The Omaha guide., 1937-01-16
{ BY F. NJ. Davis for AMP
Coler Line On Owens

are not the only one rising in in
dignation at the failure for two
years straight of the Sullivan Aw-
ard committee to honor Jesse
Owens. Several of the white sports
writer's are up in arms over this
snub administered by the Amateur
Union, seeing in it the drawing OF
this nations Infamous color line.
One of the most outspoken cri-
tics of the selection of Glenn Nor
ris OVER the Buckeye Bullet was
Shirley Povieh, sports editor of the
Washington Post. In his daily col
umn, entitled "This Morning. Mr.
Povich had this to say last week;
s'The Sullivan award is based,
according to the A. A. U. people
on an athletes performance,
his craftsmanship and example to
American youth With Owens per-
Torrance, the greatest individual
display of athletic ability in his
tory perhaps, there could be no
quarrel. And if his performance
also was not a shining example to
American youth, then I forget the
meaning of the word.
"And if Owens frankness in not
choosing to run in the Scanddin-
avian countries after the Olytn-
pics was not at least sporting, then
the A. A.. U. people can have it
their own way.
Eyes, Owens apparently quail
fed in everything but skin pig
ments.. No Negro ever had been
voted the Sullivan Medal and the
accident of birth which governed
the color of Owens epidermis was
probably duly noted by the A. A. U.
which, with an utter lack of sports
manship, handed down the sports
manship award"
Thanks, Mr.. Povich.
As a matter of fact, Jesse should
have been honored In 1885. No
body in track history ever accom-
plished the amazing feat of run
ming 100 yards in Cd seconds. 200
yards in 20.3, the 220 yard low
hurdles in 22.6 seconds and broad
jumping 26 feet s inches the same
day until Jesse did it in the spring
of 1885. But he missed the Sulli-
van award because-so the A. A.
U. explained-he was drawing a
salary as page boy for the Ohio
State legislature when he was not
on the job every day. White anna
teur athletes have been doing more
than that for years with nothing
said, but of course they were the
same color as A. A. U. officials.
Undaunted, Owens went on last
year to outrun and outjump every
body comTleting against him and
established a new worlds record
twice for the 100 meters of 1912
seconds. The first was taken from
him because the track was three
fit shs of an inch short, the second
made in Berlin was also tossed out
because he was supposedly aided
by a tailwind. Officials ignored the
fact that this baby breeze was not
sufficient to offset the slowness of
a muddy track. However, Jesse
then broke worlds record for 200
meters around a turn as well as
the Olympic broad jump record and
had a hand in cracking the worlds
400 meter relay record. He came
back to America with four gold
medals to Morris one and the best
record ever hung up by an athlete
in the international games.
Morris, in all fairness, is a great
athlete and probably would de
serve the award if Owens were not
around. Twice this year he has
broken the worlds record in the
decathlon, but this merely shows
him to be an a~ll-round athlete. So,
for that matteH is the Student
who wins letters in football, track
basketball and baseball at a big
university but this student still is
moi to be mentioned in the same
breath with Red Grange, who was
only a football player, or Joe Louis
who is only a boxer.
As a matter of fact, a decathlon
star is merely a jack of all trades
who is good in many events but
has mastered none sufficiently to
be a world beaten. If your decathlon
contestant could outrunI anybody
else in the world at 400 meters or
toss the shot farther or pole vault
higher, - would probably con-
centra5e on this snecialtv and lot