In the Grand Scheme of Things...

The Big Ten Network has a series of programs called "Big Ten Icons" that feature the greatest athletes in the history of the Conference. There have been some great ones. The Top 5 are Tom Harmon of Michigan (5), Archie Griffin of Ohio State (4), Jesse Owens of Ohio State (3), Earvin "Magic" Johnson of Michigan State (2), and Red Grange of Illinois (1). They are the best of the best and there has never been a greater collection of athletic talent than these five men. But rating them is subjective, and I think Jesse Owens should have been Number 1. He set or tied four world records in 42 minutes at the 1935 Big Ten Track and Field Championships. A year later Owens won four gold medals in Berlin and personally defeated Hitler. Jesse Owens is the greatest athlete America has ever produced. "In the grand scheme of things" it's only a TV show, but Owens deserved the gold.