Thomas J. Collins was an Irish-American athlete who became a distance runner after immigrating to the United States. He competed for the Xavier Athletic Club and the Irish American Athletic Club.
In 1908, in what The New York Times called "the greatest battle for athletic supremacy in the history of indoor track and field sports,"[2] Collins broke the world's record for the 5 mile distance at the indoor National championships of the A.A.U., held at Madison Square Garden, with a time of 25 minutes and 19.4 seconds. He lowered the record set by E.C. Carter of 25 minutes 23.6 seconds, which was set in 1887, and had stood for 21 years.
In 1910, in front of a crowd of more than 8,000 spectators at the field day of the Galway Athletic Club held at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, "the most interesting and probably best race of the day was seen in the four-mile handicap, which had Tom Collins of the Irish (American Athletic Club) and Eddie Fitzgerald of the New York Athletic Club" starting from scratch. "A baker's dozen of aspiring distance men were sent out on marks up to 300 yards," but Collins still came up victorious, beating Fitzgerald who came in 2nd, by a distance of 15 yards, with a time of 20 minutes and 40 seconds.[3]
Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard 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 Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics. Along with Henry Taylor of the United Kingdom, he was the most successful athlete at the 1908 Olympics.
John Joseph Hayes 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 growth of long-distance running and marathoning in the United States. He was also the first man to win a marathon at the now official standard distance of 26 miles 385 yards when Olympic officials lengthened the distance to put the finish line in front of the Royal Box.
Robert Cloughen 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 York City's Commissioner of Public Works.
William Corbett Robbins was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1908 he was involved in a controversial race in the final of the Men's 400 metres and was later part of a team which broke the world's record for the one mile relay.
Emilio Lunghi 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.
John Lindsay Tait was a Canadian athlete. Known as the athletic world's "Boy Wonder", he competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. He was born in Toronto, Ontario.
Abel Richard Kiviat was an American track coach, press agent, and highly accomplished middle-distance runner. He won a gold medal in the 3000m team race, and a silver medal in the 1500m at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. 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 later a member of the New York Athletic Club.
Lawson "Robbie" N. Robertson was considered one of the more accomplished American track coaches of the first half of the twentieth century. From 1904-1936, he was with the American team at every Olympics with the exception of 1916 when the Olympics were cancelled due to WWI. He coached Track and Field for the Irish-American Athletic Club in Queens, New York from 1909–16, and then for the University of Pennsylvania from 1916-47. He was U.S. Olympic Assistant Track coach in 1912 and 1920 and was head coach for the American Track and Field Team in four Olympics from 1924-36.
James Patrick Sullivan was an American middle-distance runner and member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He competed in the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens and the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
John Joseph Daly was an Irish runner who won a silver medal in the steeplechase at the 1904 Summer Olympics. He competed for Ireland at the International Cross Country Championships of 1903–1906 and won two silver team medals; individually he won a bronze in 1903 and finished fourth in 1904 and 1906. When not competing for Ireland as a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Daly entered races as a member of the Irish American Athletic Club.
Sidney Herbert Hatch 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 his teammates James Lightbody, Frank Verner, Lacey Hearn and Frenchman Albert Corey.
Thomas Conneff was an amateur Irish runner who held the amateur record for the fastest mile from 1895 to 1911.
The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in Queens, New York, at the beginning of the 20th century.
John Jacob Eller, Jr. 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 a five-time Amateur Athletic Union champion in the 220 yard low hurdles between 1907 and 1912. He competed as a member of the U.S. Olympic team in the 1912 Summer Olympics. (John's brother Robert Eller was also an athlete, who competed for Fordham University and the Irish American Athletic Club.
James Maher Rosenberger 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.
Michael J. Ryan was an American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He was a distance runner and competed in the marathon for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics, but did not finish either race.
Harry E. Gissing 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 team in the 4x400 meter relay race.
James F. "Jim" Crowley was an American athlete, distance runner, and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. In 1910, he was known as "King of the Marathoners" for having competed in and won more marathons than any of the athletes of his day.
Thure Johansson was a Swedish long-distance runner who is credited by the International Association of Athletics Federations for setting a world's best of 2:40:34 in the marathon on August 31, 1909. Johansson's record was reportedly set on a 368-meter indoor track at the Idrottsparken Velodrome Marathon in Stockholm, Sweden.
Bruno Brodd 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.
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