Matt McGrath

Matthew John "Matt" McGrath (December 30, 1876 – January 29, 1941) was a member of the Irish American Athletic Club, the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. At the time of his death at age 64, he attained the rank of Police Inspector, and during his career received the NYPD's Medal of Valor twice. He competed for the U.S. team in the Olympics in 1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924 (at age 47). In his prime, he was known as "one of the world's greatest weight throwers."[1][2]

For the actor, see Matt McGrath (actor).
Matt McGrath
McGrath at the 1912 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameMatthew John McGrath
Born(1876-12-30)30 December 1876
Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland
Died29 January 1941(1941-01-29) (aged 64)
New York City, United States
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight115 kg (254 lb)
Sport
SportHammer throw, tug-of-war
ClubNYAC, New York
I-AAC, Queens
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1912 StockholmHammer throw
1908 LondonHammer throw
1924 ParisHammer throw

Life
Matt McGrath holding a 56lb weight

McGrath was born on 30 December 1876 in Curraghmore, Portrane, near Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland, to Tim McGrath, a farmer, and Anne McGrath. He later immigrated to the United States.[3] During his competitive years he stood 5′ 11½″ (1.82 m) tall and weighed 247 lb (112 kg), and was part of a group of large and dominant throwers referred to as the Irish Whales.

He did not achieve success in the hammer throw until age 27, when he ranked seventh on the world list of best marks. He remained in the world's top ten up to the age of 50, making his career one of the longest and most consistent in the history of the sport. He won seven AAU hammer throw championships, won seven more in the little-contested 56-pound weight throw, and set two hammer throw world records. His lifetime best throw was the second of those records, 187′ 4″ (57.10 m), made at New York City’s Celtic Park on October 29, 1911.

McGrath made his Olympic debut in 1908. He entered the Olympics as the (unofficial) world record holder and took second behind John Flanagan's third consecutive victory. In 1912 McGrath won the Olympic title in dominating fashion (the shortest of his six throws was over 15 feet (4.5 m) longer than any other competitor's best throw) and set an Olympic record that stood for 24 years.

Statue of McGrath and two other Olympic gold medalists (Bob Tisdall and Johnny Hayes) in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland

At the 1920 Olympics McGrath was a co-favorite along with fellow Irish American Athletic Club member Patrick Ryan, but finished fifth after injuring his knee during the competition. In 1924 he again won the silver medal and is the oldest American track and field medalist ever. An off day at the 1928 Final Olympic try-outs barely kept him off the 1928 Olympic team. There was a public outcry over McGrath's omission from the team and although he went to Amsterdam after a subscription fund had been raised to pay for his transportation, he was, not surprisingly, not allowed to compete.

Held ages 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 American Records in the Hammer Throw (today refereed to as Masters Records). In 2002, three statues honoring Olympic champions with links to Nenagh, Matt McGrath, Johnny Hayes and Bob Tisdall, were unveiled in front of the Nenagh Courthouse.[4]

Notes
  1. 1910 Mecca Cigarettes Champion Athletes and Prize Fighter Series trading card. wingedfist.com
  2. Matt McGrath. sports-reference.com
  3. "General Registrar's Office". IrishGenealogy.ie. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  4. "By Peter Gleeson". New Ross Standard. 5 September 2002. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

References
  • Buchanan, Ian and Mallon, Bill (1984). Quest For Gold: The Encyclopedia of American Olympians. Leisure Press
  • Greenberg, Stan (1987). Olympic Games: The Records. London: Guinness Books. ISBN 0-85112-896-3.
  • Cook, Theodore Andrea (May 1909). The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report (PDF). London: British Olympic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  • De Wael, Herman (2001). "Athletics 1908". Herman's Full Olympians.
  • Hymans, Richard (1996) The United States Olympic Trials for Track and Field, 1908–1992. Indianapolis, IN: USA Track & Field.
  • Quercetani, Roberto L. (2000) Athletics: A History of Modern Track and Field Athletics. Milan, Italy: SEP Editrice srl. ISBN 88-87110-23-9
  • Wallechinsky, David (2000) The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics, Sydney 2000 edition. Woodstock, NY: The Overlook Press. ISBN 1-58567-033-2
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