Josiah MCCRACKEN

Josiah McCracken was a useful all-round performer in the weight events, taking the shot/hammer double at the IC4A championships in 1898 and 1899. By international standards he was perhaps a better performer in the hammer and his career best of 153-8 (46.84) in 1898 ranked him second in the world that year. Despite his Olympic successes, track & field was only a secondary sport for McCracken as, at Penn, he was better known as a footballer and was on Walter Camp’s All-American team in 1899. The silver medalist in the 1900 Olympic hammer throw, Truxtun Hare, was also an All-American football player at Penn and it was only the Irish immigrant John Flanagan who prevented the two Penn footballers from taking top Olympic honors at Paris. McCracken earned an M.D. degree from Penn and later served as a medical missionary in China for 50 years.

Personal Bests: SP – 43-8½ (13.32) (1898); DT - 36.37 (1900); HT - 47.24 (1900).