Facts about Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine Biography
Charismatic, handsome and brashly confident, Steve Prefontaine was one of the leading American distance runners of the early 1970s. Steve Prefontaine won seven NCAA championships while running for the University of Oregon from 1969-73 (three in cross-country, four in the three-mile race) and finished fourth in the 5000 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Prefontaine set more than a dozen American records at distances from 2000 meters to six miles before his sudden 1975 death in a one-car accident in Eugene, Oregon, just a few hours after running his final race at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Extra credit
Steve Prefontaine’s story was told in two unrelated feature films: Prefontaine (1997, with actor Jared Leto as Prefontaine) and Without Limits (1998, with Billy Crudup as Prefontaine). He is also the topic of the 1995 documentary Fire on the Track… The winner of the 1972 Olympic 5000 meters was Finland’s Lasse Viren… At Oregon, Steve Prefontaine was coached by Bill Bowerman, who along with U of O alumnus Phil Knight designed the first Nike running shoes… Steve Prefontaine became the first athlete to sign a contract with Nike, in 1974.
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Something in Common with Steve Prefontaine
- Runners born in the United States (4)
- Athletes born in Oregon (3)
- Athletes born in the United States (179)
- Aquarius Athletes (22)
4 Good Links
- The state's official Blue Book offers a basic Pre bio
- Site of the annual event, with a memorial, gallery and some words on his impact
- Great fan page with photos, race times, and a fine set of links
- The story from Pre's fellow runner Steve Bence, part of his site packed with terrific personal details