2016 Hall of Fame Inductee
Leonard “Buddy” Edelen (Harrodsburg, Kentucky) was a pioneer in the marathon in the early 1960s. In 1963 he set the world record in the marathon 2:14:28, becoming the first American to do so since 1925. After winning the 1964 Olympic Trials marathon by nearly twenty minutes, he placed sixth in the 1964 Olympic marathon in Tokyo. A graduate of University of Minnesota, Buddy went on to earn his master’s degree in psychology at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado and later taught there after retiring from the sport. He died in February 19, 1997 from cancer at the age of 59 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His son, Brent Edelen, accepted the Hall of Fame honor on his behalf in 2016.