Jesse Owens
September 12, 1913–March 31, 1980
Olympic champion who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games, shattering the myth of racial superiority on the world stage.
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Who Was Jesse Owens?
Olympic champion who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games, shattering the myth of racial superiority on the world stage.
James Cleveland Owens was born on September 12, 1913, in Oakville, Alabama, the youngest of ten children in a sharecropping family. Around 1922, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. A teacher misheard 'J.C.' as 'Jesse.' Coach Charles Riley trained him before school each morning.
On May 25, 1935, Owens set three world records and tied a fourth in 45 minutes. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he won four gold medals: 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4×100m relay. German athlete Luz Long helped him during qualifying and they became friends. Long was killed in WWII in 1943.
"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."- Jesse Owens, 'Blackthink,' 1970
President Roosevelt never acknowledged Owens. He struggled financially, racing horses for money. In 1976, President Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He died March 31, 1980. He received the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously in 1990.
Key Events in Jesse Owens's Life
Did You Know?
A teacher misheard 'J.C.' as 'Jesse'!
He set three world records in just 45 minutes.
He couldn't live on campus at Ohio State due to segregation.
German athlete Luz Long helped him and they became friends.
President Roosevelt never acknowledged his four gold medals.
He raced horses for money after the Olympics.
His 1935 long jump record stood for 25 years.
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Jesse Owens Complete Teaching Bundle
Lesson Plan
8-page comprehensive lesson plan with learning objectives, activities, and assessment. Differentiation included.
Student Workbook
12-section interactive workbook with reading passages, activities, quizzes, and a completion certificate.
Flashcard Set
40 cards across 6 categories: vocabulary, key facts, events, quotes, fun facts, and review challenges.
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📖 Lesson Plan
📝 Student Workbook
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