Bill McChesney

great story but there were four great mcchesney boys who ran. do some research.

How did they die?

Bill McChesney Jr died? The same guy that coached Newton South, MA girls a few years back? Or is this a different McChesney I'm thinking of?

I hab no idea two of the McChesney brothers past away, what happened?

You know...I want to say cancer and car accident, but I am drawing a blank. There is a plague to one of them at the Eugene high school near the UofO, but I'm just not remembering details...and yes, I believe it was the same guy that was at Newton.

One went in a car crash, if I recall correctly. I'm not suer how the other went, but I'll remember when someone posts it.

tom was hit while riding his bike in CA, billy while driving his vehicle to the OR coast

Im pretty sure Tom got hit by a car....I hadnt heard about Billy...he was at Newton High...great family....one of my favorite moments was at Olympic Trials when Billy qualified..80?84?..cant remember..

Steve coaches at Newton South in Ma.

milesoftrials wrote:

Bill McChesney Jr died? The same guy that coached Newton South, MA girls a few years back? Or is this a different McChesney I'm thinking of?

Billy was not @ Newton High. Steve is at Newton South in Ma.

oldrunningguy wrote:

Im pretty sure Tom got hit by a car....I hadnt heard about Billy...he was at Newton High...great family....one of my favorite moments was at Olympic Trials when Billy qualified..80?84?..cant remember..

At my sister in laws, so this is short:

Ed gee is right. Tom was run over while riding his bike in LA. His car was broken into and stuff stolen, his dad said. Tom rode his bike instead, that day, and was run over. There was more too it. I think his dad was suggesting that the thieves who broke into his car were the ones who ran over him.

Billy, the fastest of the three boys that ran, went off a cliff near Newport, CA heading to give a motivational speech, Bill senior said. Apparently the road is very windy. I had images of the movie Dead Man's Curve about Jan and Dean as Bill senior recalled the story of his son's demise. I was saddened. Bill senior said that running each day was his way of dealing with the emotional sadness of the death of Tom and Billy. Bill senior, at age 76, looks fit as can be, do, he says, to his morning 8 mile run. Bill senior was a superb athlete, Marsha said, at the Univ. of Montana in the late 40s. The cool story Bill senior told me about Billy is that Harry Johnson, the South Eugene High School coach, liked to have his kids do a hard distance run on Sundays after a Saturday race in order to simulate the state meet in which the athletes would have to run two hard days in a row. One Spring Saturday, Billy (junior) said to coach Johnson after the track meet that he was going to run the hard distance run the next day extra hard. He told the coach that he was going to run the 12 mile hilly course in under 60 minutes. He did just that, his dad said, and then the next week ran a 29:06 for 10k on the track, an American record. I think Eric Hulst broke it a week later. Chapa, Bill senior's favorite runner, in addition to Matt Centrowitz, broke Hult's record with a 28:32 at the Drake Relays.

Keep sharing Tinman..I enjoyed the story

A couple of things tinman. It was Tom who rode his bike into a truck, not a car. Secondly, Billy died in a head-on near Newport, OREGON.

within a four week period, in late march/early april of 1976, the HS 10,000m record fell 3 times, first billy mcchesney ran 29:06 in eugene, then eric hulst ran 28:55(possibly on a cinder track?), rudy ran 29:09 at the florida relays (goal was 28:40, the OT qualifier), then unleashed the 28:32 at Drake...no us hser has broken 30 on the track since

Do you mean Newport, OR? I am really familiar with that area and I don't think that it is too windy. I also live right by Newport, CA now and the rode there is one of the straightest parts of the coast, but there are tons of cliffs.

Newport, OR make more sense to me. Bill was one of the true American Greats.

Im told the Newport Marathon is very nice...low key..beautiful scenery..good pr course

I hate to say it, knowing how everybody hates RW, but, there was a great article in it about Billy, with great pictures, must have been 1980 or so. That kid had potential.

I'm not sure why you suddenly think you are an authority on the McChesney boys but I will say it again. There were FOUR boys in the family and all were excellent runners.

1973 Tom 8:53 HS 2 mile, ran at Oregon

1975 Steve 8:28c HS 3k, ran at Oregon

1977 Billy 29:06 10k, 8:50 HS 2 mile, 13:14 & 27:50

are STILL U of O school records

1984 Kenny 8:40 HS 3k as a soph, 11th in footlocjer west as a junior, injured his last 2 years in track, ran a sub 9 steeple at U of Montana

Just trying to educate.

the runner magazine had a good article on the mcchesneys and boys life had a great piece on billy...brilliant photos of him training on the OR dunes