Bill Dellinger, a three-time Olympian who earned bronze in the 5000 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Games and went on to one of the most storied coaching careers in American track and field history, died June 27. He was 91. Born March 23, 1934, in Grants Pass, Oregon, Dellinger attended Springfield High School, where he earned numerous accolades and won the Oregon state class A 880-yard and mile titles as a senior in 1952.
Taking his talents to the University of Oregon, where he eventually captured three Pacific Coast Conference golds, Dellinger won NCAA gold in the mile as a sophomore in 1954, and silver in 1955. In 1956 he moved up in distance and was the national champion in the 5000, setting the stage for his first Olympic Trials. At Los Angeles on June 29, he broke the American record in the 5000 with a 14:26.0 that gave him a three-second margin of victory.
Dellinger lowered his American record to 14:25.5 at Berkeley in October, and after losing the record to Max Truex the next weekend, he regained it in a big way with a 14:16.2 at Los Angeles in his final Olympic warmup meet. At the Melbourne Olympic Games Dellinger easily qualified for the 5000 final with a third place 14:26.8 in his heat, but he was not able to finish the final.
Finishing third in the AAU 5000 in 1957 and again in 1958, Dellinger embarked on a European tour in the summer of '58 that yielded an American record of 3:41.5 in the 1500 in a dual meet with Hungary. He also placed second in the 5000 in matches against the Soviet Union and Greece.
The next summer saw Dellinger take the AAU 5000 crown before going on to win gold at the Pan American Games. He was the runner-up to Jim Beatty in the 1960 Olympic Trials 5000, garnering his second Olympic berth, and in Rome he missed out on the final with a fourth place effort in the heats.
Putting the pieces all together in 1964, Dellinger tied with Bob Schul for the 5000 win at the Olympic Trials and went to Tokyo with his eyes on the podium. Facing miserable running conditions with heavy rain falling, Schul and Dellinger faced off against pre-race favorite Michael Jazy of France. Jazy had a good lead going into the final bend, but Schul burst past him halfway down the home stretch to become the first American to win the 5000 at the Games. Dellinger and Harold Norpoth of West Germany also passed the quickly tiring Jazy and Dellinger edged the Frenchman for bronze in a lifetime best of 13:49.8.
Dellinger had started teaching at Thurston High School in 1960 after serving in the U.S. Air Force and was an unpaid coach for the school's track team to avoid jeopardizing his amateur status. In April 1966 he accepted a position on the physical education staff at Lane Community College, and a year later he began what would be a legendary coaching stint at his alma mater.
Joining the Oregon coaching staff under Bill Bowerman on Sept. 1, 1967, Dellinger moved up to associate coach in 1970 and in 1972 was the Ducks' interim head coach while Bowerman served as head coach for the U.S. team for the Munich Olympic Games. That title became permanent in March 1973 after Bowerman stepped down to lead a fundraising effort to renovate Hayward Field, and Dellinger would remain at the helm until his retirement in late 1998.
Oregon's track and field and cross country success continued under Dellinger's leadership as the Ducks won the 1984 NCAA outdoor championships and four NCAA cross country team titles to go with three Pac-10 team crowns. Among the athletes he helped guide were Steve Prefontaine, Rudy Chapa, Joaquin Cruz, Bill McChesney, Jr., and Alberto Salazar. Dellinger was named to the coaching staff for Team USA at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Dellinger was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2021 USATF honored him with the Legend Coach Award. He is a member of the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame as an athlete and as a coach and is also in the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. Dellinger is a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame, the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, and the Grants Pass Hall of Fame.
Services are pending.