Jesse Owens Timeline
1913
Owens is Born
On September 12, Mary Emma Owens gives birth to James Cleveland (J.C.) Owens in Oakville, Alabama.
View on timeline1922
Move to Ohio
The Owens family moves to Cleveland, Ohio. James Cleveland Owens enrolls in Bolton Elementary School where he becomes known as "Jesse" (from "J.C.") Owens.
View on timeline1928
First Track Records
Owens sets his first records in the high jump and long jump at Fairmount Junior High School under coach and life-long mentor, Charles Riley.
View on timeline1930
East Tech
Owens enrolls into Cleveland's East Technical School. Riley follows as a volunteer assistant coach.
View on timeline1930
Ruth
Owens and Minnie Ruth Solomon meet.
View on timeline1932
Midwestern Preliminary Trials
Owens competes in the Midwestern preliminary trials at Northwestern University. He loses all three events in which he competes.
View on timeline1932
Marriage
Owens and Minnie Ruth Solomon marry.
View on timeline1932
Gloria
Minnie Ruth gives birth to their first child, a daughter named Gloria.
View on timeline1932
Team Captain
Owens is elected president of his senior class and captain of the track team.
View on timeline1933
Track Star
Owens finishes first in 75 of the 79 competitions he enters. He breaks the long-jump record at the state interscholastic finals.
View on timeline1933
National Championship
At the National Championship in Chicago, Owens wins the long jump, sets a new world record in the 220-yard dash and ties the world record in the 100-yard dash.
View on timeline1933
OSU
On October 9, Owens enrolls at The Ohio State University.
View on timeline1935
Honorary Page
Owens is appointed as an honorary page for a legislative committee at the Ohio Statehouse.
View on timeline1935
World Records
Owens sets world records in the 22-yard dash, 220-yard low hurdles and the long jump in less than one hour at the Big Ten Finals on May 25 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
View on timeline1936
Last Quarter
Owens finished his last quarter at OSU before the Olympics.
View on timeline1936
Olympic Tryouts
Owens participates in the Olympic tryout finals in New York, winning all three of his events (100m, 200m, and long jump).
View on timeline1936
1936 Olympics
Owens wins four gold medals in the Olympic Games. He sets new world records in the 200 meter race (20.7 seconds), long jmp (26 feet, 5 1/4 inches), and 400 meter relay (39.8 seconds), while tying the world record for 100 meter dash (10.3 seconds).
View on timeline1936
Ineligibility
Owens becomes ineligible to compete for Ohio State due to poor academic standings.
View on timeline1936
Horse Race
Owens races a thoroughbred horse in Cuba for $2,000. Owens wins the race.
View on timeline1937
Consolidated Radio Artists
Jesse signs a contract with Consolidated Radio Artists as an entertainer.
View on timeline1937
Marlene
Ruth and Jesse's second child, Marlene, is born.
View on timeline1938
Parks and Recreation
Owens works for Cleveland's Parks and Recreation Department.
View on timeline1938
Dry Cleaning
Owens founds Jesse Owens Dry Cleaning Company.
View on timeline1939
Bankruptcy
Owens files for personal bankruptcy.
View on timeline1940
Beverly
Ruth and Jesse's third child, Beverly, is born.
View on timeline1940
Return to OSU
Owens returns to OSU but he is soon placed on academic probation.
View on timeline1941
Withdraws from OSU
Owens withdraws from OSU
View on timeline1942
Director of National Fitness
Owens is appointed the Director of National Fitness by the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense.
View on timeline1943
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Co. hired Owens as Assistant Personnel Director of African-American workers. He is then promoted to director, and later works in public relations.
View on timeline1949
Chicago
Owens and his family move to Chicago, where he establishes a public relations agency.
View on timeline1950
Greatest Track Athlete
The Associated Press names Owens the greatest track athlete of the past half-century.
View on timeline1953
Gloria Graduates
Gloria, Owens' eldest daughter, graduates from OSU.
View on timeline1953
State Athletic Commission
Owens is appointed secretary of Illinois' State Athletic Commission.
View on timeline1955
Travel to Asia
Owens travels to India, the Philippines, and Malaysia to lead running clinics, but also to promote the economic and political freedoms of the United States of America.
View on timeline1957
1956 Summer Olympics
Owens and several other former U.S. Olympic champions attend the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, as personal representatives of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
View on timeline1960
Queen Marlene
Marlene, Jesse's second-eldest daughter, is voted Homecoming Queen at OSU, becoming the first African American to receive the honor.
View on timeline1961
Marlene Graduates
Marlene graduates from OSU.
View on timeline1965
ARCO Jesse Owens Games
The first ARCO Jesse Owens Games is established.
View on timeline1965
New York Mets
Owens becomes the training and running coach during spring training for the New York Mets baseball team.
View on timeline1970
Blackthink
Owens' memoir, "Blackthink: My Life as Black Man and White Man," is published.
View on timeline1971
Ivory Coast
President Richard Nixon sends Owens to the Ivory Coast in West Africa to lead running clinics and promote economic and political freedoms of the United States of America.
View on timeline1972
Honorary Doctorate
OSU awards Owens with an honorary doctorate of athletic arts "for his unparalleled skill and ability" as an athlete and for "his personification of sportsmanship ideals."
View on timeline1973
US Olympic Committee
The U.S. Olympic Committee appoints Owens to its board of directors. He spends most of his time in this position pushing for funding to equip and train U.S. athletes.
View on timeline1974
US Track and Field Hall of Fame
Owens is inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame.
View on timeline1976
Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Gerald Ford presents Owens with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. government.
View on timeline1979
Lung Cancer
Owens, a lifetime smoker, is diagnosed with lung cancer.
View on timeline1980
Owens Dies
Owens dies on March 31 at the age of 66.
View on timeline1984
Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza
On May 4, the Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza is dedicated outside Ohio Stadium on the OSU campus.
View on timeline1984
The Jesse Owens Story
"The Jesse Owens Story" debuts on television with actor Dorian Harewood playing Owens.
View on timeline1996
Jesse Owens Memorial Park
On June 29 Jesse Owens Memorial Park is dedicated in Oakville, Alabama.
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