Bill Dellinger Profile
09/28/06 | Cross Country
* Click here to see a photo album of Bill Dellinger pix.
This week's inaugural Bill Dellinger Invitational at Alton Baker Park in Eugene (Fri., Sept. 29, start - 5:20 pm) serves as a fitting tribute to an Oregon distance running legend.
As a Duck distance runner from 1954-56, the Springfield, Ore., native claimed two NCAA titles, three All-America honors and three conference championships. As a post-collegian, he continued to shine and added two world indoor records, six American records and three Olympic appearances (including a bronze medal in the 5,000 meters in 1964).
He rejoined the Ducks as a coach in 1968 and his 'Men of Oregon' claimed four NCAA cross country team titles, five runner-up honors and four third-place finishes to go along with four individual titles and another second-place finish.
The Springfield, Ore., native initially staked his name as as an NCAA champion, Olympic bronze medalist and world record holder in his collegiate and post-collegiate running career from 1954-64.
After he finished a stint in the Air Force, he initiated his coaching career at Thurston High School, joined Lane Community College in 1967, then accepted the Oregon assistant coach position in 1968 and quickly established a reputation as one of America's finest distance coaches.
No U.S. distance runner made a bigger impact than his first star, Steve Prefontaine, but the legacy didn't stop there.
Mentoring such greats as Alberto Salazar, Rudy Chapa, Matt Centrowitz and Bill McChesney Jr., his distance pupils broke 18 American records, made 17 Olympic appearances and won 12 NCAA individual track titles. In his 32 years as cross country head coach, the Ducks claimed four NCAA team titles, five runner-up honors and four third-place finishes, to go along with four individual titles and another runner-up finish.
As a team, the Ducks continued their reputation as one of the nation's deepest and most balanced units. At home at Hayward Field in 1984, UO added its fifth NCAA track title and tallied 113 points — the highest NCAA total ever. At the conference level, his squads claimed four team titles and nine runner-up finishes. Individually, 23 Oregon runners combined for 41 cross country All-America honors, and 58 track athletes accounted for 105 track and field honors.
Dellinger still lives in Eugene and has coached Olympic post-collegians Danny Lopez, Nick Rogers and Mary Slaney.
Oregon's first home cross country event since 1998 showcases an equally impressive race field, including 24 collegiate teams from seven of the nation's nine regions and 10 top conferences.
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