Jesse Owens was a star at Ohio State before going on to win four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Although he was hailed as a hero for standing up to Hitler in Nazi Germany, he was still treated as a second class citizen when returned home. The centerpiece of the Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza is a bronze pyramid on which his many achievements are noted. The memorial is immediately north of Ohio Stadium which housed the track that he set so many records on until it was replaced by additional seating during a renovation of the stadium.


