Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-13

ERHAPS the greatest, at any
- rate the most versatile, de-
Veloper of young men in Amer
u lea. That is John d. O'Reilly,
now in his fourteenth year as
mead coach of Georgetown Univer-
sity's track teams. Up TO last year,
slver.thatched John was also the
mentor of the Hilltop base ball and
basket bali teams.
Those base ball teams Of his always
nave been matter of pride to
OReilly. His team of 1922 was pro-
nounced the greatest ever assembled
IN any college. His teams before and
after that one always were recognized
as leaders in Eastern collegiate cir
Giles, and many of them were awarded
the mythical championship OF the
East.
In basket ball, oReilly-coached
teams went through II years. suffer-
ing but FIVE defeats on the home
court. There were very few defeats
on foreign floors, too. Last Winter.
when the basket ball team was play
ing it's last game under The tutelage
of the "Siiver Fox" O'Reilly was the
recipient of the greatest ovation ever
accorded any one in the Ryan gym.
Great as Track Trainer.
But despite his great success on the
diamond and the court, 1t remained
for track to bring out the best OF John
O'Reilly's talents. He has developed
champions and near-champions In al,
most every event in the game. ana
MANY OF the leading track athletes in
America during the past 20 years nave
borne the O'Reilly trade mark.
Twenty years is said advisedly, Tor
even before he came to Georgetown.
O'Reilly had made name for hlmsen
by developing schoolboy champions In
the Boston high schools)
The Hilltop mentor has sent more
athletes to the two Olympic games
that have been held during his regime
than has any other coach. In 1SZo
two of his boys went to Antwerp. BOD
I,egendre scored i'm the pentathlon and
Bill Prem took points in the hop, step
and jump.
In 1924 Paris greeted FIVE. of
OReillys pupils who were members
of the Olympic team. Legendre again
was in the pentathlou (he set a new
world record for the broad jump
there). Emerson Norton was in the
decathlon, Bill Dowding was In the
broad Jump, Jimmy Connolly was IN
the 1,500-meters run and Jimmie
Burgess in the 400 meters.
Teams Swept South Atlantic.
Coach O'Reilly's track teams won
the South Atlantic !. c. A. A. A. A.
championship for 10 consecutive years,
or until that meet was discontinued.
A few years ago. they turned their
attention TO the big intercollegiate
meet. at which they have consistent
ly placed high for the past six years.
Their highest rating was in 1870,
when they won the indoor champion
ship of the i. c. A. A. A. A,
Relay teams are O'Reli!ys pet
hobby. Year after year. he has sent
teams to the Penn relays. O1ten ms
teams win, sometimes they lose. But
ALWAYS they are in at the finish. Since
O'ReilIy came to Georgetown, the
Blue and Gray teams have acquired
the reputation of being the most con-
sisfent performers at the Penn games.
The greatest relay team O'Reiliy
ever produced was the two-nile team
OF 1925. This quartet on four occa-
sions smashed the world record Tor
the event. It's outdoor record OF 7:4z
was thought unbreakabie, put an All
star team in 1926 lowered IL oy SIX
tanths of a second. The Hilltoppers
sfill hold the world indoor record at
TAI SIS.
Made Record 1,600-Meter Team.
The world indoor record for the
1 .6OO-Yneters relay also Is held by one
of O'Reilly's teams. The marx Is
3:22 3-5. and was established In 1875.
The world record for the sprint medley
relay also is held by an OReiiiy
quartet.
runners alone that the Silver Fox OF
Georgetown leads the field. He has
developed the three greatest all
q around track athletes since the day
of the great Jim Thorpe. Bob
1,egendre. three-time winner OF the
intercollegiate pentathlon title; Tony
Plansky. double winner of the college
decathlon crown, and Emerson Nor
ton, second to Plansky only because
they are contemporaries, all have per-
formed better than the products of
any other coaching system.
O'Reilly coached Jimmy Connolly,
former intercollegiate mile champion;
Bill Dowding, broad jump champion;
Harry Helme, a great two-miler in his
day: Ray Hass, hurdle champion;
Dorsey Griffith, great Splinter and
short distance man; Dave Shannon,
one Of the leading pole vaulters Of his
time. and Johnny Feeney, an excep-
tional high jumper, to mention only
q few.
Still Producing Champions.
And he's still at it. In the past two
NJ. three years, John-O has made Creth
Hines the intercollegiate champion
and record holder in the javelin
throw. He has made Karl Wilder
muth national 60-yard champion and
the leading college Splinter in the
East. He has made Eddie Hector one
of the greatest quarter-milers in the
business. He has made Dave Adel-
man national junior champion and
potential intercollegiate champion in
the shotput. He has made Fred
JViesner a 13-foot pole vaulter and
contender for Sabin Carr's laurels.