Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens (1913-80) with the four gold medals he earned at the 1936 Olympics. But much of America was not ready for a black superstar, and there were no legitimate business offers to capitalize on his fame. To earn a living, he resorted to competing against racehorses in 100-yard sprints that were rigged so he would win. His career took an upturn in 1955, when he was named by the State Department as America's Ambassador of Sports, and in his later years he was in great demand as a public speaker.