Ross Donoghue (born July 19, 1959) is a former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 meters and the mile. He first rose to prominence as a standout high school runner with Bishop Cunningham High School from

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oswego is situated at the mouth of the Oswego River (New York), Osw ...

. He was recruited by Villanova, where he would establish himself as one of the most prolific 1500-meter and mile-specialists in the school's history. Donoghue represented the United States at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

, where he finished second overall in the men's 1500 meters. Over the course of his competitive career, he ran under four minutes in the mile on eight occasions.
The Press Democrat: ''The Fastest Mile''. August 26, 2012.

Running career

High school

Donoghue attended Bishop Cunningham High School up to his graduation in the class of 1977. On November 20, 1976, he ran his last cross country race as a high schooler at the New York State Federation meet, where he placed first out of 550 runners on a 3-mile course, recording a time of 15:06.

Collegiate

Donoghue was recruited by

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

, a school with an emphasis on their track program. During his spell at Villanova, Donoghue was the men's 1500 meter Big East (both indoor and outdoor) champion in 1982. Although he specialized in the 1500 and the mile, he also had experience in the shorter distances, and recorded a personal best of 1:48.0 in the 800 meters while at Villanova.

Post-collegiate

Donoghue continued to train for the 1500 meters and the mile after college, and was called up to the US track team for the

. There he finished second in the 1500 meters ahead of countryman

Chuck Aragon Chuck Aragon (born March 29, 1959) is an American former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 meters and the mile. After a successful collegiate career during which he became the first Notre Dame runner to break the four-minute mil ...

, but was edged out by Brazilian champion

Agberto Guimarães Agberto João Conceição Guimarães (born August 18, 1957) is a former Brazilian middle distance runner who competed at the international level in the 1980s. He set a personal best 800 metres time of 1:43.63 min in Koblenz 1984, a performance wh ...

. He ran at the 1984 US Olympic Trials in the men's 1500 meters, won his preliminary heat, and subsequently pulled out of the finals in the trials due to a pain in the heel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donoghue, Ross American male middle-distance runners Villanova Wildcats men's track and field athletes 1959 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century American sportsmen