A Buckeye will be honored in Ann Arbor this week.
World Athletics, the governing body previously known as the IAAF, announced it will commemorate Jesse Owens and his “Day of Days” on Thursday.
On May 25, 1935, the Ohio State track and field athlete set four world records in 45 minutes during the Big Ten Championships at Michigan’s Ferry Field in Ann Arbor. At 21 years old, Owens ran a 9.4 in the 100 yards (tied world record), jumped 8.13m on his lone long jump attempt (world record for 25 years), and won both the 220 yards (20.3) and the 220-yard low hurdles (22.6), with times faster than previous records for the 200-yard events.
To honor Owens’ accomplishments, Owens’ family and representatives from Michigan and Ohio State’s track and field teams will unveil a World Athletics Heritage Plaque outside Ferry Field. The plaque will replace one that existed in the venue's southeast corner since 1985.
This is cool, Michigan is hosting the Big Ten Track and Field meet this weekend and will unveil a new marker honoring Jesse Owens pic.twitter.com/FQJPDnwfm6
— Mark Kunz (@MarkAKunz) May 8, 2024
"What Jesse Owens, an icon not only of American sport but also American ideals, accomplished here with four world records in the span of 45 minutes in May 1935 will never again be replicated,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a press release in 2018, when it was initially announced the plaque would be placed at Ferry Field. “We are proud to have such hallowed grounds open to the public as part of our campus, where future generations can retrace in awe the steps of an American hero."
While the Wolverines no longer use Ferry Field for their track and field competitions, Michigan fans often gather in the open space before football games and other events. Whenever those fans enter and exit the stadium, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe hopes the plaque can meaningfully connect the past, present and future of track and field.
“This award is exciting for our sport as we begin to link together the competitions, personalities and performances worldwide that have played an important role in athletics' rich history,” Coe said in the 2018 press release. “It is important for our sports' future that we recognize that legacy.”
