Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium

Completed in 2001 and located on Fred Taylor Drive, the ten-thousand-seat stadium at The Ohio State University Department was dedicated in honor of Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens who was also a track star while a student at Ohio State. The stadium is sed by the track, soccer, and lacrosse teams of the university.

In 2001, Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium was dedicated and replaced the track which had been used by Ownes and other OSU athletes had used within Ohio Stadium following a renovation and expansion of that stadium to better support football. Thata renovation involved lowering the playing field to add seats. 

The stadium includes two tribute towers to James Cleveland Owens, who was born in 1913 in Alabama. The Ownes family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, when the future Olympian was young. According to the family, James was in third grade when his teacher asked him his name. He responded, "J. C," and the teacher mistakenly thought he said Jesse. The name stuck and would soon become known by many. As a student at East Tech High School in Cleveland, "Jesse" Owoens tied the world record of 9.4 seconds in the 100-yard dash. He attended college at Ohio State and was a member of the track team, where he won a record of eight individual NCAA championships, four in 1935 and four in 1936.

At the Olympics held in Berlin in 1936, Owens competed and won gold in the following: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter relay, and the long jump. While Hitler preached Aryan superiority, Owens demonstrated the bankruptcy of such racist ideas. He also credited the help of his German opponent, Luz Long, with giving him advice on how to not foul out of the long jump trials. Owens had fouled twice when Long suggested laying a towel a foot from the foul line to help him jump sooner. He and Long went on to be friends.

Even with his athletic abilities, as a Black man in America, Jesse faced discrimination and limited opportunities. He also found success as a speaker after opening several businesses and coaching. Jesse Ownes died of lung cancer in 1980.

Jesse Ownes Stadium, Ohio State University Athletics websites, http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/facilities/jesse-owens-stadium.html

"The Greatest Day in Track & Field: 50 Years Ago, Jesse Owens Had an Afternoon Like No One Else". Los Angeles Times. May 25, 1985.Accessed digitally on September 12, 2020.