Wade Bell – Track & Field

(born Jan. 3, 1945) Wade Bell helped run the University of Oregon into the record books during a short-but-stellar career that included a trip to the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympic Games.

Born in Odgen, Utah in 1945, Bell found his way to Eugene in 1965 and ran in the NCAA championships for three consecutive years under coach Bill Bowerman. In 1966, he broke the 4-minute barrier in the mile by running 3:59.80 seconds in a meet at Hayward Field.

As a senior in 1967, he won the NCAA title in the 880-yard run as well as the national AAU title. He set American records in the 1,000-yard and then 1,000-meter events and won the Pan-American Games title the same year in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Bell ran a leg on the Oregon Track Club 4×4 mile relay team that established an unofficial world record. At Mexico City, he finished fifth in his first heat, but did not qualify for the final.

Bell was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.Wade Bell1 Wade Bell2 Wade Bell3