James Michael Curran (January 7, 1880 – February 7, 1963) was an athletics coach, best known for training five Olympic gold medallists. From 1900-1902 he fought with the Highland Light Infantry in the Second Boer War, serving much of that time under Major General Sir Hector MacDonald. When based at

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

after hostilities had ended, he discovered the sprinter Wyndham Halswelle. After the war Curran trained Halswelle, who went on to compete in the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

in Athens, and at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

in London, winning silver and bronze medals at the former, and a controversial gold at the latter.

Athletic career

On returning to Scotland Curran won the prestigious Hawick Border Mile Championship, competing as an amateur for the Gala Harriers. In 1905 he became a professional, running under the name G. Gordon, and continued as such until emigrating to the United States in 1907. Curran arrived in the United States aboard the , on only its second voyage. The journey saw it win the

Blue Riband The Blue Riband () is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest average speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. T ...

for achieving the fastest westbound crossing of the Atlantic. Amongst those celebrating this achievement on board were the concert pianist Mark Hambourg, and actor and comedian Bransby Williams. Curran continued to run professionally on arrival in the United States, including running as part of relay teams against

Alfie Shrubb Alfred Shrubb (12 December 1879 – 23 April 1964) known as Alfie Shrubb was an English middle and long-distance runner. During an amateur career lasting from 1899 to 1905 (when he was barred from amateur competition for receiving payment for ru ...

. He was managed/promoted by a number of former athletes, most notably the former Olympic 100m finalist

Arthur Duffey Arthur Francis Duffey (June 14, 1879 – January 23, 1955) was an American Track and field, track and field athlete who competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. In 1902, whilst a student at Georgetown University, Duffey ran a world ...

. After losing his job as a

puddler An iron puddler (often merely puddler) was a worker in iron manufacturing who specialized in puddling, an improved process to convert pig iron into wrought iron with the use of a reverberatory furnace. Working as a two-man crew, a puddler and hel ...

's assistant in the Reading Iron Works due to the

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from ...

, he soon found work as a rubber under the University of Pennsylvania's legendary coach

Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', ''Winning Streak'' and '' The Big ...

. He also worked alongside George Orton and Mike Dee. In 1910 Murphy proposed Curran as the track and field coach of

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approxim ...

, a

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

in southern Pennsylvania. In the summer months of the 1910s Curran would often accept outside work. He worked as coach of

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

's progressive Meadowbrook Club in Philadelphia, from 1914-c1920. In 1913 a Canadian athletics coach,

Walter Knox Walter Renwick Knox (1878 – March 3, 1951) was a Canadian track and field athlete. Born in Listowel, Ontario, Knox moved to Orillia, Ontario at the age of 15. In 1903, he attended Beloit College in Wisconsin. At the 1907 Canadian track champio ...

, offered him a job as one of the coaches of the British athletics team for the

1916 Summer Olympics The 1916 Summer Olympics (german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1916), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were scheduled to be held in Berlin, German Empire, but were eventually cancelled for the first time in its 20-year history due to ...

in Berlin. This employment fell through due to the onset of the First World War.

Coaching career

Curran coached at Mercersburg Academy for 51 years. In that time he coached four more Olympic champions - Ted Meredith, Allen Woodring,

Bill Carr William "Bill" Arthur Carr (October 24, 1909 – January 14, 1966) was an American athlete and double Olympic champion in 1932. Called the "Arkansas flyer," Carr never lost a race during his college and Olympic career. Early life and educati ...

, and Charles Moore.Heart Attack Fells Coach, ''Gettysburg Times'', 1963-02-07 In addition, he also trained a number of additional Mercersburg athletes who competed at various Olympics, most notably

Harry Goelitz Harry George Goelitz (January 9, 1894 – May 14, 1971) was an American athlete. He competed in the men's decathlon at the 1920 Summer Olympics. Goelitz was trained at Oak Park and River Forest High School by Bob Zuppke, and at Mercersburg ...

, Barney Berlinger, Bill Cox,

George Hester George Black Hester (August 20, 1902 – December 8, 1951) was a Canadian sprinter. He competed at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics. He competed for Mercersburg Academy, under the guidance of Jimmy Curran, and the University of Michigan ...

, Dewey Lee Yoder, and Rolando Cruz, as well as Larry Shields and Harold Barron at the Meadowbrook Club. Notably, the two athletes he considered to be the finest he ever trained - Albert Robinson and Henry Thresher - never made it to the Olympic Games. Jimmy Stewart, Dick Foran, and John Payne, all notable actors, played minor roles in Curran's athletic teams, as did the sons of President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

, John and Calvin Jr. Stewart would send a telegram of condolence to the family upon Curran's death. In the late 1950s he was celebrated at the Penn Relays for having attended 50 meets in a row (three as rubber and assistant coach with the University of Pennsylvania, and 47 as head coach with Mercersburg Academy).50th Year - And Still Molding Stars, ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', 25 April 1957

Personal life

Curran married Janet Mabon in 1907, and the couple had five children. Through his wife he was related to the Scottish runner Eric Liddell, and the American professional golfer Scott Hoch. He died of a heart attack on February 7, 1963.

References

External links

Anent Scottish Running
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Jimmy Olympic coaches 1880 births 1963 deaths Scottish emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from the Scottish Borders People from Galashiels British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Highland Light Infantry soldiers

Athletic career

Coaching career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links