(born Aug. 7, 1958) As a prep athlete, Alberto Salazar was ranked #1 in the nation in the 5000-meter by Track and Field News. In 1977, he captained the U.S.A. Junior Track and Field Team. While at the University of Oregon, Salazar was a member of the 1980 U.S Olympic Track and Filed Team and..Read More
(born Nov. 15, 1950) Two-time Olympian Mac Wilkins captured a gold medal in the discus at the 1976 Montreal Olympic games and a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was the 1976 Hayward Award winner as Oregon’s top amateur athlete. Mac established a world discus record on four separate occasions. He won..Read More
(born Jan. 23, 1951) Margaret Johnson Bailes remains one of Oregon’s greatest prep sprinters and won a Gold Medal in the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics as a member of the 4×100 relay team while still in high school. And then, she disappeared from the national and world scene. Bailes grew up in Eugene and..Read More
(Jan. 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) Steve Prefontaine was the greatest distance runner in the history of Oregon track and field. A native of Coos Bay, “Pre” was the first collegian to capture four consecutive 3-mile/5000 meter gold medals at the NCAA championships (1970-73). He also earned three NCAA cross-country titles (1970,71,73). Prefontaine owned..Read More
Ed Moeller played football for the University of Oregon, but made his mark on history as a discus thrower who once held the world record. Moeller played alongside Bill Bowerman as a fullback and then quarterback on squads that were a combined 20-7-2 in 1929-31. In 1929, Moeller, under the guidance of coach Bill Hayward,..Read More
(Sep. 30, 1940 – Dec. 7, 1982) Harry Jerome found his way from Canada to Eugene and became one of the state’s greatest performers, setting a world record three times and competing in three Olympic Summer Games before becoming a civic advocate for athletics. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1940, Jerome played football and..Read More
(born Jul. 12, 1932) Otis Davis picked up track at a late age, but matured quickly in the sport and won two gold medals at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic Games before settling into a life of coaching and public service. Born in 1932 in Alabama, Davis came to Eugene as a basketball player following..Read More
Jim Bailey (Jul. 21, 1929 – Mar. 31, 2020) helped establish the middle-distance races as a foundation for the University of Oregon program during his years at the school, 1955-57. An Australian by birth, he won the NCAA title in the mile in 1955, then became the first runner to break 4 minutes on American..Read More
(Sep. 1, 1883 – Apr. 9, 1920) Dan Kelly won a silver medal in the long jump at the 1908 London Summer Olympics, just two years after finishing a 100-yard race in 9.6 seconds, which established a world record. Born in 1883, Kelly grew up in Baker City and attended the University of Portland (then..Read More
(Mar. 6, 1947 – Mar. 12, 2023) Among the athletic legends within the state, few have had the impact on their sport like Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the art of high-jumping so much that the style was named after him – the “Fosbury Flop.” Born in 1947, Fosbury grew up in Medford and found his..Read More