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Columbus has a rich sports history, with legendary figures and numerous traditions associated with The Ohio State University Buckeyes and others.
Jesse Owens gained international stardom when he stared down German dictator Adolph Hitler at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and won four Olympic gold medals.
 Jack Nicklaus grew up in Columbus, graduated from Upper Arlington High School and competed at The Ohio State University. A winner of 20 major tournaments and 100 professional tournaments, he was named the best individual male athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated. Nicklaus built the Muirfield Village Golf Club and then founded The Memorial Tournament in 1976. The event is recognized as one of the top stops on the PGA Tour.
Woody Hayes became a legend in 27 years as head coach of The Ohio State University football team. His teams won national championships in 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968 and 1970 and compiled an overall record of 205-61-10 while at Ohio State.
Jerry Lucas was an All-American basketball player at The Ohio State University and was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history.
Other world-renowned athletes with Columbus ties include:
former heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas
Olympians Butch Reynolds, Stephanie Hightower, Bob Kennedy; Blaine Wilson and Paul and Morgan Hamm
Arnold Schwarzenegger, promoter of the annual Arnold Fitness Weekend
British Open champion Ben Curtis
Rick Nash, winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy for most goals scored in the 2003-2004 NHL season
International soccer star Brian McBride
NBA stars Michael Redd, Clark Kellogg, Jim Jackson and Herb Williams
WNBA star Katie Smith, the highest-scoring scorer in women's professional basketball in the United States
Indy racing stars Bobby Rahal, a three-time series champion who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1986 and rising star Danica Patrick, who finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500 in 2005
NHRA champion Jeg Couglin Jr.
Ohio State football is an integral part of the city's sports history. Ohio Stadium is one of college football's most recognizable shrines. The Buckeyes have won seven national championships - including the 2002 title when Jim Tressel led the team to an improbable 31-24 double-overtime win over heavily-favored University of Miami - and five players have combined to win six Heisman trophies. Archie Griffin (1974 and 1975) is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football. Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (1955), and Eddie George (1995) also have won.
The Columbus Clippers have long been recognized as one of the leading minor league baseball franchises. The city has witnessed a variety of firsts in its long baseball history, including in 1926 when the Columbus Senators became the first professional team to wear numbers on its backs.
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Columbus community leader Stephanie Hightower was a track and field standout and competed in the 1980 Olympics.
Her world record of 7.36 set in the 60-yard hurdle dash still holds today.
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