced criticism from some African Americans who felt that he should have boycotted the Olympics or protested against the Nazi regime. Owens later became a goodwill ambassador for the United States and a spokesman for various companies. He also devoted his time to youth sports and civil rights causes. He received many honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990. He died of lung cancer in 1980 at the age of 66. He is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.