The Irish impact on the world of sports in the US

The Irish made an incredible impact on sports around the world. From American football to wrestling, the Irish have left a deep legacy.

Sports historian Samuel Kingston has undertaken the mammoth task of putting all these stories together in his recently published ebook, the "Irish World of Sport." The book contains 350 profiles across 33 different sports.

As we celebrate Irisha American Heritage Month, it offers an opportunity to discover some of the stories across a variety of different sports in the United States.

Mike Donahue (College Football)

Iron Mike was a Kerry-born, Yale-educated football coach mainly associated with the Auburn Tigers (1904-06, 1908-22). Thanks to Donahue, the Tigers overcame arch-rivals Alabama and became a powerhouse of college football with a highlight being the 1914 undefeated season when they didn't concede a single point.

Donahue was also athletic director at the University and was involved in multiple sports. He is considered the most influential person in Auburn's athletic history. The driveway outside the Tigers stadium where fans walk down on their way to games in named in his honour.

Many years later, one of the great Auburn quarterbacks would be Pat Sullivan who won the Heisman Trophy in 1971.

Dublin-born Neil O'Donoghue would play as a kicker for Auburn in the 1970s before playing for three teams in the NFL between 1977 and 1985. Auburn’s rivalry with Alabama continues to this day.

Dan O’Leary (Athletics)

One of the earliest champions of American-Irish athletics was not a runner but a walker. Pedestrianism enjoyed its heyday in the 1870s and 1880s. The greatest of all was Clonakilty born Dan O’Leary.

He moved to Chicago in 1860 at age 19 where he became a bookseller. Dan would only take to pedestrianism in 1873.

In 1875, he defeated the “father of pedestrianism” Edward Payson Weston, a flashy eccentric blueblood who represented America’s wealthy elite, in a 500-mile challenge.

Dan became a hero to the Irish community, still recovering from the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871. He became a sensation in the newspapers with his many battles with Weston taking centre stage. O'Leary would also win the esteemed Astley Belt.

O’Leary was a major sport star of the time. The popularity of pedestrianism waned by the 1890s. He died aged 91 in 1933. O’Leary and pedestrianism played an important role in American sports history as an early example of a commercial spectator sport.

Royal Rooters (Baseball)

Royal Rooters were a Boston Red Sox fan club made up of loyal fans led by Michael “Nuf Ced” McGreevy. They operated out of McGreevy’s bar the 3rd Base Saloon, now considered America’s first sports bar.

They would march together to the baseball stadium then at Huntington Avenue Grounds where they sat together in a reserved section by the third baseline. From there, they would support their team as well as do their best to upset the opponents.

Among the leading Royal Rooters was John F Fitzgerald, who served as Mayor of Boston from 1906 to 08 and 1910 to 14. Fitzgerald was at one point chairman of the Rooters.

The Rooters theme song was “Tessie," a song made popular by Philadelphia-born, Colorado-raised singer Billy Murray whose parents were from Kerry. Murray was one of the most well-known singers in early 20th century United States. The song gained a status in folklore when the Rooters sang it to distract the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1903 World Series helping the team to victory.

In 1912, the negative side reared up when the Rooters rioted when seats typically reserved for them were sold to others during the World Series that year. The Royal Rooters disbanded in 1918 but Tessie remains a part of Red Sox culture.

Brooklyn Visitations (Basketball)

The Brooklyn Visitations were a team based out of a monastery in Brooklyn with strong Irish links. The Visitation Monastery opened in 1855 and the basketball team began as a social outlet for the local community before becoming a more serious entity.

The Visitations had numerous league successes in the various Leagues that they competed in. They spent seven seasons in the Metropolitan Basketball League and won the League three times, in 1924, 1925, and 1927.

They jumped to the American Basketball League for the 1928/29 season and saw success there as well winning the League in 1931, 1932, and 1935. The ABL was the first serious attempt at a top-level professional league and one of the driving forces in its creation was Joseph Carr who was also involved in the NFL. Carr looked to create a basketball league in big cities. He was President and secretary of the League for three seasons.

Replacing him was John J O’Brien who was involved in setting up the Metropolitan Basketball League before joining the ABL in 1928 as President and later acting as Chairman of the Board.

The Visitations had a strong Irish presence. They were coached by John Donlon and among the famous players in their history were Joe Brennan and Bobby McDermott. Other Visitation players included Red Conaty, Rody Cooney, and Frank Conaty.

While the Visitations were connected to a monastery, there was little holy about them. They played their home games at the 1500-capacity Prospect Hall in South Brooklyn and it was regarded by opposing players as the roughest court to play on, earning the nickname, the Bucket of Blood. The team folded in 1939.

Jimmy Barry (Boxing)

Known as the Little Tiger, the Chicago-born Barry was the second holder of the world bantamweight title claiming the title with wins over leading contenders such as Irish champion Joe McGrath in 1894.

In 1897, his fight with English boxer Walter Croot ended tragically with Croot dying from head injuries from falling onto the wooden floor. Padded canvas rings become more prevalent in the aftermath.

In 1899, Barry retired having scraped through some fights. He retired undefeated, one of only a small number of boxers who have achieved that goal. He had the most wins of any undefeated champion. In later years, he worked as an office clerk. 

Tom McNamara (Golf)

Between 1895 and 1910, all the winners of the US Open were either Scottish or English. In 1909, Tom McNamara, a man with roots in Clare, was leading the US Open until suffering heat stroke on the back nine of the final round, his collapse and struggle to complete saw him finish second.

While McNamara would finish second twice, he would never capture the title.

McNamara worked for Wanamaker’s Dept Store in New York as head of their golf department. Seeing the potential in expanding golf, Wanamaker’s looked to set up a professional golf association with McNamara being credited as being the person who suggested the idea. McNamara was at the heart of bringing the idea to reality and then promoting it.

The PGA, as it is better known today, set up the PGA championship which began in 1916 and is one of the four annual golf majors along with the Masters (US), US Open, and the Open (UK).

Chicago Black Hawks (Hockey)

In 1926, the NHL looked to expand west in the United States by awarding a franchise in Chicago. The team was taken on by Chicago coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin whose father William was from Co Laois.

Frederic inherited the company in 1905. Frederic served in the Great War and achieved the rank of Major, a title that often stuck with him. He served in the 86th Infantry “Blackhawk” Division and it was the Blackhawk name he chose for the hockey team. The Black Hawk logo that the team has on the front of the jersey is regarded as an iconic sports logo. It was designed by McLaughlin’s wife of the time, singer/actress Irene Castle.

McLaughlin was a temperamental owner, often firing coaches and staff on a whim although one loyal servant was Bill Tobin. In 1929, the team moved into Chicago Stadium, then one of the world’s finest indoor venues, which was the brainchild of Paddy Harmon whose father was born in Co Cork.

During McLaughlin’s time as owner, the team won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1934 and 1938. He was considered something of a strange bird by hockey people. His patriotism extended to hockey and he did much to help American-born players and coaches.

Dwyer Brothers (Horse Racing)

Brothers Phil and Michael made their fortune in the New York meat packing industry before moving into horse racing. They bought their first horse in 1874 and founded their stable two years later.

The Brothers dominated US flat racing in the 1880s with many major wins including five Belmont Stakes. Among their trusted jockeys was Jim McLaughlin who raced for the Brothers between 1884 and 88 while one of their trainers was Frank McCabe. Their most famous horse was Hanover, who has been retrospectively called Horse of the Year for 1887. They were also involved in establishing Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island.

The Brothers dissolved their partnership in 1890 and both enjoyed individual track success. Michael died in 1906 having lost much of his money to gambling. Philip died in 1917 and the following year, the Brooklyn Derby was renamed the Dwyer Stakes in their honour.

Joe Donoghue (Speedskating)

The winter months of the 1800s saw New Yorkers take to the ice for their enjoyment, but also to be competitive. Among the competitions was speed skating.

Joe Donoghue, a member of the well-to-do Manhattan Athletic Club, was one such competitor in the 1880s. Donoghue came from the Newburgh area of New York which was the cradle of speedskating in the US. His father Tim Donoghue Sr, who had come from Ireland, had been a US skating champion in the 1860s and fought in the US Civil War. He was also a champion rower who made oars regarded as the world’s best. His sons Tim Jr, James, and Joe all took up speedskating with Joe proving to be exceptionally good at it.

Their father was a skate designer and understood the best techniques which he passed on to his sons. Joe skated with longer irons which gave him an advantage as he didn’t have to swing his arms.

Joe competed internationally and was the winner of the World All-round Championships held in Amsterdam in 1891. Joe was the first inductee in the National Speedskating Museum and Hall of Fame in 1960.

Thomas Cahill (Soccer)

Born to Irish parents in New York, Cahill is now the almost forgotten founding father of soccer in the United States. His family moved to the Kerry Patch in St. Louis when he was young.

He was at the heart of the burgeoning soccer scene in St. Louis. He organised the first English team tour to the US in 1909 by "the Pligrims."

Cahill was central to the United States Football Association which was formed in 1913. Cahill served three separate terms as the Executive Secretary. During his second term, the US entered a team in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

In 1916, he became the first coach of the United States men's national soccer team for a tour of Norway and Sweden including their very first international match. He would lead later tours to Scandinavia in 1919, and 1920.

In 1921, Cahill was instrumental in forming the American Soccer League, which was the first serious attempt to establish a professional league in the United States. He served as the organization's secretary from 1921 to 1926 until he was deposed. Ultimately, the league collapsed in spring 1933 despite some early promise.

By the late 1920s, Cahill's star was fading in part due to his forceful manner through which he made both progress and enemies. In a big blow to Cahill, he was passed over for manager of the U.S. national team at the 1928 Olympics and the 1930 World Cup.

Worn down by the internal disputes that dogged US soccer, Cahill was no longer as prominent. Cahill died in 1951 in South Orange, New Jersey having been by far and away the most important soccer administrator in the United States before WWII.

Maureen Connolly (Tennis)

In 1951, 16-year-old Maureen Connolly from San Diego won the US Tennis Open.

Connolly was a phenomenon on the court. She won the US Open again in 1952 and 1953. She conquered Wimbledon in 52, 53, and 54,and  conquered the French Open in 53 and 54.

The pinnacle was in 1953 winning the Grand Slam of tennis titles – Australia, France, Wimbledon, and United States. At the time, she was only the second player (male and female) to ever achieve the feat and even more remarkable, she only lost one set during the four tournaments. It was an incredible achievement for an 18-year-old. She is one of just ten women to win all four of the Grand Slam women's singles titles.

In 1954, Connolly would clean sweep all the titles at the French Open winning the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Connolly should have gone on to dominate tennis but she retired at just 20 years old after being involved in a vehicle accident while riding one of her horses. She won 12 major titles in that time, nine singles titles, two doubles and one mixed doubles.

Unfortunately, at just 34, she died from ovarian cancer, leaving behind a husband and two daughters. Among tennis historians, there is a belief that Connolly could have been the greatest female tennis player of all time.

James Hiram McLaughlin (Wrestling)

The 1860s saw the establishment of professional wrestling in the United States and one of the central figures was James Hiram McLaughlin who was an exponent of collar and elbow wrestling which was the popular style of wrestling in Ireland.

McLaughlin, whose nickname was “Colonel," had legitimately earned that title having served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He is generally considered the first American professional wrestling champion having won the title at a tournament held in Detroit in 1870.

He was probably the wealthiest sports star of 1870s America. In 1874, he had a match against California champion Michael Whalen. The highly anticipated East v West bout was heavily hyped in the newspapers but it was something of a mismatch with McLaughlin confirming his superiority and claiming $15,000 purse, a substantial amount for the time.

McLaughlin would wrestle into the 1880s with his career intertwining with two other wrestlers of Irish heritage - John McMahon and William Muldoon. 

*Samuel Kingston is a sports historian from Clonakilty, west Cork. His ebook, the Irish World of Sport is available to purchase here. For more information on the "Irish World of Sport," please visit the Instagram page or Facebook page.