Jesse Owens Biography

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Jesse Owens
Run fast, jump far, make a difference. Many athletes give 100%, but Jesse Owens went above and beyond. He was known as the “Buckeye Bullet” because of his sprinting, hurdling, and long-jumping abilities. Jesse Owens was one of the many people that changed views on African Americans in the world of sports. He was influenced in his early life and influential in his sports career and life after the Olympics.
Jesse Owens was born on September 12, 1913. He was the tenth and youngest child. Owens was the son of a sharecropper and the grandson of a slave. Owens’ birth name was James Cleveland, so he was known as J.C. The name “Jesse” came from a teacher mispronouncing his name, J.C. As a child, Jesse Owens was often sick with chronic bronchial congestion and pneumonia. The frail child had a large fibrous bump pressing on his lungs, and not being able to afford surgery; his mother performed a makeshift surgery on him with a kitchen knife and removed the mass. Seven year old Jesse Owens, in poor health, was still expected to work picking up to 100 pounds of cotton a day to help provide for his family (Biography). At the age of 9, Owens moved to Cleveland, Ohio. His life in Cleveland was far different than his life in the south. In Alabama, Jesse Owens attended a small one-room schoolhouse. In Cleveland the one-room schoolhouse was replaced by a bigger school with more strict teachers. It was here that Owens got his nickname that stuck with him for the rest of his life. One of his instructors could not decipher Owens’ thick southern accent and believed that the young athlete said his name was “Jesse” instead of “J.C.” which stood for his birth name, James Cleveland (Jesse Owens Foundation).
Jesse Owens gained international...

... middle of paper ...

...ldwide. The old saying, “You get out of it what you put into it” was proved by Owens. Owens always gave 100 percent and encouraged others to do so also. Owens will always be one of the best known American track athletes. With his many accomplishments, Owens was always modest and humble.

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Bank, Biography Reference. Infohio. n.d. 29 April 2014 .
Cameron, Stuart. ProQuest. n.d. 28 April 2014 .
Foner, Eric. ProQuest. 1 December 1991. 28 April 2014 .
Klein, Christopher. History. 12 September 2013. 29 April 2014 <2014>.
The Jessie Owens Foundation . The Jesse Owens Foundation. n.d. 16 April 2014 .

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