Athletes & Sports Icons · Head-to-head
Jesse Owens vs Jackie Robinson
Yes — based on their recorded years, Jesse Owens (1913–1980) and Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
Jesse Owens
An American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Key achievements
- Won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin
- Set individual Olympic records in each of his gold medal events
- Achieved his Olympic success in a highly charged political climate
- Is remembered as one of the greatest track and field athletes in history
Fast fact
Jesse Owens is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in track and field history.
Full profile of Jesse Owens →Jackie Robinson
The first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era, breaking the sport's color line in 1947.
Key achievements
- Became the first African American to play in modern-era Major League Baseball
- Broke MLB's color line as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947
- Helped end the segregation that had confined Black players to the Negro leagues
- Was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Fast fact
Robinson's signing by the Dodgers heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball.
Full profile of Jackie Robinson →Who lived first, Jesse Owens or Jackie Robinson?
Jesse Owens (1913–1980) lived first, before Jackie Robinson (1919–1972), based on their recorded years.
Were Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson contemporaries?
Yes — based on their recorded years, Jesse Owens (1913–1980) and Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) were alive at the same time for at least part of their lives.
What do Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson have in common?
Both Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson are grouped among our Athletes & Sports Icons figures and lived during the Modern Era.