My hero worship for the late Steve Prefontaine stems from his being one of the great American middle-distance runners ever, and his hey-day in the 1970s was during my teenage years when I engaged in the same sport. (The only thing we had in common was that we were both runners; that’s where the comparison ended.)
Prefontaine finished fourth in the 5000 meter run at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and died tragically in a one-car traffic accident in 1975. His legend has only grown since that time. Prefontaine ran track during his college years at the University of Oregon, which now, as during his lifetime, is recognized as the hotbed of American track & field. Indeed the sports giant Nike is headquartered nearby Beaverton, Ore.
