It
is difficult to compare track and field competitors from different
decades because of the tremendous technological advances in nearly
every aspect of the sport.The fair comparison is to assess an athlete
against his peers.Jim
Cleary measures up to Hall of Fame status.
In
1960, Jim was the City Series half-mile champion, and in 1961,
he retained his title and added a conference record time while
anchoring the winning mile relay team.He went undefeated in 1961 and won the district,
enabling Jim Cleary to be Cardinal Mooney’s first track athlete
to compete at the State finals.Cleary’s athleticism was also evident in basketball where
he captained the 1961 team.
After
graduation, Jim served as a Naval Hospital corpsman in Southeast
Asia, playing Navy basketball for the S.E. Pacific championship
team in 1964.Jim graduated
from YSU and is co-owner and president of Great Lakes Cartage
Company.He lives in Canfield
with his wife Marion and has four children.
