Track and field
b. Jan. 15, 1875, Boston, MA
d. Feb. 14, 1929
Burke won two gold medals in 1896 at the first modern Olympics, in the 100-meter and 400-meter dashes. Spectators and athletes from other countries were fascinated by Burke's American crouch start, because at the time most runners from outside the U. S. used the standing start.
As a student at Boston University, Burke won the AAU 440-yard event in 1895, the IC4A 440-yard in 1896 and 1897 and the 880-yard run in 1898. He then attended Harvard Law School and won the IC4A 880-yard run in 1899.
After becoming a lawyer, Burke wrote about sports part-time for Boston newspapers and he also coached track at Mercersburg Academy for a time.
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