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Emerald Archive
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Emerald Archive
His Spirit moves them
■ Even 26 years after his death, Steve
Prefontaine lives on through stories
and meets such as the Pre Classic
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
He touches the high school student who toes
the line in a district championship 5,000-meters
at Hayward Field and imagines himself with long
hair and a killer stride.
He touches the Oregon women’s track and field
javelin thrower who looks up into the stands and
feels a spiritual connection to a former track star.
And he touches the casual distance runner who
stops to catch her breath at the corner of Birch
Lane and Skyline Drive in Eugene and has a most
tragic memorial staring her in the face.
“Pre 5-30-75 R.I.P.”
Now, four days before the Prefontaine Classic
and seven days before the 26th anniversary of his
death, Steve Prefontaine’s legend lives as brightly
as the days he graced Hayward Field track as a
Duck.
“It’s kind of a phenomenon,” said Tom Jordan,
director of the Pre Classic and author of “Pre!,” a
lengthy biography of the star. “His legacy lives on
through events like the Pre Classic and the Pre
fontaine Memorial Run in Coos Bay.”
Prefontaine was certainly the most enigmatic, if
not the best overall runner to ever come through
Oregon. Those who knew him say he raced with a
passion that was not commonly found in athletes
of his time.
Jordan tells a story of an e-mail he received
from a prep athlete who felt Pre’s power within
him as he raced in a district championship meet
at Hayward two weeks ago. He said the boy felt
like he could be Prefontaine, if he could only will
it hard enough.
Pre won the 1970 NCAA 3-mile title with 12
stitches in his foot after a diving accident. He
came from behind countless times, and he won
countless thrilling races.
And he left a dent in the record books.
Pre raced at Hayward Field 38 times from 1970
75, losing only three races. During his career he
held every American record — eight in total —
between the distances of 2,000- and 10,000-me
ters and between two and six miles.
Pre won three individual NCAA titles for the
Oregon cross country team and four more on the
track in the three-mile race. He won four Pac-8 ti
tles, set nine collegiate track records and never
lost a race at Hayward that was longer than a mile.
At the same time, Pre had his limitations. He
never won an Olympic medal and no longer
Turn to Prefontaine, page 6
On Tap
What:
Prefontaine
Classic
When:
Sunday from
11:45-2 p.m.
Where:
Hayward
Field
Steve Prefontaine
in his final race in
1975 (left) and
surrounded by
fans at the
Olympic Quali
fiers in 1972
(right).
Freshman ‘blown away’ by success in Tae Kwon Do
■ First-year martial arts
competitor Andy Wallace will be
competing in theTae Kwon Do
national championships
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
Physically, Andy Wallace is not such
an intimidating figure.
The freshman’s lanky 6-foot-4, 176
pound frame seems to be perfect for a
sport like soccer — which he played for
most of his life — but not for a kick ‘em
in-the-head, punch- ’em-in-the-mouth,
bloody-nose type of sport.
But Wallace’s natural athletic talents
are proving first appearances wrong as
he makes waves across the country.
Wallace will be the lone representative
from the Oregon Club Sports Tae Kwon
Do team at the national championships
this weekend in Cleveland.
“I am just blown away that I get to go
to the national championships,” the
Portland native said Wednesday before
preparing to test for a high green belt.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Fun is the only thing Wallace and the
team can talk about after having the
most successful season in head coach
Randy King’s nine years at Oregon.
Four members of the team qualified for
the national championships, but be
cause of budget constraints, Wallace
was selected to represent the team as he
was the only one to win his competition
(the others finished in second or third).
“It’s a very unusual experience,” King
said of Wallace’s rapid improvement
this year. “It should be interesting to see
how that plays out in the next few years
for him. He has a lot going for him. He’s
already progressed so much. ... It’s just
amazing.”
Prior to coming to the University in
the fall, Wallace had minimal martial
turn to Tae Kwon Do, page 6
Adam Amato Emerald
Freshman Andy Wallace tests for his high green belt Wednesday evening in preparation for the Tae Kwon Do national
championships this weekend in Cleveland. Wallace will be the only Oregon participant making the trip.