Steve Prefontaine’s university recruitment letter surfaces after 50 years
The Oregon Track Club, an elite running group in Eugene, posted the recruiting letter that coach Bill Bowerman sent to Steve Prefontaine in October 1967.
The Oregon Track Club, an elite running group based in Eugene, posted the recruiting letter that University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman sent to Steve Prefontaine during his high school days in 1967.
RELATED: Best Steve Prefontaine quotes.
Prefontaine, popularly known as Pre, was a standout runner at the University of Oregon under Bowerman, also the co-founder of Nike, and Bill Dellinger, the team’s assistant coach. He attended Marshfield High School in Coos, Ore. before attending university in Eugene.
RELATED: Barber for Steve Prefontaine retires.
Pre once held American distance records in seven events ranging from the 2,000m to the 10,000m and went on to represent the United States at the Olympics. He died in a car accident when he was just 24 and has since been remembered as one of the great distance runners in American history.
The Oregon star was well-known for his mustache and long hair– features which have since become iconic.
The letter comes from the University of Oregon Library UO Athletics Image Collection and can be seen below (the full transcript can be found at the bottom of the page).
It’s a little fuzzy but this is a recruiting letter Oregon coach Bill Bowerman mailed to Steve Prefontaine when he was…
Posted by Oregon Track Club on Monday, February 29, 2016
The following is the full transcript of what was written in the letter:
“Dear Steve,
Bill Dellinger and I have watched the newspaper with interest this fall in your cross-country races. We congratulate you on your steady improvement.
On the afternoon of Oct. 27, I was laying out the cross-country course for the meet with Oregon State, while Bill Dellinger was out to watch the District Championship. Bill reports, as do Roscoe Divine and Dave Wilborn, a couple of sub-four-minute milers, that you look like a real champion.
Congratulations, hit the books and if we can be of help to you here at the University of Oregon, we would be more than pleased to do so.
Sincerely,
W.J. Bowerman
Professor of Physical Education
Track Coach.”
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