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Gill Athletics (formerly known as Gill Sports) was
founded nearly 80 years ago by Harry Gill. Hailed by Avery Brundage
(long-time president of the International Olympic Committee) as not only the
greatest athlete of his generation, but also the greatest coach. Gill was
thrust into the amateur track and field spotlight at the turn of the century
when he easily defeated the three-time U.S. champion in the "all around"- an
event equivalent to today's Olympic decathlon. Four years later Gill was
hired to be the head track coach for the University of Illinois, a position
that he held for some thirty years. During this time he organized (and won)
the first NCAA track meet, his team won 19 Big Ten championships, and
accumulated an impressive record of winning 111 meets out of 135. Although
he never coached an Olympic track team, at the 1924 Paris Games, his men
from Illinois outscored every other group of nations.
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