• About
  • News
  • Events
  • Information for...
  • Clubs
  • Safe Sport
Visit on usatf.org:
  • Membership
  • Sanctions
  • Shop
  • Watch USATF
Back to Officials Hall of Fame

Ken Kraft



 

KEN KRAFT has been a track guy since his freshman year John F. Kennedy High School in Somers NY.  That was 55 years ago. The school's Athletic Director and basketball coach saw promise in Ken's running abilities and told him he was not being selected to the basketball team because he needed to focus on running.  Injuries prevented him from fulfilling his goals in high school and college but he stuck with the sport and through the encouragement of some buddies ran the Buffalo Marathon in 1976 in a time of 2:59:56 - SUB 3 HOURS!!!!  Soon after a bad knee ended his running career but he so loved the sport and the people that he eventually found his way to the world of being an Official.

In 1983, he read an article in the Poughkeepsie Journal about the need for local High School track officials and soon after joined the Dutchess County Track Officials & Coaches Association and that was the start of his track officiating career. A few years later Ken met Fred Adler, who became his mentor. Fred suggested Ken become an Official, which he did in 1990. ........and by the way Fred was inducted into this very same Hall of Fame in 2019

At the High School level Ken has held many positions including;

  • serving as President of the Dutchess County Track Officials & Coaches Association from 1988 to 2020 
  • serving as the 1st Vice President of the New York State High School Track & Field Officials Association for 6 years; and 
  • starting the Bowdoin Park Cross Country Classic in 2007 and continues to hold the position of Meet Director to this date.

As a USATF official, Ken has

  • served as the chief high jump official at the annual Millrose Games
  • worked countless New York association and regional championships
  • worked many USATF Indoor and Outdoor national championships including serving as a High Jump official at the 2012 Olympic Trials

His love of the sport also led him to support USATF on the administrative side of the sport.  He was involved in the transition from the Metropolitan Association to the New York Association in 2011. He was elected to be the Officials Chairperson and served in that role for "just" 2 years as he had cut his tenure short to undergo major cancer surgery. For the past seven years Ken has served as the Secretary for USATF New York.

  • About USATF New York
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Copyright 2025 USA Track & Field