page_813 < previous page page_813 next page > Page 813 and sincerity made him an excellent public speaker, much in demand. He remained a hero to black Americans and was acceptable to white people because of his conservative position on race issues. Ironically, he was criticized by many black Americans because he was a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee during racial protests at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Nevertheless, he remained America's most popular and famous track and field athlete until his death from cancer in 1980. William J. Baker, Jesse Owens: An American Life (1986); Richard D. Mandell, The Nazi Olympics (1971); Jesse Owens, as told to Paul Neimark, The Jesse Owens Story (1970). C. ROBERT BARNETT See also Spectator Sports. Â < previous page page_813 next page >