On this day we remember the legacy of Steve Prefontaine. In his brief lifetime, Pre won 119 of 151 outdoor track races including six NCAA titles and set 15 American records at every distance from two mile through the 10K. His legacy will live on forever.
The legend of “Pre,” as the crowds cheered in 1970s Hayward Field lead by the great coaches of the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman and Bill Dellinger stood astonished race by race. The sound of the crowds, the words “Pre, Pre, Pre,” the legacy of Hayward Field, it all still carries to this very day.
It’s not hard to see why the running world still continues to love Steve Prefontaine. For most of us college students, he was our age when he passed away. Pre died in a car accident in 1975 at age 24.
Pre joined the cross-country team at his high school in Coos Bay, Oregon and during freshman year and started the season being #7 man on his team, but ended up #2 man toward the end of the season, he was also only 53rd at State. Track was less auspicious finishing up with a 5:01 PR in the mile. Sophmore year XC State Meet, Pre began to show his special qualities, pushing the state mile champion and eventual XC champion to the finish, even passing them before finishing 6th overall. This is one of my favorite things about Pre, if you just look at his freshman and sophomore year of high school… he was pretty average.
Now, come his junior year.. Pre was undefeated that year and won the state championship in XC and a state record of 9:01.3 in the 2 mile on the track. He duplicated the feat in his senior year, and would go on to be recruited by no less than 40 colleges across the country. This national attention was worth all the hype when he set the high school record for the two-mile (8:41.5) in 1969. Pre had looked at all his offers and decided to stay in-state and the University of Oregon seemed like a perfect fit. The only problem with the scenario was that famed head coach Bill Bowerman really never actively courted Pre like all the other coaches. Bowerman’s style was not over recruit, as many coaches tended to do. He simply wrote Prefontaine a letter, and informed him if he came to the University of Oregon, Pre would become the world’s greatest distance runner.
To make a long and very success career short, Pre finished 3rd in the NCAA National Cross Country meet and from then on in college Pre would only lose 2 more times, in the mile. Steve came out of college with three DI NCAA Cross Country Championships, a feat yet to be broken, and four straight titles in the mile for track in field. Pre was the first person to win 4 consecutive titles in one event. He set 8 collegiate records and his times for the 3 mile and 6 mile have not yet been broken. Pre returned for his senior year, ending his collegiate career with only 3 defeats. Prefontaine set American records from the 2000 meter all the way to 10000 meters.
Pre would finish in 4th place finish in 5000m finals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Pre missed the bronze medal by less than one second, he had pulled away on the last lap toward the finish and was not able to keep the distance. It was a heartbreaking loss, but heartbreak is key part of his legacy. The legend of Prefontaine would be what it is today if he would have gotten the gold or bronze in that matter. It’s the Rocky underdog story we crave for.
Pre’s death was on a tight curve of narrow Skyline Boulevard near Eugene’s Hendricks Park. This area is now a historical site known as “Pre’s Rock.” His death is story not many want to talk about, it’s almost a taboo topic. However, it’s a crucial reminder to us all about life.
Pre, even though his true potential probably went unrealized, ranks near the top of the list of Legends. Truth be told, the legendary performances continue to be recorded to this very day at Hayward Field, and who knows how many more will emerge in years to come. Pre had many famous quotes, these have been a cornerstone in the running world, especially the American running scene.
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