Browning Ross
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Harris Browning 'Brownie' Ross (April 26, 1924 – April 27, 1998) is often referred to as the father of long-distance running in the United States.Road Runners Club of Woodbury:
George Benjamin, Jr. & H. Browning Ross Memorial 5K Run & Walk
.'' 2012


Early years

Nicknamed "Brownie" by his friends, he was a lifelong resident of
Woodbury, New Jersey Woodbury is a city in and the county seat of Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
from his birth until his death. He devoted his life to spreading his love and enthusiasm for long-distance running and is often credited as a cornerstone to the development of long-distance runners in the U.S.


High school

Ross did not grow up possessing a love for running. In, fact it was not until he was cut from
Woodbury High School's baseball team that he took up running. It was not long before his second choice of sport was a true calling, as Ross blossomed into one of the greatest high school distance runners in the entire state of New Jersey. In the spring of 1943, his senior year, he was crowned the New Jersey State Mile Champion and National Interscholastic Indoor Mile Champion.


World War II

Ross joined the
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
and fought in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Upon discharge several years later, he was discovered 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 ...
track coach Jim "Jumbo" Elliott and awarded a
scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...
after a victory in a two-mile race at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
.


Villanova University

Ross was one of Elliott's first magnificent runners at
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 ...
during the late 1940s. In 1948, he won the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...
championship, which paved the way for his position on the USA team in the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...
.


International competition


1948 and 1952 Olympics

Ross competed in the 1948 London Olympics where he became the only American to compete in the steeplechase final, placing 7th overall with a 9:23.2 time. After the Olympics were over Ross decided to stay in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and postpone his return trip to the United States because he wanted to compete in
road races Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily closed public ...
held in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It was there that he discovered a vast resource of running talent, and when Ross returned home he promptly alerted "Jumbo" of his findings. Elliott heeded his advice, and thus began Villanova's tradition with its long line of Irish runners. Ross, however, did not match the same success in the 1952 Olympics held in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. He qualified to compete but never reached the finals in any competition.


1951 Pan American Games

At the
1951 Pan American Games The 1951 Pan American Games, officially known as I Pan American Games () and commonly known as Buenos Aires 1951, were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the ...
, Ross placed 1st in the 1500 meter run, shared 1st in the 3000 meter steeplechase, and finished 4th in the 5000 meter run. A controversy occurred in the 3000m steeplechase, where two Americans,
Curt Stone Curtis Charles "Curt" Stone (November 19, 1922 – July 30, 2021) was an American long-distance runner. He competed in the 5000 m at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics with the best result of sixth place in 1948. He also competed in the 10000 m at ...
and Ross, had pulled away from the field. Stone slowed down on the last straightaway and held Ross's hand as they crossed the line together. Argentine officials debated for two hours whether their actions violated rules requiring athletes to make an effort to win before finally allowing the results to stand, ranking Stone as first after a close examination of the finish photo.


''Long Distance Log''

With such passion for the sport he loved it was inevitable that Ross would continue to stay involved even after his heyday of running. In 1955 he recognized the need for distance running results to be published and widely distributed in order to increase the public's awareness of the sport. In 1956 he created the ''Long Distance Log'' (after its inspiration, ''Distance Running Journal'', created by Austin Scott in 1953)The Long Distance Log: Introduction
Tom Osler, Road Runners Club of America, retrieved 22 April 2010
at the time the only publication devoted exclusively to long-distance running in the USA. The first issues were mimeographed on the backs of recycled high school history tests. The ''Log'' would become the major instrument to unite runners and address their concerns over the next 20 years. He was the first
editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
of the magazine, which mailed monthly to about 1,000 subscribers throughout the country until 1975. In 1958 Ross founded the Middle Atlantic Road Runners Club, centered in Philadelphia, which a year later became the national Road Runners Club of America. The club today boasts of more than 180,000 members nationwide. On Jan 27, 1968 Browning Ross (43) ran a 4:45.0 Masters American indoor mile record at the Cornell Invitational.


Accomplishments, awards, and recognition

:''Sources'' *Won 8 National AAU Cross Country Championships. *Won the prestigious Berwick (PA) Marathon 10 times. *Two-time Olympic runner, even reaching the finals in his first Olympic appearance and finishing seventh overall. *
Gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
winner at the Pan-Am Games. *Was first U.S. Cross Country team manager. *Received the first Annual Long Distance AAU Award in 1969. *Chairman of the National AAU long-distance and road-running committee from 1968 to 1971 *Elected to the National Distance Running, Villanova University, Gloucester County and Woodbury High School
Halls of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
. *Former coach ( Woodrow Wilson High School,
Gloucester Catholic High School Gloucester Catholic High School is a co-educational six-year Roman Catholic high school located in Gloucester City, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school ...
and
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
), meet and race organizer, publisher, track official and sporting goods entrepreneur in the world of long-distance running. *Two races are held in his name. The Benjamin/Ross 5k is held in June in his hometown of
Woodbury, New Jersey Woodbury is a city in and the county seat of Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
and the Ross Kupcha 5k and kids run held in
National Park, New Jersey National Park is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,026, a decrease of 10 (−0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,036, which in turn reflecte ...
on Easter Saturday. *An H. Browning Ross Memorial was dedicated on July 4, 2001 at the bottom of Wood Street overlooking the Woodbury High School stadium and track. * The H. Browning Ross Award was established in his memory by the Road Runners Club of America to acknowledge one individual each year who reflects the spirit of that organization.RRCA Awards descriptions
, accessed April 21, 2008.


See also

* ''
Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a global magazine and website for runners of all abilities. It has additionally developed experiential formats, including a digital membership program, called Runner's World+. It is published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylva ...
'', magazine started in 1966 by Bob Anderson, originally named ''Distance Running News'', which was similar to Ross's ''Long Distance Log'' at the time


References


External links

* Browning Ross Biography- "Browning Ross: The Father of American Distance Running" https://www.amazon.com/Browning-Ross-American-Distance-Running/dp/1511888253 *
Video of H. Browning Ross
''(click on thumbnail toward bottom right → requires
QuickTime QuickTime (or QuickTime Player) is an extensible multimedia architecture created by Apple, which supports playing, streaming, encoding, and transcoding a variety of digital media formats. The term ''QuickTime'' also refers to the QuickTime Pla ...
)''
Runners Club Newsletter Vol. 2, Issue 2Who's Who in Running
*

'' obituary by Frank Litsky in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
,'' April 30, 1998
Interview: Browning Ross Father of American Distance Running
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Browning 1924 births 1998 deaths American male middle-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1951 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Rutgers Scarlet Knights track and field coaches Sportspeople from Woodbury, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey United States Navy personnel of World War II Villanova Wildcats men's track and field athletes Woodbury Junior-Senior High School alumni American masters athletes NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American sportsmen