Scarlet Sunrise: Jesse Owens honored in Ann Arbor with World Athletics Heritage Plaque
Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Buckeyes football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.
Jesse Owens honored in Ann Arbor with World Athletics Heritage Plaque
A World Athletics Heritage Plaque honoring legendary Ohio State track and field athlete Jesse Owens was unveiled at Michigan’s Ferry Field Thursday.
World Athletics, formerly known as the IAAF, gives the Heritage Plaque to recognize “an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field,” according to a news release about Owens’ latest honor for his memorable feat on May 25, 1935.
It was that day that Owens — who would go on to win four gold medals in seven days at the 1936 Berlin Olympics — broke five world records, and tied another, in the span of 45 minutes during the 1935 Big Ten Championships at Michigan.
With a 9.4 in the 100-yard dash, Owens matched one world record. He smashed the long jump world record by six inches with a jump of 26 feet, 8.25 inches. Then he ran the 220 yards in 20.3 seconds, 0.3 seconds faster than the previous best-ever mark for that event. In the process, he actually reset another world record. Since the race was a few feet longer than the 200-meter international standard, he secured the record-breaking time for that distance, too.
Owens rounded out his unforgettable performance with a 220-yard low hurdles time of 22.6, which, for that distance, was 0.4 seconds faster than any time registered before. Plus, along the way, Owens recorded the top 200-meter split.
Owens’ Heritage Plaque was revealed by his granddaughter Marlene Dortch and representatives from both Ohio State and Michigan track and field ahead of the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor this weekend.
Unpacking summer to-do list for Ohio State before training camp
Training camp is a ways away, but Ohio State can still accomplish a good bit outside of traditional practice sessions.
That’s why Lettermen Row came up with a summer to-do list for the Buckeyes before camp rolls around in August.
Chief among those items is figuring out a concrete plan for how to divvy up quarterback reps this summer. Find out the rest of the items on the list here.
Intel: What we know about Buckeyes pursuit of safety from transfer portal
Former Michigan State safety Jaden Mangham is expected to visit Ohio State this weekend. With only six scholarship safeties on the roster, the Buckeyes are hoping to bolster their depth.
They have five scholarship spots remaining, according to Lettermen Row’s scholarship chart projection. Although Ohio State is poised to have one of the best safety tandems in the country with veteran Lathan Ransom and reigning AP second-team All-American Caleb Downs, head coach Ryan Day and his staff want to be well stocked at every position in case of injury during what could be a 16 or 17-game season.
Lettermen Row broke down what Mangham’s visit means, who else the Buckeyes could target in the portal at the position and more.
Get that intel here.
Counting Down
Buckeyes vs. Akron: 115 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 206 days
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