80th Anniversary of Jesse Owens' Big Day at U-M; Willis Ward Finally Gets His Memorial, Too

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on May 24th, 2015 at 10:35 PM

Great story in the Detroit News. Monday is the 80th anniversary of the greatest 45 minutes in sports history - when Jesse Owens set four world records on our campus on May 25, 1935. There's a plaque for this at Ferry Field, and it's a tribute to our class and character that we would allow a memorial to an Ohio State athlete on our campus.

As this story points out, Willis Ward was pretty much Jesse Owens' equal in track that year - and actually beat him twice at Yost Fieldhouse two months before the record-setting day.

There has been a Jesse Owens memorial for years on U-M's campus - and now there will be a Willis Ward memorial, too. On Wednesday, they're dedicating a room at the Union in his honor.

Long live Jesse Owens, and long live Willis Ward.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/2015/05/24/jesse-owens-set-trac…

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Vote_Crisler_1937

May 24th, 2015 at 10:42 PM ^

My great Uncle was competing for Michigan against Owens in at least one of those events. At the same time, my Grandfather, future Michigan track star, was winning the state championship in the 2 mile in Grand Rapids. My great grandpa was with one of his sons and my great grandma watched the other that day. Both sent telegrams to each other that said, "you will never believe what happened here!"

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acnumber1

May 24th, 2015 at 10:57 PM ^

That is fantastic!

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steve sharik

May 25th, 2015 at 9:40 AM ^

Cool story, bro.

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justingoblue

May 24th, 2015 at 10:45 PM ^

I was in Ann Arbor for about five hours last week and took a pic of the Owens plaque in case it ends up in storage or something. I don't think there's been any comment on where it's headed after Ferry Field is gone.

/csb

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rob f

May 24th, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^

when in Ann Arbor for Basketball and Hockey games back in January. My thought process was like yours---what will happen to those historic plaques once Ferry Field is bulldozed? I'm not nearly as worried now that they will be properly preserved and displayed, as Jim Hackett seems to consistantly be making good decisions on all fronts.

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justingoblue

May 25th, 2015 at 12:03 AM ^

I was thinking I might be crazy, but at least other MGoBloggers are too.

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Ray

May 24th, 2015 at 10:57 PM ^

Is awesome. tOSU grad or not, I will forever remember and respect Owens for a comment I remember him making (prolly for the 40th anniversary of the Berlin Olympics--it was in a documentary filmed in the Olympic stadium) about whether he held any animosity toward Hitler for refusing to shake his hand. His response was something like "well, the way I look at it is that I'm here and he's not." He was a classy, understated guy.

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snarling wolverine

May 25th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^

The story of him being snubbed by Hitler seems to be an urban legend anyway. Apparently, Hitler did wave to him afterwards.

Owens actually was snubbed worse by FDR, who never acknowledged his accomplishments.

http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-jesse-owens

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Hill Street Blue

May 24th, 2015 at 11:03 PM ^

We honored Owens in Ann Arbor. Long live good sporting behavior.

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East German Judge

May 24th, 2015 at 11:51 PM ^

But then came woody and his punch....

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West German Judge

May 25th, 2015 at 1:25 AM ^

and then came Devin and his kneel!

(Right? RIGHT?)

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Jacoby

May 25th, 2015 at 1:27 AM ^

I had the same thought. Reminds me of how the buckeye faithful gave a standing ovation to Wolverine Tom Harmon when Harmon had arguably the best game a college football player has ever played.

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M-Dog

May 25th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^

But would they (or us) ever do it today?

*sigh*

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BursleyHall82

May 24th, 2015 at 11:04 PM ^

When Jesse Owens won his four gold medals in 1936, he was snubbed by President Roosevelt and wasn't invited to the White House along with all the other Olympians that year. The president who finally DID invite him to the White House? The Wolverine, Gerald Ford. In 1976, President Ford presented Owens with the Medal of Freedom - the highest civilian honor there is.

Wolverines and Buckeyes, getting along!

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Don

May 25th, 2015 at 1:06 AM ^

will soon be a mundane parking lot.

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25dodgebros

May 25th, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got til its gone/

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stephenrjking

May 25th, 2015 at 2:00 AM ^

I love the way Richard Rothschild concludes his article ( http://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/05/24/owens-recordday ) on the Owens moment: "Ferry Field still stands. Outside the track a plaque commemorates Owens' record-shattering day. It is, perhaps, the ultimate compliment in college sports that a University of Michigan athletic facility continues to honor the achievements of an Ohio State Buckeye." Some things are bigger than sports rivalries. What Jesse Owens did in the '36 Olympics, repudiating in symbol and in fact Hitler's Fascist philosophies that took the world six years to militarily defeat, might be the highest possible achievement in sports. To have such a transcendent athlete achieve one of his greatest accomplishments in the home of his school's greatest arch rival is fitting: to be so great that said arch rival is happily compelled to memorialize that achievement on its campus is appropriate. A proper tribute to his greatness. May he be long remembered.

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Ronnie Kaye

May 25th, 2015 at 2:27 AM ^

"There's a plaque for this at Ferry Field, and it's a tribute to our class and character that we would allow a memorial to an Ohio State athlete on our campus."

I think it's a tribute to the childish views associated with college rivalries that such an obvious move is given credit as exceptionally classy.

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lawlright

May 25th, 2015 at 9:57 AM ^

Its the least the school can do seeing as the track where these two men competed and set these records is now being demolished to make room for a parking lot. One last thanks DB...

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