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An Historic Club

Founded in 1868, the New York Athletic Club boasts a unique history. The Club's founding premise was to bring structure to a sporting environment that was lacking in organization and uniformity of measurement. Quickly, the NYAC organized the first US championships in boxing, swimming, wrestling and track & field.

In the years thereafter, the NYAC quickly espoused the nascent Olympic movement, playing a critical role in the success of the early Games and seeing one of its members, Thomas Burke, win the 100m and 400m at the inaugural Games in Athens in 1896. In the years since, NYAC members have represented their countries in every single Olympic Games, including the US-boycotted Games of 1980, when the NYAC's Eamonn Coghlan competed for Ireland in the men's 5000m, placing fourth overall. In every Games in which they have competed, NYAC members have won medals, with the exception of the aforementioned Moscow Games of 1980 and the Sydney Games of 2000.

Though foremost, the athletic arena is not the only one in which the NYAC has built a sterling reputation. In finance, the arts, science and politics, Club members have moved in the highest planes. George M. Cohan was an NYAC member, as was Robert Ripley, as was John F. Kennedy, Jr., as was, and are, incalculable luminaries in so many endeavors.

Today, the NYAC's City House in mid-town Manhattan and its Travers Island location in lower-Westchester County stand in tribute to a history that is un-matched. While providing the finest of facilities for its members to enjoy, the New York Athletic Club stands, above all else, for the pursuit of excellence. Al Oerter won four Olympic gold medals for the New York Athletic Club and stated: "Great things are expected of you when you wear the winged foot."

NYAC Timeline

1860s
June 17th, 1866: Bill Curtis, Henry Buermeyer, and John C. Babcock convert an apartment at 200 6th Avenue into a training gym. On June 17th, 1866, they propose to form an amateur athletic club modeled on the London Athletic Club. 
 
September 8th, 1868: The inaugural meeting of the New York Athletic Club takes place at the Knickerbocker Cottage on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Fourteen men attend the meeting. J. Edward Russell is elected as the NYAC’s first president. 
 
November 11th, 1868: The NYAC hosts the first indoor track and field competition to be held in the US, a meet against the Caledonian Club at the Empire City Skating Rink. Bill Curtis competes in spiked running shoes, marking the first time spikes were utilized in formal competition in the US.


1870s
1870: The NYAC begins its annual Spring and Fall Track and Field Games which continue until the 1960s.
 
1874: The NYAC acquires its Mott Haven facilities for track and field and rowing, thus becoming the first American athletic club with its own track and field facilities. 
 
1876: The winged foot emblem is created by architect and NYAC member Henry Ficken.
 
September 30th, 1876: The NYAC hosts the first US amateur outdoor track and field championships at Mott Haven. The winged foot is worn for first time in competition. 
 
1877: The NYAC hosts the first US national swimming championships.
 
1878-1879: The NYAC hosts the first US national boxing (1878) and boxing championships (1879) at Gilmore’s Garden – later to be named Madison Square Garden. 
 

1880s
February 1885: The NYAC’s first City House opens at Sixth Avenue and West 55th Street. 

January 14th, 1888: Hog Island in Pelham, NY is purchased by the NYAC. This property would later be called Travers Island.
 
1889: The first clubhouse at Travers Island opens. 

 
1890s
 April 1892: The first edition of the New York Athletic Club Journal is published. It is later re-named, "The Winged Foot."
             
September 21st, 1895: The NYAC faces the London Athletic Club in a track and field meeting at Manhattan Field. The NYAC defeats the legendary LAC, winning all events. 
 
1896: The first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens. The NYAC’s Thomas Burke wins the 100m and 400m. 
  
March 26th, 1898: The NYAC’s second City House opens at Sixth Avenue and West 59th Street.  
 
1898: The “Flying Mercury” statue is donated to the NYAC by member Charles T. Wills. 
1910s
April 1911: The first edition of The Winged Foot magazine is published. 

 
1920s
1922: “The Memorial Window,” dedicated to 20 NYAC members lost in World War I and 900 members who served in the Armed Forces during the conflict, is unveiled. 
 
November 1927: The cornerstone-laying ceremony takes place at 180 Central Park South, the site of our current – and third – City House. 
 
January 22nd, 1929: The third City House is formally opened at 180 Central Park South.  
 

1930s
1932: The first All-Sports Dinner is held during the height of Prohibition. 
 
1933: The Tap Room opens, marking the conclusion of Prohibition.  
1940s
1941: Travers Island becomes the home of Norwegian army during the onset of World War II. Private yachts are relinquished to the US Navy and Coast Guard. 
 
1945: “The War Memorial” in the City House Lobby – dedicated to 1,200 Club members who served in World War II - is unveiled.  
 

1950s
1956: The NYAC’s legendary Al Oerter claims the first of his four consecutive Olympic gold medals in the discus throw (1956, 1960, 1964, 1968). 
 
1980s
1981: The NYAC Hall of Fame is dedicated.


2000s
2002: The Travers Island clubhouse undergoes a full renovation. 

January 26th, 2003 – February 7th, 2003: Garry Kasparov faces computer program Deep Junior in a globally broadcast chess match, live from the NYAC’s City House. The match ends in a draw.
 

2010s
Summer 2012: At the London 2012 Games, the NYAC’s judoka Kayla Harrison becomes the first American to win an Olympic judo gold medal. Judoka Miles Porter becomes the first NYAC athletic to compete in a Paralympic Games, claiming a silver medal.
                
2020s
Summer 2021: Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, the NYAC’s Olympians and Paralympians secure a remarkable 23 medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
               
Summer 2024: At the Paris 2024 Games, one of the most successful in NYAC history, the NYAC’s Olympians and Paralympians returned home with an extraordinary 36 medals.