Courtesy: Hal Bateman/USATF

May 25, 1935 was one of the great days in track and field history. The site was at Ferry Field at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the meet was the Big 10 Outdoor Championships. One of the stars of the meet was expected to be Ohio State's Jesse Owens, who was already the national collegiate sprint champion.

Owens was entered in four events but his status was questionable because he had injured his back several days before the meet. On the day of meet, later known in track and field lore as 'The Day of Days,' the weather was warm and Owens was able to warm up without discomfort. The action for Owens started at 3:15 p.m. when he easily won the 100 yards in 9.4, equaling the accepted world records of Frank Wykoff of the U.S. and Daniel Joubert of South Africa.

At 3:25 p.m., Owens stood at the head of the long jump runway and he eyed the pit located in front of the stands. Owens took only one jump but he flew off the takeoff board and added another world record by landing at 26-8.25 (8.13m), a mark that was to last 25 years.

Twenty minutes later, the 220 yards on a straightaway was held and Owens again won easily, clocking 20.3 to set world records at both 200 meters and 220 yards.

At 4 p.m., Owens had one race left, the 220-yard low hurdles on a straightaway. Once again, Owens flew down the track and ran 22.6, again setting records for 200 meters and 220 yards, this time in the hurdles.

Thus in the span of 45 minutes Owens set six world records in four different events. It was certainly a fabled day in track history and one we may never see again.