The United States Athletics Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Honorees
Celebrating the athletes, coaches, contributors and commentators whose achievements have shaped American sport.
track & field
The Associated Press named Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th Century, and with the myriad of sports that he excelled in, it should have been an easy vote.
In 1935, Owens was enrolled at Ohio State set records in the 100 m dash and long jump, and there was no doubt that he was the top athlete in track and field. Owens went into the 1936 Berlin Olympics as the heavy favorite in what would be politically charged games. These were the games held in Nazi Germany, and its leader, Adolf Hitler, would be in attendance.
In 1936, Jesse Owens set the track world on fire by winning four Gold Medals. It was believed that in 1984, Carl Lewis could do the same thing.
In 1932, Mildred “Babe” Didrikson had one of the best Olympics of any American female, winning Gold in the 80 m hurdles and the javelin while also capturing Silver in the high jump. That in itself is impressive enough, but she was just getting started.