Jesse Owens: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia


Article Images

Line 3:

{{pp-semi-indef}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2016}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=JulyAugust 20232024}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Jesse Owens

| image = Jesse Owens 1936.jpg

| caption = Jesse Owens whenat the [[1936 Summer Olympics]], where he won four Olympic gold medals in 1936

| fullname = James Cleveland Owens

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|09|12}}

| birth_place = [[Oakville, Alabama]], U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|03|31|1913|09|12}}

| death_place = [[Tucson, Arizona]], U.S.

| resting_place = [[Oak Woods Cemetery]]<br />[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.

| spouse = {{marriage|M. Ruth Solomon|1935}}

| height = {{convert|5| ft| 11| in|cm|sigfig=3}}<ref name=Edmondson>{{cite book|last1=Edmondson|first1=Jacqueline|title=Jesse Owens: A Biography|date=2007|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |location=US|page=29|isbn=978-0-313-33988-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ngxJ7XqMqTEC|access-date=September 6, 2014}}</ref>

| weight = {{convert|165| lb}}

| sport = [[Track and field]]

| event = [[Sprint (running)|Sprint]], [[Long jump]]

Line 25 ⟶ 24:

| coaching =

| pb = '''60 yd''': 6.1<br />'''100 yd''': 9.4<br />'''100 m''': 10.2<br />'''200 m''': 20.7<br />'''220 yd''': 20.3

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's track and field}}

{{portalbarMedalSport|UnitedMen's States|[[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}▼

{{MedalCountry|the {{Flag|United States|1912|size=23pxUSA}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}

{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 m]]}}

{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]]}}

{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4×100 m relay]]}}

{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Long jump]]}}

}}

'''James Cleveland''' "'''Jesse'''" '''Owens''' (September 12, 1913{{spnd}} – March 31, 1980) was an American [[track and field]] athlete who won four gold medals at the [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympic Games]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Treasure Trove: A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories|publisher=Evergreen Publications Ltd.|year=2020|isbn=978-93-5063-700-5|location=Darya Ganj, New Delhi, India|page=103}}</ref>

Owens specialized in the [[Sprint (running)|sprint]]s and the [[long jump]] and was recognized in his lifetime as "perhaps the greatest and most famous athlete in track and field history".<ref>{{Citation |last=Litsky|first=Frank|year=1980|title=Jesse Owens Dies of Cancer at 66|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0912.html|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref> He set three world records and tied another, all in less than an hour, at the 1935 [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]] track meet in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]—a, a feat that has never been equaled and has been called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport".<ref name="si_45_minutes">{{cite magazine|last1=Rothschild|first1=Richard|title=Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports|url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/05/24/owens-recordday |access-date=December 10, 2019|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=May 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809234203/https://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/05/24/owens-recordday |archive-date=August 9, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

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 by ''[[ESPN]]'' with "single-handedly crushing [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s myth of [[Aryan supremacy]]".<ref name=Schwartz>{{cite web|url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html|title=Owens Pierced a Myth|last=Schwartz|first=Larry|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|year=2000|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000706211910/http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html|archive-date=July 6, 2000}}</ref>

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 [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year#Sports Personality of the Century Award|Sports Personality of the Century]].

==Early life and education==

Jesse Owens, originally known as ''J. C.'', was the youngest of ten children (three girls and seven boys) born to Henry Cleveland Owens [1881–1942] (a [[Sharecropping|sharecropper]]) and Mary Emma Fitzgerald in [[Oakville, Alabama]], on September 12, 1913. He was the grandson of a slave.<ref name=":3" /> At the age of nine, he and his family moved to [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] for better opportunities as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] (1910–40) when 1.6&nbsp;million African Americans left the [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] and rural South for the urban and industrial North. When his new teacher asked his name to enter in her roll book, he said "J. C.", but because of his strong Southern accent, she thought he said "Jesse". The name stuck, and he was known as Jesse Owens for the rest of his life.<ref>Baker, William J. ''Jesse Owens – An American Life'', p. 19.</ref>

As a youth, Owens took different menial jobs in his spare time: he delivered groceries, loaded freight cars, and worked in a shoe repair shop while his father and older brother worked at a steel mill.<ref name=jobio2>{{cite web|url=http://www.jesseowens.com/jobio2.html|title=?|access-date=April 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703064033/http://www.jesseowens.com/jobio2.html |archive-date=July 3, 2007}}</ref> During this period, Owens realized that he had a passion for running. Throughout his life, Owens attributed the success of his athletic career to the encouragement of Charles Riley, his [[Middle school|junior high school]] track coach at Fairmount Junior High School. Since Owens worked after school, Riley allowed him to practice before school instead.

Line 53:

==Career==

===Ohio State University===

Owens attended the [[Ohio State University]] after his father found employment, which ensured that the family could be supported.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.willingboroschools.org/cms/lib/NJ01001192/Centricity/Domain/268/Jesse%20Owens.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614045327/https://www.willingboroschools.org/cms/lib/NJ01001192/Centricity/Domain/268/Jesse%20Owens.pdf |archive-date=2018-06-June 14, 2018 |url-status=live|title=Jesse Owens – Willingboro|website=Willingboro School District|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref> Affectionately known as the "Buckeye Bullet" and under the coaching of [[Larry Snyder (athlete)|Larry Snyder]], Owens won a record eight individual [[NCAA]] championships, four each in 1935 and 1936.<ref name="si_45_minutes"/> (The record of four gold medals at the NCAA was equaled only by [[Xavier Carter]] in 2006, although his many titles also included relay medals).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ward|first1=Bill |title=Track star Xavier Carter arrested in Tampa|url=http://www.tbo.com/sports/preps/track-star-xavier-carter-arrested-in-tampa-52115|access-date=December 21, 2019|work=[[The Tampa Tribune]]|date=January 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629230932/http://www.tbo.com/sports/preps/track-star-xavier-carter-arrested-in-tampa-52115|archive-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> Though Owens enjoyed athletic success, he had to live off campus with other African-American athletes. When he traveled with the team, Owens was restricted to ordering carry-out or eating at "blacks-only" restaurants. Similarly, he had to stay at "blacks-only" hotels. Owens did not receive a scholarship for his efforts, so he continued to work part-time jobs to pay for school.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/race/jesse-owens-from-alabama-to-olympics/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/race/jesse-owens-from-alabama-to-olympics/ |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=How Jesse Owens went from Alabama to Olympic glory|last=White|first=Benedict|date=May 18, 2016|work=The Telegraph|access-date=June 14, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Day of days===

May 25, 1935, is remembered as the day when Jesse Owens established four [[List of world records in athletics|world records]] in [[sport of athletics|athletics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-25-sp-15641-story.html#:~:text=May%2025%2C%201935%2C%20was%20a,long%20jumper%20in%20the%20world.|title=The Greatest Day in Track & Field: 50 Years Ago, Jesse Owens Had an Afternoon Like No One Else|work=Los Angeles Times|quote=In the New York Times, Owens' day of days was the No. 4-story, behind crew and horse races, and a golf tournament. Ruth was the No. 11-story on Page 1, at the bottom of the page.|date=May 25, 1985|access-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> On that day, Owens achievedset trackthree [[world records]] and fieldtied immortalitya fourth in a span of 45 minutes during the [[Big Ten Conference|Big Ten]] meet at [[Ferry Field]] in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], Michigan, where he set three [[world records]] and tied a fourth. He equaled the world record for the [[100-yard dash]] (9.4 seconds) (not to be confused with the 100-meter dash), and set world records in the [[long jump]] ({{convert|26|ft|8+1/4|in|m|2|disp=or}}, a world record that would last for 25 years); {{convert|220|yd|m|sigfig=4}} sprint (20.3 seconds); and 220-yard [[low hurdles]] (22.6 seconds, becoming the first to break 23 seconds). Both 220-yard records may also have beaten the metric records for [[200 meters]] (flat and hurdles), which would count as two additional world records from the same performances.<ref name=Schwartz/> In 2005, [[University of Central Florida]] professor of sports history Richard C. Crepeau chose these wins on one day as the most impressive athletic achievement since 1850.<ref>{{cite news |first=Lacey|last=Rose|url=https://www.forbes.com/2005/11/18/athletic_performance_olympics_cx_lr_1118experts_print.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124232052/http://www.forbes.com/2005/11/18/athletic_performance_olympics_cx_lr_1118experts_print.html|archive-date=November 24, 2005|title=The Single Greatest Athletic Achievement|date=November 18, 2005|work=Forbes.com}}</ref>

===1936 Berlin Summer Olympics===

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R96374, Berlin, Olympiade, Jesse Owens beim Weitsprung crop.jpg|left|thumb|215px|Owens displaying excellent form during his victorycompeting in the long jump at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] in [[Berlin]]]]

On December 4, 1935, [[NAACP]] Secretary [[Walter Francis White]] wrote a letter to Owens, but never sent it.<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/the-great-depression.html "NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom"]. NAACP Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (082.00.00),</ref> He was trying to dissuade Owens from taking part in the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] in [[Nazi Germany]], arguing that an African American should not promote a racist regime after what his race had suffered at the hands of racists in his own country. In the months prior to the Games, a movement gained momentum in favor of a boycott. Owens was convinced by the NAACP to declare: "If there are minorities in Germany who are being discriminated against, the United States should withdraw from the 1936 Olympics". Yet he and others eventually took part after [[Avery Brundage]], president of the [[American Olympic Committee]] branded them "un-American agitators".<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/owens/ "American Experience, Jesse Owens"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210111042/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/owens/ |date=February 10, 2017 }}. PBS</ref>

[[File:Olympic Village house of Jesse Owens.jpg|thumb|2015 photograph of the U.S. track team house at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Village]]

[[File:Jesse Owen's Room in Berlin 1936 Olympic Village.jpg|thumb|2015 photograph of Jesse Owens's room in the 1936 Olympic Village in Berlin]]

In 1936, Owens and his United States teammates sailed on the [[SS Manhattan (1931)|SS ''Manhattan'']] and arrived in Germany to compete at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. According to fellow American sprinter [[James LuValle]], who won the bronze in the [[400 meters]], Owens arrived at the new Olympic stadium to a throng of fans, many of them young girls yelling ''"Wo ist Jesse? Wo ist Jesse?"'' ("Where is Jesse? Where is Jesse?").<ref>{{cite press release|last=Hodak|first=George A.|date=June 1988|title=An Olympian's Oral History|url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OralHistory/OHLuValle.pdf|location=Los Angeles |publisher=LA84 Foundation|agency=Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles|access-date=September 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001112627/http://library.la84.org/6oic/OralHistory/OHLuValle.pdf|archive-date=October 1, 2015}}</ref> Just before the competitions, founder of [[Adidas]] athletic shoe company [[Adi Dassler]] visited Owens in the Olympic village and persuaded Owens to wear Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik shoes; this was the first sponsorship for a male African American athlete.<ref name="rediff">{{cite web|url=http://in.rediff.com/sports/2005/nov/08adi.htm|title=How Adidas and Puma were born|date=November 8, 2005|publisher=In.rediff.com|access-date=June 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117230846/http://in.rediff.com/sports/2005/nov/08adi.htm|archive-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref>

On August 3, Owens won the 100 m dash<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq4DJtLgbHk| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/zq4DJtLgbHk| archive-date=2021-10-October 30, 2021|title=Jesse Owens at Berlin 1936 – Epic Olympic Moments|last=Olympic|date=December 9, 2015 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> with a time of 10.3 seconds, defeating a teammate and a college friend<ref name="Edmondson"/> [[Ralph Metcalfe]] by a tenth of a second and defeating [[Tinus Osendarp]] of the Netherlands by two-tenths of a second.

On August 4, he won the long jump with a leap of {{convert|8.06|m|ftin}} (3¼ inches short of his own world record). He initially credited this achievement to the technical advice that he received from [[Luz Long]], the German competitor whom he defeated,<ref name="Schwartz" /> but later admitted that this was not true, as he and Long did not meet until after the competition was over.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111878822|title=Was Jesse Owens' 1936 Long-Jump Story A Myth?|last=Goldman|first=Tom|date=August 14, 2009|publisher=NPR|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref>

Line 74:

On August 5, he won the 200 m sprint with a time of 20.7 seconds, defeating teammate [[Mack Robinson (athlete)|Mack Robinson]] (the older brother of [[Jackie Robinson]]).

On August 9, Owens won his fourth gold medal in the 4 × 100 m sprint relay when head coach [[Lawson Robertson]] replaced Jewish-American sprinters [[Marty Glickman]] and [[Sam Stoller]] with Owens and Ralph Metcalfe,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/156017|title=Controversy at the 1936 Olympics|website=AwesomeStories.com}}</ref> who teamed with [[Frank Wykoff]] and [[Foy Draper]] to set a world record of 39.8 seconds in the event.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/owens/ PBS: American Experience. Jessie Owens.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210111042/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/owens/ |date=February 10, 2017 }} (Accessed: May 2, 2012)</ref> Owens had initially protested the last-minute switch, but assistant coach [[Dean Cromwell]] said to him, "You'll do as you are told."{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} Owens's record-breaking performance of four gold medals was not equaled until [[Carl Lewis]] won gold medals in the same events at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Owens had set the world record in the long jump with a leap of {{convert|8.13|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in 1935, the year before the Berlin Olympics, and this record stood for 25 years until it was broken in 1960 by countryman [[Ralph Boston]]. Coincidentally, Owens was a spectator at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] in Rome when Boston took the gold medal in the long jump.

The long-jump victory is documented, along with many other 1936 events, in the 1938 film ''[[Olympia (1938 film)|Olympia]]'' by [[Leni Riefenstahl]]. On August 1, 1936, Nazi Germany's leader [[Adolf Hitler]] shook hands with the German victors only and then left the stadium. International Olympic Committee president [[Henri de Baillet-Latour]] insisted that Hitler greet every medalist or none at all. Hitler opted for the latter and skipped all further medal presentations.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vFYti_djZYEC&pg=PT199 ''Berlin Games: How Hitler Stole the Olympic Dream''] (2012) Guy Walters, Hachette UK {{ISBN|978-1-84854-749-0}}</ref><ref>Rick Shenkman, [http://hnn.us/articles/571.html ''Adolf Hitler, Jesse Owens and the Olympics Myth of 1936''] February 13, 2002, from History News Network (article excerpted from Rick Shenkman's ''Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History'', William Morrow & Co, 1988 {{ISBN|0-688-06580-5}})</ref>

Owens first competed on Day 2 (August 2), running in the first (10:30&nbsp;a.m.) and second (3:00&nbsp;p.m.) qualifying rounds for the 100 meters final; he equaled the Olympic and world record in the first race and broke them in the second race, but the new time was not recognized, because it was wind-assisted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart2.pdf|title=Official Report Volume 2, The XIth Olympic Games, Berlin, Organisation Committee for the 11th Olympiad, Berlin: Wilhelm Limpert, 1936, pp. 617–618|access-date=June 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217013945/http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart2.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> Later the same day, Owens's African-American team-mate [[Cornelius Johnson (athlete)|Cornelius Johnson]] won gold in the high jump final (which began at 5:00&nbsp;p.m.) with a new Olympic record of 2.03 meters.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart3.pdf|title=Official Report Volume 3, The XIth Olympic Games, Berlin, 1936 |author=Organisation Committee for the 11th Olympiad |location=Berlin |publisher=Wilhelm Limpert |date=1936 |page=664 |access-date=June 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022200250/http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart3.pdf|archive-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref> Hitler did not publicly congratulate any of the medal winners this time; even so, the communist New York City newspaper the ''[[Daily Worker]]'' claimed Hitler received all the track winners except Johnson and left the stadium as a "deliberate snub" after watching Johnson's winning jump.<ref>{{cite news |title=Negroes Set New Records in Olympics |work=Daily Worker |date=August 3, 1936 |page=3}} A copy of this newspaper is available on the website [[Fultonhistory.com|Fulton History]] and can be located with a simple word search.</ref> Hitler was subsequently accused of failing to acknowledge Owens (who won gold medals on August 3, 4 (two), and 9) or shake his hand. Owens responded to these claims at the time:

<blockquote>Hitler had a certain time to come to the stadium and a certain time to leave. It happened he had to leave before the victory ceremony after the 100 meters [race began at 5:45 p.m.<ref>{{citation |url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217013945/http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1936/1936spart2.pdf|archive-date=February 17, 2015 |title=Official Report Volume 2, The XIth Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 |author=Organisation Committee for the 11th Olympiad |location=Berlin |publisher=Wilhelm Limpert |date=1936 |page=619}}</ref>]. But before he left I was on my way to a broadcast and passed near his box. He waved at me and I waved back. I think it was bad taste to criticize the "man of the hour" in another country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zsoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1814,6536771&dq=jesse-owens+hitler&hl=en |title=Owens Arrives With Kind Words For All Officials |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=August 24, 1936 |via=News.google.co.uk. |access-date=2011-09-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Owens, Back, Gets Hearty Reception |first=Louis |last=Effrat |work=The New York Times |date=August 25, 1936 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/08/25/87983898.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109220748/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/08/25/87983898.pdf |archive-date=2020-01-09 |url-status=live |page=25}}</ref></blockquote>

Line 84:

In an article dated August 4, 1936, the African-American newspaper editor [[Robert L. Vann]] describes witnessing Hitler "salute" Owens for having won gold in the 100m sprint (August 3):

{{blockquote|And then&nbsp;... wonder of wonders&nbsp;... I saw Herr Adolph [''sic''] Hitler, salute this lad. I looked on with a heart which beat proudly as the lad who was crowned king of the 100 meters event, get an ovation the like of which I have never heard before. I saw Jesse Owens greeted by the Grand Chancellor of this country as a brilliant sun peeped out through the clouds. I saw a vast crowd of some 85,000 or 90,000 people stand up and cheer him to the echo.<ref>"This athletic contest between the leading nations of the country, is a spectacle of spectacles! It's the greatest thing of its kind I've ever seen. Sunday, I witnessed 110,000 people cheer two Negro athletes, because they were supreme in their field. Monday, I saw another vast crowd of close to 100,000 people go "literally crazy" as they saw Jesse Owens, running with the effortless speed of an antelope, completely dominate his field to win "going away" in the 100 meters, with Ralph Metcalfe of Marquette University placing second. And then&nbsp;... wonder of wonders&nbsp;... [sic] I saw Herr Adolph Hitler, salute this lad. I looked on with a heart which beat proudly as the lad who was crowned king of the 100 meters event, get an ovation the like of which I have never heard before. I saw Jesse Owens greeted by the Grand Chancellor of this country as a brilliant sun peeped out through the clouds. I saw a vast crowd of some 85,000 or 90,000 people stand up and cheer him to the echo. And they were mostly Germans! Make no mistake about it. These German people are mighty fine. They have a spirit of sportsmanship and fair play which overrides the color-barrier. This week, as Negro athletes have sent the Start and Stripes of the United States shooting to the top of the flag-pole on three different occasions, I have observed the spirit, not only of the German people, but of those competing from foreign countries. And I've found out, that in the world of sport, where personal perfection is the measuring rod of achievement, color does not count.| {{cite news |title=Hitler Salutes Jesse Owens [Aug. 4 – (By Cable)] |author-link=Robert L. Vann |last=Vann |first=Robert L. |work=[[Pittsburgh Courier]] |date=August 8, 1936 |page=1}} A copy of this newspaper is available on the website [[Fultonhistory.com|Fulton History]] and can be located with a simple word search. The article is partially quoted in {{cite book |first=Jeremy |last=Schaap |title=Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics |location=New York |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Co.|date=2007 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=e-SvBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Hitler+Salutes+Jesse+Owens%22&pg=PA194 194]}}</ref>}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-G00630, Sommerolympiade, Siegerehrung Weitsprung.jpg|thumb|267px|Owens salutes the American flag after winning the long jump at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]. (L–R) [[Naoto Tajima]], Owens, [[Luz Long]].]]

In 2014, [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Eric Brown]], British fighter pilot and test pilot, aged 17 in 1936 and later becoming the [[Fleet Air Arm]]'s most decorated pilot,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.paisley.ac.uk/services/specialcoll/putnam/ptn97.htm|title=Paisley University Library Special Collections – Putnam Aeronautical 1997|access-date=November 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304030924/http://library.paisley.ac.uk/services/specialcoll/putnam/ptn97.htm|archive-date=March 4, 2009}}</ref> stated in a [[BBC]] documentary: "I actually witnessed Hitler shaking hands with Jesse Owens and congratulating him on what he had achieved".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045pbq2/|title=BBC Two – Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Winkle Brown (at 05:35 of the documentary)|publisher=BBC|date=January 1, 1970|access-date=June 1, 2014}}</ref> Additionally, an article in ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' in August 1936 reported that Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1673318912.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+18%2C+1936&author=&pub=The+Sun+%281837-1985%29&desc=OWENS+WEIGHS+HIS+PRO+OFFERS&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725101807/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1673318912.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+18%2C+1936&author=&pub=The+Sun+%281837-1985%29&desc=OWENS+WEIGHS+HIS+PRO+OFFERS&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 25, 2012 |title=Owens Weighs His Pro Offers |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=August 18, 1936 |via=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref> Later, on October 15, 1936, Owens repeated this allegationclaim when he addressed an audience of African Americans at a Republican rally in [[Kansas City]], remarking: "Hitler didn't snub me{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{spcs|2|hair}}itme—it was our president who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9kxhAAAAIBAJ&pg=6051,1761645&hl=en|newspaper=St. Joseph News-Press|title='Snub' From Roosevelt |date=October 16, 1936|access-date=November 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/triumphuntoldsto00jere|url-access=registration |quote=The president didn't even send me a telegram.|first=Jeremy|last=Schaap|title=Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics|page=[https://archive.org/details/triumphuntoldsto00jere/page/211 211]|location=New York|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2007|isbn=978-0-618-68822-7|access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1532&dat=19361010&id=prg9AAAAIBAJ&pg=3031,1091811&hl=en |newspaper=The Afro American |title=Owens Nearly Mobbed as He Speaks Here |date=October 10, 1936 |access-date=November 15, 2015 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

Owens's success at the games caused consternation for Hitler, who was using them to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany.<ref name="Bachrach">{{cite book|last=Bachrach|first=Susan D. |url=https://archive.org/details/naziolympicsberl00bach|title=The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936|year=2000 |publisher=Little, Brown, and Company |isbn=0-316-07087-4|url-access=registration}}</ref> He and other government officials had hoped that German athletes would dominate the games.<ref name="Bachrach" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/jesse-owens-1913--1980-he-was-once-the-fastest-runner-in-the-world-128523103/116594.html |title=Jesse Owens, 1913–1980: He Was Once the Fastest Runner in the World|date=August 27, 2011|work=Voice of America|access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> Nazi minister [[Albert Speer]] wrote that Hitler "was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens. People whose antecedents came from the jungle were primitive, Hitler said with a shrug; their physiques were stronger than those of civilized whites and hence should be excluded from future games."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/research-projects/football-and-politics-in-europe-1930s-1950s/hitler-and-nazi-philosophy/|title=Hitler, Nazi Philosophy and Sport|last1=Anspach|first1=Emma|last2=Almog|first2=Hilah|year=2009|website=Duke.edu|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref>

In Germany, Owens had been allowed to travel with and stay in the same hotels as whites, at a time when [[African Americans]] in many parts of the United States had to stay in [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] hotels that accommodated only blacks.<ref name="Olympic moments">{{cite news|title=50 stunning Olympic moments No6: Jesse Owens's four gold medals, 1936|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2011/dec/21/jesse-owens-four-gold-medals|newspaper=The Guardian|date=March 20, 2016}}</ref> When Owens returned to the United States, he was greeted in New York City by Mayor [[Fiorello La Guardia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N02ibLVOVzQ | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/N02ibLVOVzQ| archive-date=2021-10-October 30, 2021|title=Berlin 1936 – Olympics – Olympia – Jesse Owens back in New York – confetti parade |last=Filmschätze aus Köln – vom Rhein – Weltfilmerbe |date=March 15, 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> During a [[Manhattan]] [[ticker-tape parade]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4b2PaKoET4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/L4b2PaKoET4| archive-date=2021-10-October 30, 2021|title=A motorcade carrying Olympic hero Jesse Owens passes crowded New York streets dur ... HD Stock Footage|last=CriticalPast|date=June 16, 2014|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> in his honor along Broadway's [[Canyon of Heroes]], someone handed Owens a paper bag. Owens paid it little mind until the parade concluded. When he opened it up, he found that the bag contained $10,000 in cash ({{Inflation|US|10000|1936|fmt=eq|r=-3}}). Owens's wife Ruth later said: "And he [Owens] didn't know who was good enough to do a thing like that. And with all the excitement around, he didn't pick it up right away. He didn't pick it up until he got ready to get out of the car".<ref name="latimes">{{cite web |url=https://articleswww.latimes.com/2001archives/la-xpm-2001-jun/-30/local/-me-17013-story.html|title=Ruth Owens; Widow of Legendary Olympian|date=June 30, 2001|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 22, 2013}}</ref>

After the parade, Owens was not permitted to enter through the main doors of the [[Waldorf Astoria New York]] and instead forced to travel up to the reception honoring him in a freight elevator.<ref name="Olympic moments" /><ref name=schwartz>{{cite web | last = Schwartz | first = Larry | title=Owens pierced a myth|url=httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html| year=2007}}</ref> President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] (FDR) never invited Jesse Owens to the White House following his triumphs at the Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwTPk00QMHIC&q=roosevelt+jesse+owens&pg=PA210 |title=New Deal Or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America |page=210 |author=Burton W. Folsom |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4165-9237-2 |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref> When the Democrats bid for his support, Owens rejected those overtures: as a staunch Republican, he endorsed [[Alf Landon]], Roosevelt's Republican opponent in the [[1936 United States presidential election|1936 presidential race]].<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Owens Will Talk in Landon Drive |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City |date=September 3, 1936 |page=10 }}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Owens Jumps into Political Ring; Landon for President |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86092050/1936-09-04/ed-1/seq-1/ |access-date=April 23, 2020 |work=[[The McDowell Times]] (Keystone, West Virginia) |date=September 4, 1936 |quote=... the most important thing, I think, is to elect Governor Alfred M. Landon president. His election will be good for America and for the people of the colored race.}}</ref> Owens was employed to do campaign outreach for African American votes for the Republican presidential nominee [[Alf Landon]] in the [[1936 United States presidential election|1936 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Streissguth |first=Thomas |title=Jesse Owens |year=2005 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=0-8225-3070-8 |page=70}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor=Magill, Frank N. |title=The 20th Century O–Z: Dictionary of World Biography |year=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-59362-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofworl0000unse/page/2863 2863] |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofworl0000unse/page/2863 }}</ref>

==Life after the Olympics==

Line 103:

After the games had ended, the entire Olympic team was invited to compete in [[Sweden]]. Owens decided to capitalize on his success by returning to the United States to take up some of the more lucrative endorsement offers. United States athletic officials were furious and withdrew his amateur status, which immediately ended his career. Owens was angry and stated that "A fellow desires something for himself."<ref name="bbc2011">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A76754028| title=An Emperor among Professionals|last=Riley|first=Liam|publisher=BBC |access-date=May 17, 2011}}</ref> Owens argued that the [[Racism in the United States|racial discrimination]] he had faced throughout his athletic career, such as not being eligible for scholarships in college and therefore being unable to take classes between training and working to pay his way, meant he had to give up on amateur athletics in pursuit of financial gain elsewhere.<ref name="Entine">{{cite book|last1=Entine|first1=Jon|title=Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and why We are Afraid to Talk about it|url=https://archive.org/details/taboowhyblackath00entirich|url-access=registration|date=2000|publisher=PublicAffairs|page=[https://archive.org/details/taboowhyblackath00entirich/page/187 187]}}</ref>

Following the 1936 Olympics where Owens won four gold medals, racism back home led to difficulty earning a living despite his international acclaim. Owens struggled to find work and took on menial jobs as a gas station attendant, playground janitor,<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2023 |title=Jesse Owens {{!}} Biography, Olympics, Medals, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesse-Owens |access-date=2023-06-June 15, 2023 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |language=en}}</ref> and manager of a dry cleaning firm and at times resorted to racing against motorbikes, cars, trucks and horses for a cash prize.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=March 30, 2021 |title=From horse-racer to speech writer: Jesse Owens' life after the Olympic Games |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/from-horse-racer-to-speech-writer-jesse-owens-life-after-the-olympic-games |access-date=2023-06-June 14, 2023 |website=Olympics.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/from-horse-racer-to-speech-writer-jesse-owens-life-after-the-olympic-games|title=From horse-racer to speech writer: Jesse Owens' life after the Olympic Games|date=April 11, 2017|website=olympic.org}}</ref> <blockquote>People say it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals.<ref name=":4" /> </blockquote>Owens was prohibited from making appearances at amateur sporting events to bolster his profile, and he found out that the commercial offers had all but disappeared. In 1937, he briefly toured with a twelve-piece jazz band under contract with Consolidated Artists but found it unfulfilling. He also made appearances at baseball games and other events.<ref>Jack Neely, "[http://www.knoxmercury.com/2016/08/10/fastest-bandleader-world/ The Fastest Bandleader in the World]," ''Knoxville Mercury'', August 10, 2016.</ref>

Owens was involved politically and lent his support to the Republican Party and [[Al Landon|Alf Landon]] in the [[1936 United States Presidential Election]], saying that [[Adolf Hitler]] congratulated him but that he was snubbed by President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] after winning a gold medal.<ref>{{Cite webmagazine|title=National Affairs: Owens for Landon|magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,756596,00.html|date=September 14, 1936}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bracken|first=Haley|title=Was Jesse Owens Snubbed by Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympics?|url=https://www.britannica.com/story/was-jesse-owens-snubbed-by-adolf-hitler-at-the-berlin-olympics}}</ref> In 1942, [[Willis Ward]]—a friend and former competitor from the [[University of Michigan]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eddie Tolan, Willis Ward, and Jesse Owens at 1935 Big Ten Track Meet at Ferry Field · Willis Ward: More than The Game · Exhibits at the Bentley |url=https://exhibits.bentley.umich.edu/s/willisward/item/533 |access-date=2023-06-June 15, 2023 |website=exhibits.bentley.umich.edu}}</ref>—who was then working at [[Ford Motor Company]] as Assistant Personnel Director, invited Owens to [[Detroit]]. Ward worked for the [[Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company's]] "ad hoc civil rights division, serving as the liaison between black and white workers"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Post |first=The Livingston |date=January 22, 2017 |title=Decency, justice and the Michigan-OSU rivalry: The story of Jesse Owens and Gerald Ford |url=https://thelivingstonpost.com/decency-justice-and-the-michigan-osu-rivalry-the-story-of-jesse-owens-and-gerald-ford/ |access-date=2023-06-June 15, 2023 |website=The Livingston Post.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Willis Ward and Jesse Owens, Ford Motor Company, November 23, 1942 – The Henry Ford |url=https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/177905/ |access-date=2023-06-June 15, 2023 |website=thehenryford.org |language=en}}</ref> and was an advocate for African American employees in the personnel department. Owens wound up replacing him, and remained with Ford until 1946.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Willis Ward and Jesse Owens, Ford Motor Company, November 23, 1942 – The Henry Ford |url=https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/177905/ |access-date=2023-06-June 15, 2023 |website=thehenryford.org |language=en}}</ref> In the late 1940s, Owens moved his family to Chicago and opened his own [[public relations]] agency.

In 1946, Owens joined [[Abe Saperstein]] in the formation of the [[West Coast Negro Baseball League]], a new [[Negro league baseball|Negro baseball league]]; Owens was Vice-President and the owner of the [[Portland Rosebuds (baseball)|Portland (Oregon) Rosebuds]] franchise.<ref name="oba2005">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/west-coast-baseball-association-tf/ |title=West Coast Baseball Association |encyclopedia=Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations |date= 2005 |publisher=[[BookRags]] |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920063619/http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/west-coast-baseball-association-tf |archive-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref> He toured with the Rosebuds, sometimes entertaining the audience in between [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader games]] by competing in races against horses.<ref name="elpaso2010">{{cite web | title= Sun City home to the Negro Leagues for one weekend | url= http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_15493851 | first= Milan | last= Simonich | date= July 12, 2010 | work= [[El Paso Times]] | department= Hidden El Paso | access-date= July 31, 2010 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20130208044418/http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_15493851 | archive-date= February 8, 2013}}</ref> The WCBA disbanded after only two months.<ref name="oba2005" /><ref name="elpaso2010" />

Line 111:

Owens helped promote the [[exploitation film]] ''[[Mom and Dad (1945 film)|Mom and Dad]]'' in African American neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/27355|title=Mom and Dad (1945)|website=American Film Institute|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref> He tried to make a living as a sports promoter, essentially an entertainer. He would give local sprinters a ten- or twenty-yard start and beat them in the 100-yd (91-m) dash. He also challenged and defeated racehorses; as he revealed later, the trick was to race a high-strung [[Thoroughbred]] that would be frightened by the starter's shotgun and give him a bad jump. On the lack of opportunities, Owens added, "There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway."<ref name="Entine" />

He traveled to [[Rome]] for the [[1960 Summer Olympics]], where he met the 1960 100 meters champion [[Armin Hary]] of Germany, who had defeated American [[Dave Sime]] in a [[photo finish]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/athletics-legend-jesse-owens-poses-and-jokes-with-his-news-photo/516803630#athletics-legend-jesse-owens-poses-and-jokes-with-his-fellow-armin-picture-id516803630|title=US athletics legend Jesse Owens (R) poses and jokes with his f ...|date=March 21, 2016 |access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref>

In 1965, Owens was hired as a running instructor for spring training for the [[New York Mets]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.who2.com/jesse-owens-was-briefly-really-a-coach-for-the-mets/|title=Jesse Owens Was (Briefly) (Really!) a Coach for the Mets&nbsp;– Who2|website=who2.com}}</ref>

Owens ran a [[dry cleaning]] business and worked as a gas station attendant to earn a living, but he eventually filed for [[bankruptcy]]. In 1966, he was successfully prosecuted for [[tax evasion]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Jesse Owens Is Fined in Tax Case|work=The Times-News|agency=United Press International|date=February 2, 1966|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-vIZAAAAIBAJ&pg=2316,2150242|access-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> At rock bottom, he was aided in beginning his rehabilitation. Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower enlisted Owens as a [[goodwill ambassador]] in 1955 and sent the world-renowned track star to India, the Philippines, and Malaya to promote physical exercise as well as tout the cause of American freedom and economic opportunity in the developing world. He would continue his goodwill tours in the 1960s and 1970s. Although he lost his patronage job with the Illinois Youth Commission in 1960, Owens continued his product endorsement work for such corporations as Quaker Oats, Sears and Roebuck, and Johnson & Johnson. Owens traveled the world and spoke to companies such as the [[Ford Motor Company]] and stakeholders such as the [[United States Olympic Committee]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jesse Owens|url=https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/sporting-heroes/jesse-owens/|access-date=2020-08-August 10, 2020|website=Black History Month 2020|date=February 14, 2008 |language=en}}</ref> In 1972, he and his wife retired to Arizona.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Metcalfe |first=Jeff |title=Track hero Jesse Owens lived his latter years in Phoenix |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/olympics/2016/02/12/track-hero-jesse-owens-lived-his-latter-years-phoenix/80256486/ |access-date=2023-02-February 23, 2023 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}</ref>

Owens initially refused to support the [[1968 Olympics Black Power salute|black power salute]] by [[African-American]] sprinters [[Tommie Smith]] and [[John Carlos]] at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]. He told them:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jesseowens.com/quotes/|title=Jesse Owens: Olympic Legend-quotes|access-date=May 8, 2009}}</ref>

Line 125:

<blockquote>I realized now that militancy in the best sense of the word was the only answer where the black man was concerned, that any black man who wasn't a militant in 1970 was either blind or a coward.</blockquote>

Owens traveled to [[Munich]] for the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] as a special guest of the West German government,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-aug-08-1972-jesse-owens-at-the-olympic-games-in-munich-world-famous-69467677.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=C6CC95AC-6A8C-4AEE-9181-4BC5D0F4AA24&p=90011&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dolympic%2520games%2520berlin%25201936%26qt_raw%3dolympic%2520games%2520berlin%25201936%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d0%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2|title=Stock Photo&nbsp;– Aug. 08, 1972&nbsp;– Jesse Owens at the Olympic games in Munich.: World famous American coloured athlete Jesse Owens. Who won Gold medals in the 1936 Olympic games in berlin is at |access-date=July 28, 2017}}</ref> meeting West German Chancellor [[Willy Brandt]] and former boxer [[Max Schmeling]].<ref>{{Cite webjournal |title=Browsing Jesse Owens Collection by Subject 'Munich Olympics' |website=The Ohio State University |hdl=1811/53219 |url=https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/53219/browse?type=subject&value=Munich+Olympics}}</ref>

A few months before his death, Owens had unsuccessfully tried to convince [[President of the United States|President]] [[Jimmy Carter]] to withdraw his demand that the United States [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics]] in protest of the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. He argued that the Olympic ideal was supposed to be observed as a time-out from war and that it was above politics.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/04/01/jesse-owens/fcc3d038-d015-4f2e-ab36-75867ae859f9/|title=Jesse Owens&nbsp;– Obituary|date=April 1, 1980|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

Line 135:

{{Blockquote|Jesse Owens. Olympic Champion. 1936. Athlete and humanitarian. A master of the spirit as well as the mechanics of sports. A winner who knew that winning was not everything. He showed extraordinary love for his family and friends. His achievements have shown us all the promise of America. His faith in America inspired countless others to do their best for themselves and their country. September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980.}}

Although Jimmy Carter had ignored Owens's request to cancel the Olympic boycott, the president issued a tribute to Owens after he died: "Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=J. Y. |date=April 1, 1980 |title=Olympic Track Great Jesse Owens Is Dead at 66 |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/04/01/olympic-track-great-jesse-owens-is-dead-at-66/51f3910e-2d63-4370-991c-151a7e86b076/ |access-date=2022-08-August 14, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

==Legacy==

[[File:Jesse Owens figure at Madame Tussauds London (30870323410).jpg|thumb|upright|Waxwork of Owens at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]]

The dormitory that Owens occupied during the Berlin Olympics has been fully restored into a living museum, with pictures of his accomplishments at the games, and a letter (intercepted by the Gestapo) from a fan urging him not to shake hands with Hitler.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hitler%E2%80%99s_Olympic_Village_Faces_Conservation_Battle.theora.ogv|title=Hitler's Olympic Village Faces Conservation Battle [video] |work=Voice of America|date=August 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Henry |last=Ridgwell |date= August 23, 2012 |title=Hitler's Olympic Village Faces Conservation Battle |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/hitler-olympic-village-faces-conservation-battle/1494715.html |work=VOA News |publisher=Voice of America |access-date=April 14, 2023 |quote=A letter from a fan urges Owens to refuse to accept a medal from 'bloodstained hands'. He never saw it; it was intercepted by the Gestapo, the German secret police.}}</ref> In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Owens, was documented in the film ''[[Olympic Pride, American Prejudice]]''.<ref name="Henderson 2016">{{cite web | last=Henderson | first=Odie | title=Olympic Pride, American Prejudice movie review (2016) | website=RogerEbert.com | date=August 5, 2016-08-05 | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/olympic-pride-american-prejudice-2016 | access-date=2021-04-April 11, 2021}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==

Line 156:

*March 28, 1990: posthumously presented a [[Congressional Gold Medal]] by President [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/29/sports/sports-people-track-and-field-bush-awards-owens-his-fifth-gold-medal.html|title=Sports People: Track and Field; Bush Awards Owens His Fifth Gold Medal|date=1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

*1990 and 1998: two U.S. [[postage stamps]] have been issued to honor Owens, one in each year.<ref name=":2" />

*1996: Owens's hometown of [[Oakville, Alabama]], dedicated the [[Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum]] in his honor at the same time that the [[Olympic Torch]] came through the community, 60 years after his Olympic wins. An article in the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' of June 7, 1996, covered the event and included this inscription written by poet [[Charles Ghigna]] that appears on a bronze plaque at the park:<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jesseowensmemorialpark.com/wordpress1/wp-content/na/072%20Two%20Black%20Olympians%20Are%20Given%20Their%20Due_Decades%20After%20Winning%20Gold_June_7_1996.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615212135/http://jesseowensmemorialpark.com/wordpress1/wp-content/na/072%20Two%20Black%20Olympians%20Are%20Given%20Their%20Due_Decades%20After%20Winning%20Gold_June_7_1996.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-June 15, 2016 |url-status=live|title=Belatedly, Grudgingly, Two Black Olympians Are Given Their Due|date=June 7, 1996|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=June 14, 2018|publisher=Jesse Owens Memorial Park}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jesseowensmemorialpark.com/wordpress1/wp-content/na/111%20Inscription%20on%20Jesse%20Owens%20Statue.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809090015/http://jesseowensmemorialpark.com/wordpress1/wp-content/na/111%20Inscription%20on%20Jesse%20Owens%20Statue.pdf |archive-date=August 9, 2016-08-09 |url-status=live|title=Inscription on Jesse Owens Statue|website=Jesse Owens Memorial Park|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

{{poemquote|

Line 165:

for the memory of Jesse Owens.}}

* 1999: ranked the sixth greatest North American athlete of the twentieth century and the highest-ranked in his sport by [[ESPN]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://espnwww.goespn.com/sportscentury/athletes.html|title=Top N. American athletes of the century|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|publisher=ESPN|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref>

*1999: on the six-man shortlist for the BBC's [[BBC Sports Personality of the Century#Sports Personality of the Century Award|Sports Personality of the Century]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/561352.stm|title=Ali crowned Sportsman of Century|date=December 13, 1999|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=March 30, 2017}}</ref>

*2001: [[Ohio State University]] dedicated [[Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium]] for track and field events. A sculpture honoring Owens occupies a place of honor in the esplanade leading to the rotunda entrance to Ohio Stadium. Owens competed for the Buckeyes on the track surrounding the football field that existed prior to the 2001 expansion of Ohio Stadium. The campus also houses three recreational centers for students and staff named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.recsports.osu.edu/ |title=Get caught |publisher=Ohio State Recreational Sports |access-date=August 31, 2010 |archive-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902072008/https://recsports.osu.edu/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Line 184:

*2016: A feature film titled ''[[Race (2016 film)|Race]]'' about Owens with [[Stephan James (actor)|Stephan James]] portraying Owens was released.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/race-film-review-861062|title='Race': Film Review|last=Linden|first=Sheri|date=February 18, 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://wtop.com/entertainment/2016/02/race-recounts-the-time-jesse-owens-left-hitler-in-the-dust/|title='Race' recounts the time Jesse Owens left Hitler in the dust|last=Fraley|first=Jason|date=February 19, 2016|work=wtop|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

*2017: In the [[Jordan Peele]]-directed film ''[[Get Out]]'', Roman Armitage, the villainous patriarch, lost the qualification round for the 1936 Olympics to Owens, instigating his neurosurgical research and theft of young black men via brain transplant.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/03/get-out-discussion/|title=We Really Need to Talk About That Get Out Ending|last1=Rubin|first1=Kelly|last2=Rubin|first2=Peter|date=March 1, 2017|magazine=Wired|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/24/14724404/jordan-peele-get-out-movie-review-race-horror-film|title=Get Out review: a ruthlessly smart racial send-up that's also terrifying|last=Robinson|first=Tasha|date=February 24, 2017|work=The Verge|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jordan-peeles-thriller-get-release-935086|title=Jordan Peele's Thriller 'Get Out' Gets Release Date, Trailer|last=Galuppo|first=Mia|date=October 4, 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

*2019: In ''[[Jojo Rabbit]]'', directed by [[Taika Waititi]], an incarnation of [[Adolf Hitler]] humorously refers to the character Elsa as "a little female Jewish Jesse Owens".<ref>{{Citation|title=Jojo Rabbit (2019) |publisher=IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/characters/nm0169806|access-date=2021-11-November 28, 2021}}</ref>

*2023: In [[The Boys in the Boat (film)|The Boys in the Boat]], Jyuddah Jaymes portrays Owens in a cameo as the University of Washington [[Eight (rowing)|Eight rowing]] team enters the stadium with the United States Olympic team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press • |first=Eddie Pells {{!}} The Associated |date=2023-12-December 25, 2023 |title=‘The'The Boys in the Boat' gives the Hollywood treatment to rowing during an Olympic year |url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/the-boys-in-the-boat-gives-the-hollywood-treatment-to-rowing-during-an-olympic-year/3729609/ |access-date=December 25, 2023-12-25 |website=NBC10 Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 24, 2023-12-24 |title=The Boys in the Boat Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856080/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225040804/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856080/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm |archive-date=2023-12-December 25, 2023 |access-date=December 24, 2023-12-24 |website=IMDB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=2023-12-December 24, 2023 |title=‘The'The Boys in the Boat’Boat' gets stuck in the shallow end of the sports-movie pool |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/24/entertainment/boys-in-the-boat-review-george-clooney/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225040918/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/24/entertainment/boys-in-the-boat-review-george-clooney/index.html |archive-date=2023-12-December 25, 2023 |access-date=December 25, 2023-12-25 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

== The Jesse Owens Rising Star Award ==

Beginning in 2024, a collaboration with the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation, and the [[Wanda Diamond League]], the award honouring Owens will recognise two exceptional emerging young, top-performing male and female athletes, aged 23 or under.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jesse Owens Rising Star Award to honour young athletes at WDL Final |url=https://www.diamondleague.com/news/general/jesse-owens-rising-star-award-to-honour-young-athletes-at-wdl-final/ |access-date=2024-09-12 |website=IDL Diamond League |language=en-US}}</ref>

Each winner will receives a bronze statuette of Owens designed by Belgian sculptor Jan Desmarets.

==See also==

▲{{portalbar|United States|Sport of athletics}}

* [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games]]

Line 207 ⟶ 211:

* {{IMDb title|id=0889135|title=Jesse and Me (2019)}}

* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129110943/http://www.milkshakefilms.com/jesse/ |title=Official "Jesse Owens Movie" Website |date=mdy}}

* [httphttps://espnwww.goespn.com/sportscentury/features/00016393.html Owens's accomplishments and encounter with Adolf Hitler (ESPN)]

* [http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=222&format=tv&theme=history Jesse Owens video newsreel]

* [http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=255&format=movie&theme=guide Jesse Owens video in Riefenstahl's Olympia (1936)]

Line 226 ⟶ 230:

{{Footer US NC 100m Men}}

{{Footer US NC long jump Men}}

{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's long jump}}

{{Footer USA Track & Field 1936 Summer Olympics}}

{{Footer Collegiate Track Field Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame}}

}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Olympics|Sport of athletics |United States}}

{{authority control}}

Line 236 ⟶ 242:

[[Category:1980 deaths]]

[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]

[[Category:American male track and field athletes]]

[[Category:American male long jumpers]]

[[Category:American male sprinters]]

Line 257 ⟶ 262:

[[Category:Track and field athletes from Cleveland]]

[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]

[[Category:20th-century African-American sportspeople]]

[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]

[[Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]