Steve 'Pre' Prefontaine

Steve Prefontaine running at Hayward Field. (yearofletters.com ())

In the year of 73' Steve Prefontaine came back to help his team win another NCAA Cross Country Championship in his fourth year of college. Less than two years later in 75' he died in a car wreck leaving behind a legacy at Oregon University. You could say Pre lived a full life traveling to Munich to run in the Olympics and setting American records that still stand today. Many people were inspired by his heart and encouraging words. Today, forty years after his death, he and his story inspire people. Prefontaine was inspiring because he did so much in a short life span, he worked hard, and he left and amazing legacy and example for people today.

Steve Roland Prefontaine was born January 25, 1951 in Coos Bay, Oregon. He grew up in Coos Bay with his German mother Elfriede and his father Raymond and his siblings Neta and Linda Prefontaine. Early in life Pre enjoyed football, basketball, and baseball but no running sports. His coaches told him he was to small and lacked athletic ability. Another physical attribute that didn't help was one of his legs was longer than the other. By his 8th grade year he gave up team sports and pursued cross-country his freshman year at Marshfield High School. Earning 53rd at the state meet his freshman year isn't to bad but it didn't give any indication what was in store for him in the future. While attending Marshfield he set national records in the two mile and broke 19 national records by his senior year. His sister Linda said, "He willed himself to win." When being recruited by Bill Bowerman he was considered a fire-eater which helped with an amazing career at Oregon University.

Starting his college career in the fall of 1969 under legendary coach Bill Bowerman Pre as freshman won a NCAA Cross country title and ran 3:57.4 at the Oregon Twilight setting not only a personal best but a freshman record. While at Oregon he won two more Cross Country NCAA titles and four more track titles. As Duck he was never beaten in a race over a mile. He also set American records in everything from 2,000 to 10,000m. Steve raced 38 races at Hayward field only losing 3; apposing teams fans would where shirts saying "Stop Pre" only motivating him more to win 7 NCAA titles. One of his more memorable races as and Oregon Duck was in his freshman year when he won a 3-mile race for another NCAA title with a dozen stitches in his foot due to a diving board accident a week before. Pre was known on campus as an inspiration and still is today, Chip Kelley former head football coach took his team to "Pre Rock" in 2009 for inspiration. Steve's quotes and pictures cover the walls of offices all over campus. Pre left an amazing legacy at Oregon. His hard work and mental attitude led him to the Olympics at Munich in 1972.

Since Steve was a sophomore in high school he had been preparing himself for the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. He swept everyone at the Olympic trials now he has to take down the European runner named Lasse Viren. Lasse Viren was a monster when it came to running; he won the 10,000m race already in the 72' Olympics. Pre was not scared though he was confident he would be Viren. Just a few days before the Mens 5000m race one of the most memorable events in Olympic history happened the "Munich Massacre". An apartment next to where the United States track team was staying got attacked by a Palestinian group called Black September. Nine Israeli and a German Cop were killed. After this event everything change and everyone was affected. After all this happened Pre had to prepare himself for Viren no matter the distraction. Pre knew he didn't have much speed for a good kick at the end so his strategy was to push the tempo of the race and use his amazing ability to run a fast pace three mile and win. A big problem with Munich came from the slow pace at the race. Such a slow pace gave Viren enough energy for a good kick. Steve didn't push the pace at all so when it came down to the last 100m of the race Viren and Pre were head to head and Pre kicked as hard as he could but fell short at 10m left and Viren took the gold Pre was broken and ended up getting 4th. He wouldn't race for anything but the gold. Pre was crushed but returned for his senior year leaving a legacy.

Pre senior year was good he didn't lose a single NCAA race from 2,000m to 10,000m. He came back to Oregon to help his team win another NCAA championship in both Track and Cross-Country. In the spring of 1975 Pre help put together a track meet inviting the Finland track team to Hayward field but Lasse Viren did not arrive. Pre won the 3 mile easily and after the meet they had a party. That night Steve drove home in his Gold MG and drove a curve hitting a rock flipping his car. A nearby resident found Pre pinned beneath his car alive but by the time medics arrived he was pronounced dead. May 29th Steve Prefontaine was dead leaving his records and his legacy that still affects and inspires people today. What would have been the outcome if Pre lived and went to the 1976 Olympics to race Viren? These are the questions left behind from such an inspiration.