Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Summer Games in Berlin, shattering Adolph Hitler's dream of showing the world that the Aryan race was superior. Owens graduated from Ohio State University the following year and tried several business ventures. The Depression forced him to take a job as a playground attendant. In 1950, after being voted the top track performer of the first half of the century, his image was elevated, and he became secretary of the Illinois Athletic Commission. His fortune improved, and he became involved as a sports ambassador and inspirational speaker.