Athletics or sports give us many moments of note. Classic victories or stunning defeats permeate the lore of our culture, particularly in rabid sports towns like Ann Arbor. However, it is not the Big House, nor Chrisler Arena, but Ferry Field, that is the site of what is arguably the most amazing athletic performance. Of all time. Anywhere. How great you ask? Consider that there is a monument to an Ohio State Buckeye in the midst of the University of Michigan’s athletic campus to celebrate this accomplishment.
On May 25, 1935 the Western Conference (precursor to the Big 10) Track and Field Championships were held at the University of Michigan’s Ferry Field. As Richard Rothschild wrote in a Sports Illustrated article (linked) on this feat, Jesse Owens did not just rewrite the record book during this meet – he tore it up!
Over a span of just 45 minutes Jesse Owens competed in 4 races for Ohio State University – the 100 yard dash, the long jump, the 220 yard dash and the 220 yard low hurdles. Owens won all 4 races and set or tied the WORLD RECORD in all 4 races. He actually received credit for 6 world records based on his race times.
3:15 PM. 100-yard Dash. After a slow start, Owens claimed the lead at the 30 yard mark. His official winning time was 9.4 seconds, tying the world record. More than half of the stop watches put him at 9.3 seconds, but the rules of the day required the runners to be given the slowest measured time.
3:25 PM. Long Jump. Owens made a single jump, soaring 26 feet, 8.25 inches, breaking the existing world record by more than 6 inches. His jump was not surpassed for 25 years. Indeed, his jump was so incredible, it would have placed him 6th at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, 81 years later.
3:34 PM. 220-yard Dash. Owens ran 20.3 seconds to crush the old mark of 20.6 seconds. The race finish photo below shows just how far in front of the rest of the field he finished. Because 220 yards is more than a yard longer than 200 meters and Owens’ time was better than the existing record, he also received credit for breaking the world 200 meter straightaway record. One race, two additional world records. Total for the day thus far – 4 world records within 20 minutes.
4 p.m. 220 yard low hurdles. Low hurdles stand only 2 feet, 6 inches (high hurdles are a foot taller), allowing Owens, who was not a gifted hurdler, to use his great speed between the barriers to defeat more technically superior opponents. He became the first runner to break 23 seconds with a time of 22.6 seconds to win by five yards. He also received credit for the 200-meter hurdle record, as his time was better than the best recorded for this shorter distance.
All totaled - 45 minutes, 4 races, 6 WORLD RECORDS. Compare this effort to the attention Michael Phelps (who practiced with the UM swim team at Canham Natatorium just NW of Owens’ monument) received for having to compete in a semifinal race 30 minutes after winning the 200 IM at the Rio Olympics.
One year after his historic day at Ferry Field, Jesse Owens received more acclaim, winning 4 gold medals at the Berlin Olympics, under the nose of Adolph Hitler. That performance was credited with dispelling myths around Aryan racial supremacy and embarrassing Hitler. Other athletes have equaled or surpassed his Olympic medal totals, but none have come close to accomplishing what Jesse Owens did at Ferry Field.
To Log this virtual cache, you must complete the following three steps
1). Take a picture at the monument. Note, you do not have to have your face in the picture, but you must have something uniquely yours in the photo. Post this picture with your log!
2). North/Northeast of the memorial area are several parking spaces. Send me an email or note through the message center telling me for whom the closest of these spots is reserved.
3). West of the memorial area find the starting line for the 100 M races. Travel along the straightaway to the finish line. Include your “race” time in your log.
Logs made without submitting this information are subject to deletion.
As with most campus areas, parking can be a challenge. Metered parking is available nearby (State Street), per the listed waypoint. Parking may be available in the lot adjacent to the monument after 5PM and on weekends when there is no athletic event scheduled. Please note that it has just been announced that Ferry Field will be rented out as a tailgating location during home football games. It is not clear whether this area will be accessible to the general public during those days, but the monument area is open to the public at other times.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.