Cruz Named to USTFCCCA Hall of Fame
02/26/25 | Track and Field
The 12-member class will be enshrined Sunday, June 8, at the Hult Center in Eugene, Ore.
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon track and field legend Joaquim Cruz is a member of the 12-person class being inducted into this year's USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame as announced Wednesday. Cruz is the Ducks' fourth inductee, joining Steve Prefontaine in 2022 (inaugural class), Dyrol Burleson in 2023 and Bill Dellinger last year.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will be enshrined Sunday, June 8, at the Hult Center in Eugene, Ore. The ceremony is free and open to the public and will be held three days prior to the start of that week's NCAA Championships (June 11-14) at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Cruz made an immediate impact in an Oregon kit, winning the 1983 Pac-10 and NCAA titles in the 800 meters. His national-title winning time of 1:44.91 set an NCAA Championships meet record that stood for seven years and, more than 40 years later, still stands as the No. 21 showing in collegiate history.
That summer, he went on to win a bronze medal in the 800 at the first-ever World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
In 1984, Cruz turned in a season for the ages complete with a second Pac-10 title, a sweep of the 800 and 1500 NCAA titles and a gold medal for his native Brazil at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Cruz established the still-standing conference meet record of 1:45.12 and later that summer, became the second man ever under 1:42 with his 1:41.77 performance at a meet in Cologne, Germany.
The Men of Oregon won the 1984 NCAA team title with 113 points at Historic Hayward Field.
Cruz also won a silver medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul and was a two-time Pan American champion (1987, '95) at 1500 meters.
USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame
Class of 2025
Amy Acuff (UCLA, 1994-97)
Cathy Branta (Wisconsin, 1981-85)
Bert Cameron (UTEP, 1980-83)
Joaquim Cruz (Oregon, 1983-84)
Joe Falcon (Arkansas, 1984-89)
Diane Guthrie (George Mason, 1991-95)
Larance Jones (Truman/NEMo, 1970-74)
Madeline Manning (Tennessee State, 1967-72)
Scott Neilson (Washington, 1976-79)
Suzainn Reid (Texas, 1996-99)
Gillian Russell (Miami (Fla.), 1992-95)
Spec Towns (Georgia, 1934-37)
This year's class tallied 55 national collegiate titles, 17 collegiate records, eight Olympic/World medals and six world records while in college.
The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame was established in 2022.
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