He held every American outdoor distance record above 2,000 meters, finished fourth in the 5,000 at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and evoked loyalty and admiration from followers. held at the university’s Hayward Field. In recent months, after having turned down another professional offer and debated whether to try for the 1976 Olympics, he leveled his strongest shots at the system. Prefontaine talked about the importance of cross country through his own eyes.

Or you can go drag the guy in your Chevy with a switchblade in your pocket.”, Prefontaine weighed only 90 pounds in the eighth grade, too light for football and too small for basketball. RELATED: Nike Paid $35 for Its Swoosh Logo Worth Many Millions. He was born on Jan. 25, 1951, in a coastal fishing town that produced aggressive loggers, longshoremen and fishermen.

In Shrines and Pilgrimage in Contemporary Society: New Itineraries into the Sacred, ed. [10], When he got into Marshfield High School in the fall of 1965, Prefontaine joined the cross country team, coached by Walt McClure, Jr.[11] McClure had run under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon in Eugene and his father, Walt McClure, Sr. had run under Bill Hayward, also at Oregon.

[6] His father, Raymond George Prefontaine (November 11, 1919 – December 21, 2004), was a welder after his time serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. difficult curve and crashed his convertible into a stone wall. Not against me." "Prefontaine" is the fifth track off Madchild's 2013 album "Lawn Mower Man". Learn how and when to remove this template message, NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, "Tie-dyed Eugene unlikely home for football power", "Roseburg wins state Class A-1 championship", https://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/28-covers/136-past-covers-1967, "Pre's warning for 1976: 'He'd better watch out, "The Legend Lives On: Even though Steve Prefontaine died almost 10 years ago, the memory of his life and controversy surrounding his death are as alive as ever", "Pre's Rock: Pilgrimage, Ritual, and Runners' Traditions at the Roadside Shrine for Steve Prefontaine." [9][12] He won two more state titles that year after another undefeated season in both the one and two mile distances.

[9], Prefontaine wanted to stay in-state for college[15] and attend the University of Oregon.

While many American distance runners viewed training or pace‐setting as torture, Prefontaine seemed consumed by the challenges. [10][15] McClure maintained that he did not sway Prefontaine's collegiate choice, except to ask Steve where all the distance runners went to college. In Pre's case, the mortician did it. and Dr. J.

Bowerman wrote that he was 'certain' Prefontaine would become the world's greatest distance runner if he decided to run at Oregon. [8] By the second week of the daily mile runs, Prefontaine was able to finish second in the group. “When I took the tape off after the race,” he recalled. home track. The Munich Olympics will be remembered not for Prefontaine falling short of the medals podium, but rather for the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, the seven swimming gold medals earned by Mark Spitz, and the dazzling gymnastics performance of Olga Korbut. He also leaves a sister, Linda, 21.

After dropping them off, Prefontaine was unable to negotiate a American record for distances between 2,000 and 10,000 meters. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

“He was a talented runner, very dedioated, very coachable.”. [10] He had followed Prefontaine's career since he was a sophomore and agreed with McClure in his assessment of Steve being a highly talented athlete.

He had run exceedingly well in races leading to Munich and was with the leaders throughout the final. where his parents had met and been married.

Runners inspired by Prefontaine leave behind memorabilia to honor his memory and his continued influence, such as race numbers, medals, and running shoes.

Tributes came yesterday not only from fans but also from other competitors. Pre's Rock is a memorial at the base of the roadside boulder where Prefontaine died. Prefontaine later drove Shorter and fellow runner Kenny Moore, who would later become an accomplished author, home from a party.

Prefontaine selected Once Prefontaine began running, he never stopped. [10][15] Sometime after Prefontaine announced that he signed a letter of intent to attend Oregon on the first of May in 1969,[14][16] Bowerman wrote a letter addressed to the community of Coos Bay describing his appreciation for their role in helping Steve become a great runner.[15]. He died when aged 24 in an automobile accid… At one point shortly after his college career, he would hold every With this new-found success and athletic ability, he fell in love with cross country running. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. [12] A local celebrity, chants of "Pre! He obtained a national record at the Corvallis Invitational with a time of 8:41.5, only one and a half seconds slower than his goal, and 6.9 seconds better than the previous record.

As University of Oregon professor Daniel Wojcik documents in his study of the memorial, Pre's Rock has become both a grassroots shrine and pilgrimage site for athletes and non-athletes from around the world. Prefontaine later said "That was the most disappointed I have ever been. [15], It wasn't until Prefontaine read a letter from Bowerman that he made up his mind to attend the University of Oregon.

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It had been reported that his blood alcohol content was found by the Eugene Police Department to be 0.16. [30], Eugene's Register-Guard called his death "the end of an era. [9][13], Some forty colleges across the nation recruited Prefontaine,[10][14] and he received numerous phone calls, letters, and drop-in visits from coaches. Along with his reputation for leading early instead of pacing himself until the last lap, Prefontaine had tremendous leg speed; his career best for the mile (3:54.6) was only 3.5 seconds off the world record at the time. The runner’s convertible flipped and pinned Prefontaine, who was dead before medics could reach the scene. “Two stitches came with it.”. [28], Prefontaine's body was buried in his hometown of Coos Bay at Sunset Memorial Park. With the NCAA slowly chipping away at college-level control, the AAU tried desperately to hang on. Prefontaine rapidly gained national attention and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 19 in June 1970. 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.