Track and Field

1982

Aug 29

Percy Bell – Track & Field

Percy Bell was Oregon State’s premier distance runner in 1927. He was the Pacific Coast and Northern Division two-mile and cross country champion. He was also a member of the Oregon State four-mile winning relay team at the prestigious Drake Relays, the national championship of relays. Oregon State was the winning team and national champions..Read More

Aug 29

Neal Steinhauer – Track & Field

(Aug. 18, 1944 – Sep. 7, 2020) Neal Steinhauer, University of Oregon (1967) track and field athlete, was an NCAA shot put champion, NCAA All-American, Pacific Coast Conference champion three years, and Northern Division champion in the shot and discus. He was AAU champion in 1969. He won a silver medal in the shot put..Read More

Aug 29

Ed Moeller – Track & Field

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

1981

Aug 30

Jim Grelle – Track & Field

(Sep. 30, 1936 – Jun. 13, 2020) Jim Grelle helped the University of Oregon track program build its legacy as a middle-distance power by winning the NCAA cross country title and running in the 1960 Rome Olympic Summer Games. Born in 1936, Grelle grew up in Portland and twice won the 880-yard state title during..Read More

Aug 30

Jim Bailey – Track & Field

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

Aug 30

Otis Davis- Track & Field

Otis Davis (Jul 12, 1932 – Sep 14, 2024) 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..Read More

Aug 30

Harry Jerome – Track & Field

(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

Aug 30

Forrest Smithson – Track & Field

Forrest Custer Smithson (September 26, 1884 – November 25, 1962) was an America athlete and Gold Medalist in the 110 m hurdles at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Born in Portland, Oregon, Smithson was a student of theology from Oregon State University and an AAU champion in 1907 and 1909 in the 120 yd (110 m)..Read More

Aug 30

Mack Robinson – Track & Field

Matthew MacKenzie “Mack” Robinson (July 18, 1914 – March 12, 2000) was an American track and field athlete best known for winning a silver medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he broke the Olympic record in the 200 meters but still finished behind Jesse Owens. He was the older brother of Baseball..Read More

1980

Aug 31

Grant Swan -Track & Field

This 1980 Oregon Sports Hall of Fame inductee lettered in track and field at Oregon State University from 1919-1922. Grant “Doc” Swan, a member of the Oregon State faculty for 40 years, served as Beaver track coach for 17 years, from 1934 to 1951. He was a three-time Pacific Coast Conference champion miler and held..Read More