Jay Nash McCrea (January 15, 1887 – September 20, 1959) was an American cyclist and newspaper editor. Nicknamed "Crash" for his "dangerous" and "wild" riding style, he competed in the men's one mile and men's five mile events at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

, but did not finish either event.

Biography

McCrea was born on January 15, 1887, in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. He began cycling competitively at Springfield High School, and was named their representative in the Central Illinois Athletic Association tournament circa 1901, at which he finished sixth in the quarter-mile race and fourth in the single-mile race, performing "remarkably well". He stopped racing until 1903, but then began winning many half-mile and one-mile tournaments, won the Central Illinois championship, and was selected as the central Illinois representative for the United States cycling team, which was to compete at the

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. McCrea, aged 17 at the time, competed at the men's five mile and

one mile The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

events, but never was in the front and did not finish either event. Nicknamed "Crash" for his "wild" and "dangerous" riding style, he stayed true to his nickname in the five mile race. On the second-to-last lap, he swerved into a cyclist next to him, who then crashed into two others, resulting in all four falling. Close behind were four more riders, who, unable to avoid it, crashed into the others. As a result, only four cyclists were able to finish, and the rider who had been in last place for the entire event won the gold medal. The magazine ''Bicycling World'' described McCrea's style as follows: "he does not seem to be a vicious rider, but simply rides all over the track and is dangerous for that reason." About one month after the Olympics, McCrea returned to Missouri and won the state championship. In subsequent years, he became one of the best cyclists in that area of the country. By 1908 he had competed in 74 events, compiling 40 first place finishes, 14 second place finishes, six thirds, two fourths, two sixths, and one thirteenth, along with eight falls and one disqualification. After his cycling career, McCrea became a newspaper writer and also officiated races. He was an editor for ''The Herald'' circa 1910 and by 1911 was working with the ''

Illinois State Register ''The State Journal-Register'' is the only local daily newspaper for Springfield, Illinois, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1831 as the ''Sangamo Journal'' by William Bailhache and Edward Baker, and describes itself as "the oldest new ...

''. He also served as a member of the Springfield Cycling Club executive board around this time. He became an editor for a paper in

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

, in July 1917, and by the end of that year was with a newspaper named ''The Capital''. McCrea joined the staff of the '' Omaha News'' in January 1918. He also was a member of the United States Olympic Cycling Committee at about this time. By 1924, McCrea had moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became editor for the ''

Milwaukee Leader The ''Milwaukee Leader'' was a socialist daily newspaper established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in December 1911 by Socialist Party leader Victor L. Berger. The paper continued in operation until January 1939, when it was succeeded by the ''Milwauke ...

''. He later wrote for the '' Milwaukee Sentinel'' and '' Wisconsin News''. McCrea led the Milwaukee Newspaper guild strike in 1936. He was still working as a newspaperman by 1946 and was for a time the president of the American Newspaper Guild Midwest district, although he listed his occupation in census records as "spiritual healer." With the newspapers he worked for, he served as sportswriter, real estate editor, automotive editor, and a copy editor. He also worked for the local radio, serving as the voice of "Sunny Jim" at WISN. McCrea died on September 20, 1959 at the age of 72.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCrea, J. Nash 1887 births 1959 deaths American male cyclists Olympic cyclists for the United States Cyclists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Springfield, Illinois Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Editors of Illinois newspapers Editors of Nebraska newspapers