Fifty years in the past, the operating world misplaced certainly one of its most beloved legends. Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was killed in a automotive accident on Might 30, 1975, as he drove dwelling from a post-race get together on a winding highway in Eugene, Ore.
Simply 24 on the time of his dying, Prefontaine held each American document from 2,000 to 10,000 metres and was extensively seen as a medal contender for the boys’s 5,000m on the upcoming 1976 Olympics in Montreal. The crash occurred simply hours after he received a 5,000m race in a twin meet between the U.S. and Finland; a meet he had helped set up on the College of Oregon.
Pre, as he was identified by, was a nationwide record-setter in highschool rising up in Coos Bay, Ore., earlier than occurring to win seven NCAA titles for the College of Oregon. Whereas he by no means received an Olympic medal or set any world information, his character, competitiveness and front-running fashion an made him an icon.
Throughout his years at Oregon, Prefontaine turned one of many sport’s largest stars. In 1974, he signed a US$5,000 cope with an up-and-coming model known as Nike, changing into the primary runner to take action, and serving to propel the corporate’s rise within the operating shoe world.
Off the observe, Pre gave again to his neighborhood. He volunteered at an Oregon jail, advocated for modifications to restrictive amateurism guidelines, and labored to revive the wood grandstands at Hayward Discipline, the enduring observe venue in Eugene.
Within the days following his dying, Pre’s longtime coach, Invoice Bowermansat down at a typewriter and wrote a memo that might form the way forward for observe in Eugene. It learn, partially:
“Our Oregon Monitor Membership board met final Sunday. We concur in dwelling memorials to Pre—his goals, his inspiration, his ambition—that the meet he did a lot to make profitable ought to bear his title.”
With that, the Bowerman Traditional turned the Prefontaine Traditional, which is a reputation it nonetheless proudly carries to today.
5 issues you need to find out about Steve Prefontaine, on his birthday
