Jesse Owens and the Greatest 45 Minutes in Sports

The United States of Speed. Before carbon plates and super tracks, there were cinders and basic leather spikes. The decade of the 1930s was an era of transition, both on the track and geopolitically. The cumulus clouds of world war loomed on the horizon. Into this environment was born the career of, in my opinion, the greatest track athlete of all time – James Cleveland Owens. We now know him as Jesse Owens.

In the 1936 Olympic Games, Jesse Owens would defeat Germany’s athletes in Berlin and in front of Hitler himself. In a very real sense, he fired the first shots of WW2. He would win four gold medals at those games, a performance for the ages. But before he did any of that, this extraordinary man would, in a brief moment in time, complete a feat which would stamp his name indelibly in the history books of modern sport.

While watching the Netflix movie about the life of Jesse Owens, I was floored by this stat. Jesse Owens broke or tied 6 world records within 45 minutes at the 1935 Big10 Championships. He did all of that with an injured back. In the 100 yard dash, the long jump, the 200 yard low hurdles, and 220 yard sprint, he set or equaled world records. A fifth and sixth world record were set when the 220 yard times(hurdle and sprint) were converted to 200 meter times and also counted as WRs.

In maybe the most beautiful 45 minutes of track and field history, he rewrote the record books. Training, discipline, talent, and perseverance were the hallmarks of Jesse Owens.

Some disliked Owens, because he was African American. Some disliked him, because he was good. At the Big10 Championships he had no choice but to leave no doubt. He tuned out the noise. After all, it was just running. While he couldn’t prevent the bias of others, he found a way to rise above it – far, far above it. A man of strong faith, Owens let his feet do the talking.

At the end of just 45 minutes, he walked off the track as the greatest runner to have ever lived, and the aforementioned Olympics were yet to be held. His detractors were silenced. His supporters roared with glee back home as many listened on the radio. Jesse Owens had arrived in emphatic fashion.

ProTip: Our students need to be inspired by our collective history. But in order to be inspired and draw strength from it, our students need to first learn about it.

Quotes (BrainyQuote and GoodReads attributed to Jesse Owens):

Find the good. It’s all around you. Find it, showcase it and you’ll start believing in it.

Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.

One chance is all you need. <—— remember that one

The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself – the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us – that’s where it’s at.

Life doesn’t give you all the practice races you need.

I always loved running…it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.