Sir Roger's Famous Visit

Sir Roger Bannister

In 2000, no other athletic great of the 20th century was being accorded more attention than Roger Bannister. At century's close, many polls and articles cited his sub-four minute mile as the most important sporting accomplishment of the 20th century.

On May 3, 2000, Sir Roger and his wife Moyra arrived at the Institute for International Sport for induction into the Institute's Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. Over the course of their six-day visit, Sir Roger and Moyra participated in various Institute functions. One particularly meaningful occasion was a media luncheon the Institute hosted for Sir Roger. For two hours, Sir Roger regaled members of the media and other special guests of the Institute with a combination of wit and brilliant perspective. John Gearan of the Worcester Telegram and Mike Szostak of the Providence Journal wrote wonderful articles about this session with Sir Roger.

• Gearan, John. "Bannister's historic mile only started his great run: Sir Roger's versatility easily passed his record" Worcester Telegram May 7, 2000.
• Szostak, Mike. "The day Roger Bannister ran through a brick wall" Providence Journal May 6, 2000.

Sir Roger would return to the Institute again in 2001 as a featured speaker at the World Scholar-Athlete Games. His ongoing friendship with the Institute has included hosting Dan Doyle at his home in Oxford, England, and at Pembroke College in Oxford.