The Greatest 45 Minutes

James Cleveland was the tenth of ten children born to Henry Cleveland and Mary Emma in Oakville, Alabama.  Henry was a black sharecropper in the early 20^th century.  Looking back from the same part of the 21^st century it appears that poor James was doomed to a hard life.

And, well, he was.

But, despite his tough childhood, James would still be part of “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport.”

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How poor was his family? 

Just after James turned five-years-old he developed a large fibrous bump on his chest.  It grew until it began to press painfully against his lungs.  A sickly child from birth, his mother feared for his life, but the family couldn’t afford a doctor. 

Seeing no other options, the boy’s parents decided to perform the surgery themselves.  James’s mother sterilized a kitchen knife and had the boy bite down hard on a leather strap.   Then she used the knife to cut into her son’s chest and remove a golf-ball sized growth.  The boy lost a lot of blood but pulled through.

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When James was nine his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio as part of the Great Migration, when 1.5 million African Americans left the segregated South looking for better opportunities.  As he grew up, he took different jobs in his spare time to help the family make ends meet.  He delivered groceries, loaded freight cars and worked in a shoe repair shop while his father and older brother worked at a steel mill.  

Interestingly, given his sickly childhood and experience with the tumor in his chest, James realized during this time that he had a passion for running.  A track coach at Fairmount Junior High School, Charles Riley, encouraged the youngster.  Because he worked in a shoe repair shop after school, the coach let him practice before school instead of after with the rest of the team.

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In addition to working with Coach Riley, James would point out another great thing that happened to him at Fairmount Junior High School.  He met a girl named Minnie Ruth Solomon.  They dated throughout high school and eventually married.  The two remained together until his death in 1980.

Sports fans, however, are apt to be more interested in his track & field career.  While attending East Technical High School in Cleveland he long-jumped 24 feet 9 ½ inches at the 1933 National High School Championship in Chicago.  At the same competition he equaled the world record in the 100-yard dash, flying through it in 9.4 seconds.

Yes, I said he tied the world record…in HIGH SCHOOL!

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Later, in college, on May 25, 1935, during the Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan, James again equaled the world record for the 100 yard dash with a time of 9.4 seconds.  Next, he set a world record in the long jump by leaping 26 feet, 8 ¼ inches.  After that he set a world record in the 220-yard sprint with a time of 20.3 seconds.  He must have liked the distance because he cleared the 220-yard low hurdles in only 22.6 seconds for yet another world record.  He did all that in ¾ of an hour, which has been called “the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport.”

It may well be, as his long jump record stood unbroken for 25 years and his record in the 220 low hurdles made him the first person EVER to break 23 seconds in that event. 

Remember, he was a 22-year-old college student at the time.

Breaking three world records and tying another in only 45 minutes is a feat that has never been equaled.

Never.

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The following year came the performance that James is best known for, after he qualified to compete at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.  He claimed gold in the 100-meter sprint on August 3 with a time of 10.3 seconds.  The next day he won the long jump with an 8.06-meter (26 feet, 5 inches) effort.  The day after that, he won the 200-meter sprint in a time of 20.7 seconds.  Four days later, on August 9, James subbed-in for a Jewish athlete in the 4×100 meter relay.  Jews had been forbidden to compete in the games lest it offend the host, Nazi leader Adolph Hitler.  The relay team set a world record time of 39.8 seconds in the event, making James the first athlete ever to earn four gold medals in a single Olympic games. 

That feat would not be equaled for the next 48 years.

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You probably have remembered James by now but, just in case, I’ll tell you another story.

When James’s family moved to Cleveland, Ohio he was known in his family by his initials alone.  His new teacher had difficulty understanding J.C. with his strong southern accent and shy, quiet voice so, when she asked him his name for her class roll, she misunderstood J.C. and wrote “Jesse” instead.  Thanks to that teacher, the young man named James Cleveland Owens at birth is known to millions of people around the world as Jesse Owens. 

Yes of course, THAT Jesse Owens.

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Among his many honors, in 1996 Jesse’s hometown of Oakville, Alabama dedicated Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum in tribute when the Olympic Torch was carried through the town, 60 years after his Olympic triumph. An inscription written by poet Charles Ghigna appears on a bronze plaque at the Park:

May this light shine forever

as a symbol to all who run

for the freedom of sport,

for the spirit of humanity,

for the memory of Jesse Owens.

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Oh, and remember the story about how J. C. Owens became known as Jesse?  Years ago I ran across a magazine article about another member of the U.S. 1936 Olympic team.  Helen Stephens, from Fulton, Missouri, became known as the “Fulton Flash” and earned two gold medals at the ‘36 Olympics. 

When I was researching preparatory to doing a post about Stephens, I checked eBay to see if I could add her autograph to my collection.  I found an autograph that no one had bid on.  Why would they?  Poor Ms. Stephens has been virtually forgotten in the 86 years since her moment of fame.  Evidently, I was the only one searching for her autograph.  When I found the eBay listing, I immediately picked up on the fact that the seller didn’t know the other person whose name was on the card.  That other person signed the name he had been given at birth and which his friends and family called him his whole life…J.C. Owens.

Yes, Jesse Owens.  For the minimum bid, I bought that Helen Stephens autograph, and it was well worth the price.  As an added bonus, I received one of the most coveted signatures in track & field history…James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens.

Another win for a trivia nut.

Just saying.

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