Fazekas, Jesse

 

Jesse Fazekas – (1988)

 

JESSE FAZEKAS

The bowl for life’s little cherries are oft times filled with the pits of life’s little ironies. Jesse Fazekas’ bowl contained a little of both.

With a reputation of being “fast as the wind”, Jesse was unable to find time for track in high school. He was continually working to finance his future college education. He continued to earn money after enrolling at Ohio State and did not try out for the OSU team.

Recognizing his potential, Ohio State star and Lorain Sports Hall of Famer, Joe Ujhelji, severely chastized Jesse and encouraged him to join the OSU track team. Stung by Joe’s criticism, Jesse donned his track shoes and challenged one of OSU’s greatest sprinters, George Simpson. He came into prominence after Simpson’s graduation.

1931 and 1932 were Jesse’s banner seasons at OSU. During this period, he won meet doubles in the 100 and 220 dashes six times and finished either first or second in most of his races including the 440 sprint relay and the one mile sprint medley relay. His fastest times were just two-tenths from the records.

With Pathe News covering the 1931 Penn Relays for moviehouses throughout the USA, Ohio State’s Sprint Medley Team of Wise, Strother, Beetham, and Jesse exploded for the most stunning news of the meet, a new world record of 3:27:06! The record provided Jesse with the symbolic “Gold Shoe”. Jesse finished his day anchoring the 4 by 110 yards squad to victory in 42:04 seconds.

Jesse was invited to the 1932 Olympic tryouts with such track greats as Wyckoff, Metcalf, and Tolan. A stubborn hamstring pull prevented his tryout, and Jesse hung up his spikes.

While practicing as a lawyer in Cambridge, Ohio in 1945, Jesse was involved in an auto accident. A short while after his release from a Columbus hospital, he decided to have a check-up with his local physician. He collapsed and could not be revived in his doctor’s office. Lorain’s fastest human joins the Hall of Fame posthumously.