Owens stars in 1936 Olympic preview
July 29, 2008 | Men's Track & Field
One of the greatest athletic events that ever occurred in Camp Randall Stadium didn 't involve a football game.
The date was May 16, 1936. In what was billed as 'the most important dual meet of the year' by the Badger Yearbook, Wisconsin hosted Ohio State in a track and field meet in Camp Randall. At that time, a 440-yard cinder track encircled the football field in the stadium, allowing large crowds to watch the UW team.
Wisconsin and Ohio State were both undefeated in dual meet competition heading into the meet and 'the clash was the biggest crowd attraction of any track meet ever held in Camp Randall,' according to the 1937 issue of the Badger Yearbook. An estimated crowd of 6,000 fans watched the meet in the stadium, which seated approximately 40,000 spectators at the time.
The Badgers were led that season by Chuck Fenske in the mile and Albert Haller in the pole vault. The duo had qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in their respective events. But it was Jesse Owens, the Ohio State junior, who was the star of the meet and would soon grab the international spotlight.
Owens would win all four events he entered that day. At 3:20 p.m., he broke the world 's record in the 100-yard dash, running 9.3 seconds, and also set a mark in the 220-yard dash, winning in 21.3, at 3:50 p.m. Neither record would count due to a strong aiding wind.
Owens wasn't done competing on the day though. At 3:30 p.m., he started competing in the broad (long) jump, which he won with a leap of 25 feet, 7 7/8 inches. Owens wrapped up his four-win day at 4:15 p.m. by claiming the 220-yard low hurdles in 23.6.
The Buckeye would score 20 points on the day but it wasn't enough for Ohio State as Wisconsin won the meet by more than six points, 66 2/3 to 59 1/3.
For the Badgers, Haller won the pole vault at 14-4, establishing a new Camp Randall record. Fenske claimed event titles in the mile and two-mile runs while Irv Rubow won the shot put and discus throw. Other UW event winners were Bert Schlanger and Herb Steuwe.
Owens would go on to win three events at the 1936 U.S. Olympic Final Tryouts at Randall 's Island Stadium in New York in mid-July. His defining moment came in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin, Germany. Owens shattered Hitler's myth of Aryan superiority by winning gold medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, broad jump and as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team. He became the first four-time Olympic gold medalist.
