Career Stories: Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens is most widely known for his 4 track and field gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany; here is more of his story. 

James Cleveland (J.C.) Owens was the son of a sharecropper and grandson of a slave. The second youngest of ten children who migrated with his family from the Jim Crow south in Alabama to Cleveland, Ohio when Jesse was 9 years old. This was part of the Great Migration that took place between 1919 to 1940. Jesse’s father eventually obtained work with his oldest brother in a steel mill. As a child in Cleveland Jesse raced other kids in his neighborhood on city sidewalks From a young age, running was freedom for Jesse. “You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, just the strength of your feet, and the courage of your lungs (Schaap).”

When Jesse started elementary school his teacher asked him for his name. When he voiced J.C. in his southern accent, his teacher thought he said Jesse. The name stuck.

In high school Jesse’s junior high school gym teacher, Charles Riley noticed Jesse’s athletic ability, took him under his wings and became a surrogate father for Jesse taking him to his home every Sunday afternoon for dinner. He took Jesse to the racetrack to observe the running horses. “Never look to the left or right, never look behind you; that’s wasted effort, it’s only going to slow you down. Look at the horses, they don’t look left or right, or behind them, they just keep running (Schaap).”

By the time Jesse was in high school he was starting to make a name for himself in track and field; particularly the 100 and 200 meters, the broad jump and hurdles. He was recruited by Ohio State University. But because of his race he was not able to obtain scholarships or live on campus and was not served at most restaurants.

For Jesse, track was the great equalizer. Jesse’s coach at Ohio State was the innovative and somewhat controversial Larry Snyder. Larry would train his runners while listening to music on a phonograph for developing rhythm in their strides. Snyder made sure Jesse was the captain of the track team; the first black captain at Ohio State University.

At Ohio State University Owens set three world records at one meet within a one hour period after falling down stairs the previous night and in significant pain before the event.

Owens was poised to try out for and join the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. This was showcased to be Hitler’s showcase of the Aryan race. It backfired. The U.S. almost did not participate and wanted to boycott Hitler’s policies of anti semitism. Owens was torn whether to go or protest the event.  After demonstrations and national discussions the sole head of the U.S. Olympic committee, Avery Brundage was successful in lobbying the U.S. team to participate. Brundage was also anti-semitic and an admirer of Nazi Germany. 

Owens won four gold medals! A record to stand for many years in track and field. The final event in the 4 x 4 relay was controversial in its own way as Brundage removed the two American Jewish runners at the request of the Germans and replaced them with Owens and another black runner Metcalf. Owens protested but was told to comply and he did.

Jesse became an international hero for this brief moment in time. Avery Brundage took the team on a series of showcase exhibition events throughout Europe immediately after the Olympics, with no compensation for team members. Owens was tired and wanted to come home and see his wife and child; so he quit the exhibition events. Avery Brundage was livid and banned Owens from all future team events and participating in any future amateur events; this essentially ended his athletic career. This seriously upset and discouraged Owens. 

Although he had received many promotional offers from sponsors after his Olympic wins these never panned out. On his return to New York City, Owens was given a ticker tape parade, however because of his race his wife was not able to find a room for them in New York City. Eventually one hotel was found but they had to take the back entrance.

Owens struggled to provide income for his family. His jobs included racing against horses, gas station attendant, playground janitor, a temporary ownership of a black baseball team, joining Bojangles Robinson’s dance show at the Cotton Club in Harlem, his own dry cleaning business that lost money. He had to claim bankruptcy for failure to pay back taxes. Jesse went back to Ohio State University to attempt to complete his bachelor degree and worked there for over a year as an assistant trainer. He lost this job when he was expelled for poor grades. Ironically Jesse was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Ohio State University in 1972. 

Eventually Jesse obtained a job at Ford Motor Company in their civil rights division from 1942 to 1946. In 1951 Owens conducted some public relations events for the Harlem Globetrotters. After being interviewed by Edward R. Murrow in 1955 opportunities increased, particularly in public speaking. He was asked by then president Dwight D. Eisenhower to be a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. by traveling abroad in the far east. In the 1960’s his endorsements picked up and he was invited to give more speaking engagements. In 1976 Jesse Owens was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the U.S. bestows upon a civilian, by president Gerald Ford.

Jesse Owens passed away in 1980 at the age of 66. He will always be known for his incredible track and field accomplishments, particularly at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His is a sad story of how race got in the way of a career that could have been more successful. 

Sources: 

• PBS, American Experience, Jesse Owens, 2012
• Triumph and the Untold Story of Jesse Owens and the Hitler Olympics, by Jeremy Schaap
• The Jesse Owens Story, 1984 film
• Wikipedia search on Jesse Owens

Thank you for reading this Career Story. If you or someone you know is exploring their career options, going through a career transition or reinventing their career consider reaching out to me for a free 20 minute consultation. www.danmacy.org, 303-819-6178, danmacy@yahoo.com