V 9 N. 30 Tom O'Hara R.I.P.

Loyola track legend Tom O’Hara dies; the 1964 Olympian set an indoor world record in the mile
By SHANNON RYAN
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
AUG 28, 2019 |
Tom O’Hara, an NCAA cross-country champion and track star at Loyola and former indoor world record holder in the mile, died Tuesday, the university announced. He was 77.
“This is a sad day for Loyola Athletics. Tom O’Hara is a legend not only at Loyola, but also in his sport,” Loyola athletic director Steve Watson said in a statement Wednesday. “For as accomplished as Tom was on the course and track, he was unbelievably humble and a true gentleman. Tom will be sorely missed by those of us in the Loyola community, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

O’Hara, a Chicago native who attended St. Ignatius, set the indoor world record in the mile in 1964 with a time of 3 minutes, 56.6 seconds before breaking that a month later by running it in 3:56.4 at Chicago Stadium.

He was the first Illinois runner to break the 4-minute mark.

At Loyola, O’Hara won the NCAA individual cross-country championship during the 1962-63 season before competing for the U.S. in the 1,500 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

An illustration of O’Hara was featured on the cover of the June 22, 1964, edition of Sports Illustrated with the headline “Tom O’Hara: The mystique of the mile.”

Loyola cross-country and track and field coach Bob Thurnhoffer called O’Hara “possibly the greatest Rambler of all time.”

“This is a tough loss for the Loyola Athletics, Chicagoland and running communities,” Thurnhoffer said in a statement. “The name Tom O’Hara is synonymous with Loyola Athletics.

“That iconic image of Tom on the cover of Sports Illustrated is something that has inspired Ramblers over half a decade, and Tom’s incredible achievements have shown our department that anything is possible through hard work, humility, and service. Tom’s legend spans across the Chicagoland area and still inspires our team to this day.”

Tom's WR Indoor Mile   Clik here.

Tom O'Hara at Kansas Relays 1963    I filmed this 30 seconds on my Super 8 camera in Lawrence, Kansas.   I knew one of Tom's teammates at Loyola, John Kolevich and got introduced to him.  In the first race Loyola didn't have the sprinters to run a sprint medley and were hopelessly outclassed.  But in the second race in this clip, they are in the distance medley against Texas Southern.  Texas Southern's anchor man  Major Adams had a big lead  on the final leg, but it was no use against Tom and he was scooped on the second lap and Tom was lapping the field by the end of the race. Note his familiar tug on his shorts, seeming to pull them up to keep them from falling off.   Talking to Tom after the race, he proved to be a very humble person, polite and courteous to a complete stranger.  George Brose

One winter I went through Chicago on my way home to Dayton from Oklahoma and stayed with an aunt and uncle and next day went to run in the U. of Chicago Christmas meet.  Tom wasn't there, but his dad was and he sat with my uncle during my race and had a nice chat with him.  My uncle was thrilled.  While Tom was in Tokyo for the 1964 Olympics, his father passed away.

Two of our readers  Paul O'Shea and Thom Coyne knew Tom O'Hara very well and I'm sure we'll be hearing from them soon about the passing of this wonderful man.

Two Four Minute Milers Tom and Jack by Paul O'Shea      Here is an earlier article about Tom by Paul O'Shea

Ohhhhhh! That’s really sad news!

I had the privilege of running with

Him head to head on 1 or more mile relay anchors and I000yd indoor if I remember right .A great human being!

John Bork Jr.