Today in history: Jesse Owens dominates the Big Ten for Ohio State

Credit: Getty Images

Credit: Getty Images

Did you know today is Jesse Owens Day?

Well, there could be multiple Jesse Owens Days given his amazing career, but arguably his most dominant performances came 83 years ago today at the Big Ten track and field championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.

At 3:15 he flashed down the track to win the 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds, tying the world mark.

At 3:25 Jesse removed his sweat suit, bent over at the top of the broad jump runway and hurtled forward toward the take-off board. In his first and what was to be his only jump of the day he rocketed out 26 feet 8 ¼ inches, breaking the world record by more than half a foot.

At 3:34, just nine minutes later, Owens again slipped out of his sweats, this time for the 220-yard dash. He took his mark, went to the set position, was off with the gun and streaked home almost 15 yards ahead of the second man in 20.3 seconds, slashing three-tenths of a second from the world mark.

At exactly 4:00 p.m., 16 minutes later, he again took off his sweats and eyed the long row of barriers placed in position for the 220-yard low hurdles. Again the gun, and again there was Owens ripping away from the field, flying over the timbers to the tape. The time: 22.6 seconds, four-tenths of a second shaved from the world record.

(Keep in mind also this was back before Ohio State football made the Big House its second home every other year.)

Owens of course went on to dominate at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, too, much to the chagrin of Adolf Hitler.

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