Biography

[b]Days In Alabama[/b][br /]
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It was no occasion for rejoicing or celebration for Henry and Emma Owens and their large family when on September 12, 1913, their seventh child, James Owens, was born. He was just another child that they would have to feed and raise along with the other children they had. James passed his early childhood with his family at Alabama, USA, in the deep south.[br /]
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"No one called me 'nigger' until I was seven" recalls Jesse in his book Black Think. It was because Alabama was a place where the majority of the populace were descendants of slaves. James’s grandfather was also a slave. This place hardly witnJessed any white person… John Cannon, the only white, who lived in a big house on the top of the hill, owned 100 hectares of cotton field. Eight Negro families used to till the land for him. Henry Owens, was a big tenant with the largest section of 20 hectares. He managed the large chunk of land with his four sons. James at the age of seven used to pluck 100 pounds of cotton a day.[br /]
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[b]Unhealthy Childhood[/b][br /]
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As a child, he never enjoyed good health in Alabama. The other factor detrimental to his health was that the big family lived in a small cardboard house, with no basic facilities like heating. The thin, sickly, and undernourished boy’s condition worsened upon arrival of winter. The winter came down heavily upon him; it was a season when he suffered from pneumonia and chronic bronchial congestion.[br /]
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Inadequate medication worsened his condition further. Somehow, his mother’s loving care helped him pass that winter. Emma Owens was much concerned about James’ health. She always insisted Henry to move to some northern state where the climatic conditions were better. She dreamed of a better life and prosperity in North, where blacks were finding jobs then. Though stability over there was a big question, the fear of unknown was greater to Henry than fear of poverty. These pressing reasons made him stay back in Alabama.
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Again, the next winter his illness aggravated and he was in grave danger. He coughed blood. This was the year, which also produced a good cotton crop. It helped the family pay off their debts at Cannon’s shop. Change in James’s health and an enhanced production of the crop brought many promising and positive changes with it. One major change was that the Owens family was no more under Cannon’s debt. This change also meant Cannon losing hold over his tenant. It might be for this reason that on one February night in 1921 he called Henry and proposed the rent change from 50 per cent of the crop to 60 per cent. This proposal forced Henry – a silent and obedient tenant to speak out. Jesse Owens depicts the conversation that released a man tied to his roots in his book Black Think: Henry finally said, [i]That isn’t fair[/i].[br /]
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"Fair?" came the reply. "What does fair have to do with you?" Those were the words that struck Henry. Next Sunday, after church, he decided to leave the place where he had toiled for many decades. [br /]
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[b]Cleveland – Ohio[/b][br /]
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The family moved to Cleveland – Ohio in North America. It was a new place for all. Cleveland did not bring in the sought after real prospects. Stability was a big question. Permanent job was difficult for the Blacks in this part of America and Henry could not find one. Three brothers of James found a job at the steel plant, whereas Jamesperformed odd jobs. Cleveland bode well and the northern climate seemed to suit James, improving his health.[br /]
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[b]James to Jesse[/b][br /]
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James started schooling in Cleveland at a local elementary school. The place that helped him earn the name, which the world knew him by, all his life. At school, when the teacher asked his name he drawled in southern fashion ‘J.C. Owens, ma’am.’ The teacher not aware of his southern drawl wrote ‘Jesse Owens’! James a new student and ‘eager-to-please’ the others did nothing to correct it and it was Jesse from then onwards.[br /]
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[b]Starting Point[/b][br /]
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Teething financial problems beset the Owens family. To contribute his mite, Jesse performed odd jobs when at school. He at times delivered groceries, loaded freight cars and worked in a shoe repair shop. The race track was something he never thought about. Besides he had very little time to spare. Play was something that was not an everyday routine for this child. Yet, little Jesse managed to



race with his friends in school and in the neighborhood alleys.[br /]
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The Jesse Owens story wouldn’t have unfolded but for Charles Riley, a wily old Irish mathematics professor, and part time coach. He spotted Jesse’s athletic talent at Junior high school and asked him to join the track team in the fifth form. Jesse who was supposed to supplement his family’s income, was unable to reciprocate. Track career was not thought of as productive one for this young man and so he refused it. However, Charles Riley saw talent in him and persuaded Jesse to prepare seriously for track events. Finally, he spent an hour before school everyday in practice. Things started rolling for Jesse. Every morning before the first class began, Riley would meet him on the pavement outside the school and work with him.[br /]
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Riley was like a father figure to him. The first white in Jesse’s life, who meant to convey white as something more than ‘opposite of black’ through his actions. The whites could not only be hated, but could also be loved and respected. Jesse recalls Charles in Black Thing as a person who cared for him. He used to bring him food saying bluntly, "Here, put some flesh on your bones." Jesse describes him in Black Thing as, "He was like a father to me. Charles Riley not only put me on the road to athletic fame but also helped me to escape the sickness of racial hatred. He showed me beyond all doubt that understanding and love can exist between black and white." Racism never came between them. Riley started polishing the rough diamond. He built in him some excellent habits. Nature was the source from where the lessons were taken. He made him watch how effortlessly the horses ran and coached him as if he was treading on hot coal, which produced the aesthetic running style that is marveled at, even today.[br /]
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After several months of training Jesse felt no specific improvement in him. His legs still looked like pieces of straw. He wanted to give it up. He said, "I’ll never make the team this year, Mr. Riley." "Who says we’re trying to make this year ?" Riley answered, "You’re training for four years from now, Jesse." This dialogue relaxed him from the pressure to succeed overnight[br /]
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[b]Jesse – In Ohio[/b][br /]
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Charles Riley did not want this rising sun to set and deprive the world from the dazzling rays he would cast over the world. That weekend, Charles drove to Ohio State University and talked to Larry Snyder, the best track coach in United States.[br /]
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He worked out the things for Jesse. Charles brought along two letters. One was from the dean’s office. They wanted Jesse to attend the university and they offered his father three jobs – waiter, library assistant or the lift-operator’s. The second letter offered his father a permanent civil service job with the state of Ohio. This was something very overwhelming to Jesse. He could not control his emotions and once he recalled, "I was more than 10 centimeters taller than Charles Riley, but I threw my arms round him and kissed him."[br /]
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Owens chose to attend Ohio State University despite the fact that it offered partial track scholarship and racism was at its best on the campus.[br /]
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[b]Bitter Experiences[/b][br /]
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The experiences at Ohio State University were not very memorable at all for Jesse. Discrimination was at its highest peak. He was barred from the men’s dormitory just because he was black. Blacks were not supposed to stay on the campus. He had to stay at a place, which was at a mile’s distance - a boarding house that was shared by a few other black students. It was difficult to survive with such impartial behavior and partial scholarship. Jesse could not support his studies and his wife, Ruth on a paltry scholarship. To make up the rest of the money he laid his hands on various jobs.[br /]
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[b]FINANCING THE CAREER AND THE FAMILY[/b][br /]
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Of all the jobs, the most celebrated one was that of

operating an elevator in the State office building in Columbus. This simple job, which earned him reasonable remuneration, also illustrated deep divide between the blacks and the whites. Being black, he was not allowed to operate the lift in the front side of the building. White students manned the lift at the front of the building for the employees and the visitors. The other jobs that fetched him additional money was through working as an elevator operator,a gas station attendant, a library attendant and the job of a page in the Ohio State house.[br /]
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Along with the odd jobs performed to support him and his family, he concentrated on training for the field and track event with his coach Charles Riley. This great athlete on track was not doing well off the track. After the completion of freshman year at Ohio State University he was placed on academic probation because of his poor grades. The only mastery off the track was his passion for public speaking. He had started following the footsteps of the sprint king Charles Paddock even in the pre-Olympic days. He was able to keep the audience spell-bound with a well-rehearsed speech. This activity also earned him a handsome $ 50, touring a school or a club at times.[br /]
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Public speaking was not only a source of income for Jesse but also a passion. He, at times, also helped the needy organization for no returns. He realized at this point that speaking could be given a chance as a full-fledged career.[br /]
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[b]From Charles to Larry[/b][br /]
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The spring of 1934 marked a change of the role of Godfather for this sprint star. Jesse’s track career took an upturn when his coach Riley handed over this ‘rough diamond’ to Larry Snyder – the best track coach in the United States. Larry’s main job was to enhance Jesse’s natural talent and polish his technique. Vigorous training started off, where Jesse was taught to keep low at the starts. Larry made him practice this using a high jump bar to ensure that his head remains low.[br /]
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Larry also made Jesse participate at various competitions so he might get the feel of the competition practically on the ground. Winning various events enhanced his popularity to such a extent that 12,000 people turned out to watch him compete in a duel meet between Ohio State and Notre Dame. All the three events came to his credit and brought along a high tide in his popularity.[br /]
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[b]Big Ten Championship[/b][br /]
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The series of victory to Owens were not stupendous enough. It could be easily excelled by others. He had not created any history by making the impossible possible. History needs tremendous efforts from all quarters, as it is ‘the best’ that are taken note of. The Big Ten Championship was the first international meet for Owens. There were high expectations from this local lad on whose shoulders rested



the honor of the State.[br /]
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On May 25, 1935 the event was scheduled, and just five days prior, he suffered a major tailbone injury. While horsing around with a friend he fell down a flight of stars. The spine injury could not heal so quickly. The crucial last five days before the event went without any training, and that was not all. The five days' rest taken by him did not even heal the injury to the extent that could enable him to carry his own weight. The pain was so acute that while making his way to the stadium, Snyder and few other athletes assisted him.[br /]
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He was carried from the rumble car seat to the locker-room where he took the steam bath for half an hour to get relief from the soring pain. Jesse remembered some years later : "Some of my teammates had to help me get on my running gear. Our trainer put a big swab of hot liniment on my back and they had to help me get on my sweat suit to keep me warm. I got out to the track and hoped I would feel better after I did my usual warm-up of jogging and then stretching, but I couldn’t even jog, let alone stretch." Jesse had just propped himself against the flagpole showing no sign to participate. The other well-prepared participants were darting up and down the cinder track giving their body the Jessential warm up prior to the race. Snyder was also persuading him to pull out of the competition. But his conscience was somehow not allowing him to draw out and finally, Owens decided to have a go at the first race – 100-yards. He wanted to give it a try and dragged his body gingerly walking to the start up. [br /]
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[b]60 Minutes Creates a Legend :[/b][br /]
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To recall this significant event in Owens' life, let us for a moment imagine ourselves to be at the place where Jesse was standing on May 25, 1935. The event was the Big Ten Championship at Ann Arbor. The time was 3:00 p.m. A person who was hardly able to stand on his toes, crying in pain, not knowing what the coming hour had in store for him.[br /]
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The clock struck 3:15 after noon, and the starter called the field to their marks and suddenly the acute pain, which had harassed him so far, disappeared the moment he started digging his mark up. Reminiscing that particular moment, he said, "It was completely gone. I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t know why then, and I don’t to this day", At the firing of the gun, the Buckeye Bullet sprang out of the holes and burst smoothly 100-yards down the track in 9.4 seconds, a clear tenth of the second ahead of the second placed runner. Jesse’s sterling performance enthralled each spectator on the ground, including himself.[br /]
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Ten minutes later, the clock showed 3:25 p.m. He moved across to the long jump pit. It had been dug recently. The sandpit was having a white handkerchief placed at the distance of 26’ 21¼ " (7.98m). This was a world mark of Japan’s Chuhei Nambu, set in 1931. Jesse took the superb start down the runway and got a tremendous lift off the board. A hush fell over the mesmerized crowd when he landed 6 inches beyond the handkerchief mark. Jesse had smashed the first world record. He had made an incredible leapfrog of 26 ft 8¼ in (8.13m). This record celebrated a silver jubilee in Jesse’s name. It was the only jump that he made on that day and created an unbeatable world record. He cherished the thundering applause of the crowd, the officials and other athletes in the stadium for a full five minutes.[br /]
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The clock was going on and so was Jesse. The arms of the clock showed 3:45 pm and Jesse was getting himself ready for the 220-yards event. He started acquiring the power when the race started. Just after 10 yards, the field was well and he was cruising down to eclipse Metcalfe’s record. He touched the finishing line in 20.3 seconds, erasing three-tenths of a second off Ralph Metcalfe’s record. Jesse was now on a new high and the spectators were seeing a once in a lifetime performance being enacted right in front of their eyes.[br /]
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At 4 pm, he cleared the hurdle of the 220-yards’ low hurdles. He was not known as a technically good hurdler but the day clearly belonged to him. Jesse tore apart his opponents, winning by a clear second from the next placed man and breaking the world record by four-tenths of a second at 22.6[br /]
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seconds.It is also equally true that two of the three timers clocked him in 22.4 seconds and that he had pocketed three Gold’s that included equaling a world record and creating two more, and this was not all. The two-furlong racetracks were also eagerly waiting for him. With the speed of a bullet passing the barrel he set metric world marks and thus the 60 minutes that followed his acute pain, led Jesse into the history books. Afterwards, he had to be helped into the shower and then into a car to get home.[br /]
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It was a subject that Jesse liked to talk about and later revealed : "Actually all I thought about was the next event. I never thought about records, I just wanted to get through what was next and do my best. I wanted to do well in my first Big Ten meet but I never expected anything like close to what happened. Afterwards, the only real pressure, I felt was that I was a target for other people, the guy to knock off. The records were a launching pad for the Olympics, the Big Ten was the starting point where I first knew I could compete against top class athletes and achieve things. But the games were the ultimate, the biggest competition against the very best."[br /]
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[b]Owens Challenged[/b][br /]
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Good fortune did not favor him for long. The Big Ten had made him one of the favorites for the forthcoming Olympics. His complete dominance till then, was now challenged by two newcomers on the sprinting scene. The 100-meter national title went to Eulace Peacock, the Philadelphia flyer from Temple University. Metcalfe managed the second position and Owens was relegated to third place. Jesse was



the kind of man who came out most strongly after any such defeat. This defeat prepared Jesse for better healthier competitions. Eulace recalled, how the modest Jesse confJessed his defeat, "I remember he once told to me "you know, I never could beat you, I didn’t know how to handle you." Jesse’s honesty gained him respect as a human being off the track.[br /]
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Peacock was gaining headlines having won the American Athletics Union (AAU), in Lincoln, Nebraska beating both Metcalfe and Owens. The win made him a hot favorite for the Olympic team, but one can now say that the stars and fate clearly favored Owens. Tragedy struck at the Penn relays and Peacock pulled a hamstring so badly that it put him out of reckoning, at the race. The tragedy left Owens with the only competitor in his team and that was Metcalfe.[br /]
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[b]Discriminated Owens[/b][br /]
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All these years, fame was not like a bed of roses for Owens. Plenty of scars burdened his heart that bled with racial discrimination he was facing or had faced so far. "Men will go on breaking records as long as they run. To the great thrust of human spirit, there is no limit," wrote Roger Banister. But sports is not just about breaking records. If it were so then, there would be no difference in winning an election or creating a world record. It cuts across caste, communal, national and political barriers. It inspires the participants, enthralls the spectators by establishing the invisible more visible. But nothing was so, for Owens. He faced greater discrimination. [br /]
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[b]The Days of Humiliation[/b][br /]
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It was not done overnight. Owens, Peacock, Metcalfe and many others faced unbelievable racial discrimination. Overt racism often made life on and off the track a misery. Vitriolic remarks were made against him. His color gave others the right to pass any comment. Jesse was not allowed to share the dormitory at the university, nor could he stay on the campus. He stayed and had meals in one shabby house outside the campus. Whenever the team traveled, visiting the restaurants was a major headache. All the white teammates always went first into the restaurants, to check it out, if the blacks could come in. And if the answer was no, they would bring the food out for the black teammates.[br /]
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Jesse recalls an event in Black Think once when a restaurant owner saw what was happening. He ran out and jerked our plates of food away, yelling, "I don’t want to feed Niggers !" It made no sense to Jesse to fight back, as these were the ‘most common’ day-to-day events for them. Such events encouraged him to prove and show to the world the worth and strength of ‘Black-Power’.[br /]
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Peacock recalls one such soul-shattering insult while travelling to AAUs by train in 1935. "The train stopped and a conductor got on and said to the guy on our train, ‘I understand you’ve got some Niggers on the train, what are you going to do about it ?’ We were in bed, but we were all awake and heard the guy on our train say we were fellows from the top colleges in the east and we weren’t causing a problem. He told the conductor, ‘If you want to throw them off the train, you do it’, but no one bothered us." We can imagine how they felt, on the way to their national championships and such issues and events of discrimination taking place with them, but somehow they managed to digest them.[br /]
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The hero of Cleveland in whose honor the Mayor had arranged a parade or the person who was wanted by many universities was not given any special or even normal treatment in his routine life. He was supposed to travel in the back of the bus. At times it seemed that whites only wanted ‘cream’, no matter from where they got it from. Jesse, was a added prestige to the university but for Jesse, he showed a black nigger’s face in every eye that interacted with him.[br /]
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[b]Much Awaited Year – 1936[/b][br /]
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Between all this he continued to concentrate on the 1936 Olympics. The ultimate goal was approaching and so was the form of Jesse, touching its peak. Finally, in mid 1936 Jesse boarded SS Manhattan with the team for Germany. He was wearing his only suit, having seven dollars and 40 cents in his pockets. He was considered the hot favorite for three gold medals, in the 100 and 200 meters and in the long jump. Peacock was not fully fit and Joe Louis, the black heavyweight boxer was beaten in a humiliating way by Adolf Hitler’s favorite boxer. Thus, Jesse was shouldering the hope of the sporting American nation to Germany. He himself was feeling the pressure and recalled once, "Negroes had gone to the Olympics before and won before. But so much more was expected of me."[br /]
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[b]Nazi Challenge[/b][br /]
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Berlin was assigned the 1936 Olympics before the Nazis came to power in Germany. The Nazis were against the Jews and the blacks. Adolph Hitler had banned Jews from German sports club – this act raised great protest and there were calls to boycott on the basis of human rights. Hitler getting the feel of staging the Olympics to spread words of Germany’s praise, condemned the stories as yarns



spun by visitors that were pure invention. Hitler wanted the Berlin show (Olympics) to display Aryan (Race) Supremacy against the rest of the races of the world. He invited the International Olympic[br /]
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Committee (IOC) President Avery Brundage on a fact-finding mission. He persuaded the committee to vote for participation and finally IOC decided to compete. The Britain and American Olympic Committee also backed the decision. Berlin was redrJessed. All that which gave a feel of dictatorship was shorn off. The city underwent a sea change. It was decorated after the removal of racist graffiti and ban on offensive newspapers. Hitler’s synonyms – the swastika poster and flags were taken off from all the buildings so as to put a show of peace and humane face of Nazi Germany.[br /]
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The animosity towards blacks coming to Nazi land was felt everywhere. Metcalfe, the senior black sprinter was also preparing the other black teammates to resist emotional involvement against any criticisms or comments. He prepared the sportspersons to concentrate on the games.[br /]
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[b]The Day Arrived[/b][br /]
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Under a cloudy sky on Saturday, August 1, 1936, the Games were inaugurated before 1,00,000 spectators packed stadium. The US team marched in and it was the first time, they were to see Fuhrer Adolph Hitler and his Nazi company. A young Jewish sprinter Marty Glickman, recalled once, "We looked up at him and you could hear the comments go through our ranks; in fact I said it as well – has looks just like Charlie Chaplin, and that’s the way we felt about him." German people made Americans very comfortable and Jesse Owens whom Nazis regarded as sub-human became their hero.[br /]
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Jesse once recalled, "We all knew about the racial thing but we couldn’t read German so we couldn’t read what was being written about us, being animals and all that. But the German people were tremendous. Every day we got a standing ovation from the multitude of people. They were looking at you, not as a black man, but in terms of the ability you displayed. This was the Olympics and there was spillover into your own country. You made headlines here and people saw them and they had second thoughts about you and about blacks, instead of making just a categorization."[br /]
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[b]A Black Man in White Man’s World[/b][br /]
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The day after the opening ceremony was his first event – the 100 meters. In the initial rounds he could not match the

public expectations. The warming up started and Jesse completed his first round in 10.3 seconds, in the second round he made a clear second’s progress by rounding off in 10.2 seconds In the semi-final round, the hopes seemed to wear off, when he completed it in 10.4 seconds. Metcalfe followed him,with 10.5 seconds. Jesse was a man who always rose stronger after initial fumbling. The final moment was all his. From the start, it was a one-horse race. Owens led from the start and at the halfway mark had a clear lead of two yards over the rest of the pack. It was a clear ‘bruised ego’ for Hitler’s favorite Erich Borchmeyer, who finished way back, in fifth position.[br /]
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Hitler who was using the Olympics as a platform to meet the world, congratulated winners of every event by calling them to his box. Till noon, the two Germans who won Golds were ushered in for personal congratulations. Later, a Finnish player was also congratulated for his success. But, when Owens’ friend, the black high jumper Cornelius Johnson, won the gold medal, Hitler decided that it was getting late and was about to leave the stadium before the Gold medal was awarded to Johnson. This move could attract criticism and hence the Olympic official informed Hitler that either he congratulate all the winners personally or none. Thereafter till the closing ceremony, Hitler received no other athlete in his box.[br /]
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[b]Hitler Snubs Jesse[/b][br /]
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When Jesse won his gold, he was not invited by Hitler nor could there be any such expectation, but the American press made headlines like Hitler Snubs Jesse. The pure invention like this by the press got so much publicity, that Jesse could not even deny it. Initially, Jesse tried to put the record straight, but soon found that his refusal of the stories were creating more stories and so started agreeing with it.[br /]
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The next day followed with the 200-meter sprint. Again Jesse created a record by hitting the tape in 20.7 seconds, a new Olympic record beating Mark Robinson, the older brother of Brooklyn Dodgers star Jackie. It was an incredible victory by four clear yards. The ‘effortless’ Jesse had created a new record on the track that had become heavier because of the light rain that fell all day long. "He was markedly better than anyone", recalled Marty Glickman. "He was also the smoothest runner I have ever seen and the most physically co-ordinated. When he ran, it was like water flowing down hill."[br /]
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Jesse’s popularity touched the nadir at Berlin. His fans followed him everywhere he went. They even thrust autograph books and some sought photographs from his bedroom window at night while he tried to sleep. Glickman recalls, "His popularity was such that in order to get him safely in and out of the stadium each day, he had to use a secret tunnel entrance and exit, otherwise he would have been mobbed by an adulating crowd.[br /]
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[b]Lutz Long and Jesse[/b][br /]
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Lutz Long and Jesse

The Berlin Olympics only earned him fame through four gold medals but he also gained a very good friend – a white – and that too, a German. He was non-other, than the athlete, whom Hitler had groomed, to beat Owens. He was the blue eyed Lutz Long. Lutz was a perfect ‘Aryan’ as per Hitler. The event was the Long Jump. For the first time, Jesse felt a bit nervous. Lutz Long was his toughest rival.



Jesse before the qualifying rounds decided to take a practice run down the track. To his surprise, the German official quoted that run as his first round. This disturbed him so much that he committed a foul in his second round. The third and final round was to decide his status. Either he was in the finals or thrown out of the competition. In the qualifying round Lutz Long broke the Olympic records. He felt the panic. Jesse recalled the state of mind, "In the trials ! When my turn came, Hitler rose from his box and walked out. Hate-mad, I fouled on my first attempt. On my second, I didn’t jump far enough to qualify. With just one try left, panic hit me. Near by, chatting with friends, stood Lutz Long, a tall, perfectly built, sandy-haired youth, unconcerned, confident, Aryan. I walked away, shaking. I was back in Alabama again. I was a Nigger."[br /]
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While the mind was braving another battle that Jesse unable to relate with, he felt something. The sportsman with spirit had approached. Jesse recalled, "Suddenly I felt a firm hand on my arm. I turned and looked into the sky blue eyes of Long himself. "You are a better jumper than this," he said. "What has made you angry – What Reichskanzler Hitler did ? Look, you must qualify." He steadied me, suggested that I draw a line short of the take-off board and jump from there – and the panic emptied out of me like a cloudburst. "While more than 1,00,000 pairs of eyes, including those of Hitler and other top Nazis, all staring at what was going on, a supreme Aryan was having a chat with a sub-human Jesse in the middle of the stadium." Finally, Jesse was charged. Jesse qualified his final trial by more than 30-centimetres.[br /]
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Now came the finals. Both Jesse and Long were competing in a manner that encouraged each other to create and break the record. These were two healthy competitors and it was far beyond the black and the Aryan. Jesse initially leap-frogged at the Olympics creating a new record with a leap of 25 ft. 5 ½ inches and then followed it with another new one of 25 ft 9 ¾ in. Spectators were enthralled seeing the world’s two best athletes creating history. Lutz Long also was giving his best. He brought the crowd to his feet by matching Owens leap exactly. Long’s jump inspired Jesse to perform even better. The next jump was a remarkable 26 ft ¾ inches and the next one replaced all. The leap measured 26 ft 5 ½ inches.[br /]
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This fetched him the gold. Owen recalled, "When I finally won, Lutz, (while Hitler merely glared) held up my hand and shouted to the gigantic crowd, ‘Jes-se Ow-ens ! Jes-se Ow-ens !’ The stadium picked it up. ‘Cha-zee Oh-wenz ! Cha-zee Oh-wenz !’ My hair stood on end. Thanks to Lutz, I was a step further from hate." This victory established him to become the first athlete to win three track and field golds since the Games of 1900. Final Gold came to Owens in the 4 x 100m relay. The first person to congratulate him was Long and Owens wrote later, "You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they would be plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Lutz Long at that moment." The following nights, the friendship grew more closely. They sat up late and talked eagerly, about their worlds. It was a very fine friendship that could ever be formed between a black and a white. [br /]
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[b]Jesse Touring Europe[/b][br /]
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The victory at Berlin, brought him fame and glory. The popularity was mounting as Jesse was becoming a household name all over the world. All the newspapers carried his photographs and reports sold like hot cakes. His name was in great demand. Thousands of people came down whenever a program was arranged in his name. He was the ‘cash-money’ to many. It was difficult for Jesse to seek privacy for himself in this different world. At such a point, he did not make a right move. AAU who wanted to meet up the expenses of Olympic trip decided to take a tour of Europe. Few star athletes of the event comprised the team for this barnstorming tour. The person who could draw the maximum audience was Owens – of course. Despite his unwillingness, the exhausted man dragged himself from meeting to meeting around Eastern Europe and finally to London.[br /]
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Jesse wanted to return to the States, and his desire to return was seen in his heartless performance. Meanwhile, he and his coach Larry Snyder were made aware of the offer the star could have in the States. This was what he wanted but all was in vein, when he got the route by which the team was to go. Before returning to the States there were three major stops – Sweden, Norway and Finland.[br /]
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[b]Forced Retirement[/b][br /]
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Knowing of the long schedule yet to be traveled, frustrated Jesse. He made up his mind. He decided that it was enough and now it was the time to make fortune and earn the dollars that were waved in his direction. Once planned out he ran the third leg relay in White City Stadium in London. This proved to be his last race as an amateur. He sailed back to New York.[br /]
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Until he packed off, no organizers knew about his decision. And thus, Brundage and AAU were furious when they realized that their star attraction had gone home. This was a great loss to them. A clear 5 per cent loss. They were guaranteed 15 per cent of the gate money with Jesse and only 10 per cent without him. In cavalier fashion Jesse was suspended for lifetime by Brundage and his colleagues. This disturbed Jesse very much. At that time he said, "The suspension is very unfair to me. There is nothing I can gain out of this trip. All we athletes get out of this Olympic business is a view out of the plane or train window. It gets tiresome, it really does."[br /]
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[b]Mirage Disappeared[/b][br /]
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Suspension came in force when the player was banking on the career graph. The man who had taken the world by storm was effectively kicked out of the sport. But for Americans he was still their hero. Jesse received a warm welcome from the people. Anxious people crowded the streets to see their hero. People rushed to seek his autograph.[br /]
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"I was taught at a very early age by my coaches that even though ours was a social structure, which prohibited people from mingling and eating and living and riding together, that eventually things would change through deeds. I thought then about those things because when I came back after all the stories about Hitler and his snub. I came back to my native country and I couldn’t ride in the front of the bus, I had to go to the back door, I couldn’t live where I wanted. Now, what’s the difference ? I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't to be invited to the ‘White House’ to shake hands with the President either." These were the words of Jesse entangled in dilemma of the dreams he made true and practically what the world came to him in return.[br /]
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[b]Inverse Ratio Money Popularity :[/b][br /]
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But bread still haunted him, as no one offered him a job. With a daughter and another child on the way, Jesse was desperately in need of a job. Finally, he managed to get a job as a playground instructor for a modest amount of $ 30 a week. This Olympic hero laid his hands on various works, which fetched him good money but simultaneously also damaged his reputation. There came a time when people started saying that Jesse kicked off his sports career for money.[br /]
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People had reasons to say so. Racing with a horse, motorcycles and automobile were a few such acts, which downgraded his image. These activities earned him handsome money and high-class life-style. Jesse made a statement for these activities as, "I sold myself into a new kind of slavery." But those who disliked slavery and liked Jesse were not convinced by it as he had accepted the slavery and was not forced to. Jesse seemed to make his life better without being concerned about what the world around thought. He seemed to grab the opportunities that improved his life. This was the reason that he allowed to let his name turn millions. Shortly, Jesse Owens Dry Cleaning Stores were booming around. Jesse was enjoying the cash flowing in without taking any personal interest in the administration and soon negligence bore fruits. In 1939 came a court summons. The partners flew away and he was declared bankrupt with $ 55,000 in debt. These were among the few mistakes he committed.[br /]
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William Baker said in his biography that though he was bankrupt, insolvency was never seen in his lifestyle. He bought a brand new Buick and kept a fabulous wardrobe for himself and his wife. He also associated himself with Ford Motor Company as a personnel director of black workers.[br /]
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This job took him out of news. Jesse as an athlete, could not keep himself away from sports and track. And after World War II in 1948, he produced an exhibition long jump leaping 25 ft 11inches. And ran effectively the distance of 100 yards in 9.8 seconds as late as 1955.[br /]
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[b]Changing’ 50s[/b][br /]
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The 50s started turning things around for Jesse. Associated Press voted him ‘the greatest athlete of half century’. These were the years he made thoughtful moves. He realized that he had always loved youngsters and would love to do something for them. Soon he got engaged with Illinois State Athletic Commission. Jesse enjoyed it and claimed as, "There followed six years of the most gratifying work I’d ever done." To widen the horizon he then started working on radio and television. The ‘hero’ of 1936 Olympics was still a prominent public figure. Professor Baker thinks that there were reasons for him to be in news even after 20 years of his historic victory. Prof. Baker said, "I am convinced that were it not for the Cold War, Jesse Owens would have been forgotten. America desperately wanted some black, visible hero who had made it in American Society because the race question was the Achilles heel of US propaganda. Jesse Owens was a wonderful spokesperson for Americanism. He had made it; he was enthusiastic; he had a work ethic about him and he was very patriotic." There were few other candidates but lacked a thing or two. Paul Robinson was a Communist who lived in Paris, Jackal Robinson was a very outspoken person and Joe Louis was not on people’s mind as his career was down.[br /]
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[b]Changing Role[/b][br /]
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From a playground instructor to sports specialist of Illinois Youth Commission was a stepping stone from where he could reach to a variety of audience. He was named by the State Department as America’s Ambassador of Sports. Being the Ambassador he toured India, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines for two months. He met government and sports officials and as always, talked with disadvantaged children.[br /]
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Later in 1956, Owens was named the personal representative of President Eisenhower to the Olympic Games in Australia. His itinerary also included visits to schools and youth clubs. He was in touch with people at various fora. The inspiring speaker addrJessed youth groups, professional organizations, civic meetings, sports banquets, schools, parent-teacher organizations, commencement ceremonies, church organizations and brotherhood and Black history programs.[br /]
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At about the same time he became something of a corporate figure, endorsing products of multinational companies and working as a ‘frontman’ for them. One such corporation was Atlantic Richfield. Owens spearheaded the games in 1964 in which a million young people between the age of 10 and 15 participated. The games are still conducted every year as ‘ARCO/Jesse Owens Games’[br /]
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[b]The Sixties[/b][br /]
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The 60s caught the man of 30s in racial tensions. Owens who believed that deeds would change the things one day was decided as an ‘Uncle Tom’ and a toady to white people. "I just tried to get them to realize nobody owes you anything in this country," he once said. "whatever you want is there for the taking, if you have the ability and desire to take it."[br /]
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Though Owen once admitted, "At times I have come close to violence. I came closest on the day that Martin Luther King was shot. I had known and loved Martin long before he came to national prominence. As I sat grieving, the long buried smell of the Alabama cotton fields rose to stifle my senses. We’d spent centuries slaving in manure to grow one man like that, and he has been snuffed out as if he were a candle."[br /]
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After escaping a four-year prison term for non-payment of taxes in 1965, he was caught in the middle of the black power rows during the Mexico Olympic games. He became the target when he tried to intervene on behalf of the US Olympic Committee. There was even conflict at home with his three daughters into the civil rights movement. Returning from Mexico he penned the book Black Think, in which he attacked the black power movement as pro-Negro bigots. It was powerful material and got a mixed reaction in the black press, so much so that two years later he published another book called I have changed, in which, he disowned some of his previous statements and philosophy.[br /]
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[b]Last Decade[/b][br /]
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Throughout the 70s, Jesse became an Olympic elder statesman, raising funds, attending banquets, making speeches, becoming what one writer described as a "Professional good example, a combination of 19th century spellbinder and 20th century PR man." 1971 started with serious health problems. He suffered a severe attack of pneumonia, which almost killed him. This forced him to quit smoking, which he had enjoyed since his teens.[br /]
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A jolt came to Jesse while he was regaining his health. Ralph Metcalfe, his old rival died of heart attack in 1978. Later that year, Jesse took ill while filming an American Express commercial and was rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, most probably caused by cigarette smoking. The condition was inoperable and he returned home in Phoenix, Arizona.[br /]
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March 31, 1980 was the day when the sprinter took off to the immortal world touching the final finishing ribbon. Tributes poured in from around the world. President Carter said, "Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry. His personal triumphs as a world-class athlete and record holder were the prelude to a career devoted to helping others. His work with young athletes, as an unofficial ambassador overseas, and a spokesman for freedom are a rich legacy to his fellow Americans."[br /]
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Amid heavy snowfall, more than 2,000 people turned out at his funeral at the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago and the most poignant line was reserved for one speaker who said, "No doubt the first man to meet him at pearly gates will be Ralph Metcalfe, saying ‘I beat you this time’.[br /]
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