Did Steve Prefontaine wear Nike?
Back in 1974, Nike was hunting for an athlete to wear their running shoes. They found Steve Prefontaine and signed with him for $5,000. He wore the Montreal spikes and the Boston flats, and it was Prefontaine that made the running shoes with Nike famous.
What was Prefontaine known for?
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine has been called the greatest American distance runner in history, a legend, unstoppable, a phenomenon, and a hero. His running career helped kick off a new era of running in the US, sparking a boom of running in the 1970s. He became an icon of running—rare status for anyone, let alone a runner.
What happened to Steve Prefontaine car?
Steve Prefontaine in 1973 MGB, the car he died in May 30th, 1975.
Who is Steve Prefontaine coach?
Bill Bowerman
Steve Prefontaine/Coaches
Who is the only athlete to have a statue at Nike?
Steve Roland “Pre” Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics. While running for the Oregon Track Club, Prefontaine set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters, as he prepared for the 1976 Olympics.
Who was Nike’s first athlete?
“Nike’s first signature athlete was welterweight wrestler, Wayne Wells. The 5′ 8” Texas native had an accomplished career, winning a gold medal in Munich in 1972 while working closely with Nike footwear designers on his signature, high-top wresting boot.
What is the meaning of Prefontaine?
Prefontaine Name Meaning French: topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow with a spring, from pré de la fontaine.
What happened to Prefontaine’s girlfriend?
Nancy was Steve Prefontaine’s girlfriend for several months until his death. She and distance runner Frank Shorter were the last people to speak with Steve when he drove Nancy to her car on the Oregon campus, and then drove Frank to former Oregon runner, Kenny Moore’s home. Nancy was grief stricken by his death.
Did Steve Prefontaine drink and drive?
This is what he told The Register-Guard in 1985, when the newspaper did a 10th anniversary story on Pre’s death: “He died because he consumed too much alcohol and drove.
How fast did Prefontaine run a mile?
Steve Prefontaine
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Personal best(s) | Outdoor 1500 m: 3:38.1 (Helsinki 1973) Mile: 3:54.6 (Eugene 1973) 3000 m: 7:42.6 (Milan 1974) 2-mile: 8:18.29 (Stockholm 1974) 5000 m: 13:21.87 (Helsinki 1974) 10,000 m: 27:43.6 (Eugene 1974) Indoor Mile: 3:58.6 i (College Park 1975) 2-mile: 8:20.4 i (San Diego 1974) |
What did Bowerman say about Prefontaine?
Heavily recruited by top running schools during his senior year, Prefontaine was swayed by a handwritten note from University of Oregon head coach Bill Bowerman. “It said if I came to Oregon, he’d make me into the best distance runner ever,” Prefontaine recalled. “That was all I needed to hear.”
Was Bill Bowerman a runner?
Bill Hayward, the Ducks’ track coach. Although Bowerman never became a great runner, he says he learned the “gist of developing greatness” from Hayward. Bowerman wasn’t planning to become a coach. When he obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1934, he had sights on being a doctor.