Born Nov. 12, 1889, Pawling, N.Y. Died May 2, 1977.

A sprinter for the old Irish-American A.C. in his competitive days, Daniel "Dan" Ferris joined the Amateur Athletic Union in 1907 as the personal secretary to another Hall of Fame member, James Sullivan. When Sullivan stepped down in 1914, Ferris succeeded him as AAU secretary-treasurer and remained in the job for the next 43 years.

Ferris attended the 1912 Olympic Games and was at every Games through 1976 when he stepped down from his post with the International Amateur Athletic Federation, the world governing body of track and field. Under his leadership, the AAU, which governed U.S. track and field during that period, thrived and many programs that benefitted the sport were instituted, including the Junior Olympics and the USA-USSR dual track meet series.