Jesse Owens Congressional Gold Medal

In 1935, Jesse Owens broke three world records within 45 minutes. He was the first American to win four Olympic gold medals for running at a single Olympics in Berlin the following year (1936). He was the most successful athlete of the Games.

In 1950, Owens was named the greatest track athlete of the previous 50 years. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974. President Gerald Ford awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. Ford, as a college student in 1935, had watched Owens break records.

Jesse Owens served as a running coach and teacher and lectured often on his experiences in sports and recipes for success. He regularly spoke out against segregation and racism in general. He was a liaison to the black community for a national fitness program for the federal government and later oversaw state programs for teens as head of the Illinois Youth Commission.

President Eisenhower’s administration sent him on many international goodwill trips. Owens also served on the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee.

This medal recognizes his “athletic achievements and humanitarian contributions to public service, civil rights, and international goodwill.”

The bronze medal pictured is a duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal.