J. Nash McCrea

Jay Nash McCrea (January 15, 1887 – September 20, 1959) was an American cyclist and newspaper editor. Nicknamed "Crash" for his "dangerous" and "wild" riding style, he competed in the men's one mile and men's five mile events at the 1904 Summer Olympics, but did not finish either event.

Early life and cycling career Jay Nash McCrea was born on January 15, 1887, in Springfield, Illinois. He began cycling competitively at Springfield High School, and was named their representative in the Central Illinois Athletic Association tournament , at which he finished sixth in the quarter-mile race and fourth in the single-mile race, performing "remarkably well". He stopped racing until 1903, but then began winning many half-mile and one-mile tournaments. He won the Central Illinois championship, On the second-to-last lap, he swerved into a cyclist next to him, who then crashed into two others, resulting in all four falling. Close behind were four more riders, who, unable to avoid it, crashed into the others. The magazine Bicycling World described McCrea's style as follows: "he does not seem to be a vicious rider, but simply rides all over the track and is dangerous for that reason." He was an editor for The Herald and by 1911 was working with the Illinois State Register. He also served as a member of the Springfield Cycling Club executive board around this time. He became an editor for a paper in Quincy, Illinois, in July 1917, and by the end of that year was with a newspaper named The Capital. McCrea joined the staff of the Omaha News in January 1918.

By 1924, McCrea had moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became editor for the Milwaukee Leader. He later wrote for the Milwaukee Sentinel and Wisconsin News. He was still working as a newspaperman by 1946 and was for a time the president of the American Newspaper Guild Midwest district, although he listed his occupation in census records as "spiritual healer." Newspaper positions he held during his career included sportswriter, real estate editor, automotive editor, and copy editor. He also worked for the local radio, serving as the voice of "Sunny Jim" at WISN. McCrea died on September 20, 1959, at the age of 72, in Cudahy, Wisconsin.