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The New York Athletic Club's Highest Honor 

The NYAC Al Oerter Award is named in honor of legendary New York Athletic Club athlete and discus thrower Al Oerter, who immortalized himself in the annals of sport by becoming the first athlete to win the same individual event at four consecutive Olympic Games. Oerter's commitment to excellence on the field of play was matched by his loyalty to his beloved New York Athletic Club, where he was a cherished member for more than five decades.

On February 26th, 2026, two-time Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the Al Oerter Award at a celebratory banquet at the NYAC City House. In addition to her gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Allman is the reigning world champion, having claimed that honor for the first time at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Her personal best of 73.52 meters/241' 2'', set in April 2025, stands as the tenth-best throw of all time, and is the farthest throw since 1989.

Oerter (b. 1936, d. 2007) was born in Astoria, Queens and attended Sewanhaka High School and the University of Kansas. He was a fearless competitor, winning his first Olympic gold medal at the Melbourne 1956 Games at the age of 20. At the 1964 Olympic Games in Rome, Oerter overcame a serious injury to will his way to gold, after which he famously stated, "These are the Olympics. You die for them." Following his career, Oerter was inducted into the NYAC Hall of Fame as part of the Club's inaugural class in 1981.

Oerter's legacy lives on, as evidenced by his words on the back of every NYAC member's membership card: "Great things are expected of you when you wear the Winged Foot."

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World Athletics Honors the New York Athletic Club                                                         

The New York Athletic Club is a proud recipient of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, a location-based recognition awarded for outstanding contributions to the worldwide history and development of track and field.

The plaque was presented to NYAC President John Duggan, Vice President Ed Smith and Captain Jim Herschlein at a special ceremony on August 1st, 2024 in Paris during the Olympic Games. The unveiling took place on September 27th, 2024 in the City House Hall of Fame, where the plaque is proudly displayed, serving as a constant reminder to members and guests of the New York Athletic Club’s distinguished history in the sport of track and field—known simply as “athletics” outside of the United States—that continues to this day.

The award marked the start of a four-year heritage agreement between the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) and the NYAC. Central to this cooperation is exploring the potential of both organizations’ historic collections of track and field memorabilia to promote the sport.

Click here to visit the Museum of World Athletics and learn more about this prestigious award. 

Click here to go directly to the announcement of the NYAC as a Heritage Plaque recipient.

About the World Athletics Heritage Plaque
The World Athletics Heritage Plaque initiative, first announced in 2018, is a location-based recognition which highlights, celebrates and links together iconic and historic athletics competitions, careers, performances, cities, venues, landmarks and culture around the world. A uniquely designed plaque is permanently and publicly displayed at a location closely associated with each recipient.

Design
The main oval of the design represents the “global” sport of athletics, while the gold color of that ring represents “excellence.” The six bright modern colors surrounding the main gold oval stand for the “universality” and diversity of athletics. This is represented by the six continental areas and the six core event groups: sprints, hurdles and relays; middle/long distance; combined events; jumping; throwing; “out of stadia” (cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking).

Selection
There are five broad overlapping categories in which the Plaque can be awarded: City, Competition, Legend, Landmark and Culture. The NYAC was awarded a plaque in the category of Competition.

Since December 2018, more than 90 plaques have so far been awarded worldwide across the six continental areas of World Athletics. These include athlete and coaching legends, competitions, stadiums, athletics publications, museums and more.

Rather than installing plaques outside of every existing Olympic stadium, the plaques are intended to highlight lesser-known locations associated with outstanding athletics history.

Mission
The World Athletics Heritage Plaque’s mission is to educate local communities and visitors about the international athletics history in their area, and, in turn, to honor and savor the extraordinarily entertaining and diverse history of track and field.




 








Honoring the Nation's Top Coaches

The New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award is among the most prestigious awards in the world of collegiate basketball. First appearing in 1996 in order to recognize the winning coaches of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament, in the years since, proud recipients have been among of the most celebrated college coaches of all time, including Roy Williams, Dawn Staley, Mike Krzyzewski, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt and Rick Pitino.

Fitting tribute is paid to the Award winners at a gala banquet, held at the NYAC City House each May. Invariably, it is an occasion attended by an array of renowned basketball names, not to mention 500 or so of their most enthusiastic fans. Among NYAC members, this is an annual occasion never to be missed. Making it all the more unique and significant is the designation of Winged Foot Award Legends, an honor bestowed incrementally and which has been received by individuals such as John Wooden, Bob Knight, Billy Packer, Dick Vitale and Al Maguire, people whose impact on the sport of basketball is indelible.

Fittingly, recipients of the Winged Foot Award and those receiving the Winged Foot Legends citation are recognized in an exclusive area in the NYAC's elegant Hall of Fame, a singular tribute to those who have reached the heights of the collegiate game and who have come to the NYAC to receive appropriate accolades.

Following the thrilling conclusion of the 2025-26 basketball season, the NYAC is delighted by the opportunity to bestow its prestigious Winged Foot Award upon two new coaches: Cori Close (UCLA women) and Dusty May (Michigan men). These two coaches exemplify what the Winged Foot Award is all about, not least the pursuit of athletic excellence and the mentorship of student-athletes.

The presentation of this, the 30th annual Winged Foot Award, will take place at the City House on Wednesday, June 24th. For details and to make reservations, please e-mail [email protected] or call Alex Samayoa at (212) 767-7160.

To see the complete list of recipients of the Winged Foot Award, click here.
 
















 

The Academic Heisman

The William V. Campbell Trophy is presented each year by the National Football Foundation to the nation’s top college football scholar-athlete, chosen from a select group of young men whose devotion to their sport is matched by their academic record. In 2013, the New York Athletic Club became the official home of the Campbell Trophy, which is on permanent display in the Hall of Fame on the second floor. The trophy's inclusion in such an illustrious setting is fitting, as the Club has long been an institution devoted to supporting and rewarding those young men and women who strive for excellence in sport and beyond.

Most recently, All-American tight end Eli Stowers of Vanderbilt University was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Campbell Trophy. As a graduate student pursuing a Master's Degree in Finance, Stowers was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll; at the same time, he led all college tight ends in receiving yards on the gridiron.

The New York Athletic Club also recognizes a National Scholar-Athlete each year, an honor that carries with it a scholarship for post-graduate studies. The scholarship recognizes a senior football player for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. In 2025, that award was given to Andon Thomas of Army West Point. A star linebacker for the Black Knights, Thomas led the team in total tackles while maintaining a 3.98 GPA as a Chemical Engineering major. He plans to pursue advanced research in chemical engineering to address the technical challenges faced by the U.S. Army.

Click here to view the full list of Campbell Trophy and NYAC National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients.