John J. Kelley* (1959) - Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame

John J. Kelley*

Induction:
1959
Class:
1956

John Kelley, a Pan American and United States marathon champion, joined his former track coach Doug Raymond in 1960 as a member of the Hall of Fame.

While at BU, Kelley developed into one of the country's top distance runners and won both the New England and IC4A cross country titles. In 1953, Kelley placed fifth in the Boston Marathon and came in seventh the following year during his senior season at BU.

An All-American distance runner at Bulkeley H.S. in New London, Connecticut, Kelley competed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and in 1957 became the first American runner in a dozen years to win the Boston Marathon. He did it in a new record clocking of 2:13:17. He has placed second in the Marathon three times.