Fair or foul: World Athletics is honoring 22 Oregon legends with plaques their hometowns, Steve Prefontaine doesn't get one

Why would Pre get a plaque when there is already so much to remember him by? He is not in danger of being forgotten entirely. Not yet.

Fair play, due to Ian Stewart's devastating close in Munich.

the common thread is that all of those are international medalists (assuming you count kerrigan for the 1906 games, which not everyone acknowledges).

There’s a valid point in this—who needs a plaque along a trail when you have your own trail?

Plaques along a trail are contrived inanity. Pre would have ridiculed that sentimental kitsch.Things we don't need signs to tell us while using a trail: the types of shrubs nearby, the species of lizards in the forest, or the world class athletes that were around here at one time.

Why not McChesney or Rupp?

I'll drink to that!

"Oregon22 Heritage Trail plaque eligibility was based on four criteria: achieving global medal status, no doping violations or connection to doping, retired from professional competition, and a resident connection to Oregon before or beyond college competition."

Pre is getting his own memorial park soon. They will build it around Pre's Rock. There is already paperwork submitted to close the section of road where he died.

Also, how many people here have actually been to Eugene?
Pre's Rock
Pre's Trail
Track Town Pizza (tons of pictures of Pre)
He had a statue made in his honor a few years back.

Isn’t there a big meet named after him?

That's just a rumor.

I get why they have no Pre. No global medal, though he did win a Pan Am games medal, and they did not have all the WCs when he ran.

But, where is Otis Davis?

Gold 1960 olympic 400 meters world record.

That is pretty straight forward. Pre never medaled because he was too obstinate or immature to win a medal.

Ian Stewart >>>>>>> pre

He only had one shot which was at Munich. It was a very slow pace and he started to push from about a mile out. He went for the win during the last lap, got dropped and then passed by Stewart during the last 50m. Stewart said that he didn’t think he would have gotten the Bronze if Pre hadn’t gone after Viren and Gammoudi.

With your high level of maturity and racing savvy, what would your strategy have been had you been Pre? Would you have wimped out and conceded the Gold and Silver?

Yes. Then I'd have a plaque in my honor on some Oregon trail.

I woulda won