Robert Kane was a celebrated sports administrator.

Kane attended Ithaca High School

Ithaca High School (Ithaca, New York)

Ithaca High School is a public high school in Ithaca, New York. It is part of the Ithaca City School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 1,675. Jarett Powers has been principal since 2011.-About:...

 and Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

, where he established himself as a talented sprinter. As a senior at Cornell, he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society.

In 1936, Kane was the manager of the U.S. Olympic track team. He became Acting Director of Cornell Athletics from 1941 to 1944 and then served as the Director of Cornell Athletics from 1944 to 1971, succeeding James Lynah

James Lynah

James Lynah was an American businessman and sports administrator who is considered the principal founder of the Eastern College Athletic Conference....

. Kane served as the Dean of Physical Education and Athletics before from 1971 to 1976. Kane was also a leader of national and international influence who capped three decades in the Olympic movement as president of the United States Olympic Committee

United States Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...

 from 1977 to 80. He founded the National Sports Festival, later renamed the U.S. Olympic Festival. Kane was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Kane is also the author of Good Sports: A History of Cornell Athletics.