Millrose Games

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The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held on the first Friday in February in New York City's Madison Square Garden since 1914. The games were started when employees of the Wanamaker's department store formed the Millrose Track Club to hold a meet. The featured event is the Wanamaker Mile.

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[edit] History

The Millrose Games began in 1908 at a local armory the same year when its parent, the Millrose Athletic Association, was formed as a recreational club by the employees of the John Wanamaker Department Store. "Millrose" was the name of the country home of Rodman Wanamaker.

In 1914, after overflowing the armory the year before, the Millrose Games moved to Madison Square Garden, and is the oldest continuous sporting event held there. For 10 years beginning in 1916, the Wanamaker 1 ½ Mile race was a highlight of the meet. Run for the last time in 1925, the final edition was won by Paavo Nurmi, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist from Finland. In 1926, the distance was shortened, and the Wanamaker Mile was born. It has often been run at 10 p.m., a carryover from the days beginning in the 1930s when legendary sports announcer Ted Husing would broadcast the race live on his 10 p.m. radio show.

Marking its 81st running last year, the Wanamaker Mile has been won by 44 different men, including such luminaries as Glenn Cunningham, Kip Keino, Tony Waldrop, Filbert Bayi, Steve Scott, Noureddine Morceli, Marcus O’Sullivan and, of course, the Irish legend whose name is synonymous with the event: Eamonn Coghlan. Known as the “Chairman of the Boards” for his dominance on the old wooden Millrose track, the Irishman won the mile here an unsurpassed seven times.

Some of the most memorable moments in Millrose history include Ray Conger’s 1929 upset win over Nurmi in the Wanamaker Mile; pole vaulter Cornelius Warmerdam becoming the first person to vault 15 feet (4.6 m) indoors, in 1942; John Thomas hitting the first 7-foot (2.1 m) high jump, in 1959; Mary Decker’s thrilling run to a 1500-meter World Indoor Record in 1980 to ear-splitting encouragement from the crowd; Carl Lewis in 1984 shattering the World Indoor Record with a jump of 28 feet (8.5 m), 10.25 inches, a mark that still stands; Eamonn Coghlan notching his seventh Wanamaker Mile in 1987; and Stacy Dragila setting a late-night pole vault world record in 2001.

For 70 of its first 96 years, the role of Millrose meet director was a father-son affair: Fred Schmertz took the helm in 1934, handing the reins to son Howard in 1975. In 2003, the title of Meet Director Emeritus was bestowed on the younger Schmertz.

[edit] Millrose Games Facts

The most prolific winner in event history is Loren Murchison, a sprinter who won 13 titles between 1919 and 1926. He is followed by pole vaulter Bob Richards (11), hurdler Greg Foster and 500-600-800m runner Mark Everett (10), and hurdler Harrison Dillard and miler Eamonn Coghlan (9). Coghlan’s total includes seven Wanamaker Mile victories and two Masters Mile wins.

Four women share the honor of most Millrose wins at eight apiece: 400-meter runner Diane Dixon, whose eight victories include five straight from 1988-1992; middle-distance runner Jearl Miles-Clark; shot putter Connie Price-Smith; and high jumper Tisha Waller.

202 athletes share the distinction of being both Millrose Games and Olympic champions.


Kyle Merber from Dix Hills NY is this year's Millrose Champion in the boys High School Mile.

[edit] Meet Records

Women

header 1 header 2 header 3 header 4 header 5
row 1, cell 1 row 1, cell 2 row 1, cell 3
row 2, cell 1 row 2, cell 2 row 2, cell 3

[edit] Millrose Games Hall of Fame

Eamonn Coghlan
Mile
World Championships 5000 m gold medalist (1983)
7-time winner of Wanamaker Mile
Inducted 1999

Harrison Dillard
Hurdles
4-time Olympic gold medalist (1948, 1952)
8-time Millrose winner
Inducted 1999

Diane Dixon
400
2-time Olympic relay medalist, gold and silver (1984, 1988)
8-time Millrose winner
Inducted 1999

Bob Richards
Pole Vault
2-time Olympic gold medalist (1952, 1956)
11-time Millrose winner
Inducted 1999

John Thomas
High Jump
2-time Olympic medalist, silver and bronze (1960, 1964)
6-time Millrose winner
Inducted 1999

Earl Bell
Pole Vault
Olympic bronze medalist (1984)
6-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2000

Glenn Cunningham
Mile
Olympic silver medalist, 1500m (1936)
6-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2000

Greg Foster
Hurdles
4-time World Champion indoors and out (1984-1991)
10-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2000

Carl Lewis
Long Jump
9-time Olympic gold medalist, 100 m, 200m, relay, LJ (1984-1996)
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2000

Doug Padilla
3000, 5000
2-time Olympian (1984, 1988); still holds AR for 5000 m indoors
6-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2000

Horace Ashenfelter
2 Miles
Olympic gold medalist, Steeplechase (1956)
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2001

Stephanie Hightower
Hurdles
1980 Olympian, World Record Holder
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2001

Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Long Jump, Hurdles
6-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1988-1996)
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2001

Don Paige
1000
Ranked #1 in World, Sullivan Award winner (1980)
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2001

Cornelius Warmerdam
Pole Vault
World Record Holder, Sullivan Award winner (1942)
2-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2001

Mary Slaney
1000, 1500, Mile
36 ARs, 17 WR, World Championships double gold (1983)
6-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2002

Loren Murchison
Dash, 300
2-time Olympic 4x100 relay gold medalist (1920, 1924)
13-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2002

Renaldo Nehemiah
Hurdles
Ranked #1 in the World 1978-1981
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2002

Marcus O’Sullivan
Mile
3-time World Indoor gold, 4-time Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996)
5-time Wanamaker Mile winner
Inducted 2002

Mal Whitfield
600, 880
5-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1948, 1952)
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2002

Joetta Clark
800
4-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000)
7-time Millrose winner; 23-time Millrose competitor
Inducted 2003

Willie Davenport
Hurdles
2-time Olympic medalist, gold and bronze (1968, 1976)
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2003

Mark Everett
500, 600 800
2-time World Championships medalist
10-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2003

Marty Liquori
Mile
Ranked #1 in World three times, 1968 Olympian
3-time Wanamaker Mile winner
Inducted 2003

Fred Schmertz
Meet Director, 1934-1974
Inducted 2003

Gwen Torrence
Sprints
5-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1992, 1996)
7-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2003

Johnny Gray
800
American Record Holder, Olympic bronze medalist (1992)
5-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2004

Joni Huntley
High Jump
Olympic bronze medalist (1984)
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2004

Billy Olsen
Pole Vault
11-time World Record Holder, 1988 Olympian
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2004

Joie Ray
1.5-Mile
3-time Olympian, 1924 bronze medalist 3000
7-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2004

Martin McGrady
600
World Record Holder (1970)
3-time Millrose Games winner
Inducted 2005

Greg Rice
2 Mile
World Record Holder, Sullivan Award winner (1940)
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2005

Dwight Stones
High Jump
2-time Olympic bronze medalist (1972, 1976)
3-time Millrose Games winner
Inducted 2005

Cheryl Toussaint
440, 600, 800
Olympic 4x400 silver medalist (1972)
4-time Millrose winner
Inducted 2005

Howard Schmertz
Meet Director, 1975-2002
Inducted 2007

[edit] References

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