Biography

McCafferty made a splash on the track program from his very first big race with the Crusaders. In January of 1929 at the Brooklyn Knights of Columbus meet he won the 500 in 58.7 seconds, a fine time for a flat armory floor. For the next three years, he was a star relay man of the famous Holy Cross one mile relay teams of that era. The Crusaders competed in all of the Boston and New York special relay events and usually it was McCafferty’s anchor leg kick that won the race.

In many of the big indoor meets, he also doubled up and competed in invitational 600 yard runs. He won the Knights of Columbus 600-yard run three years in a row, retiring the famous Cardinal Hayes sterling silver bowl.  Outdoors, McCafferty won all of the middle distance events in New England Competition. He was also the 440-yard and half-mile champion for three years.