Martin Sheridan

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Martin Sheridan

Martin Joseph Sheridan (March 28, 1881 – March 27, 1918), was "one of the greatest athletes this country has ever known" according to his obituary in the New York Times. He was born in Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
and died in St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, New York, the day before his 37th birthday.

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Ireland

Calvary Cemetery, Queens

Calvary Cemetery is located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in Woodside, Queens in the New York City borough of Queens, New York. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of St....
, New York

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. He was part of a group of Irish-American athletes known as the "Irish Whales

Irish Whales

The Irish Whales or "The Whales" was a nickname given to a group of Irish people and Irish-American athletes who dominated weight-throwing events in the first two decades of the 20th Century....
."

At 6'3" and 194 lbs, Sheridan was the best all-around athlete of the Irish American Athletic Club

Irish American Athletic Club

The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in Queens, New York at the beginning of the 20th Century....
, and like many of his team mates, served with the New York City Police Department

New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Borough of New York City....
(from 1902 until his death in 1918). Sheridan was so well respected in the NYPD, that he served as the Governor's personal bodyguard when the governor was in New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
.

A five-time Olympic gold medalist, with a total of nine Olympic medals, Sheridan was called "one of the greatest figures that ever represented this country in international sport, as well as being one of the most popular who ever attained the championship honor." He won the discus throw

Discus throw

The discus throw is an event in track and field competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disk ???itself called a discus???in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors....
event at the 1904, 1906, and 1908 Summer Olympics as well as the shot put

Shot put

The shot put is an athletics event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the throwing motion....
at the 1906 Olympics and the Greek discus in 1908. At the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens

Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
he also won silver medals in the standing high jump, standing long jump and the stone throw.

In 1907, Sheridan won the National Amateur Athletic Union

Amateur Athletic Union

The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs....
discus championship and the Canadian championship, and in 1908 he won the Metropolitan, National and Canadian championships as well as two gold medals in the discus throw and bronze in the standing long jump at the 1908 Olympic Games.

Two of Martin Sheridan's gold medals from the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri, located near the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. St....
and one of his medals from the 1906 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, are currently located in the USA Track & Field's Hall of Fame History Gallery, in Washington Heights, Manhattan

Washington Heights, Manhattan

Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the Borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington , a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the British forces....
.

It is often claimed that Sheridan fueled a controversy in London in 1908, when flagbearer Ralph Rose

Ralph Rose

Ralph Waldo Rose was an United States Athletics .He was born in Healdsburg, California.A giant of a man at 6' 5 1/2" and 250 pounds, Rose was the first shot putter to break 50 feet....
refused to dip the flag to King Edward VII. Sheridan is supposed to have supported Rose by explaining "This flag dips to no earthly king," and it is claimed that his statement exemplified both Irish

Ireland

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
defiance of the British monarchy. However, careful research has shown that this was first reported in 1952. Sheridan himself made no mention of it in his published reports on the Games and neither did his obituary.

The inscription on the granite Celtic Cross monument marking Martin Sheridan's grave in Calvary Cemetery, Queens

Calvary Cemetery, Queens

Calvary Cemetery is located at 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd. in Woodside, Queens in the New York City borough of Queens, New York. The cemetery is managed by the Trustees of St....
, New York

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
says in part: "Devoted to the Institutions of his Country, and the Ideals and Aspirations of his Race. Athlete. Patriot."

Martin Sheridan

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