Nicknamed "Brownie" by his friends, he was a lifelong resident of
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.
from his birth until his death. He devoted his life to spreading his love and enthusiasm for long-distance running and is often credited as a cornerstone to the development of long-distance runners in the U.S.
High school
Ross did not grow up possessing a love for running. In, fact it was not until he was cut from Woodbury High School's baseball team that he took up running. It was not long before his second choice of sport was a true calling, as Ross blossomed into one of the greatest high school distance runners in the entire state of New Jersey. In the spring of 1943, his senior year, he was crowned the New Jersey State Mile Champion and National Interscholastic Indoor Mile Champion.
World War II
Ross joined the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
and fought in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Upon discharge several years later, he was discovered by
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
scholarship
A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need.
Scholarsh ...
after a victory in a two-mile race at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
.
Villanova University
Ross was one of Elliott's first magnificent runners at
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
during the late 1940s. In 1948, he won the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
championship, which paved the way for his position on the USA team in the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
.
International competition
1948 and 1952 Olympics
Ross competed in the
1948 London Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
where he became the only American to compete in the steeplechase final, placing 7th overall with a 9:23.2 time. After the Olympics were over Ross decided to stay in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and postpone his return trip to the United States because he wanted to compete in road races held in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It was there that he discovered a vast resource of running talent, and when Ross returned home he promptly alerted "Jumbo" of his findings. Elliott heeded his advice, and thus began Villanova's tradition with its long line of Irish runners.
Ross, however, did not match the same success in the
1952 Olympics 1952 Olympics refers to both:
*The 1952 Winter Olympics, which were held in Oslo, Norway
*The 1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the X ...
held in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. He qualified to compete but never reached the finals in any competition.
1951 Pan American Games
At the
1951 Pan American Games
The 1951 Pan American Games (the I Pan American Games) were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina between February 25 and March 9, 1951. The Pan American Games' origins were at the Games of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles, United States, where official ...
, Ross placed 1st in the 1500 meter run, shared 1st in the 3000 meter steeplechase, and finished 4th in the 5000 meter run.
A controversy occurred in the 3000m steeplechase, where two Americans,
Curt Stone
Curtis Charles "Curt" Stone (November 19, 1922 – July 30, 2021) was an American long-distance runner. He competed in the 5000 m at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics with the best result of sixth place in 1948. He also competed in the 10000 m a ...
and Ross, had pulled away from the field. Stone slowed down on the last straightaway and held Ross's hand as they crossed the line together. Argentine officials debated for two hours whether their actions violated rules requiring athletes to make an effort to win before finally allowing the results to stand, ranking Stone as first after a close examination of the finish photo.
''Long Distance Log''
With such passion for the sport he loved it was inevitable that Ross would continue to stay involved even after his heyday of running. In 1955 he recognized the need for distance running results to be published and widely distributed in order to increase the public's awareness of the sport. In 1956 he created the ''Long Distance Log'' (after its inspiration, ''Distance Running Journal'', created by Austin Scott in 1953)The Long Distance Log: Introduction
Tom Osler
Thomas Joseph Osler (born 1940) is an American mathematician, former national champion distance runner, and author.
Early life and educationr
Born in 1940 in Camden, New Jersey, Osler graduated from Camden High School in 1957 and then studied p ...
, Road Runners Club of America, retrieved 22 April 2010 at the time the only publication devoted exclusively to long-distance running in the USA. The first issues were mimeographed on the backs of recycled high school history tests. The ''Log'' would become the major instrument to unite runners and address their concerns over the next 20 years. He was the first
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
of the magazine, which mailed monthly to about 1,000 subscribers throughout the country until 1975.
In 1958 Ross founded the Middle Atlantic Road Runners Club, centered in Philadelphia, which a year later became the national
Road Runners Club of America
Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...
. The club today boasts of more than 180,000 members nationwide. On Jan 27, 1968 Browning Ross (43) ran a 4:45.0 Masters American indoor mile record at the Cornell Invitational.
Accomplishments, awards, and recognition
:''Sources''
*Won 8 National AAUCross Country Championships.
*Won the prestigious Berwick (PA) Marathon 10 times.
*Two-time Olympic runner, even reaching the finals in his first Olympic appearance and finishing seventh overall.
*
Gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
winner at the Pan-Am Games.
*Was first U.S. Cross Country team manager.
*Received the first Annual Long Distance AAU Award in 1969.
*Chairman of the National AAU long-distance and road-running committee from 1968 to 1971
*Elected to the National Distance Running, Villanova University, Gloucester County and Woodbury High School Halls of Fame.
*Former coach ( Woodrow Wilson High School, Gloucester Catholic High School and Rutgers University), meet and race organizer, publisher, track official and sporting goods entrepreneur in the world of long-distance running.
*Two races are held in his name. The Benjamin/Ross 5k is held in June in his hometown of
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state.
and the Ross Kupcha 5k and kids run held in
National Park, New Jersey
National Park is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 3,026, a decline of 10 (−0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 3,036,RRCA Awards descriptions , accessed April 21, 2008.
See also
* '' Runner's World'', magazine started in 1966 by Bob Anderson, originally named ''Distance Running News'', which was similar to Ross's ''Long Distance Log'' at the time
References
External links
* Browning Ross Biography- "Browning Ross: The Father of American Distance Running" https://www.amazon.com/Browning-Ross-American-Distance-Running/dp/1511888253
* Video of H. Browning Ross ''(click on thumbnail toward bottom right → requires
QuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. Created in 1991, the latest Mac version, QuickTime X, is avai ...