Oregon Ducks track and field
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Ducks Track and Field program is the intercollegiate track and field
team for the University of Oregon
located in the U.S. state of Oregon
. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Pacific-10 Conference. The team participates in indoor and outdoor track and field as well as cross country
. Known as the Ducks
, Oregon's first track and field team was fielded in 1895. The team holds its home meets at Hayward Field
in Eugene, Oregon
. Vin Lananna is the current head coach and since the program's inception in 1895, there have only been six permanent head coaches. The Ducks claim 17 NCAA National Championships among the three disciplines.
Due to its rich heritage, the home of the Ducks is popularly dubbed as Tracktown, USA. Four of the head coaches in Oregon's history have been inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame. Several people involved with the program have developed innovative coaching strategies and helped restructure amateur athletics. Alumni of the program have continued to the Olympics and professional ranks while some others have founded athletic corporations like Nike
and SPARQ.
Oregon's track and field history has been documented in two major motion films Without Limits
and Prefontaine as well as the books Bowerman and the Men of Oregon and Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend. Former coaches and alumni have also written a number of books on running instruction for both top end athletes and hobbyists.
coached Albany College's track team. Following Oregon's defeat at the hands of Albany College, Oregon hired Bill Hayward as the track and field head coach for the following season. Hayward's career at Oregon was long and illustrious, lasting 44 years as head coach. His athletes included nine Olympians
and produced five world record
s. In 1919, a new stadium was constructed for football
and named Hayward Field
for him. Two years following construction, a track was added and track schedules were transferred there from nearby Kincaid Field
.
's involvement with the university started before he became the track and field head coach in 1949. He attended the University of Oregon
and played football. Coach Bill Hayward, who Bowerman credits with teaching him how to run, convinced Bowerman to run track. Bowerman graduated from Oregon in 1934 with a degree in Business.
After his service in World War II
, Bowerman was hired by Oregon to replace the retiring Hayward after John Warren
's single year as interim head coach. Though Bowerman's title was head coach, he considered himself more of a teacher than a coach. He stressed schoolwork over athletics and urged his pupils to apply the values they learned participating in track and field to everyday life. During his time at Oregon, he brought four NCAA team championships to the university and coached 33 Olympians as well as 24 individual NCAA champions. He coached some of the world's best distance runners including Steve Prefontaine
and Alberto Salazar
.
Bowerman retired from coaching in 1972. While at Oregon, he also coached the USA Track and Field team and helped bring the U.S. Olympic Trials
to Hayward Field for the first time.
Steve Prefontaine
arrived on campus in 1969 and immediately, head coach Bowerman and assistant coach Bill Dellinger had their hands full to rein in the rebellious new athlete. The bold running style of Prefontaine, front-running, was a strategy that altered the pace of the sport. At one point, Prefontaine held every American distance record above the 2,000 meters and was thought of by many to be one of the greatest American runners in history. Prefontaine had never lost a race longer than a mile during his collegiate career and won a total of seven NCAA championships in track and field
and cross country
. He raced in the 5000m at the 1972 Olympics
in Munich
, placing fourth in the race. He died in an automobile accident in Eugene in 1975, at the peak of his career.
His accomplishments were not confined to the track. He was deeply resentful toward the treatment given toward amateur athletes. He had frequently butted heads with the Amateur Athletic Union
, calling the AAU a corrupt organization. His opinions played a major role in the passing of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
, legislation providing legal protection to amateur athletes.
Prefontaine, coupled with Frank Shorter
's success running the marathon
, is often credited with playing a role in the running boom in America in the 1970s. His legacy lives on in two movies documenting his life, Without Limits
and Prefontaine, as well as the Prefontaine Classic
, an annual track meet held at Hayward Field in his honor.
, partnered with Bowerman and revolutionized the sport with the formation of the shoe company giant, Nike
. Knight graduated from the University of Oregon in 1959 and went on to Stanford University
for graduate school. There, he developed the idea to import Japanese running shoes to the American market. After earning his MBA from Stanford, he returned to the University of Oregon where he and Bowerman struck a handshake deal in 1964, each with a $500 investment into a company called Blue Ribbon Sports to import Japanese running shoes. In the late 1960s, Bowerman's pursuit of lighter shoes for his athletes led him to develop a sole by pouring rubber into his wife's waffle iron, inventing the modern running shoe. After Knight decided to rename the company Nike and develop its own shoes, Bowerman's invention became the prototype for the company. The shoe made its debut in the 1972 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field with Steve Prefontaine as one of the early endorsers. Although Bowerman retired from coaching in 1972, he remained on Nike's board until 1999. In that time, Nike exploded into a multi-billion dollar company.
in the 1964 Summer Olympics
. After his athletic career, he joined Bowerman's staff in 1967 as an assistant coach where he helped coach Steve Prefontaine. He took over as head coach in 1973 after Bowerman's retirement. With Dellinger at the helm, Oregon's Cross Country team brought home four NCAA national championships and the track and field team brought home one NCAA national championship. He retired in 1998. The Bill Dellinger Invitational is an annual race held at Hayward Field in honor of the coach.
One of Dellinger's assistants, hired in 1975, Tom Heinonen, was promoted to the head coach for the women's cross country and track and field team in 1977. Prior to Heinonen, no other full time head coach at Oregon had exclusively coached the women's disciplines. He was a strong advocate for women's sports and was a force in making the Oregon Twilight Meet a co-ed event. Women's cross country and track and field blossomed under Heinonen's leadership. He led the women's team to win its first three NCAA team championships and coached 14 NCAA individual champions. He produced 134 All-Americans and his athletes made 17 appearances in the Olympics. He retired in 2003, after which the University of Oregon Athletic Department decided to combine the men's and women's programs under one head coach.
experimented with many coaching techniques during his time as a head coach at the University of Oregon
and instilled many of his principles from his days as a Major
in the US Army. For example, Bowerman pioneered in using film as a method of teaching technique to his athletes. With Bowerman's meticulous attention to details, he made other discoveries with regards to coaching track. The training schedules he developed for his athletes ran counter to many other coaches' principles at the time. He believed that each individual athlete was different and tailored different workout routines to different athletes. He also scaled his workouts up and down, giving some of his athletes rest on certain days for recovery time. This attention to detail also led him to become obsessed with experimentation of reducing the weight of his athletes' apparel and increasing the traction of their shoes which eventually led to the creation of the apparel company Nike
. Moreover, Bowerman considered himself more of a teacher than a coach and stressed schoolwork as well as mentoring his athletes with regards to life. Tom Heinonen, the former head coach of the Oregon women's track and field program was a strong advocate of female athletics at a time when female athletics were largely an afterthought. Steve Prefontaine
was vehemently outspoken against the Amateur Athletic Union
. Kenny Moore
, a former University of Oregon student who ran track under Bowerman, was one of the speakers at the President's Commission on Olympic Sports, a series of hearings regarding amateur sports. These efforts along with those from other amateur athletes eventually culminated in the passage of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
.
Bowerman and his athletes' philosophy and stories were documented by Kenny Moore. Moore wrote the book Bowerman and the Men of Oregon and practiced journalism, most notably for Sports Illustrated
. He also was the screenwriter with Robert Towne
for Without Limits
, a movie that told the story of Prefontaine and Bowerman. In addition, he was also an actor in Personal Best, a movie with track and field as one of the central themes. Bowerman himself wrote several books on the sport of running including High Performance Training for Track and Field which details coaching instruction for high level competition. He also wrote a book with a cardiologist called Jogging which detailed the medical benefits of jogging
, to which many credited its exploding popularity. Bowerman's successor, Bill Dellinger, also authored a number of books regarding running including Competitive Runner's Training Book, The Running Experience and Winning Running.
The program's coaching extended beyond just within the program itself. Bowerman had his athletes mentor the community and continued to be active in the sport after his retirement. He was also a coach for the US Olympic team in 1972
and an assistant coach in 1968 US Olympic Team
. Bill Dellinger coached the distance runners in the 1984 Olympic Games
. After Dellinger retired from the University of Oregon, he continued to coach running on a consulting basis despite suffering through a stroke. Tom Heinonen remained a running coach after his retirement at the volunteer level for the University of Oregon Running Club. Alumnus Alberto Salazar
became a noted marathon coach after his running days under the employ of Nike. Salazar used controversial coaching tactics like tweaking runners' natural running form, but had coached many athletes to the apex of their careers. He launched an experimental training program called the Oregon Project financed by Nike with the purpose of integrating African
runners' training conditions into American training mixed with modern technology. He also discovered similarities in running posture between sprinters and top level distance runners, two disciplines previously thought to be exceedingly different. Instilling some of these methods into American runners, he was able to coach Kara Goucher
to a third place finish in the Boston Marathon
in 2009, an event that East Africans
typically dominate. Similar to his collegiate coaches, he wrote a pair of books about distance running. Matt Centrowitz
, another University of Oregon alumnus, took the American University
track and field program to prominence since the rebirth of the program in 1999.
, constructed in 1902 as an athletic field. In 1919, Hayward Field
was constructed for football events and two years later, a track was installed around the field as the track and field team moved in. Kincaid field was torn down in 1922.
Autzen Stadium
was opened in 1967 and the football team moved out of Hayward Field. At that point, Hayward Field became exclusively a track and field stadium. The venue had undergone significant upgrades since then including the Bowerman Building in 1992, the Powell Plaza in 2005, an indoor facilities upgrade in 2006, and new equipment in 2007.
Hayward Field has been host to numerous national track and field events such as the U.S. Olympic Trials, NCAA Championships, and the USA Track and Field Championships. No other venue has hosted more NCAA Championships and no other venue had held three consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials. Many have attested to the magical aura of Hayward field, citing many personal bests run at the venue. Credit often goes to the regular attendance of knowledgeable track and field fans for the phenomenon.
is the Oregon State Beavers
, called the Civil War
. This fierce rivalry extended to the track and field programs, where for a period, they met twice a year. However, due to budgetary concerns, Oregon State University
dropped the track and field program in 1988 and the rivalry ended. Plans are underway to reinstate the program by 2014, at which point the rivalry may continue.
The UCLA Bruins
became an Oregon rival in track and field as the two powerhouse programs battled each other in a series of dual meets. Oregon's program was ranked in the top 3 nationally in dual meets by Track & Field News
thirteen times between 1970 and 1996 and was ranked number 1 three times. The UCLA squad achieved a number 1 ranking from the same publication eleven times within the same time frame. In 1966, the two programs met head to head for the first time. The Bruins displayed their dominance at the dual meet and won nine straight against the Ducks. Oregon head coach Bill Bowerman
in 1971 called the Bruins team the best dual meet team in the country. It wasn't until 1978 that Oregon earned its first victory in the series, which ended UCLA's 34 dual meet winning streak. Oregon won the next three meets and the series ended in 1985 with a UCLA win. The dual meet event was fading out of favor in collegiate track and field and the Oregon-UCLA dual meet was discontinued with UCLA holding the advantage over the Ducks 10-4. In 1994, the Pepsi Team Invitational which included Oregon, UCLA and Washington
was scored as a dual meet, which UCLA won. In 2008, the dual meet series between the two schools restarted and Oregon won the first three meets. Although the location of the meet had alternated between Eugene and Los Angeles
between 1966 and 1976, all subsequent meets have been held at Hayward Field
in Oregon.
Notes: Also coached on the US Olympic Team Only coached the women's track and field and cross country team Member of the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame
Some of the most famed players from the program emerged from distance running. Steve Prefontaine
held numerous American distance running records and never lost a collegiate distance running match. Alberto Salazar
won three consecutive New York Marathons and added a Boston Marathon
victory to the list.
Alumni have also had illustrious coaching careers. Bill Bowerman
and Bill Dellinger both became Oregon coaches. Alberto Salazar became a distance running coach after his running days. Others have found success related to track and field but not directly in the sport. Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight
both co-founded Nike. Tinker Hatfield
ran track and Oregon while studying architecture and later became a famous shoe designer for Nike. Rudy Chapa
, a successful distance runner in his own right, founded SPARQ, an athletic equipment company.
There have been several members of the track and field team that lettered in other sports, particularly football
. Mel Renfro
is primarily known for being inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame but he also achieved a world record in the 440 yard relay in 1962 while running in the track and field program for Oregon. Jordan Kent
, a former professional football player, was a rare three sport letterman in track, basketball
, and football. The 2010 Doak Walker Award
winner, LaMichael James
, ran track during the football offseason. One of the first multi-sport athletes with the Oregon Ducks was the former head coach Bill Bowerman, who played football and ran track under Bill Hayward
in both sports.
, at least one athlete from the University of Oregon has participated in each of the Summer Olympics since. This includes the 1980 Summer Olympics
which the United States
boycotted, when Chris Braithwaite competed for Trinidad
, his native country.
Out of the scores of Olympians that claim the University of Oregon as their alma mater, the following have received medals:
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team for the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
located in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Pacific-10 Conference. The team participates in indoor and outdoor track and field as well as cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
. Known as the Ducks
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
, Oregon's first track and field team was fielded in 1895. The team holds its home meets at Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. Vin Lananna is the current head coach and since the program's inception in 1895, there have only been six permanent head coaches. The Ducks claim 17 NCAA National Championships among the three disciplines.
Due to its rich heritage, the home of the Ducks is popularly dubbed as Tracktown, USA. Four of the head coaches in Oregon's history have been inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame. Several people involved with the program have developed innovative coaching strategies and helped restructure amateur athletics. Alumni of the program have continued to the Olympics and professional ranks while some others have founded athletic corporations like Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and SPARQ.
Oregon's track and field history has been documented in two major motion films Without Limits
Without Limits
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc....
and Prefontaine as well as the books Bowerman and the Men of Oregon and Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend. Former coaches and alumni have also written a number of books on running instruction for both top end athletes and hobbyists.
Early History
The first track team was established in 1895 with head coach Joseph Wetherbee. The coach remained for only one year and the following four coaches, William O'Trine, J.C. Higgins, C.A. Redmond, and William Ray, also remained for extremely short durations. With such sporadic coaching changes, the Oregon track and field team struggled with inconsistencies, although the university did win six of seven meets in 1895.Bill Hayward era
In 1903, Bill HaywardBill Hayward
William Louis "Colonel Bill" Hayward was a track and field coach for the University of Oregon for 44 years, and a coach for six United States Olympics teams.-Athletic career:...
coached Albany College's track team. Following Oregon's defeat at the hands of Albany College, Oregon hired Bill Hayward as the track and field head coach for the following season. Hayward's career at Oregon was long and illustrious, lasting 44 years as head coach. His athletes included nine Olympians
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and produced five world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s. In 1919, a new stadium was constructed for football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and named Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
for him. Two years following construction, a track was added and track schedules were transferred there from nearby Kincaid Field
Kincaid Field
Kincaid Field was an athletic field located at the University of Oregon. The University acquired the property and used it for athletics from ca. 1902 until 1922, with Hayward Field succeeding its role. Kincaid Field was located on what is now the Memorial Quadrangle.- External links :*...
.
Bill Bowerman era
Bill BowermanBill Bowerman
William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...
's involvement with the university started before he became the track and field head coach in 1949. He attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and played football. Coach Bill Hayward, who Bowerman credits with teaching him how to run, convinced Bowerman to run track. Bowerman graduated from Oregon in 1934 with a degree in Business.
After his service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bowerman was hired by Oregon to replace the retiring Hayward after John Warren
John A. Warren
-Basketball:-External links:* * at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
's single year as interim head coach. Though Bowerman's title was head coach, he considered himself more of a teacher than a coach. He stressed schoolwork over athletics and urged his pupils to apply the values they learned participating in track and field to everyday life. During his time at Oregon, he brought four NCAA team championships to the university and coached 33 Olympians as well as 24 individual NCAA champions. He coached some of the world's best distance runners including Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
and Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
.
Bowerman retired from coaching in 1972. While at Oregon, he also coached the USA Track and Field team and helped bring the U.S. Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
to Hayward Field for the first time.
Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
arrived on campus in 1969 and immediately, head coach Bowerman and assistant coach Bill Dellinger had their hands full to rein in the rebellious new athlete. The bold running style of Prefontaine, front-running, was a strategy that altered the pace of the sport. At one point, Prefontaine held every American distance record above the 2,000 meters and was thought of by many to be one of the greatest American runners in history. Prefontaine had never lost a race longer than a mile during his collegiate career and won a total of seven NCAA championships in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
. He raced in the 5000m at the 1972 Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, placing fourth in the race. He died in an automobile accident in Eugene in 1975, at the peak of his career.
His accomplishments were not confined to the track. He was deeply resentful toward the treatment given toward amateur athletes. He had frequently butted heads with the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
, calling the AAU a corrupt organization. His opinions played a major role in the passing of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
Amateur Sports Act of 1978
The Amateur Sports Act of 1978, , establishes a United States Olympic Committee and provides for national governing bodies for each Olympic sport...
, legislation providing legal protection to amateur athletes.
Prefontaine, coupled with Frank Shorter
Frank Shorter
Frank Charles Shorter is a former American long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His victory is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States of the 1970s....
's success running the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, is often credited with playing a role in the running boom in America in the 1970s. His legacy lives on in two movies documenting his life, Without Limits
Without Limits
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc....
and Prefontaine, as well as the Prefontaine Classic
Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
, an annual track meet held at Hayward Field in his honor.
Nike
Another one of Bowerman's pupils, Phil KnightPhil Knight
Philip Hampson "Phil" Knight is an American business magnate. He is the co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. He resigned as the company's chief executive officer in 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board...
, partnered with Bowerman and revolutionized the sport with the formation of the shoe company giant, Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
. Knight graduated from the University of Oregon in 1959 and went on to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
for graduate school. There, he developed the idea to import Japanese running shoes to the American market. After earning his MBA from Stanford, he returned to the University of Oregon where he and Bowerman struck a handshake deal in 1964, each with a $500 investment into a company called Blue Ribbon Sports to import Japanese running shoes. In the late 1960s, Bowerman's pursuit of lighter shoes for his athletes led him to develop a sole by pouring rubber into his wife's waffle iron, inventing the modern running shoe. After Knight decided to rename the company Nike and develop its own shoes, Bowerman's invention became the prototype for the company. The shoe made its debut in the 1972 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field with Steve Prefontaine as one of the early endorsers. Although Bowerman retired from coaching in 1972, he remained on Nike's board until 1999. In that time, Nike exploded into a multi-billion dollar company.
Bill Dellinger and Tom Heinonen era
Like his predecessor, Bill Dellinger's involvement with the University of Oregon began before his coaching career. He lettered in track at the university, graduating in 1956 and won a Bronze medalBronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. After his athletic career, he joined Bowerman's staff in 1967 as an assistant coach where he helped coach Steve Prefontaine. He took over as head coach in 1973 after Bowerman's retirement. With Dellinger at the helm, Oregon's Cross Country team brought home four NCAA national championships and the track and field team brought home one NCAA national championship. He retired in 1998. The Bill Dellinger Invitational is an annual race held at Hayward Field in honor of the coach.
One of Dellinger's assistants, hired in 1975, Tom Heinonen, was promoted to the head coach for the women's cross country and track and field team in 1977. Prior to Heinonen, no other full time head coach at Oregon had exclusively coached the women's disciplines. He was a strong advocate for women's sports and was a force in making the Oregon Twilight Meet a co-ed event. Women's cross country and track and field blossomed under Heinonen's leadership. He led the women's team to win its first three NCAA team championships and coached 14 NCAA individual champions. He produced 134 All-Americans and his athletes made 17 appearances in the Olympics. He retired in 2003, after which the University of Oregon Athletic Department decided to combine the men's and women's programs under one head coach.
Vin Lananna era
In 2005, Vin Lananna was hired to become the track and field head coach, replacing Martin Smith who resigned after the previous season. Lananna was already a decorated head coach from Stanford with five NCAA national championships under his belt. At Oregon, he led four teams to win NCAA national championships by his fifth year, including the first two indoor national championships in school history. He also attracted the Olympic Trials, the NCAA Track and Field Championships, and the USA Track and Field Championships to Eugene for multiple years.Impact on running
The people involved in the Oregon track and field program have led changes that benefited professional athletes and coaches, as well as running enthusiasts. Bill BowermanBill Bowerman
William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...
experimented with many coaching techniques during his time as a head coach at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and instilled many of his principles from his days as a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the US Army. For example, Bowerman pioneered in using film as a method of teaching technique to his athletes. With Bowerman's meticulous attention to details, he made other discoveries with regards to coaching track. The training schedules he developed for his athletes ran counter to many other coaches' principles at the time. He believed that each individual athlete was different and tailored different workout routines to different athletes. He also scaled his workouts up and down, giving some of his athletes rest on certain days for recovery time. This attention to detail also led him to become obsessed with experimentation of reducing the weight of his athletes' apparel and increasing the traction of their shoes which eventually led to the creation of the apparel company Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
. Moreover, Bowerman considered himself more of a teacher than a coach and stressed schoolwork as well as mentoring his athletes with regards to life. Tom Heinonen, the former head coach of the Oregon women's track and field program was a strong advocate of female athletics at a time when female athletics were largely an afterthought. Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
was vehemently outspoken against the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
. Kenny Moore
Kenny Moore
Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Moore is an American athlete and journalist. At the University of Oregon, Moore was one of Bill Bowerman's finest distance runners. After college, Moore ran in the Olympic marathon at both Mexico City and Munich, finishing fourth in 1972...
, a former University of Oregon student who ran track under Bowerman, was one of the speakers at the President's Commission on Olympic Sports, a series of hearings regarding amateur sports. These efforts along with those from other amateur athletes eventually culminated in the passage of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
Amateur Sports Act of 1978
The Amateur Sports Act of 1978, , establishes a United States Olympic Committee and provides for national governing bodies for each Olympic sport...
.
Bowerman and his athletes' philosophy and stories were documented by Kenny Moore. Moore wrote the book Bowerman and the Men of Oregon and practiced journalism, most notably for Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. He also was the screenwriter with Robert Towne
Robert Towne
Robert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
for Without Limits
Without Limits
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc....
, a movie that told the story of Prefontaine and Bowerman. In addition, he was also an actor in Personal Best, a movie with track and field as one of the central themes. Bowerman himself wrote several books on the sport of running including High Performance Training for Track and Field which details coaching instruction for high level competition. He also wrote a book with a cardiologist called Jogging which detailed the medical benefits of jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, to which many credited its exploding popularity. Bowerman's successor, Bill Dellinger, also authored a number of books regarding running including Competitive Runner's Training Book, The Running Experience and Winning Running.
The program's coaching extended beyond just within the program itself. Bowerman had his athletes mentor the community and continued to be active in the sport after his retirement. He was also a coach for the US Olympic team in 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and an assistant coach in 1968 US Olympic Team
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
. Bill Dellinger coached the distance runners in the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. After Dellinger retired from the University of Oregon, he continued to coach running on a consulting basis despite suffering through a stroke. Tom Heinonen remained a running coach after his retirement at the volunteer level for the University of Oregon Running Club. Alumnus Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
became a noted marathon coach after his running days under the employ of Nike. Salazar used controversial coaching tactics like tweaking runners' natural running form, but had coached many athletes to the apex of their careers. He launched an experimental training program called the Oregon Project financed by Nike with the purpose of integrating African
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
runners' training conditions into American training mixed with modern technology. He also discovered similarities in running posture between sprinters and top level distance runners, two disciplines previously thought to be exceedingly different. Instilling some of these methods into American runners, he was able to coach Kara Goucher
Kara Goucher
Kara Goucher is an American long-distance runner.-Personal life:Goucher was born in Queens, New York. When she was 4 years old her family moved to Duluth, Minnesota after her father was killed by a drunk driver on the Harlem River Drive...
to a third place finish in the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
in 2009, an event that East Africans
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
typically dominate. Similar to his collegiate coaches, he wrote a pair of books about distance running. Matt Centrowitz
Matt Centrowitz
Matthew Centrowitz is a two-time Olympic distance runner, a four-time United States champion, a collegiate All-American, a nationally renowned high school athlete, and a collegiate cross country and track coach....
, another University of Oregon alumnus, took the American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
track and field program to prominence since the rebirth of the program in 1999.
Venues
The early teams ran at Kincaid FieldKincaid Field
Kincaid Field was an athletic field located at the University of Oregon. The University acquired the property and used it for athletics from ca. 1902 until 1922, with Hayward Field succeeding its role. Kincaid Field was located on what is now the Memorial Quadrangle.- External links :*...
, constructed in 1902 as an athletic field. In 1919, Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
was constructed for football events and two years later, a track was installed around the field as the track and field team moved in. Kincaid field was torn down in 1922.
Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific-12 Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone several expansions...
was opened in 1967 and the football team moved out of Hayward Field. At that point, Hayward Field became exclusively a track and field stadium. The venue had undergone significant upgrades since then including the Bowerman Building in 1992, the Powell Plaza in 2005, an indoor facilities upgrade in 2006, and new equipment in 2007.
Hayward Field has been host to numerous national track and field events such as the U.S. Olympic Trials, NCAA Championships, and the USA Track and Field Championships. No other venue has hosted more NCAA Championships and no other venue had held three consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials. Many have attested to the magical aura of Hayward field, citing many personal bests run at the venue. Credit often goes to the regular attendance of knowledgeable track and field fans for the phenomenon.
Rivalries
The traditional rival of the Oregon DucksOregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
is the Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
, called the Civil War
Civil War (college rivalry)
The Civil War is a college rivalry between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. The rivalry is one of the oldest in the nation, dating back to 1894 when the two universities' football teams first met. Although the college football game is the most popular rivalry, the two...
. This fierce rivalry extended to the track and field programs, where for a period, they met twice a year. However, due to budgetary concerns, Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
dropped the track and field program in 1988 and the rivalry ended. Plans are underway to reinstate the program by 2014, at which point the rivalry may continue.
The UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
became an Oregon rival in track and field as the two powerhouse programs battled each other in a series of dual meets. Oregon's program was ranked in the top 3 nationally in dual meets by Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
thirteen times between 1970 and 1996 and was ranked number 1 three times. The UCLA squad achieved a number 1 ranking from the same publication eleven times within the same time frame. In 1966, the two programs met head to head for the first time. The Bruins displayed their dominance at the dual meet and won nine straight against the Ducks. Oregon head coach Bill Bowerman
Bill Bowerman
William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...
in 1971 called the Bruins team the best dual meet team in the country. It wasn't until 1978 that Oregon earned its first victory in the series, which ended UCLA's 34 dual meet winning streak. Oregon won the next three meets and the series ended in 1985 with a UCLA win. The dual meet event was fading out of favor in collegiate track and field and the Oregon-UCLA dual meet was discontinued with UCLA holding the advantage over the Ducks 10-4. In 1994, the Pepsi Team Invitational which included Oregon, UCLA and Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
was scored as a dual meet, which UCLA won. In 2008, the dual meet series between the two schools restarted and Oregon won the first three meets. Although the location of the meet had alternated between Eugene and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
between 1966 and 1976, all subsequent meets have been held at Hayward Field
Hayward Field
Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is one of the best-known historic track and field stadiums in the United States. Nearly a century in age, it was the home of the University of Oregon's football team from 1919 through 1966, and has been the home to the Ducks' track and field teams since 1921...
in Oregon.
Head coaches
Prior to Bill Hayward in 1904, four coaches led the Oregon track and field teams for just one year including Joseph W. Wetherbee (1895), J.C. Higgins (1897), C.A. Redmond (1902), and William Ray (1903). John Warren was the interim head coach in 1948 before Bill Bowerman took over for Bill Hayward. In a similar fashion to the men's team, three head coaches led the women's team on a part-time basis including Lois Youngen (1972), Ron Brinkert (1973-1974), and Rob Ritson (1975-1976) before Tom Heinonen arrived to provide consistency at the helm. The following coaches are a chronology of Oregon track and field head coaches that served for terms greater than two years:| Coach | Term | | NCAA Team Championships |
|---|---|---|
| William O' Trine | 1896, 1898-1901 | 0 |
| Bill Hayward Bill Hayward William Louis "Colonel Bill" Hayward was a track and field coach for the University of Oregon for 44 years, and a coach for six United States Olympics teams.-Athletic career:... |
1904-1947 | 0 |
| Bill Bowerman Bill Bowerman William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers... |
1949-1972 | 5 |
| Bill Dellinger | 1973-1998 | 4 |
| Tom Heinonen | 1977-2003 | 3 |
| Martin Smith | 1998-2005 | 0 |
| Vin Lananna | 2006-present | 5 |
Notes: Also coached on the US Olympic Team Only coached the women's track and field and cross country team Member of the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame
Notable athletes
The track and field program over the years has created dozens of NCAA individual champions and hundreds of All Americans. Alumni have gone on to medal in the Olympics, win big city marathons, and win national championships at the professional level.Some of the most famed players from the program emerged from distance running. Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
held numerous American distance running records and never lost a collegiate distance running match. Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar
Alberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
won three consecutive New York Marathons and added a Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
victory to the list.
Alumni have also had illustrious coaching careers. Bill Bowerman
Bill Bowerman
William Jay "Bill" Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers...
and Bill Dellinger both became Oregon coaches. Alberto Salazar became a distance running coach after his running days. Others have found success related to track and field but not directly in the sport. Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson "Phil" Knight is an American business magnate. He is the co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. He resigned as the company's chief executive officer in 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board...
both co-founded Nike. Tinker Hatfield
Tinker hatfield
Tinker Haven Hatfield is the renowned designer of many of Nike's most popular and innovative athletic shoe designs, including the Air Jordan III through Air Jordan XV, the twentieth anniversary Air Jordan XX, the final numbered Air Jordan, the XXIII, the 2010 and other athletic sneakers including...
ran track and Oregon while studying architecture and later became a famous shoe designer for Nike. Rudy Chapa
Rudy Chapa
Rodolfo Chapa is a Mexican-American businessman who had a successful school career as a runner. He is the son of Mexican immigrants. His father Rodolfo Sr. came to the U.S. as a mechanic through the Bracero program...
, a successful distance runner in his own right, founded SPARQ, an athletic equipment company.
There have been several members of the track and field team that lettered in other sports, particularly football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. Mel Renfro
Mel Renfro
Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...
is primarily known for being inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame but he also achieved a world record in the 440 yard relay in 1962 while running in the track and field program for Oregon. Jordan Kent
Jordan Kent
Jordan Russell Kent is a free agent American football wide receiver who last played for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon.-Early years:Kent attended Winston...
, a former professional football player, was a rare three sport letterman in track, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and football. The 2010 Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
winner, LaMichael James
LaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
, ran track during the football offseason. One of the first multi-sport athletes with the Oregon Ducks was the former head coach Bill Bowerman, who played football and ran track under Bill Hayward
Bill Hayward
William Louis "Colonel Bill" Hayward was a track and field coach for the University of Oregon for 44 years, and a coach for six United States Olympics teams.-Athletic career:...
in both sports.
Olympians
Since Oregon's first Olympian, Dan Kelly, who finished second place in the 1908 Summer Olympics1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
, at least one athlete from the University of Oregon has participated in each of the Summer Olympics since. This includes the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
boycotted, when Chris Braithwaite competed for Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, his native country.
Out of the scores of Olympians that claim the University of Oregon as their alma mater, the following have received medals:
| Name | Country | Year | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Kelly |  United States |
1908 | Broad jump | Silver |
| Martin Hawkins Martin Hawkins Martin William Hawkins was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 metre hurdles.He competed for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden in the 110 metre hurdles where he won the bronze medal.A track star at the University of Oregon, Hawkins later... |
United States |
1912 | High hurdles | Bronze |
| Ralph Hill Ralph Hill Ralph Anthony Hill was an American long distance runner.Hill studied at the University of Oregon when competing in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on the 5000 m. In an exciting race on Aug 5 1932, he came in second behind Lauri Lehtinen, with each runner recording a time of 14.30,0... |
United States |
1932 | 5,000 meters | Silver |
| Mack Robinson | United States |
1936 | 200 meters | Silver |
| Otis Davis Otis Davis For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.... |
United States |
1960 | 400 meters | Gold |
| Otis Davis Otis Davis For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.... |
United States |
1960 | 4x400 meter relay | Gold |
| Bill Dellinger | United States |
1964 | 5,000 meters | Bronze |
| Harry Jerome Harry Jerome Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics.... |
 Canada |
1964 | 100 meters | Bronze |
| Mac Wilkins Mac Wilkins Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon.... |
United States |
1976 | Discus | Gold |
| Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Carvalho Cruz is a former Brazilian athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only four men to run the 800 m in less than 1:42.... |
 Brazil |
1984 | 800 meters | Gold |
| Mac Wilkins Mac Wilkins Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon.... |
United States |
1984 | Discus | Silver |
| Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Cruz Joaquim Carvalho Cruz is a former Brazilian athlete, winner of the 800 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only four men to run the 800 m in less than 1:42.... |
Brazil |
1988 | 800 meters | Silver |
| Lisa Martin Lisa Martin Lisa Frances Martin is a retired female long-distance runner from Australia.At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul the 28-year-old won a silver medal in marathon, only 13 seconds behind Portuguese running star Rosa Mota. Other achievements include gold medals in marathon at the 1986 and 1990... |
 Australia |
1988 | Marathon | Silver |
World record holders
The following athletes from Oregon have achieved world records:| Name | Year | Event | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Kelly | 1906 | 100 yards | 9.6 |
| Dan Kelly | 1906 | 220 yards | 21.1 |
| Ed Moeller | 1929 | Discus | 160-7.7 |
| George Varoff George Varoff George Dimitri Varoff was an American pole vaulter.-Early life:Varoff was born in Hawaii to Ukrainian immigrants and grew up in San Francisco, where he competed for Balboa High School... |
1936 | Pole vault | 14-6.5 |
| Les Steers | 1941 | High jump | 6-11 |
| Bill Dellinger | 1959 | 2-mile (indoor) | 8:49.9 |
| Bill Dellinger | 1959 | 3-mile (indoor) | 13:37.0 |
| Roscoe Cook | 1959 | 100 yards | 9.3 |
| Roscoe Cook | 1959 | 60 yards (indoor) | 6.0 |
| Harry Jerome Harry Jerome Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics.... |
1960 | 100m | 10.0 |
| Otis Davis Otis Davis For the baseball player, see Otis Davis Otis Crandall Davis is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics.... |
1960 | 400m | 44.9 |
| Roscoe Cook | 1961 | 60 yards (indoor) | 6.0 |
| Harry Jerome Harry Jerome Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics.... |
1961 | 100 yards | 9.3 |
| Harry Jerome Harry Jerome Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics.... |
1962 | 100 yards | 9.2 |
| Jerry Tarr Jerry Tarr Gerald LaVern Tarr is a former collegiate and professional American football player who played in one AFL season for the Denver Broncos. Tarr was also a successful college track and field athlete.... , Mike Gaechter Mike Gaechter Michael Theodore Gaechter is a former American football safety in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys... , Mel Renfro Mel Renfro Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:... , Harry Jerome Harry Jerome Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics.... |
1962 | 440 yard relay | 40.0 |
| Archie San Romani, Vic Reeve, Keith Forman, Dyrol Burleson Dyrol Burleson Dyrol Jay Burleson is a retired middle-distance runner from the United States, who grew up in Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States.He now spends most of his time caring for his goats, llamas, and single alpaca.... |
1962 | 4 mile relay | 16:08.9 |
| Neal Steinhauer Neal Steinhauer Neal Steinhauer is a retired male shot putter from the United States. He won the silver medal in the men's shot put event at the 1967 Pan American Games, behind Randy Matson. A one-time American national champion Steinhauer set his personal best in the men's shot put event on March 25, 1967 at a... |
1967 | Shot put (indoor) | 67-10 |
| Roscoe Divine, Wade Bell Wade Bell Charles Wade Bell is a former middle distance runner from the United States, who competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He is best known for winning the gold medal in the men's 800 metres event at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada.-References:*... , Arne Kvalheim Arne Kvalheim Arne Kvalheim is a retired Norwegian long-distance runner. He is the brother of Knut Kvalheim.He finished fourth at the 1974 European Indoor Championships and sixth at the 1974 European Championships... , Dave Wilborn Dave Wilborn Dave Wilborn was an American jazz singer and banjoist, best known for his time as a member of McKinney's Cotton Pickers.-Biography:... |
1968 | 4 mile relay | 16:05.0 |
| Mac Wilkins Mac Wilkins Maurice "Mac" Wilkins is an American athlete, who competed mainly in the discus throw. He was born in Eugene, Oregon.... |
1976 | Discus | 232-6 |
| Brian Crouser Brian Crouser Brian David Crouser is a retired male javelin thrower from the United States, who twice competed at the Summer Olympics during his career.-Biography:... |
1986 | Javelin | 262-0 |
| Ashton Eaton Ashton Eaton Ashton Eaton is an American decathlete, who competes for the Oregon Track Club Elite team based in Eugene, Oregon. He currently holds the world record in the heptathlon.-College career:... |
2010 | Heptathlon (indoor) | 6,499 |
| Ashton Eaton Ashton Eaton Ashton Eaton is an American decathlete, who competes for the Oregon Track Club Elite team based in Eugene, Oregon. He currently holds the world record in the heptathlon.-College career:... |
2011 | Heptathlon (indoor) | 6,568 |
Other athletes
| Name | Degree(s) | Year(s) | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. M.Ed. |
1934 1953 |
Co-founder of Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... , former track and field head coach for the Oregon Ducks Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field... |
||
| 1986 | Four-time USA Champion in the 5000m, head coach of the restarted track program at American University American University American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893... |
|||
| B.A. | 1981 | Founder and CEO of SPARQ | ||
| B.S. M.Ed. |
1956 1962 |
Former track and field head coach for the Oregon Ducks Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field... |
||
| B.S. | 1986 | Two-time Olympian, Record setting hammer thrower | ||
| B.Arch | 1976 | Shoe designer for Nike Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
||
| B.B.A | 1959 | Co-founder, chairman, and former CEO of Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area... |
||
| B.A. M.F.A. |
1966 1972 |
Long distance runner, journalist and author | ||
| B.S. | 1974 | Record setting long distance runner | ||
| B.A. | 2009 | Inaugural winner of the Bowerman Award | ||
| B.A. | 1981 | Marathon runner and coach | ||
| 2010 | Olympian in the 800m |