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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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, Bernard Lagat, 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 astonishing seven times, a feat only matched by Bernard Lagat, who won his seventh Wanamaker Mile in 2009.[1]
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.
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.
Millrose Games Hall of Fame
| Athlete | Country | Event | Career notes | Millrose highlights | Inducted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Ashenfelter | 2 Miles | Olympic gold medalist, Steeplechase (1956) | 5-time winner | 2001 | |
| Earl Bell | Pole Vault | Olympic bronze medalist (1984) | 6-time winner | 2000 | |
| Joetta Clark | 800 | 4-time Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000) | 7-time winner; 23-time competitor | 2003 | |
| Eamonn Coghlan |  Ireland |
Mile | World Championships 5000 m gold medalist (1983) | 7-time winner of Wanamaker Mile | 1999 |
| Glenn Cunningham | Mile | Olympic silver medalist, 1500m (1936) | 6-time winner | 2000 | |
| Willie Davenport | Hurdles | 2-time Olympic medalist, gold and bronze (1968, 1976) | 5-time winner | 2003 | |
| Harrison Dillard | Hurdles | 4-time Olympic gold medalist (1948, 1952) | 8-time winner | 1999 | |
| Diane Dixon | 400 | 2-time Olympic relay medalist, gold and silver (1984, 1988) | 8-time winner | 1999 | |
| Mark Everett | 500, 600 800 | 2-time World Championships medalist | 10-time winner | 2003 | |
| Greg Foster | Hurdles | 4-time World Champion indoors and out (1984-1991) | 10-time winner | 2000 | |
| Johnny Gray |  United States |
800 | American Record Holder, Olympic bronze medalist (1992) | 5-time winner | 2004 |
| Stephanie Hightower | Hurdles | 1980 Olympian, World Record Holder | 5-time winner | 2001 | |
| Joni Huntley | High Jump | Olympic bronze medalist (1984) | 4-time winner | 2004 | |
| Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States |
Long Jump, Hurdles | 6-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1988-1996) | 5-time winner | 2001 |
| Carl Lewis | United States |
Long Jump | 9-time Olympic gold medalist, 100 m, 200m, relay, LJ (1984-1996) | 4-time winner | 2000 |
| Marty Liquori | Mile | Ranked #1 in World three times, 1968 Olympian | 3-time Wanamaker Mile winner | 2003 | |
| Martin McGrady | 600 | World Record Holder (1970) | 3-time winner | 2005 | |
| Loren Murchison | Dash, 300 | 2-time Olympic 4x100 relay gold medalist (1920, 1924) | 13-time winner | 2002 | |
| Renaldo Nehemiah | Hurdles | Ranked #1 in the World 1978-1981 | 4-time winner | 2002 | |
| Marcus O’Sullivan | Ireland |
Mile | 3-time World Indoor gold, 4-time Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992, 1996) | 5-time Wanamaker Mile winner | 2002 |
| Billy Olson | Pole Vault | 11-time World Record Holder, 1988 Olympian | 4-time winner | 2004 | |
| Doug Padilla | 3000, 5000 | 2-time Olympian (1984, 1988); still holds AR for 5000 m indoors | 6-time winner | 2000 | |
| Donald Paige | 1000 | Ranked #1 in World, Sullivan Award winner (1980) | 5-time winner | 2001 | |
| Joie Ray | 1½ Mile | 3-time Olympian, 1924 bronze medalist 3000 | 7-time winner | 2004 | |
| Greg Rice | 2 Mile | World Record Holder, Sullivan Award winner (1940) | 4-time winner | 2005 | |
| Bob Richards | Pole Vault | 2-time Olympic gold medalist (1952, 1956) | 11-time winner | 1999 | |
| Fred Schmertz | Meet Director, 1934-1974 | 2003 | |||
| Howard Schmertz | Meet Director, 1975-2002 | 2007 | |||
| Mary Slaney | 1000, 1500, Mile | 36 ARs, 17 WR, World Championships double gold (1983) | 6-time winner | 2002 | |
| Dwight Stones | High Jump | 2-time Olympic bronze medalist (1972, 1976) | 3-time winner | 2005 | |
| John Thomas | High Jump | 2-time Olympic medalist, silver and bronze (1960, 1964) | 6-time winner | 1999 | |
| Gwen Torrence | Sprints | 5-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1992, 1996) | 7-time winner | 2003 | |
| Cheryl Toussaint | 440, 600, 800 | Olympic 4x400 silver medalist (1972) | 4-time winner | 2005 | |
| Cornelius Warmerdam | Pole Vault | World Record Holder, Sullivan Award winner (1942) | 2-time winner | 2001 | |
| Mal Whitfield | 600, 880 | 5-time Olympic medalist, including 3 gold (1948, 1952) | 4-time winner | 2002 |
References
External links
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