The Washington herald., 1909-03-28
REILLY HAS GREAT
RECORD AS ATHLETE
Kansas City Pleased with ex-
Georgetown Star.
HELD SEVERAL WORLDS MARKS
Former washington Man Makes
Hit Out Wes.-Turned Ont Good
Track, Baseball, and Football
Teams and Rowing Crews While
at Blue and Gray Institution.

Kansas City. March 27.-Who is the
greatest athlete IN Kansas City?
So far as past performances go, he is
DR.. Joseph A. Reilly. director of the Kan
sas City Athletic Club. Dr. Reilly has
records on the track and in all-round
athletics that make the performances Of
the local cracks look like the feats OF
schoolboys
Joe Reilly. as he is Familiarity known al
over the East. was brought up in a small
village, place. strangely enough. where
Mike Murphy. Moakley. and half dozen
other trainers with national regulations
come from. From early youth ne had a
liking for sports OF all kinds, particularly
aQuatics. and was a skillfh oarsman al
most as soon as he was old enough to go
10 school. His first real experience and
training came. however. when he entered
Boston College, where Mike Murphy was
then coaching and where Arthur Duffy
and j. J. Wefers. both champions, had
received their early training. From the
very start OF his career Reilly showed
that he had an exceptional bunch Of leg
muscles. He became the schools repre-
sentative in the dashes and played foot
ball and baseball. Il was while a student
In this school that he was Invited % enter
a special race against MOnyhan. then
New England champion. at the quarter
mile. Reilly. who was only eighteen years
old. surprised the athletic world by win
ming the race in 50 seconds.
The same year he went with the Boston
College track team 20 the big Georgetown
University meet at Washington. and there
he won his race against one OF the uni
versity's best men. He was urged to
matriculate at Georgetown. and, although
Harvard was also after him, Reilly went
10 the Washington school.
In his freshman year Reilly performed
a feat never equaled at Georgetown be
fore. Although a mere boy and weighing
only 40 pounds. he made the football
team at end, played on the baseball
nine. represented the school in the dashes
and was a member OF the crew. As a
special mark Of appreciation, besides be-
ing presented with his four G's, the fac
ulty Of the university presented Reilly
with watch fob, suitably engraved.
star on GridirOn.
Reilly was at Georgetown four years
He played on the football team that hu-
inflated the navy three times, and was
the star Of most Of the games He
PLAYED left half back most OF the time
and made a reputation as a broken field
runner He was a member of the crew
that in 1903 made Cornell break a worlds
record TO beat them. This was one Of the
lghtest crews that ever entered in the in
tsrcollegiate race, and Reilly, who
weighed only l63 pounds, stroked No. :.
The baseball teams which he played upon
al Georgetown at this time made a repu-
tation which placed them al the head Of
the collegiate world
At the same time that Reilly was run
ming for the university he was competing
Tor the New York athletic Club. and was
one Of their most consistent point gather
ers. He bears the distinction OF being
one OF the two men in the world who
have ever beaten Arthur Duty. AT an
indoor meet held in Washington Reilly
defeated the worlds champion by a foot
in q ffty-yard dash. Later the same year
Duffy drew out OF a race IN which he had
already won the semi-finals and Reilly
was the only man left IN the finals He
holds a worlds record for a quarter-mile
run on al indoor track at 0:52 %. This
mark was made in the Coliseum in ST.
Louis in a meet held by the NJ. A. &. Of
that city. Reilly ceased TO run for the
New York Athletic Club because Trainer
Nike Murphy objected 10 him rowing
Reilly put loyalty TO his college above
the fame that could be reached through
the medium OF the athletic club and chose
10 keep on rowing.
The last race that Dr. Reilly ran was
against the negro Taylor, of Pennsyi-
vania Reilly led all the way. until with
IN two yards OF the tape when he tainted
and dropped on the track. The negro
won. but had TO break the worlds record
10 do so. After the race Reilly took off
his spikes and threw them away, and has
never appeared in competition since.
Turned Out Good Teams.
In the last year Reilly was captain OF
the Georgetown University football team.
He was also coach, and after his gradua-
tion he was employed as coach Of ali the
athletic teams. a position which he held
for five years. He was a successful
coach. and with very poor material
turned out teams that have played against
the big Eastern universities and made
creditable showings. He also had charge
u tAtN -Ae.AiA ANflAAlr NAEhs anu ndEEDaAls
and such was his versatility that George
town has maintained as high a standard
in all lines Of sport as any college with
The same enrolment in the country.
DR.. Reilly would have remained at
Georgetown yet but for an attack Of ma
laria which he had last summer and
which made necessary a change OF eli
mate. He finds himself much better in
Kansas City, and has already regained
much Of HIS weight. He likes the city
and is greatly encouraged over the pros
poets for a good future for the Kansas
City Athletic Club