An Ohio State legend is a part of the inaugural class of the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame according to a release on Tuesday. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) held its first-ever induction ceremony in Eugene, Oregon, on Monday night, and the “Buckeye Bullet,” Jesse Owens, was a part of 30 individuals enshrined.
Owens really needs no introduction, but he competed at the varsity level for the Ohio State track and field team in 1935 and 1936, when he won four individual NCAA championships in back-to-back years, the first and only athlete to do so, even to this day. The eight individual championships are also still a record despite Owens only competing for two years.
The track legend had one of the greatest feats any athlete has ever experienced when he won four events at the Big Ten Championships in a span of just 45 minutes on May 25, 1935. His efforts on that day resulted in five world records and the tying of a sixth.
The @USTFCCCA inducted the inaugural class into the Collegiate Hall of Fame on Monday night. The class included legend Jesse Owens!
🔗: https://t.co/GD7Yz3RbBI
📸 (Errol Anderson): https://t.co/INWYlR3iPv#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/RcPfeF774e— Ohio State T&F/XC (@OhioStateTFXC) June 7, 2022
That was all before he stuck it to Hitler at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 where he won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay world record-setting team.
To be eligible for the first-ever class, athletes had to be men who had completed their collegiate eligibility prior to 2000 and women prior to 2010.
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