Ferry Field Among Inaugural IAAF World Athletics Heritage Plaque Honors
12/2/2018 4:33:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
December 3 - Updated to include quote from Michigan's Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel.
MONACO -- The University of Michigan's historic Ferry Field has been named one of the inaugural locations of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, which was announced Sunday (Dec. 2) by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
Ferry Field, which served as the venue for Jesse Owens' historic four-world-record performance in the span of 45 minutes at the 1935 Big Ten Championships, was selected among 12 non-Olympic stadium locations worldwide in recognition of momentous achievements in the history of track and field.
"There would be no point in us placing plaques on the wall of every Olympic stadium as, while they have been the scene of countless epic competitions at the pinnacle of our sports history, these are already well-known landmarks," IAAF president Seb Coe said in a statement. "Instead we are looking to highlight lesser known locations associated with equally outstanding performances.
"Many of the stadiums and tracks which we recognize today have already vanished and these plaques will be a permanent reminder of the incredible athletics deeds which took place at those locations."
Ferry Field was the home of Michigan track and field from 1917 through 2017, before the program moved to its new state-of-the-art facility at the Athletics South Competition and Performance Center in 2018. The track is still open for public use.
"Ferry Field has always held a special place in my heart as a former track and field student-athlete who competed and trained there, it will always hold a special mantle in the rich history of Michigan athletics, and now I am pleased to say it will always be considered among the most special places in all the history of track and field as an IAAF Heritage Plaque location," said Michigan's Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel, who lettered as a thrower for the Wolverines in 1990.
"What Jesse Owens, an icon not only of American sport but also American ideals, accomplished here with four world records in the span of 45 minutes in May of 1935 will never again be replicated. We are proud to have such hallowed grounds open to the public as part of our campus, where future generations can retrace in awe the steps of an American hero."
The IAAF -- which is the global governing body of track and field, cross country and other related sports -- announced Ferry Field's inclusion Sunday evening at Monaco's Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel at its Heritage Legends Reception.
It is one of only two United States-based plaques awarded in this inaugural class of recipients. The other honors women's athletics pioneer Babe Didrikson Zaharias and is located in Beaumont, Texas.
Though it hosted numerous championship meets and was graced by many future Olympians, no single day in Ferry Field's history -- or perhaps in the history of any other venue in the world -- could ever or would ever match Owens' virtuosic performance at Big Tens on May 23, 1935.
In the span of just 45 minutes, Owens -- then competing for Ohio State -- would string together four consecutive world records in an afternoon that will forever be remembered far beyond the scope of track and field -- arguably second only among his achievements to his four-gold-medal showing in the face of the Nazis at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
He ran 100 yards in 9.4 seconds to equal the world record, followed 10 minutes later by the world's first-ever eight-meter long jump at 8.13m (26 feet, 8.25 inches). His long jump record would not be bested for another 25 years, in 1960.
Owens then ran 220 yards in 20.3 seconds and clocked 22.6 in the 220-yard hurdles for an additional two world records. His marks in the latter two events also converted to world records for their metric equivalent events (200 meters and 200-meter hurdles).
"The launch of this award is an exciting day for our sport as we begin to link together the competitions, personalities and performances worldwide which have played an important role in athletics rich history," Coe said. "It is important for our sports future that we recognize that legacy."
The IAAF Heritage plaque will join an existing commemorative plaque to Owens' achievement on-site at Ferry Field.
Below is the list of IAAF Athletics World Heritage locations, accompanied by the individual in whose honor they are dedicated.
• EMIL VOIGT (GBR) - Manchester Harriers & Athletics Club, Manchester.
• ERIC LEMMING (SWE) / IAAF FOUNDATION 1912 - Stockholm Olympic stadium, Stockholm.
• PAAVO NURMI (FIN) - Paavo Nurmi Games & Stadium, Turku.
• MILDRED DIDRIKSON (USA) - Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, Beaumont, Texas.
• CHUHEI NAMBU (JPN) - Meiji Jingu Gaien Nikoniko Park, Tokyo.
• JESSE OWENS (USA) - Ferry Field, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• FANNY BLANKERS-KOEN (NED) - Fanny Blankers-Koen Games & Stadium, Hengelo.
• EMIL ZATOPEK (CZE) - Golden Spike & Mestský Stadion, Ostrava.
• ADHEMAR DA SILVA - Centro Esportivo e de Lazer Tietê, Sao Paulo.
• BETTY CUTHBERT (AUS) - Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust, Sydney.
• ABEBE BIKILA (ETH) - Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa.
• IRENA SZEWINSKA (POL) - Stadion Zawiszy Imienia, Bydgoszcz.
