Boston Athletic Association Indoor Games
The Boston Athletic Association Indoor Games was an annual indoor track meet held in Boston from 1890 to 1971. It was organized by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and became one of the city’s biggest indoor sporting events.
The first Games took place on February 15, 1890, at Mechanics Hall. They drew 701 athletes and about 4,000 spectators, described by the New York Times as a “society event.” Harvard was the top scoring team that year.
In 1891 the meet moved to the South Armory and again drew a large crowd, including the governor. Harvard won many events, and George Fearing set a world indoor high jump record of 1.89 meters. The Games returned to Mechanics Hall in 1892, with Harvard winning several events again and Edward Bloss setting a world record in the 40-yard dash.
The 1894 Games saw world records in the indoor high jump (Michael Sweeney) and standing broad jump (Bernard Doherty). The 1896 meet featured multiple world-record holders, though an equipment mishap affected one race. In 1900, Dr. B. J. Mulligan set a world indoor triple jump record. In 1902, Arthur Duffey was upset in the 40-yard dash by Harvard freshman Francis Scheuber. The 1912 Games saw Samuel Lawrence break Michael Sweeney’s long-standing high jump record, and three track records were set in the meet.
In 1913, a controversy arose when Howard Drew said he would not compete due to a color line, though the BAA said no such line existed. In 1915, the BA A team—Fred Burns, Stephen Rose, David Caldwell, and Thomas Halpin—broke the world record in the 4×1500 metres relay in a race against the New York Athletic Club.
The 1921 Games moved to the new Boston Arena and featured many Olympic-era athletes. The event’s feature race was the Hunter Mile, won by Harold Cutbill. In 1926, Charles Hoff set a new indoor world record in the pole vault (13 feet 1 1/4 inches). The 1929 Games marked the U.S. debut of Canadians Percy Williams and Jimmy Ball, with Williams winning the 40-yard dash invitational.
The 1931 Games introduced women’s events, starting with a 40-yard dash won by Stella Walsh. In 1932, two world records fell: George Spitz jumped 6 feet 8 1/2 inches in the high jump, and Leo Sexton set the indoor shot put record at 51 feet 11 1/8 inches. In 1933 the meet moved to the larger Boston Garden, drawing about 10,000 spectators.
The Great Depression hit the BA A hard. The association filed for bankruptcy in 1935 and closed its clubhouse. A group formed the Unicorn Club to keep the indoor games alive, and in 1936 it merged back with the BA A, letting the Boston Garden host the events for free. The 1937 Games saw three world records: George Varoff’s pole vault, Sam Allen’s 45-yard high hurdles, and Don Lash’s two-mile indoor run. Warmerdam later broke Varoff’s pole vault mark, and the record changed hands again in 1941 and 1943.
In 1950 Jim Fuchs set a new indoor shot put record, and the 1955 Games featured Wes Santee breaking the indoor mile world record with 4:03.8, though Gunnar Nielsen soon beat that time at the Wanamaker Mile. In 1957 Tom Courtney tied the world record in the 600-yard run, and in 1959 Bill Dellinger set the indoor two-mile record of 8:49.9. The 1960s saw more record attempts, including John Thomas tying the indoor high jump world record at 7 feet 1 1/2 inches in 1960, and Wendell Mottley setting the 440-yard dash indoor world record in 1964. Willie Davenport tied the 45-yard hurdles world record in 1967, a year when the BA A games were one of the few meets still holding that event.
By 1970, financial problems continued. The Knights of Columbus had ended their Boston Garden track meet, leaving the BA A Indoor Games as Boston’s last major indoor track meet, and attendance began to fall. In 1971, 9,008 spectators attended, down from a peak in 1960. On November 5, 1971, the BA A announced there would be no Indoor Games in 1972 because of rising costs and low ticket sales. The Hunter Mile remained a key feature; it was named for a BA A patron, George L. Hunter, and Abel Kiviat was the first winner.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:49 (CET).