EUGENE -- Bill Dellinger, longtime University of Oregon coach is the 2021 USATF Legend Coach, USATF announced today. Already inducted into the Oregon Sports, USTFCCCA, USATF Halls of Fame, Dellinger will be honored with the Legend Coach Award at Hayward Field during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A cornerstone of the modern University of Oregon track and field program, Bill Dellinger was one of the most respected American distance running coaches during his 29 years at the school. His Oregon teams won four NCAA cross country titles and a track and field championship, but it was individual stars such as Steve Prefontaine who left the most indelible mark on the sport. Dellinger was a talented runner for Bill Bowerman at Oregon in the 1950s, earning his first national title by winning the NCAA mile in 1954, and ended up as a three-time Olympian. Along the way he won two NCAA golds and two AAU titles and took the Pan American Games 5,000m gold in 1959 before he capped off his international career in 1964 at Tokyo with an Olympic bronze in the 5,000m. He set six American records, including three at 5,000m, and his personal best in that event came in the Tokyo final. During a stint in the Air Force, he set an American record in the 1,500m in 1958. Starting his coaching career at Springfield's Thurston High School, Dellinger spent time at Lane Community College in Eugene and as an assistant for the Ducks before taking over the Oregon cross country head coaching role in 1969. In 1973, after Bowerman ended his years as the head track and field coach, Dellinger also took over that role and held it until his retirement in 1998. In 1971, Dellinger's Oregon men won their first NCAA cross country title under his tutelage, adding three more in 1973, 1974 and 1977. The team's track and field title came in 1984 in the comfortable confines of Hayward Field, where they scored 113 points. Prefontaine won individual cross country golds in 1970-71 and 1973. Selected as the men's distance coach for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Dellinger worked with many of the top runners in the U.S. during his career. He also mentored international stars like Brazil's Joaquim Cruz, the 1984 Olympic 800m champion. He has authored several books on running and training and has been a popular speaker at conferences and camps. Dellinger is portrayed in multiple films dedicated to legendary University of Oregon Alum, Steve Prefontaine, including Prefontaine and Without Limits. The USATF Legend Coach Award is in its seventh year and is selected by the USATF Coaches Advisory Committee. The inaugural award was presented to Hall of Fame Tigerbelle Coach Ed Temple in 2014, followed by Dr. Joe Vigil (2015), Tom Tellez (2016), Clyde Hart (2017), Brooks Johnson (2018) and Bob Larsen (2019).
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running, and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.