The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, at the beginning of the 20th century.

Early years

Established on January 30, 1898, originally as the "Greater New York Irish Athletic Association", they shortened the name to the Irish American Athletic Club a few years later. They purchased a plot of land in what was then called Laurel Hill, Long Island, near

Calvary Cemetery, Queens Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery in Maspeth and Woodside, Queens, in New York City, New York, United States. With about three million burials, it has the largest number of interments of any cemetery in the United States. Established ...

, and built a state-of-the-art athletic facility on what was farmland. The stadium, called Celtic Park, formally reopened after renovations on May 9, 1901, and until the facility was sold for housing in 1930, some of the greatest American athletes trained or competed on Celtic Park's track and field. The Irish American Athletic Club adopted a winged fist adorned with American flags and shamrocks as their emblem, with the

Irish Gaelic Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was th ...

motto ‘Láim icLáidir Abú’ or ‘A strong hand will be victorious,' and were often referred to as the 'Winged Fists'. At one time they had clubs in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Yonkers, New York.

Athletes

During the thirty odd years of its existence, all of the following athletes competed for the Irish American Athletic Club at some point;

Dan Ahearn Dan Ahearn (né ''Daniel William Ahearne;'' April 12, 1888 – December 20, 1942) was an Irish and later American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He competed for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1920 S ...

, and his brother Tim Ahearne,

Charles Bacon Charles James Bacon Jr. (January 9, 1885 – November 15, 1968) was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department. He won the 400 metres hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics. H ...

George Bonhag George Valentine Bonhag (January 31, 1882 – October 30, 1960) was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department. He competed in distance events, both racewalking and running, at the ...

Joseph Bromilow Joseph M. Bromilow, Jr. (October 20, 1881 – January 12, 1972) was an American athlete. He competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Born in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, Bromil ...

Frank Castleman Frank Riley Castleman (March 17, 1877 – October 9, 1946) was an American football and baseball player, track athlete, and coach in multiple sports. He competed for the United States in the 200 metre hurdles at the 1904 Summer Olympics held in ...

Robert Cloughen Robert Cloughen (January 26, 1889August 7, 1930) was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a member of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team. His father John was the fifth Manhattan Borough president in 1909 and also New Y ...

Harvey Cohn Harvey Wright Cohn (December 4, 1884 – July 29, 1965) was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. A native of New York City, Cohn competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics, the 1906 Intercalated Games i ...

Tom Collins The Tom Collins is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. First memorialized in writing in 1876 by Jerry Thomas, "the father of American mixology", this "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically serv ...

, Edward Cook, James Crowley, John Daly,

James H. Duncan James Henry Duncan (December 5, 1793 – February 8, 1869) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to James Duncan and his wife, Rebecca White, Duncan attended Philli ...

John Eller John Jacob ("Jack" or J.J.) Eller, Jr. (October 15, 1883 – January 20, 1967) was an American track and field athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and a member of the New York City Police Department from 1905 to 1942. Eller was ...

, John Flanagan, William Frank, Patrick J. Flynn,

Harry Gissing Harry E. Gissing (December 3, 1890 - November 29, 1963) was an American track and field athlete, a member of the New York Athletic Club, Mohawk Athletic Club, and the Irish American Athletic Club. In 1911, he was part of a world's record setting ...

Sidney Hatch Sidney Herbert Hatch (August 18, 1883 – October 17, 1966) was an American athlete who competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St. Louis, United States, in the 4 mile team where he won the silver medal with hi ...

Johnny Hayes John Joseph Hayes (April 10, 1886 – August 25, 1965) was an American athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of the marathon race at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Hayes' Olympic victory contributed to the early growt ...

Denis Horgan Denis Horgan (18 May 1871 – 2 June 1922) was a champion Irish athlete and weight thrower, born in Banteer, County Cork, who competed mainly in the shot put. Biography Shortly after setting a world's record of 48 feet 2 inches wi ...

Bill Horr Marquis Franklin "Bill" Horr (May 2, 1880 – July 1, 1955) was an American football player, coach, and Olympic track and field athlete. He played college football as a tackle at Syracuse University and was selected as an All-American in 190 ...

, Daniel Kelly,

Abel Kiviat Abel Richard Kiviat (June 23, 1892 – August 24, 1991) was an American middle-distance runner. He was the oldest living American Olympic medalist at the time of his death. He competed for and coached the Irish American Athletic Club, and was l ...

Hannes Kolehmainen Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen (; 9 December 1889 – 11 January 1966) was a Finnish four-time Olympic Gold medalist and a world record holder in middle- and long-distance running. He was the first in a generation of great Finnish long-dista ...

Emilio Lunghi Emilio Lunghi (16 March 1887, in Genoa – 27 September 1925) was an Italian athlete. He won the silver medal in the men's 800 metres race at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, making him the first Italian to win an Olympic medal. Biograph ...

Alvah Meyer Alvah T. Meyer (July 18, 1888 – December 19, 1939) was an American sprint runner. He was a Jewish member of the Irish American Athletic Club, which also included Abel Kiviat and Myer Prinstein Myer (or Meyer) Prinstein (born Mejer Prin ...

, James Mitchell, Pat McDonald,

Matt McGrath Matthew John "Matt" McGrath (December 28, 1875 – January 29, 1941) was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 64, he attained the rank ...

, Emil Muller, Peter O'Connor, Edwin Pritchard,

Harry Porter Harry Franklin Porter (August 31, 1882 in Bridgeport, Connecticut – June 27, 1965) was a high jumper from the United States of America. He was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and won gold in the High Jump in the 1908 Sum ...

Myer Prinstein Myer (or Meyer) Prinstein (born Mejer Prinsztejn, December 22, 1878 – March 10, 1925) was a Polish American track and field athlete and member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He held the world record for the long jump and won gold medals ...

, Richard Remer,

John J. Reynolds John James Reynolds (August 9, 1889 – June 1987) was an American track and field athlete, and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was part of the U.S. Olympic team in the 1912 Olympics, and competed in the Marathon, but did not ...

, Frank Riley, William Robbins,

Lawson Robertson Lawson N. Robertson (September 23, 1883 – January 22, 1951) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a member of and trainer for the Irish American Athletic Club, and competed for the U.S. Olympic T ...

James Rosenberger James Maher Rosenberger (April 6, 1887 – January 1, 1946) was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was born in New York City and died in Brooklyn, New York. In 1909, at the Amateur Athletic ...

, Michael J. Ryan, Pat Ryan,

Harry Schaaf Henry "Harry" Schaaf was an American track and field athlete, a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and a Police Officer in the New York City Police Department. He served as a patrolman from 1912 until his retirement in 1943. On April 9 ...

, Arthur Shaw,

Mel Sheppard Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard (September 5, 1883 – January 4, 1942) was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of four gold medals and one silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympic ...

, Martin Sheridan, James P. Sullivan,

Lee Talbott Leander James 'Lee' Talbott (July 12, 1887 – September 16, 1954) was an American track and field athlete, tug of war competitor, and wrestler from Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the Mercersburg Academy and was a weight thrower first a ...

, John Baxter Taylor, Jr., Con Walsh and

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

Non-Irish members

The Irish American Athletic Club was predominantly composed of Irish born and first generation

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

athletes, but many of the athletes who competed for the Winged Fist organization were neither. Non-Irish members of the Irish American Athletic Club included;

Bruno Brodd Bruno Brodd (July 2, 1886 – April 24, 1956) was an American track and field athlete, born in Finland, who specialized in the javelin throw. He competed for the Irish American Athletic Club and the Kaleva Athletic Club. 1910 American javelin cham ...

John Eke John Wicktor Eke (12 March 1886 – 11 June 1964) was a Sweden, Swedish long-distance track event, long-distance runner who competed at the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics, 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the individual c ...

Egon Erickson Egon R. Erickson (July 4, 1888 – January 20, 1973) was an American track and field athlete, a member of the Mott Haven Athletic Club, the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department from 1911 until his retirement in ...

and John Baxter Taylor, Jr. (the first African American to win an

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece be ...

, competing as a member of the Irish American Athletic Club in St. Louis 1904, won both the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

and the

hop, step and jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down ...

(now called the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

) on the same day, the only athlete ever to win both events in the same games. He also came 5th in both the 60 m dash and 400 m. In Athens 1906 he again won the long jump competition, beating the world record holder, Irishman, Peter O'Connor. Swedish-born

Ernie Hjertberg Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to: People * Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive * Ernie Adams (disambiguation) * Ernie Afaganis (born c ...

, himself a US track and field champion, was appointed coach and recruited outstanding non-Irish athletes. Under his leadership, the IAAC turned into a national track power.

National championships and Olympic medals

The Irish American Athletic Club won the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

national outdoor track and field team championship titles in; 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1916. They also won the national indoor track and field team championship titles in; 1906, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1914 and 1915. Individual athletes of the IAAC won 81 national outdoor championships titles and 36 individual national indoor championship titles. From 1900 to 1924, men who were at one time members of the Irish American Athletic Club won 54

Olympic medals An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is lai ...

for the U.S. Olympic team, including 26 gold medals.

Olympic participation

In addition to winning numerous local and regional

competitions, Irish American Athletic Club members competed for the U.S. Olympic team in the

1900 Olympic Games The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, the

1904 Olympic Games The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, 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 Gam ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, the

1908 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, the

1912 Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, b ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

and the 1920 Olympic Games in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

1908 Olympics

In the

1908 Olympic Games 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 London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, members of the Irish American Athletic Club won 10 of the U.S. Olympic team's total 23 gold medals, or as many as the nations of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

combined. The members of the Irish American Athletic Club who were medalists in the

were;

400 meter hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ar ...

, gold;

, 3 mile team race, silver;

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

race, silver; John Flanagan,

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that na ...

, gold;

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

, gold;

, discus-free style, bronze, discus-Greek style, silver;

, silver;

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

, gold;

Melvin Sheppard Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard (September 5, 1883 – January 4, 1942) was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of four gold medals and one silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympic ...

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

race, gold, 1,500 metres race, gold, 1,600 metres medley relay, gold; and Martin Sheridan, discus-free style, gold, discus-Greek style, gold, and standing

, bronze; and John Baxter Taylor, Jr., who passed the baton to

, to win the gold in the 1,600 meter medley relay, becoming the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

to win an Olympic gold medal. Other Irish American Athletic Club members of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team included;

, Daniel Kelly, Frank Riley, William Robbins,

, Michael J. Ryan, James P. Sullivan and

1910 point champions

"With a grand total of 2,001 points gained by their track and field men in 1910, the Irish-American Athletic Club had put to its credit a score said to be greater than that of any similar aggregation of athletes during any single year," according to the ''New York Times.'' "Eighty-nine men contributed to this splendid showing, gaining points only in track and field games."

1912 Olympics

Thirteen members of the Irish American Athletic Club competed as part of the U.S. Olympic team at the

1912 Olympic Games Year 191 ( CXCI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Apronianus and Bradua (or, less frequently, year 944 ''Ab urbe condit ...

, Sweden, winning a total of five gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. The IAAC medalists on the 1912 U.S. Olympic team were;

, 3,000 meter team race,

, gold, 3,000 meter team race, and silver, 1,500 meter race; Pat McDonald, gold, shot put, and silver, shot put, both hands;

, gold, 4 × 400 meter relay, and silver, 800 meter race;

, gold, hammer throw,

, silver, 100 meter race, and Jim Duncan, discus throw, bronze. The other IAAC members of the 1912 U.S. Olympic team were;

, Emil Muller, Edwin Pritchard,

and Michael J. Ryan.

American Amateur Hockey League

In 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15 and 1916–17 the Irish American Athletic Club had a team, the New York Irish-Americans, represented in the

American Amateur Hockey League The American Amateur Hockey League was an amateur ice hockey league in the United States. The league was founded in 1896, and was based in New York City and New Jersey, until 1914, when the Boston AA joined the league. In the 1900–01 season a te ...

. The team was coached by James C. "Jimmy" O'Brien and had on its roster for various seasons future NHL players

Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to: Academia *Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy *Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts *J. Thomas Mc ...

and Moylan McDonnell. John McGrath and

Patsy Séguin Joseph Alexandre "Patsy" Séguin (May 2, 1887 – August 8, 1918) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played two games with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association in the inaugural 1910 season, and scored one goal ...

also played for the club.

Final championship title – 1916

Before the largest crowd that had ever assembled to see a track meet in the United States, on September 9, 1916, the Irish American Athletic Club defeated the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York (state), New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manha ...

at the Amateur Athletic Union's National Championships, by a score of 38 to 27. Before a crowd of 30,000 spectators at

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

Weequahic Park Weequahic Park ( (pronounced , or WEEK-wake "when spoken rapidly") is a park located in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, USA, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, (who also designed Branch Brook Park in Newark). The park is 311.33 acres inc ...

,"Irish A.C. Wins Honors on Track." ''The New York Times'', September 10, 1916: p. S2. the Irish-American Athletic Club won what would be their last national championship title. The club disbanding a year later, when the U.S. became a combatant in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * *{{cite book, author=Sullivan, James E. , title=The Olympic Games Stockholm - 1912 , publisher=American Sports Publishing Company , location=New York , year=1912 , url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1912/1912.pdf , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410231505/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1912/1912.pdf , url-status=dead , archive-date=2008-04-10 , access-date=2009-01-03

External links

Archives of Irish America - NYU Irish-born Medal Winners in the early Olympic Games"To No Earthly King...The United States Flag-Bearing Incident at the 1908 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony" International Society of Olympic Historians, Sept. 1999.Martin Sheridan-Early Discus StarWinged Fist Organization
Athletics clubs in the United States Irish-American history Irish-American culture in New York City Irish-American culture in sports Sports clubs established in 1898 Sports venues in Queens, New York Track and field in New York City 1898 establishments in New York City

Early years

Athletes

Non-Irish members

National championships and Olympic medals

Olympic participation

1908 Olympics

1910 point champions

1912 Olympics

American Amateur Hockey League

Final championship title – 1916

See also

Notes

References

External links