When Irish (and 'Nova) eyes smiled

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, December, 2006 | by Steve Landells

What is it about Villanova University and track-and-field stars from Ireland? From Eamonn Coghlan, the 1983 world 5,000-meter champion, to Sonia O'Sullivan, the 2000 Olympic 5,000-meter silver medalist, Irish track athletes have been attracted to the university. The genesis of the tradition occurred in the mid-1950s and can be traced back to Ron Delany.

A 21-year-old economics undergraduate at Villanova, Delany became the last Irish athlete to win an Olympic track-and-field gold medal. Fifty years ago today, he captured the 1,500 meters on a warm, sunny afternoon at the Melbourne Games. To put his achievement into context, he was competing in the most keenly contested event in the Olympic program during a golden age for middle-distance running. Only two years earlier,...