The Guardian

Grantland Rice Picks Top Athletes

Famous authority on sports, Grantland Rice, has prepared for the Eastern Corporation, Bangor, Me., paper manufacturers, a list of athletes of immortal fame. He names them "All-Time All-Stars."

In the track and field group is Jesse Owens, of whom the author writes:

"In one afternoon—on May 25, 1935—Owens broke three world records and tied a fourth. He ran the 100 in 9.4, the 220 in 20.3, the 220 low hurdles in 22.6 and broad jumped 26 feet, 8¼ inches—the current record. Then in the 1936 Olympics, Owens became the only man to win four first place medals—and set—or help set—four new records. He broad jumped 26 feet, 5⅜ inches (still the Olympic record), ran the 100 meter dash in 10.3 (tied but not lowered), ran the 200 meter dash in 20.7 (still stands), and was a member of the winning U. S. 400 meter relay team which set the current Olympic record of 39.8."

He adds, "most of track and field events are natural sports—tests of speed or strength. Because speed tests and throwing tests are simple and without complicated rules, they were probably the first sports played by man. The first recorded organized 'track meet' was held in Greece in 776 B.C. and the games continued through the height of both the Greek and Roman civilizations. Early track men were out and out professionals and amateur track meets were first held around 1850 in England. In the United States, the first college meet was held in 1874, and since 1876 annual championship meets have been held."