The 21st century Paris Olympics are in full swing … exactly 100 years since the 1924 Olympics, made famous by the Oscar-winning “Chariots of Fire” movie (cue the theme music and the iconic beach running scene). Some 50 years ago, I had a brief intersection with those same Olympics, but youthful arrogance on my part limited the impact.
In September 1975, I had a chance encounter with an elderly English Quaker gentleman, a fellow alumnus visiting Haverford (PA) College, where I worked as a very junior administrator just months after my graduation. I was way too busy and self-important to waste an afternoon, so I quickly shuffled him off to the newest and lowest-ranking person I could find: Tom Donnelly, the young, brand-new, part-time (and very Irish) cross-country coach.
The young coach still had a half-century of accomplishments ahead of him. He is considered far and wide one of the best college coaches of any sport, both for athletic and academic achievements. The elderly gentleman, it was years later before I found out his identity, was Philip Noel-Baker, the only person to have won an Olympic medal and received a Nobel Prize.
What I missed out on that sunny afternoon was a meetup of two of the true GOATs. The only consolation is that I now have Coach Donnelly’s treasured memories of their afternoon together.
Donnelly proved to be the perfect host because even at age 85, Noel-Baker mostly wanted to talk about running. Specifically, Noel-Baker wanted to see the small indoor running track where he trained for the Penn Relays almost 70 years before. (He would break the college’s record in the mile by eight seconds as a freshman.) What he didn’t want to talk about was that he had been the captain of the British track and field team in Paris in 1924, and he’d been captain at Antwerp in 1920, where he won the silver medal in the mile.
What did they talk about then over the course of a campus tour and lunch? Many different topics, says Tom, whom I debriefed recently.
The Olympics did come up but it was the Stockholm Olympics of 1912.
Noel-Baker, who finished 6th in the mile that year, kept talking about what a great athlete Jim Thorpe had been. He won two gold medals at a time when Native Americans weren’t even recognized as US citizens.”
Noel-Baker also talked about World War I and his leadership of the legendary Friends Ambulance Corps. In passing, he spoke about a run-in with one unlikeable American driver.
Donnelly said he gently inquired: “Was that Hemingway?”
“Yes, that’s the chap!” was the response.
Donnelly still marveled at Noel-Baker’s modesty, given his remarkable resume.
The Englishman did not mention that he was awarded the very highest civilian honors from the French, Italian, and UK governments for his four years of wartime service.
Or that he was in the Philadelphia area because he was en route to a 30th reunion of the founding of the United Nations. He only mentioned in passing that he had helped to found the organization…or that he had a major role in the League of Nations back in the early 20s. But he did at least mention several world leaders whom he’d met, from Stalin to Lawrence of Arabia.
Philip Noel-Baker served in the British Parliament for seven different decades. He was Labour (serving as party chairman in the late 1940s). He was a Quaker and therefore a pacifist. And yet Churchill appointed him to his wartime cabinet to help fight the Nazis.
And then, in 1959, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because of his persistent and consistent dedication to the cause of world disarmament.
Haverford would award him its highest honor with an honorary degree the following year, 1960.
That September afternoon in 1975 was his final visit to the bucolic suburban Philadelphia campus where he was a freshman in 1907.
Noel-Baker’s Irish Connections
Noel-Baker, born in England to a Canadian father and a Scottish mother, also had significant, historical ties to Ireland. His ancestors emigrated to Ireland in the 1740s and spent some 80 years in Wexford, before moving again to Canada. In a family history written in the late 1920s, he wrote that his great-grandfather had actually witnessed the famed Battle of Vinegar Hill in 1798 from the porch of his home. The book also expressed great sympathy for the Irish population and their economic plight under British landlords.
Tom Donnelly still remembers and treasures the time he spent, at age 28, with Noel-Baker, the only person in history to win both an Olympic medal and be awarded a Nobel Prize.
Chariots of Fire was released in 1981, the year before Noel-Baker passed away at age 93. His character is not in the movie, but in real life, he was a close friend and mentor to gold medal winner Harold Abrahams, and later to British track legends Roger Bannister and Sir Sebastian Coe. Noel-Baker, while serving as Minister of the Commonwealth in 1948, helped organize The London Olympics that year. And, he was the leading voice in British and international sports for more than 70 years.
But back to Tom Donnelly. He was an all-American, but not quite an Olympic champion. But he was close, missing out twice in the finals of the American Olympic trials. Several of his Villanova teammates from the late 60s did win Olympic medals. He would also coach, as a sideline, several Villanova Olympians, including four-time Irish Olympian (and three-time world champion) Marcus O’Sullivan, now the Villanova coach.
At the end of his first year at Haverford, Tom organized a two-week trip to Ireland where I served as driver and wingman. We spent a whole lot of time with the Irish Villanova mafia in and around Dublin, especially at the legendary running club, the Clonliffe Harriers. (This week, the club will be proudly represented for the 23rd time at the Olympics.)
Tom Donnelly is well known to hundreds of Villanova track insiders and he has coached thousands of Haverford student-athletes over a half-century, but he also has fans from unexpected places.
NYU Prof. John Waters was a freshman runner at rival Johns Hopkins in 1982 and knew, as a native New Yorker, that Tom had set the record at the iconic Van
Cortland Park cross country course record while in high school.
“I introduced myself to him and something clicked,” said Waters. (Full disclosure: Prof Waters supervised my MA in Irish Studies at Glucksman Ireland House a decade ago.) “And for the next four years, every single time I competed against Haverford, Tom sought me out…sometimes to give an encouraging word and sometimes just with the tip of his Irish wool cap that he seemed to wear all the time.”
“Haverford has been a powerhouse in cross country and track for 50 years now and there is only one explanation why,” Tom Donnelly.
Next month will be the first time in 49 years that Donnelly will not be coaching Haverford runners, he has decided to retire.
I mentioned earlier that there was one article I’m urging people to read today…or any day. Please pass this along. It comes courtesy of Tom’s hometown paper of record, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Last November, sports columnist Mike Jensen, was retiring and he carefully selected the topic for his final column:
Haverford College’s Tom Donnelly, coaching icon, at the finish line with lessons for us all. Read more +
Note: Joe Quinlan began his journalism career as a Philadelphia sportswriter in the early 70s before moving to New York in 1977 as a reporter, producer, and then senior producer of The MacNeil Lehrer Newshour.
Happy to learn about Philip Noel-Baker and coach Tom Donnelly. How great that they had a wonderful afternoon at Haverford College in 1975. Thanks for the article.
Tom Donnelly coached with passion and intensity with ever student athlete he was responsible for: from Olympians to 5 minute milers after 4 years of a college career at Haverford.Tom inspired the janitor, the bartender at the Greeks and any human being in his path.A mentality attributed to another man who was the very best in his field: Albert Einstein ”I treat the janitor and university president with the greatest respect and equanimity.
Tom came from a family of roofers. His father was the greatest man he ever met and loved with incredible admiration. His mom was the quintessential::stoic,selfless, tough loving Irish mom.She was probably the only person alive along with sister Eileen that could call Tom (Tommy) without getting knocked in your butt.
Tom is so vet proud of his two sons. Patrick ran at Haverford before getting a PHD at cal Berkeley. Edward went to Penn and studied environmental science and excelled. He lives in Barcelona and was awarded an honor for an incredible treat is on the pollution of a beautiful “Nachman Forrest” by a reprobate German coal company. The young men live with a sense of purpose and love and dedication that Tom and Katherine imbued into their being.
Tom is a Goat in College Athletics with the humility of the Sisters of Divine love in Philly that Tom and I greatly admire and the courage of Hemingway as Defined by Earnest: ”Grace under pressure”. Tom inspired Marcus to take tge reigns at Villanova and he recruited another hall of fame coach to Haverford in Fran Rizzo (Marine in Vietnam) and one of the humblest, selfless, dedicated coaches as Tom in a 25 year career coaching the Haverford women teams.
Gid Bless Tom and Riz and the example of their lives
Paul keogh
50 year friend
I had the opportunity to race against Tom in the inaugural running of the Penn Relays Boys invitational mile. Then a couple of years later I was fortunate to not only be his teammate but also his roommate. I can say, unequivocally, that is the most unselfish, genuine, fun loving, fierce competitor I have ever met
He epitomizes the phrase “one of a kind”! If anyone ever had the opportunity to know Tom Donnelly, then you also had the opportunity to “Touch Greatmess”!
That is Tom Donnelly!!
So honored to have Tom as a friend
Dave Patrick – VU 68
I’m one of those Villanova guys who benefitted from Tom’s coaching and friendship over the years. I’ve also talked with numerous Haverford track alumni and they tell me yes, they got a great education but meeting Tom changed their lives. He not only helped them reach their athletic potential he also taught them life lessons, the value of team, hard work and doing the right thing. Noel-Baker couldn’t have had a better “ tour guide” for his Haverford campus visit.
So interesting! Noel Baker sounds like a character from an Ian Fleming novel. I appreciate the historical details about Hemingway. What a poseur! At that time, native Americans were not U.S. citizens! What a tragedy that they took the gold medal
From Jim Thorpe! I once ran at Stockholm stadium many years ago, a beautiful venue. And of course vanny in the bronx.
On Tom’s teams, everyone had their role. Everyone knew their role. Even as track is an individual sport, the
Emphasis was always on the team. Thanks for the article!
WHAT a man,. What a story!!!! It’s all “Champion to the core “ of Fire ???? Within. ???????? Fabulous, Joe Quinlan. You truly are a forensic historian of the best there IS.
This is so good. I played baseball and soccer at Haverford, but ran winter track my sophomore year just to get some exposure to Tom. He was the best coach and teacher I ever had any exposure to. Two years ago, the son of my cousin won the Philadelphia HS city cross country title. My cousin called me to report that Tom had sent his son a handwritten congratulations card, not recruiting him per se – just warm congratulations.
That’s Tom.
What a great story and a very appropriate title- a Coach, a Friend and a Mentor. Although I was not a student of Haverford College, I credit Tom and others associated with the Haverford running community for inspiring me to become a half decent runner and certainly a better person. I still tell running buddies out here in Naperville, IL the story of a long run we took with our running group and Tom from Haverford College to Manayunk and back. We were half way up the very steep hill in Manayunk (I believe they call it “the Wall”); and about to round one of the turns in the road when Tom says, “Guys get ready because you are about to experience pain like you’ve never experienced it before”. Tom’s subtle tips and the camaraderie our running group had was how I learned to become a better runner and person.
Thank you Tom and Joe Quinlan
Great article with a very appropriate title- “A Coach, a Friend, A Mentor”. This article brought back some very fond memories of the running group that congregated regularly at Haverford College before embarking on some long runs. We called ourselves Haverford AC. Tom was usually around and always willing to offer some subtle tips while out on runs or post run meetings at Gillane’s Tavern. I’ll never forget one of his best lines while on a long run from Haverford College to Manayunk and back- we were halfway up the toughest hill (I believe they called it “The Wall”.), about to take a curve when Tom says “boys you are about to experience pain like you’ve never experienced before”. He was right but we were all too gassed to laugh but did later I am sure at our favorite watering hole. Congratulations on a great career Tom. You inspired many people in ways that were well beyond running. Thanks for writing this article Joe Quinlan.
A fascinating and poignant article. Particularly interesting to read about Noel-Baker’s political commitments. Good to see he kept the 18th century radical tradition alive in the Labour Party. Sounds like his Wexford ancestors would have been proud.