The Prefontaine file: highlights of his career

Died: May 30, 1975, in Eugene, Ore.

Height: 5-9. Weight: 152.

High school: Undefeated in cross country and track as a junior and senior at Marshfield High School (Coos Bay). As a senior, he ran to an American record for 2 miles with a time of 8:41.5, breaking the 1966 mark by Spokane's Rick Riley (8:48.4).

College: Entering Oregon in the fall of 1969 and graduating in the summer of 1973, he won seven NCAA titles — three in cross country (1970, '71, '73) and four in the 3-mile (1970, '71, '72, '73) — the first collegian to do that in track and the second ever in cross country. In Pac-8 track championships, he won 3-mile titles all four years and also the mile in 1971. His first NCAA 3-mile track crown came with a dozen stitches in his foot after a diving accident days before. The final cross-country win came after making up a 100-yard deficit on English distance star Nick Rose. At the close of his college career he had set nine college records. Pre's first-year notoriety earned him a Sports Illustrated cover (June 15, 1970). He never lost a race more than a mile in length as a Duck.

Overall records: He owned every (eight) American record between 2,000 and 10,000 meters and between 2 miles and 6 miles. Among his college records, his 3-mile (12:53.4) and 6-mile (27:09.4) marks still stand. During his career, he broke his own or other American records 14 times, broke the 4-minute barrier nine times, ran 25 2-mile races under 8:40 and 10 5,000-meter races faster than 13:30.

Olympics: He competed at only one Olympics, the 1972 Games in Munich, when he was 21 — two years younger than anyone else in the 5,000-meter field. Taking the lead with a mile to go and holding it until less than 600 meters remained, he finished fourth (13:28.25) behind Lasse Viren of Finland (first, 13:26.42). Ian Stewart passed Prefontaine less than 10 meters from the finish line for the bronze medal.

The activist: Prefontaine was also a reformer. He volunteered at the Oregon State Prison, starting a running club there and corresponding with inmates. One of Pre's most famous battles was against the AAU and its treatment of amateur athletes.

Remembered today: Pre's impact can be found in the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Jogging Trail that winds for about 10 miles in Alton Baker Park in Eugene. The Prefontaine Classic track meet, held each year at Hayward Field (this year, it's June 4 and televised the next day), always features a good mixture of American and international talent. Statues commemorating him stand at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. — he was the first athlete to sign with the company (for $5,000 in 1974). A documentary "Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story" was narrated by Ken Kesey in 1995. Two movies were released as well: "Prefontaine" in 1996 and "Without Limits" in 1998.

Source: University of Oregon