The 1936 USA Track and Field Olympic Trials took place July 11-12 1936 at Randalls Island New York. The 'Final Olympic Tryout' FOT as it was then known) was a heated competition that decided who would be part of the U.S. Olympic team at the 1936 Berlin Games. It is extremely rare to find any document or memorabilia item from this event which showcased some of the best athletes in the world. Thanks to a proactive 14-year-old with unique connections to a USAT&F official we have an amazing collection of vintage autographs and photographs of these stars including Jesse Owens in a beautifully bound black USA Olympics album.

1936 was a monumental year for the African-American athlete in the U.S. The increased number of African-American participants signaled a changing demographic in American sports not just on the track but in many team sports as well. Most notably it was the year of Jesse Owens. After winning four individual NCAA championships for the 2nd straight year the Ohio State sensation used these Olympic Trials as a springboard for his four gold medals (100m 200m 4x100m Long Jump) in Berlin--under the circumstances the greatest and most important athletic performance in sports history. In addition to Owens African-American track & field stars such as decorated sprinter Ralph Metcalfe (4-time Olympic medalist) Mack Robinson (1936-Silver-200m) Archie Williams (1936-Gold-400m) John Woodruff (1936-Gold-800m) and Cornelius Johnson (1936-Gold-High Jump) are all represented with their own page in this personal memorandum of Olympic history. Each page includes a cut signature in 6-9/10 pencil (the ballpoint pen was not yet invented) black & white newspaper photo clippings and a pasted bio of the athlete/official all glued to a hard white 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and encapsulated in a clear protective cover sheet. The Jesse Owens dedication is allotted two album pages (3 sides) that include two cut signatures (grades 6 & 7) and six photos (the largest 8x10).

Other individual pages include Foy Draper (1936-Gold-4x100m) Earle Meadows (1936-Gold-Pole Vault) John Anderson (1932-Gold-Discus) Gordon Dunn (1936-Silver-Discus) Ben Eastman (1932-Silver-400m) 1500 meter runners Bill Bonthron and Gene Venzke Steeplechaser Harold Manning Pole Vaulters Bill Graber and Bill Sefton Shot Putter Jack Torrance USOC and IOC President Avery Brundage (1912-Gold-Pentathlon & Decathlon) and several other officials executives and committee members affiliated with U.S. track & field. There is even a page dedicated to Col. Charles J. Dieges founder of Dieges & Clust--manufacturer of all Olympic medals and significant baseball and football trophies from the early 1900's and on. Page 1 is the 1936 Final Olympic Tryout official program cover from the event at Randalls Island. Page 2 is the consignor's personal account of how he was fortunate enough to obtain a field pass to the event and get so many great autographs along with the actual Field Pass and unused ticket in VG-EX condition. There are 29 total sheets (front & back) with 27 cut signatures by 26 different athletes/officials (2 by Owens) all nicely put together in a customized 3-ring binder with Team USA Olympics labels on the front and side of the black album cover. There are two minor creases on the album cover which is otherwise in EX-MINT condition. You'll be hard-pressed to ever find a collection of Olympic autographs as vintage pristine and special in the hobby as this one-of-a-kind album kept in almost perfect condition.

Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.