September 12, 1913 - March 31, 1980
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Jesse Owens was the son of a sharecropper and the grandson of a slave, and overcame adversity to compete, and win, in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Owens is among the best remembered athletes in Olympic history because of his great accomplishments in his single Olympic games. In his debut Olympics, Owens accomplished what no track athlete had done before, and won four gold medals, his only Olympic medals.
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Interesting Facts:- Owens' birth name was James Cleveland Owens, but changed to Jesse when he was nine because a teacher taking attendance mistook "J.C." for "Jesse.
- Owens set his first World Record in his senior year of high school. - Owens worked to pay his way through college because he was not offered an athletic scholarship. He did so while maintaining his stellar athletic winning streak. - Set three World Records and tied a fourth in four separate events in the span of 45 minutes, the only person known to have accomplished a feat of this nature. - Owens was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. It is the highest award bestowed upon a civilian. Owens was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously in 1990. |