Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-16
NOT ONE OF NOTE
HERE IN ) YEARS
In Fact, Ex-HiIItopper Was
Last to Show Ability
at Distance.
rAMEs ]. CONNOLLY, who hold,

YAMES ]. CONNOLLY, who holds
the world record for finishing
second to Joie Ray, sounded of
~ today on the dearth of first
class milers at Washington
colleges.
In fact, there hasn't been an out
standing one since Jeems' day OF star
dom at Georgetown ended flve years
ago. He retired from the Hilltop with
an intercollegiate mile record which
has yet to be cracked.
TITS a popular distance" said Con-
molly, land with all the trackmen we've
had around here in the last several
years you'd figure that one or two good
ones would have developed. But we've
had only q few that were even fair. "
Might Change Distance.
Some of the boys now running other
distances might do better at the mile,
Jimmy observed, and pointed to the
rather remarkable success Jack Ryder
has had at Boston College and the
Boston A. A. in converting sprinters
and middle distancers into milers.
Ryder for many years has had at
least one great miller under his wing
and none came to him as q ready-made
article. Leo Lermond is the current
specimen. Until the last Winter Leo
thought Of himself only as g. runner
of miles and up He won the national
5-mile championship in 1927 and IN
the 1928 Olympics finished third in the
5000 meters.
you're the goods in the long races
all right" he told Lermond one day
last Winter, but believe you'd make
o greater miller. How about trying it?"
Within ten weeks of that day, after
training almost daily under Ryder.
Lermond had run the fastest outdoor
mile recorded in this country In years
He did Ala Us in the Penn relay
carnival.
Lloyd Hahn, who retired last year
at the height Of brilliant career to
become q farmer, was a sprint star
when Ryder's practiced eye spotted
the makings Of o wonderful miller.
Lloyd, too, put in daily sessions with
Ryder and 1t wasn't long before the
big fellow had run q mile in world
record time. It was beaten later, but
yards, the half mile, 1000 meters. 800
meters and three-quarters Of mile.
Ray Dims His Light.
Connolly's success was due much to
the coaching Of Ryder. But for Joie
Ray, Jimmy would have been the fore
most mile runner of the world for sew
eral years. Anyway, only Ray was able
TO beat him consistently and Jimmy fin
ished second to Joie so many times the
thing became standing joke.
Jimmy Powers, Oscar Hedland and
Harry Cutbil were among the products
of Jack Ryder and each was an out
standing miller.
Back in 1921 Connolly and Cutbill,
both bearing the colors of the Boston
Athletic Association. were nip-and-tuck
rivals. Ryder knew that neither had a
chance in the national championships
with Ray to be reckoned with. So this
time he changed his tune.
"Cutbill," he said, you're born
half-miler and don't know it."
Harry won the half-mile junior title
and Jimmy was second to Joie.
Mile running reached its zenith in
the race Of the century," when Paavo
Nurmi made his American debut at
Madison Square Garden in 1925. The
lineup at the end of that never-to-be-
forgotten one-mile sprint was Nurmi,
Ray, Hahn and Connolly. Paavo's time
was 4.13 3-5 and Connolly's, in fourth
place, 4.16 SIS.
First one then another was in the
lead during the final 200 yards.
"Wotta race that wasl" said Jimmy.
"And we may never see another like it."