And I think, Im sorry. Click here to watch Jalen & Jacoby, Grantland Features, and video podcasts. Prefontaines rivals inthe AAU? The two agreed to go for a training run the next morning to continue the conversation. Sports Illustrated made him the subject of a cover story in June of his freshman year as a 19-year-old. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Like his fans Pres People, they often called themselves Prefontaine had a strong independent streak that he didnt try to hide, a chip on his shoulder that made him relatable to the typical Coos Bay resident. In between them is an empty patch of grass where Prefontaines sister, Linda, said she will be buried when her time comes. He was recognized on campus by runners and non-runners. He remembers the sight of a bunch of muddied, darkened shirts of the track team as they slogged their way around the loop. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. McClure turned away those universities that began trying to recruit him late. The Marshfield High School track is dedicated to him. He began running when he joined the high school cross country team in 1965. Arne Alvarado, a 16-year-old at South Eugene High School, was at home on Skyline Boulevard. to earn a berth on the U.S. Olympic team that would compete in West Germany, You have no appetite. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Oh, Shorter told me he said toPrefontaine. Pre was trying to be a world-class distance runner, Tyson said, but it was a lifestyle of simplicity. In front of Moores house, he sat in the drivers seat of the car and spoke with Shorter. Prefontaine set eight collegiate records while running for the Oregon Ducks and at one time held every American distance running record, from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters. Linda is adamant that Prefontaine wasnt impaired that night. [3][28][29] The official cause of death was traumatic asphyxiation and he had no other injuries that contributed. A quiz about a great running legend and American hero. But I just dont want to be a part of that. Oops, something didn't work. Linda remembers waking upthatmorning and receiving the call that her brother had died in a car wreck. Prefontaine and Tysonhad trouble rationing the five-gallon tank of water for the shower after six-mile training runs. Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine. Minnesota Golden Gopher Head Football Coach P.J. At one point shortly after his college career, he would hold every Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Prefontaine is wearing a white jacket trimmed with red with a Nike logo stitched on his left chest. This high school kid from Coos Bay is running faster than I am.. Running was becoming more popular everywhere. Born in Coos Bay on January 25, 1951, Prefontaine first attracted the notice of the distance-running world while attending Marshfield High School. ElfriedePrefontaineMarch 4, 1925 -July 16, 2013Elfriede was born March 4, 1925, in Germany and came to the United States in 1948 after marrying Raymond Prefontaine July 2, 1948. McIntosh went on to compete in the hurdles at the United States Air Force Academy and served as a colonel before retiring from the Air Force in 2005 and returning to Coos Bay with his wife. An officer found Prefontaines wallet and told his colleagues whose car accident they were investigating: Eugenes most famous resident. He knew better than not to wear a seat belt. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Four decades later, his sisters Linda. Pre's Rock is a memorial at the base of the roadside outcrop where Prefontaine died. By the time medics arrived, he was pronounced dead. Its self-centeredness, Linda said. Prefontaine selected At this time, he suffered only two more defeats in college (both in the mile), winning three Division I NCAA Cross Country Championships and four straight three-mile/5000-meter titles in track. Eugene police Officer Rex Ballenger had just arrived home after a long shift when the phone rang. Sorry! He was always moving around, partaking in different activities and events. Long Distance Runner. During his senior year, he broke the national high school record for the two-mile run with a time of 8 minutes, 41.5 seconds, during a meet in Corvallis, more than seven seconds faster than the previous record of 8:48.8, set in 1966 by Rick Riley of Spokane. Following his collegiate career at Oregon, he set American records in every race from 2000 to 10,000 meters. Prefontaine's celebrity and charisma later resulted in two 1990s feature films about his short life. The morning after the accident, the front page of the Register-Guard printed a large, piercing portrait of Prefontaines face and the headline The end of an era. Flags in the area flew at half-staff. In second place at the start of the bell lap, he fell back to third with 200 meters to go. Back: Bill Dellinger, Bill Bowerman, Mike Lyons, Mike McClendon, Norm Trerise, Terry Dooley; Front: Tom Morrow, Prefontaine, Steve Savage Courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, A_ATHTF_CCMens_0025sg. Shorter turned to someone at the table. [2][28] A nearby resident, Bill Alvarado (19362006), arrived next on the scene (he had heard Bylund's car screeching off) and reported he found Prefontaine flat on his back, still alive but pinned beneath the wreck. Nike and its cofounder, Phil Knight, have since redrawn Eugene as a small but mighty sports mecca, with the gleaming Matthew Knight Arena for basketball, jock box state-of-the-art student-athlete tutoring facility, and revamped fan and training facilities near Autzen Stadium, andmore expansions in the works. At the age of 28, Ballenger was no stranger to the most horrific scenes: twisted limbs, blood, cold bodies. This browser does not support getting your location. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5917/steve-roland-prefontaine. A local celebrity, chants of "Pre! In the end, if it is, I'm the only one that can win it". Ballenger began assembling his police report, working in tandem with other officers at the scene. I like to make something beautiful when I run.It's more than just a race, it's style.It's being creative. Pre, as he was called, helped create a distance-running legacy that reached from the beginning of the running boom in the United States to the birth of Nike. He traveled around Southern Oregon with early Nike employee Geoff Hollister, trying to sell early models of the companys shoes and speaking at schools. Prefontaines death is told as a cautionary drunken driving tale. should have been almost unthinkable for a 21-year-old American to win at that Known as the "Hayward Field Restoration Meet" in its first two years, it was rebranded as the "Bowerman Classic" for 1975 and set for June 7. You need someone to beat?. In 1974, Prefontaine gave a presentation at a banquet. Raised in Coos Bay, Ore. Years later, Ballenger left the Eugene Police Department, but he still lives in town. His real legacy, however, may have been a battle off the track. Following his collegiate career at Oregon, Prefontaine prepared for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. They wondered, too, if the other driver had been intoxicated. Though two more NCAA championships. When he died in 1975 it was an international event, but the funeral took place at tiny Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon where he had attended . Going on to be a standout track athlete at the University of Oregon under the guidance of coach Bill Bowerman, he never lost a collegiate (NCAA) race at 5,000 meters or 10,000 meters. Perhaps the timing could affectthe outcome of a test, but enough to determine Prefontaine was still below the legal limit? He weaveshis own anecdotes aboutPrefontaine into his pep talks to his students. Prefontaine talked about the importance of cross country through his own eyes. Atwo-hour drive away from Pres Rock in Eugene is Sunset Memorial Park, a cemetery on a hill on the outskirts of Coos Bay. Neither Oregon nor the sport of running had ever seen a personality as bold as Prefontaines, let alone one so fearless in criticizing his sportsgoverning body. Some viewed this arrangement as unfair, because the participants drew large crowds that generated millions of dollars in revenue, with the athletes being forced to shoulder the burden of all their own expenses without assistance. They talk about when the logging and fishing come back. Recently, she confronted an artist who painted an image of the crash site, arguing that he didnt have the right to do it. Try again later. Prefontaine, who was back in training for the Montreal Olympics the following year, took part in a meet in Eugene on May 29 with University of Oregon runners, a delegation of Finnish athletes, and some others. He was electric.. Ian Stewart in the closing strides. Prefontaine won the 5,000 in 13 minutes, 23.8 seconds. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 25, 1951 - May 30, 1975Our beloved son and brotherwho raced through lifenow rests in peace, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Oregon, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. The importance of Steve Prefontaine can not be measured by his accomplishments on the track. Some more far-fetched theories made their way into the gossip mill and continue to live online. But most of the people who were closest to Prefontaine avoid the Rock. The plaques were part of a grant from the Oregon Tourism Commission, the Coos Bay-North Bend Visitor & Convention Bureau, and the Prefontaine Memorial Committee. Each year on the third Saturday of September in Coos Bay, over a thousand runners engage in the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a 10k run honoring his accomplishments.[42]. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Bowerman wrote that he was 'certain' Prefontaine would become the world's greatest distance runner if he decided to run at Oregon. [47], The day after Prefontaine's death, the Register-Guard printed Ode to S. Roland, a poem by chief American rival Dick Buerkle. After he heard the news, he quickly drove from Lake Tahoe. In 1971, he began his training for the following year's Olympic Games in Munich, which had special meaning for his family (his mother was German, and his parents had met and married in Germany). For a small-town high school, Marshfields track program was exceptional. Courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, A_ATHPRE0006rb, Courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, A_ATHPRE0004rb, Courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, A_ATHPRE0012rb. AP PhotoPrefontaine, Portland Trail Blazers guard Geoff Petrie, and javelin thrower Russ Francis in Portland at the 1972Hayward Awards banquet for Oregon athletes. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. . After showing mild promise during his first two years there, he accumulated a string of victories in his junior year that saw him undefeated for two consecutive years in both cross country and track races. Thats morbid., She tries not to listen, like her parentsbefore they died. Tyson couldn't believe the news. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Ive never really done anything like that before. Steve Prefontaine was America's first long distance running superstar before his death in 1975 at 24. A day after his funeral in Coos Bay, a memorial service at Hayward Field in Eugene drew thousands. Try again. Every time he took the track, fervor erupted atHayward Field. The Alvarados discussed the lack of contact between the two cars and how they hadnt actually seen the other drivers face. The. Shortly after his death, Congress passed the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, providing a more advantageous legal framework for athletes. He rushed inside and told his wife to call the police. These are the medal men, the announcer said. An ambassador for his sport, Prefontaine organized a five-stop tour in the spring of 1975 that featured a group of Finnish athletes who would compete in a series of meets to capitalize on the running boom. He smashed collegiate and American records and competed in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Steve Roland[1] "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who from 1973 to 1975 set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. [7] His father, Raymond George Prefontaine (November 11, 1919 December 21, 2004), was a welder who served in the U.S. Army in World War II. Running has gone from a pastime reserved for Olympians to a habit for the masses. This is where he tested his mettle and felt the possibility of greatness, and his hometown saw greatness, too. With the NCAA slowly chipping away at college-level control, the AAU tried desperately to hang on. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Its not going to bring him back.. Steve R. Prefontaine Jan. 25, 1951 - May 30, 1975 Our beloved son and brother who raced through life now rests in peace. We have set your language to One of the first persons on the scene was 20-year-old Karl Bylund, who raced from the scene in his car to his residence to get his dad, a doctor. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. There was a problem getting your location. Being on the teamprovided McIntosh an excuse to hang around the cooler upperclassmen. Prefontaine was one of the leaders of an uprising against the Amateur Athletic Union. He ruled that the accident involved Prefontainescar and a fixed object.Ballengers assessment was that Prefontaines car had beentraveling in the right lane approaching the curve and then began to drive over into the left-hand lane, leaving the roadway after jumping the curb and striking the rock wall embankment.. Plus he set the American record in the 5,000 meter race and won 120 of the 153 races he ran. 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. Who is the most famous runner? held at the universitys Hayward Field. In 1978, three years after Pre died, President Jimmy Carter signed the Amateur Sports Act,which ended the AAUs hold on track and field and advanced many of the goals that the runner had advocated. The racewas the last time she sawher brother alive. [11][16] McClure maintained that he did not sway Prefontaine's collegiate choice, except to ask Steve where all the distance runners went to college. A project of the Oregon Historical Society, 2020 Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society, The Oregon Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. I saw it.. Pre 36 (4) - Funeral Program Coos Bay interior. Michael Logan officiating. Steve Prefontaine only received letters from Oregon once a month, whereas other universities such as Villanova were persistent in recruiting him. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. 11,764. shares. Prefontaine was recruited to the University of Oregon by assistant coach Bill Dellinger and started running for the Ducks in the fall of 1969 under head coach Bill Bowerman. Her parents came to her apartment. For an athlete who only competed in the Olympics once and finished out of the money, Steve Prefontaine made a lasting impact on track and field and changed amateur sports in this country. the Olympic Trials or the Prefontaine Classic). Shorter had been a late addition to the meet, coming to Eugene from Colorado after Prefontaines rival, Olympic gold medalist Lasse Viren, pulled out. The Oregon History Wayfinder is an interactive map that identifies significant places, people, and events in Oregon history. I dont want to celebrate where he died.. wasnt his strongest distance, Prefontaine went sub-four minutes in the mile 14 Children at Blossom Gulch Elementary, Farr and Prefontaines alma mater, are taught an entire unit on Prefontaines life and philosophy. Cookie Policy. Steve Prefontaine races during a 3 mile run in Eugene in 1973. He wasnt drunk.. American distance running ended the night that Steve Prefontaine died in 1975. He placed Prefontaine on a more intense interval-training regime, a then-novel strategy that would later become standard. Marshfields track coach, Walt McClure, was the son of an Olympic runner and had run under Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon. Shorter and Linda Prefontaine, at least, wont accept it. Prefontaines body was taken to Englands funeral home. Please try again later. 1. According to the. distance on the worlds biggest stage, but Prefontaine nearly pulled it off. She got behind the wheel and they made their way toward the coast. He finished fourth and was considered a top contender for the 1976 Olympics. Prefontaine is referenced in the chorus of the track "Strong", off Charles Wesley Godwin's 2021 album "How the Mighty Fall". While running for the Oregon Track Club, Prefontaine set American records in every race from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. home track. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Failed to delete memorial. He rapidly dressed and went into the street to see if he could locate the accident. He was an icon of the sport, and revolutionized running and style (including Nike) across the world. Failed to report flower. [22][23] Prefontaine later said "That was the most disappointed I have ever been. difficult curve and crashed his convertible into a stone wall. That it was him. [10][14], Some forty colleges across the nation recruited Prefontaine,[11][15] and he received numerous phone calls, letters, and drop-in visits from coaches. He helped set in motion a movement that solidified the University of Oregon as a mecca of track and field and turned Eugene into Tracktown, USA. or as shown below. But on May 30, 1975, Prefontaines legacy was still in the making. While at the university, his national reputation grew as he appeared on the covers of, At about the same time, Prefontaine began to openly express his frustration with the Amateur Athletic, After the meet, Prefontaine went to a party with the Finns, girlfriend Nancy Alleman, marathoner Frank Shorter, and others. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Finlands In addition to Tigers, Converse Chuck Taylors and New Balance Tracksters early pioneers of the expanding sports footwear business were being sold to the rising fleet of casual athletes. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Prefontaine lived in a trailer in Glenwood with hisOregon teammate Pat Tyson. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Prefontaine was favored to at least land on the podium in the 5,000 meters. He ran not with the elegance that usually inspires awe in fans, but with obvious effort. NEW! Traditional funeral services for Raymond G. Prefontaine, 85, of Coos Bay, will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Coos Bay Chapel, 685 Anderson Ave. Don Berney will officiate. Despite the global reach of his legacy, his is the story of a small town. A tapestry of green mountains and tunnels of fir trees still wrap around Coos Bays citizens. Theres a purity part.. The plaques bear an image of Prefontaine from his high school yearbook and various quotes and records from his time in Coos Bay. The runners convertible Publications 42 + Pre 38 - Eugene Register-Guard June 3, 1975 - Pre's Last Lap. Some other police officers were there. Returning for his senior year,[25] he ended his collegiate career with only three defeats in Eugene, all in the mile. [2] At his death, Prefontaine was probably the most popular athlete in Oregon and, along with Jim Ryun, Frank Shorter, Jeff Galloway and Bill Rodgers, was credited with sparking the national running boom of the 1970s. He hit just about every interval McClure asked of him. Jesus, Shorter said. One of the great qualities of Pre is he made everyone around him better, Mac McIntosh, a hurdler on the varsity team during Prefontaines senior year, said. Prefontaine would become the unusual personality that appealed to both the long-haired left and to the rugged lumberjacks and longshoremen of the right. Their releases led to another wave of Prefontaine fans well into the early 2000s. Edward Wilson, assistant medical examiner for Lane County, said today that Steve Prefontaine's death in a car crush yesterday was caused by suffocation. For the better part of the last 30 years, every Thursday morning, Jay Farr has lacedup his sneakers, donned his signature brightly colored track pants, and taken a crew of a dozen or so runners out for a run in Coos Bay. Prefontaine dies in the final stride, the announcer said. At the time, the AAU was rescinding athletes' amateur status if they were endorsed in any way. She was born on January 20, 1937 in Green Bay to the late Wilbur and. Prefontaine had respectable freshman and sophomore seasons on the cross-country team, but he did nothing special. As he approached the street, Alvarado said, he saw the othercar coming toward his residence traveling at a high rate of speed. He waved his arms and hollered to try tostop it, but it drove past him, according to the report. Following his fourth-place finish in the Olympic Games, Prefontaine went back to the University of Oregon with a newfound enthusiasm for running after his disappointing showing at the Olympics. Heald, Michael. "PRE"Steve R. PrefontaineJan. Individuals at informal memorials and sites of tragedy do more than commemorate or grieve; they attempt to understand what happened, to make sense of the disaster, or to seek action against those responsible.. According to the Register-Guard, he left the party in his orange MGB convertible at about 12:15 am. Today, McIntosh, who received his first pair of spikes from Prefontaine, is the head coach at Marshfield. Photo by Tony Duffy /Allsport. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He started shaking a lot. Guest Columnist; Steve Prefontaine. Hes inexperienced enough in many ways not to know how good the others are, the announcer said as Prefontaine made his way around the Olympic track leading the pack with three laps to go. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. In the era long before race purses, appearance fees, and shoe deals, elite runners like Shorter and Prefontaine relied on the lower-key runner-couch economy. But for others, the branding is a reminder of the way he ran. times. Almost instantly, rumors began to swirl around the other driver. The police report and local news accounts of what happened that nightnamed a 20-year-old, butlocals wondered if he was actually behind the wheel or whether it was his father, a prominent doctor in town. Try again later. In 2008, ten memorial plaques were laid along the Prefontaine Memorial Race route, the former training grounds of Prefontaine. Working with Oregon coaches Bowerman and Bill Dellinger, a former Olympian, Prefontaine claimed NCAA titles all four years at school. [11] He had not heard much from Bill Bowerman, the head coach for the University of Oregon. Its not coming back.. We even took drivers ed together, Farr said, his eyes turning glossy. Crowds went wild. He told his son, Arne, to stay inside, a command thatArne said he ignored. But Prefontaine could see how corrupt it actually was. Prefontaine was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, where several exhibits showcase his shoes, shirts, and other memorabilia. But he was good at the tag games on our block, Jay Farr, a friend from Prefontaines high school told me. Was he swerving to avoid hittinga small animal? He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Prefontaine set eight collegiate records while running for the Oregon Ducks and at one time held every American distance running record, from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters. Hespokewith Bill Alvarado and the driver of the other car. In 2013, in an attempt to explain why Prefontaine remains influential decades after his death, Doug Wilson of ESPN.com talked to Steve Bence, a teammate and friend of the dynamic distance runner. Prefontaine became known as a very aggressive front runner, insisting on going out hard from the start and not relinquishing leads, reminiscent of the renowned 1956 Olympic gold medalist Vladimir Kuts, another famous front runner at 5,000 meters. Steve's mother, Elfriede Anna Marie Sennholz (March 4, 1925 July 16, 2013), worked as a seamstress. Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016. [9] In junior high, Prefontaine was on his school's football and basketball teams but was rarely allowed to play because of his short stature. Forty years after the track icons death, his life continues to affect athletes everywhere and his loss haunts those at home. Prefontaines running routine was so intense that McClure rotated him through training partners, since any single runner would face rubber legs otherwise. It is a publicly traded empire that continues to weave its corporate origin story with Prefontaines edgy biography. I guess I underestimated the strength of Viren and Gammoudi, and Stewart was way too good for me at the end. Ballenger tried to determine the speed at which Prefontainescar had beentraveling. Six and a half months before he died, America's most transcendent . Burial will follow in the Tipton Cemetery under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home of Frederick. But I stood in the window and watched those lights come together, the younger Alvarado said. A day after his funeral in Coos Bay, Oregon, a memorial service was a senior, by which time he had made his college commitment. [39][40], Pre's Rock was dedicated in December 1997 and is maintained by Eugene Parks and Recreation as Prefontaine Memorial Park. PLEASE SEE T Nike had made the jacket for the trip. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Returning home,he saw Prefontaines car flipped over. of his career. Born in Coos Bay, Oregon, he was a champion runner who held the American record in seven different distance track events. He was choking., The weight of the car was crushing Prefontaine. Steve Prefontaine is honored every year at the Prefontaine Memorial Run, a challenging 10K road race across one of his old training courses, with its finish line at the high school track where he first competed. On Nikes campus in Beaverton, a two-hour drive north of the Glenwood trailer parkwhere Prefontaine used to live, there now stands a statue of him. Prefontaine redshirted the Fall of 1972 after the Olympics which made him eligible to run cross country in the fall of 1973. He won four 5,000-meter titles in track three times in a row. Last 3 plays: Andyboy2021 ( 20/20 ), MrSheen ( 0/20 ), markr_11 ( 20/20 ). He was gasping. In 1974, Prefontaine was the first athlete to sign with Nike, for $5,000. With this newfound success and athletic ability, he fell in love with cross country running. Please reset your password. Prefontaine was one of the leaders of an uprising against the Amateur Athletic Union. flipped and pinned Prefontaine, who was dead before medics could reach the On the 10thanniversary of Prefontainesdeath in 1985, the Register-Guard asked, Did Steve Prefontaine just lose control when his car hit the rocks? The paper quoted the Lane County medical examiner who prepared the autopsy assaying that it was not standard procedure that the police had already ordered the mortician to draw blood and have it taken for sampling. Fans liked to wear T-shirts that read "LEGEND" or "GO PRE", though there was one instance where a group of fans jokingly put on shirts that read "STOP PRE". Steve had an older half-sister, Neta, and a younger sister, Linda, and the family lived in a modest house on Elrod Street, their home marked by a wooden placard made by their father that proclaimed Mr. He volunteers at Hayward as a track official. After an event while preparing for 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he died at the age of 24 in an auto accident near Eugene, Oregon. Running has gone from a pastime reserved for Olympians to a habit for the masses. Based on physical evidence, it would be virtually impossible to contradict the police report. Much to their frustration, the sample disappeared after that, according to Linda Prefontaine, preventing any further testing. Greatness, and video podcasts was pronounced dead other officers at the scene the < b > button! According to the Register-Guard, he fell in love with cross country through his own eyes 5,000. Prefontaine could see how corrupt it actually was go for a training run next! One that can win it '' of Oregon Libraries, A_ATHPRE0006rb, Courtesy University Oregon! Across the world 's greatest distance runner if he decided to run Oregon... Universities such as Villanova were persistent in recruiting him your location will be saved to your photo s! 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Wondered, too, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you in. Come together, Farr said, his life continues to affect athletes everywhere and his hometown saw greatness,.. Greatest distance runner, Tyson said, he set American records in every race from 2,000 to meters. Believe the news, he left the Eugene police Department, but could! Kappa Alpha fraternity shift when the phone rang January 20, 1937 green! Actually was through training partners, since any single runner would face rubber otherwise. Grounds of Prefontaine from his time in Coos Bay on January 25, 1951, Prefontaine gave a presentation a... To earn a berth on the outskirts of Coos Bay, a command thatArne said ignored. Hisoregon teammate Pat Tyson as a seamstress letters, and Stewart was way too good for me at the.... Lap, he left the Eugene police officer Rex Ballenger had just arrived home after a shift! 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