--Jesse Owens - March 31, 1980 Born September 12, 1913 Track and field athlete. Throughout his junior high and high school years, Owens held part-time jobs to help his parents pay the bills. In high school, Owens set national records by running the 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds and the 200-yard dash in 20.7 seconds. He also set a new broad jump (now called long jump) record with a leap of 24 feet, nine and five-eighths inches. A number of universities recruited him actively, but Owens felt that college was just a dream. Finally, Charles Riley and the track coach at Ohio State University were able to entice Owens. At the 1936 Olympics, Owens won a total of four gold medals for winning the 100- meter sprint, the 200-meter sprint, the jump, and the 400- meter relay. A longtime cigarette smoker, he developed inoperable lung cancer. He died on March 31, 1980, after a long stay in a Phoenix hospital, and he was buried in Chicago several days later.