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The Night of Legends Award, is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given out by USA Track & Field (USATF). The male athlete of the year award was named Jesse Owens Award. As the country's highest award for the sport, it bears Jesse Owens's name in recognition of his significant career, which included four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. First awarded in 1981 to hurdler Edwin Moses, it was created to recognize the season's top American performer in track and field competitions. In 1996, the award was divided into two categories, with both a male and female winner. The 1996 winners, Michael Johnson and Gail Devers, each won two gold medals at that year's Olympics in Atlanta. Until 2008 the award was voted on by members of the United States athletics media only, but in 2009 fans were able to vote via the USATF website, with their opinions contributing 10% of the overall result.

The winners of the award are typically announced in late November or early December after the end of the outdoor track and field season. A number of athletes have received the award on more than one occasion: Jackie Joyner-Kersee was the first to do so with back-to-back wins in 1986 and 1987, while Carl Lewis won his second award in 1991. Michael Johnson was the first to receive the award three times (winning consecutively from 1994 to 1996) and Marion Jones became the first woman to collect three awards after wins in 1997, 1998 and 2002. In 2012, Allyson Felix won the award for the fourth time, thus distinguishing herself as the athlete with the most wins. Winners receive a replica of the award while the original remains on permanent display at the USATF Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. As of 2013, the female athlete of the year award was renamed the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award.

List of recipients

References

General

• Woolum, Janet (1998). Outstanding Women Athletes. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-1-57356-120-4. Retrieved November 3, 2010.

Specific

1. "Jesse Owens Award". USA Track and Field. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
2. "Gay, Richards win 2009 Jesse Owens Awards". USA Track and Field. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
3. "Gay, Richards selected USA Athletes of the Year". International Association of Athletics Federations. November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
4. ^ "Gay, Richards earn 2009 Owens awards". Sydney Morning Herald. November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
5. ^ "Felix, Oliver win 2010 Jesse Owens Awards". USA Track and Field. November 16, 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
6. "Jesse Owens Award". USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
7. Stewart, Megan (November 3, 2010). "Athletes honoured for their role in women's sports". Vancouver Courier. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
8. "First Jesse Owens Award voted to unbeaten hurdler". Baltimore Afro-American. December 15, 1981. p. 14. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
9. ^ "Sports People; Track & Field; Carl Lewis Wins Jesse Owens Award". The New York Times. December 8, 1991. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
10. Woolum, p. 221.
11. "Benoit wins Owens Award". Anchorage Daily News. December 2, 1984. p. C9. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
12. "Sports People; A Triple for Banks". The New York Times. December 8, 1985. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
13. ^ "Joyner-Kersee wins Owens Award again". Gainesville Sun. December 13, 1987. p. 5E. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
14. "Track and Field; Griffith Joyner Is Honored". The New York Times. February 22, 1989. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
15. "Kingdom wins Owens award". Pittsburgh Press. December 1, 1989. p. C2. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
16. Woolum, p. 154.
17. "Plus: Track and Field; Hurdler Wins Award". The New York Times. December 6, 1992. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
18. "Johnson, Devers win Jesse Owens awards". Lodi News-Sentinel. December 7, 1996. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
19. ^ "Johnson, Devers win track awards". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. December 6, 1996. p. 2C. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
20. "Plus: Roundup – Track and Field; Owens Winners Are Chosen". The New York Times. December 3, 1997. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
21. "Plus: Track; Jones and Godina Are Honored". The New York Times. December 2, 1998. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
22. "Plus: Track and Field; Jesse Owens Awards – Greene and Miller Winners for 1999". The New York Times. December 2, 1999. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
23. Elliott, Helene (December 1, 2000). "Dragila, Taylor Earn Owens Award". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
24. "Plus: Track and Field; Dragila and Godina Win Owens Award". The New York Times. November 30, 2001. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
25. "Plus: Track and Field; Training Partners Win Owens Awards". The New York Times. December 4, 2002. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
26. "Track Awards Go to Pappas, Drossin Kastor". Los Angeles Times. December 2, 2003. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
27. "Gatlin, Hayes capture national awards". Chicago Tribune. November 30, 2004. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
28. "Sports Briefing". The New York Times. November 29, 2005. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
29. "Jesse Owens Awards go to Richards and Wariner". International Association of Athletics Federations. November 28, 2006. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
30. "Briefs". The Seattle Times. November 20, 2007. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
31. "Beijing champions Clay and Brown Trafton, winners of 2008 Jesse Owens Awards". International Association of Athletics Federations. November 19, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
32. Williams and Jeter win 2011 Jesse Owens Awards Archived November 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF/USATF (November 8, 2011). Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
33. Felix and Eaton win 2012 Jesse Owens Award Archived November 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (November 13, 2012). Retrieved on November 28, 2012.
34. Rollins and Merritt win 2013 USATF athlete of the year awards Archived January 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF (December 2, 2013). Retrieved on February 13, 2014.
35. "USA Track & Field - Keflezighi, Simpson Named 2014 USATF Jesse Owens and Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athletes of the Year". Usatf.org. November 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
36. "Jesse Owens Awards Ceremony celebrates the best of 2015". USATF. December 5, 2015. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
37. "USA Track & Field - Best of 2016 celebrated at Jesse Owens Awards". USATF.org. December 3, 2016. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
38. "USA Track & Field - Emma Coburn, Sam Kendricks take Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award and Jesse Owens Award as USATF athletes of the year". USATF.org. November 20, 2017. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
39. "USA Track & Field - Shelby Houlihan, Noah Lyles take Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award and Jesse Owens Award as USATF Athletes of the Year". USATF.org. November 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 27, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
40. "The year's best athletes, performances and Hall of Fame inductees honored at USATF Night of Legends". USA Track & Field. December 8, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
41. "USATF End of Year Awards Announced". USA Track & Field. December 3, 2021. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
42. "USATF Announces 2022 End of Year Awards". USA Track & Field. November 16, 2022. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
43. "USATF Announces 2023 End of Year Award Winners to be Honored at USATF Night of Legends". USA Track & Field. November 16, 2023. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
44. "USA Track & Field | USATF Announces seven 2024 end of year award winners to be honored at USATF Night of Legends". usatf.org. Retrieved November 16, 2024.

External links

• Official USATF website Archived February 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• Official Jesse Owens website Archived July 20, 2001, at the Wayback Machine

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