"I didn't panic," Mr. Woodruff told The New York Times in 2005. "I just figured if I had only one opportunity to win, this was it. I've heard people say that I slowed down and almost stopped. I didn't almost stop. I stopped, and everyone else went around me."
The US athletes in Berlin were given oak tree saplings, and Mr. Woodruff planted in his hometown of Connellsville, Pa.
"It now towers over 80 feet," Mrs. Woodruff said.
Owens and Mr. Woodruff remained close friends.
"In fact, Jesse was in our wedding," Mrs. Woodruff said.
There were 10,000 people to greet him when he returned to his hometown from Europe, according to an Associated Press account.
Mr. Woodruff twice served in the Army, during World War II, then the Korean War. He left the active service in 1957 as a lieutenant colonel but remained in the Army reserves. According to the National African American Registry, Mr. Woodruff commanded two battalions, one of them integrated.
Mr. Woodruff had many jobs over his long life. He worked for the New York City Children's Aid Society, and was a teacher, parole officer, welfare investigator, and recreation center director for the New York City Police Athletic League. Along the way, he volunteered as an official at track meets.
He and his wife moved to Arizona in 2000. Diabetes led to amputation of his once-powerful legs.
A grandson of slaves, Mr. Woodruff was born in 1915, one of 12 children. He won the Olympic trials at Harvard Stadium.
