Fifty years ago, the running world lost one of its most beloved legends. Steve “Pre” Prefontaine was killed in a car accident on May 30, 1975, as he drove home from a post-race party on a winding road in Eugene, Ore.
Just 24 at the time of his death, Prefontaine held every American record from 2,000 to 10,000 metres and was widely seen as a medal contender for the men’s 5,000m at the upcoming 1976 Olympics in Montreal. The crash occurred just hours after he won a 5,000m race in a dual meet between the U.S. and Finland; a meet he had helped organize at the University of Oregon.
Pre, as he was known by, was a national record-setter in high school growing up in Coos Bay, Ore., before going on to win seven NCAA titles for the University of Oregon. While he never won an Olympic medal or set any world records, his personality, competitiveness and front-running style an made him an icon.
During his years at Oregon, Prefontaine became one of the sport’s biggest stars. In 1974, he signed a US$5,000 deal with an up-and-coming brand called Nike, becoming the first runner to do so, and helping propel the company’s rise in the running shoe world.
Off the track, Pre gave back to his community. He volunteered at an Oregon prison, advocated for changes to restrictive amateurism rules, and worked to restore the wooden grandstands at Hayward Field, the iconic track venue in Eugene.
In the days following his death, Pre’s longtime coach, Bill Bowerman, sat down at a typewriter and wrote a memo that would shape the future of track in Eugene. It read, in part:
“Our Oregon Track Club board met last Sunday. We concur in living memorials to Pre—his dreams, his inspiration, his ambition—that the meet he did so much to make successful should bear his name.”
With that, the Bowerman Classic became the Prefontaine Classic, which is a name it still proudly carries to this day.
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