John Kenneth Doherty (May 16, 1905 – April 19, 1996) was an American decathlon champion, college track and field coach, author and longtime director of the Penn Relays.

Born of Canadian parents who crossed the Detroit River to find work in Detroit, Michigan, Doherty recalled learning about track and field at age six when the local pole vault champion lived across the street: "I took my mother's clothes pole and tried to clear a string stretched across two fence posts.

[7] He trained indoor on a track built in the 1880s for City College's "Old Main," when that large building served as Detroit's Central High School.

Doherty graduated from Detroit City College in 1927 and enrolled at the University of Michigan where he trained for the Olympics under Wolverines track coaches, Steve Farrell and Charles B.

[7][8] In 1928 Doherty won the decathlon at the United States Olympic Trials (which doubled as the AAU national outdoor championships) with a score of 7,600.52 points; due to poor weather conditions, the competition was held over three days instead of the usual two.

[10] Doherty was in fifth place for most of the Olympic competition, but moved into third as a result of his performance in the javelin throw and running the 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 54 seconds.

"[12] Doherty reported that he felt fresh after the 1929 decathlon championship taking in a banquet and motion-picture show the night after the competition and arising the next day "to make a 350-mile auto trip without a feeling of strain or exhaustion.

[5] Doherty, described as "a lean, quiet Scot,"[13] retired from competition in 1929 and accepted a position as a coach at Detroit Southwestern High School in 1929.

[17] Doherty drew national publicity in February 1957 when he suspended 20-year-old runner (and future movie star) Bruce Dern from the Penn track team.

"[7] When Doherty kicked Dern off the team after he refused to cut his hair, Fabricus recalled that people told him, "You can't do that.

In 1956–1969, Doherty served as the meet director for the Penn Relays, a three-day event that became known as "the world's largest track and field carnival.

In addition to his work as a meet director, Doherty conducted track clinics in the Soviet Union, Finland, Canada and India.

"[20] The Omnibook, published in four editions and in print until 1995,[21] was the first comprehensive book on track coaching; it went beyond technique and also covered sports psychology and methods of motivation.

[24] Prior to his induction into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, Doherty had been chairman of the selection committee for two years.