Jesse Owens

                On May 25, 1935, the Big Ten Championships was held to determine the best track and field stars in the conference.  J.C. Owens was born the son of a sharecropper and  the grandson of a slave in Alabama.  At age 9, his family moved to Ohio.  His first teacher Read more…

He was born the last of ten children of poor Alabama sharecroppers. When they moved to Chicago, his first grade teacher misunderstood his southern accent and called him “Jesse” instead of his nickname J.C. (for James Cleveland).  J.C. was too scared to correct her. When he was five, his mother Read more…