John William Murphy was part of a long-distance
running craze that began during the late 1960s in Youngstown.
He pioneered the two-mile run in the Mahoning Valley. At the 1966
meet in Salem, Ohio, he established the district record at this
distance. In 1967, he broke his record to set another standard.
In addition, he won the two-mile run in the City meet establishing
this record. In the 1967 City meet, in order to gather more team
points, he ran and won the mile run, along with the half-mile
where he placed third. As a result, he was All City in both 1966
and 1967. During this two year period, he won the Warren relays
in the two mile run, as well as other special events. At one time,
he set the two mile record in every stadium where he ran.
Because of his accomplishments, he lettered in track during his
sophomore, junior, and senior years. At that time, not many individuals
earned letters all three years. What he is most proud of, however,
is Mooney’s second place finish against a very strong South
High team in the City Meet in 1967.
After graduation, John earned a B.A. degree from Kent State, an
M.A. from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. from Ohio State. Currently,
he is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Miami, Coral
Gables, FL. Regularly, he can be seen running along the boardwalk
at Hollywood Beach, Florida.
