Our local hero: Steve Prefontaine
This month our sleepy little part of the world will be jumping. This coming Sunday the Prefontaine Classic, one of the most important track and field meets in the United States will be held in Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, the largest city in southwest Oregon.
Although track and field (especially sprinting not long-distance) was one of my favorite sports in my youth, I drifted away from it and stopped paying much attention to it until I moved to the Coos Bay Area. But there's no way you can avoid it here. Steve Prefontaine was born here in Coos Bay in 1951 and was raised here until he went to U of O in Eugene. Everybody my age went to school with him and the street where he lived is named after him. Everyone calls him "Pre."
Pre was considered to be among the greatest long distance runners of the modern era and held the American record in the five distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He set the American record in the 5000 meters race which took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich but he failed to win any medals.
His track coach at U of O was Bill Bowerman, the founder of Nike, and Pre had an ongoing battle with the Amateur Athletic Union which did not regard him as an "amateur" because he had accepted free clothes and footwear from Nike.
Pre prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal but died May 30, 1975 at the age of 24 in a car accident. He was buried here in Coos Bay. (Coincidentally, the name of the Canadian athlete who carried the Olympic torch into thr stadium in Montreal was Steve Prefontaine.)
There are two movies about Pre: Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998) in which Donald Sutherland played the role of Bill Bowerman. I have seen the latter (it's excellent) and have just ordered the former from Netflix.
Originally started as the Hayward Field Restoration Race, in 1975 the name was changed to Prefontaine Classic on the namesake of the legendary University of Oregon distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontaine who was killed in a car accident a week prior to the meet. The meet is also referred to as the Nike Prefontaine Classic as Nike has been the title sponsor since 1978.Then, from June 27th till July 6th, the Olympic Track and Field Trials will be held in Hayward Field. All this is happening because of Prefontaine.
Although track and field (especially sprinting not long-distance) was one of my favorite sports in my youth, I drifted away from it and stopped paying much attention to it until I moved to the Coos Bay Area. But there's no way you can avoid it here. Steve Prefontaine was born here in Coos Bay in 1951 and was raised here until he went to U of O in Eugene. Everybody my age went to school with him and the street where he lived is named after him. Everyone calls him "Pre."
Pre was considered to be among the greatest long distance runners of the modern era and held the American record in the five distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He set the American record in the 5000 meters race which took him to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich but he failed to win any medals.
His track coach at U of O was Bill Bowerman, the founder of Nike, and Pre had an ongoing battle with the Amateur Athletic Union which did not regard him as an "amateur" because he had accepted free clothes and footwear from Nike.
Pre prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal but died May 30, 1975 at the age of 24 in a car accident. He was buried here in Coos Bay. (Coincidentally, the name of the Canadian athlete who carried the Olympic torch into thr stadium in Montreal was Steve Prefontaine.)
There are two movies about Pre: Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998) in which Donald Sutherland played the role of Bill Bowerman. I have seen the latter (it's excellent) and have just ordered the former from Netflix.
posted by Joubert at 11:07 PM
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