Book Description: "The Legend of Jesse Owens"by
Hank Nuwer
(Franklin Watts/Grolier Biography, 1998)
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, American track-and-field star Jesse Owens electrified the world by winning four gold medals. Heset Olympic records in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and thelong jump; he also shared with fellow runners a new world record in the400-meter relay. Although the record-breaking performances made hima legend in his own time, Owens struggled to translate his immense fameinto a modest living.
In "The Legend of Jesse Owens," I have tried toprovide
a compelling look at the life of Jesse Owens. Born into a poorsharecropping
family in Alabama, Jesse was a sickly child who barely survivedseveral serious
illnesses. In 1919, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio,where he became
a sensation as a schoolboy runner. Owens received an athleticscholarship
from Ohio State University. At a 1935 collegiate meet he establishedworld
records in three events and tied the world record in another. Atthe Berlin
Olympics, Jesse’s miraculous victories defeated the German teamin front
of Chancellor Adolf Hitler, who wanted to use the Games as a showcasefor
Aryan superiority.
Returning home to a hero’s welcome, the
athlete found crowds wanting his autograph but few people willing to give
him ajob. He began accepting offers for various stunt races, including runningagainst
horses. Jesse eventually scored good jobs, but he mainly supportedhis family
by giving speeches year after year on the grueling lecture circuits.He inspired
crowds wherever he went, always taking the time to chat andsign autographs.
Jesse Owens used his notoriety to fight for improvement of race relations. Conservative in his views, for years he stated thatAfrican-Americans could improve their lives by taking advantage of theopportunities provided by America’s free enterprise system. Many whitesembraced him for these views, but some black leaders and activists regardedhim as an appeaser. Significantly, near the end of his life, Jesse Owenschanged his stance, advocating a more aggressive approach to achievingracial equality.
By earning a last place in sports history, Jesse
Owens helped open the door for black athletes in other sports. He also—most
of his
life—set a worthy example for youth of all
ages and races. When faced with his toughest battles, he gave his best effort.
Commentary: from The Indianapolis Newspapers,Inc; THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS: January 27, 1999
HEADLINE: LOOKING AT A LEGEND;
Hoosier author probes complexities of Olympichero
who was larger than life. BYLINE: DAVID HUMPHREY
BODY:
ANDERSON, Ind. - In his new bookThe
Legend of Jesse Owens,
Anderson author Hank Nuwer describesthe
legendary athlete as a
complex man.
In his personal life, Owens' weakness
for women led to
extramarital affairs, and his weakness for
cigarettes is believed
responsible for the lung cancer that killed
himin 1980 at age 66. But Jesse Owens, one of history's greatest track stars,also
was
such a gifted public speaker that he was ableto
accumulate
considerable wealth late in life.
"Jesse Owens had a lot of self-denial,"
said Nuwer, who has
authored 18 other books.
"He stumbled and fell and came back
many times. He somehow
always managed to recognize the mistakes he
hadmade.
"But his life went beyond being agreat
athlete. Jesse Owens was
a great person. "
Born in rural Alabama in 1913, theson
of sharecroppers and
grandson of former slaves, Owens made the
mostof his talents to
escape poverty. After his family movedto
Cleveland, he became a
sensation as a schoolboy runner. This
brought him a scholarship to
Ohio State University, and he became America'sgreat
track and
field hope for the 1936 Olympic Games.
"Adolph Hitler wanted mass victories
at the '36 Olympics," Nuwer
said, "so he could show the world how superiorhis
race was. What
really happened was the coming together of
Americafor both blacks
and whites.
"This was because of Jesse Owensand
his great performance at
those Olympic games. "
Unable to eat in downtown Berlinbecause
of his race, Owens
munched on sandwiches and drank milk before
competition. He
proceeded, at age 23, to win gold medals in
the100- and
200-meter-dashes, in the long jump and as
a memberof the
400-meter-relay team.
His outstanding performance did nothing
to impress German leader
Adolf Hitler. Or did it?
"It's like the story of Babe Ruthcalling
his home run shot,"
Nuwer said. "Did it really happen, or
didit not?
"Some said Hitler waved to Owensafter
Owens supposedly waved to
him. Others said that Hitler flat-out
snubbed Owens and never
acknowledged his presence. No one is
reallysure what happened.
After all, we didn't have ESPN back then!
"
After a hero's welcome back homein
the United States, Owens
tried to cash in on his fame. Though
manywhite Americans were
quick to ask Owens for his autograph, few
werewilling to offer the
Olympics star a job. He settled for
a $1,560 a year position as
recreational counselor and bathhouse attendantat
a Cleveland
playground.
"It was a bad time for Owens," Nuwer
said. "For money, he could
race horses or race against the world's fastestwoman.
People took
advantage of Jesse, but he did make some money."
Owens, believing he had been made the butt
ofa joke by
promoters, then used his notoriety to speak
outon civil rights. He
urged young blacks to get an education and
towork with the system
instead of rebelling against it.
Some radical blacks looked down onOwens,
considering him an
Uncle Tom.
But to Johnny Wilson, a standoutbasketball
and track star at
Anderson High School and Anderson College,
Owenswas an inspiration.
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be Jesse Owens,"Wilson
said in
an interview. I ran some of the same
racesthat Jesse did, and that
really inspired me to do well.
"I was fortunate enough to meet him
twice in my life. Once in
Chicago, when I was playing with the Harlem
Globetrotters, and at a
teachers' convention in Indianapolis.
Hewas a great man, very
friendly and very intelligent. And Jessewas
the greatest of
speakers. He
couldreally captivate an audience. "
Though he never met him, Nuwer, 52,
considers Owens one of the
greatest Americans of our time. His
admiration led to writing the
book.
"Jesse Owens excelled at life longafter
his athletic abilities
were gone," Nuwer said. "He learned
tomanage his money and became
quite wealthy from his speaking engagements. More
than that, he was
a positive influence on many young people
inthis country. The
memory of Jesse Owens will last forever. "
The Legend of Jesse Owens is 176pages
and is
distributed by Franklin Watts/Grolier Publishing.
Excerpt from "The Legend of Jesse Owens":
In 1935], the track world was abuzz with rumorsthat
the United States might refuse to participate in the German Olympicsto protest
the ill treatment of Jewish citizens under German ChancellorAdolf Hitler’s
regime. The AAU, in particular, supported a boycott, particularlyafter Hitler
no longer recognized Jews as citizens and had deprived themof virtually
all civil rights. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)and the American
Olympic Committee were opposed to a boycott. Members arguedthat politics
had no place in sport.
Across the ocean, the ruling Nazis in
Germany had angry discussions about participating in the Games. They objected
tomingling with Negroes, saying that blacks belonged to an inferior "primitive"race.
The vehemence of many Nazis toward blacks rivaled that of the AmericanKu
Klux Klan. Germany’s relatively small black population suffered large-scale
discrimination during the mid-thirties, according to historian Robert Waite.
Except from "The Legend of Jesse Owens":
From Chapter Nine:
During the 1936 Olympics, Jesse couldn’t afford
to let the press entangle him in a political controversy. His third day
of competition was his most demanding yet. In the morning, he was scheduled
to run in two 200-meter qualifying heats, followed by the preliminary eliminations
in the long jump.
Once again Jesse was flawless on the
track.He established new world and Olympic records in the 200-meter events,
thistime with posting sof 21.1 seconds in each heat. But while the other
qualifier’s, Mack Robinson (brother of baseball future star Jackie Robinson)
and Bobby Packard went back to the village to rest, Jesse kept limber for
the longjump event, fearing he might tear a muscle if his muscles were allowedto
cool. Larry Snyder, his Ohio State Coach who accompanied him to theGames,
kept a close sign on the athlete for signs of fatigue.
Instead, Jesse lost focus and forgot
temporarily the fundamentals that Snyder had taught him. In the qualifying
trials for the long jump, Jesse botched his first two attempts, although
the distance required was merely 23 feet 5 inches and Jesse held the world
record inthat event.
The first poor jump was the result on
aninternational misunderstanding. In the United States, at the time, competitorswere
allowed one practice jump to get accustomed to the take-off board.However,
the Olympics in Germany allowed no free attempts. Without evenremoving his
sweatsuit, Jesse took what he thought was a practice jump,his take-off foot
partially hitting the foul line. When an official flourisheda red flag, Jesse
blinked in confusion, suddenly realizing that his half-hearted"practice"
attempt had counted as a scratch.
Jesse made no protest, but the call
shookhis composure. He removed his sweatsuit for the second attempt, took
offwith perfect form, and leaped high across the sand. Jesse and a reporterfor
The New York Times covering the event thought he had qualified, butthe German
official disagreed. Perturbed, Jesse gave one of the judgesa long, lingering
look. After all the reports he had heard of the hatredof Jews for Jews and
blacks, was it possible that the judge had blown thecall on purpose to give
a victory to the German long jumper Luz Long?
Jesse’s head raced with negative thoughts,
disrupting the concentration he needed for a third jump.