John Owen, Jr. (August 18, 1861 – August 25, 1924) was an American athlete and businessman.
Biography
John Owen was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, and took up athletics in 1889 at the age of 28. He was discovered and coached by
Mike Murphy
Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...
at the
Detroit Athletic Club
The Detroit Athletic Club (often referred to as the DAC) is a private social club and athletic club located in the heart of Detroit's theater, sports, and entertainment district. It is located across the street from Detroit's historic Music Hall ...
. In 1890, he ran the
100-yard dash
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
in a world record time of 9.8 seconds.
Owen died on August 25, 1924, after a horseback riding accident at his summer home on
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac an ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, John
American male sprinters
1861 births
1924 deaths
Accidental deaths in Michigan
Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States
Track and field athletes from Detroit
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners