Bill Dellinger
![]() Bill Dellinger (right) at the 1964 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | William Solon Dellinger | |||||||||||||||||
Born | Grants Pass, Oregon, United States | March 23, 1934|||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and Field | |||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 1500 m, 5000 m | |||||||||||||||||
Club | Oregon Track Club | |||||||||||||||||
Team | University of Oregon | |||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Bill Bowerman | |||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | 1500 m – 3:41.5 (1958) 1 mile – 4:02.7 (1961) 2 miles – 8:43.8 (1961) 5000 m – 13:49.8 (1964) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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William "Bill" Solon Dellinger (born March 23, 1934) is a retired American middle-distance runner. He competed in the 5,000 m at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1964, setting his personal record.[1][2] He lettered in track at the University of Oregon in 1954, 1955, and 1956.
Coaching career
Upon retirement from competition, Dellinger took a position as the assistant coach to Bill Bowerman for the Oregon Ducks track and field team. After Bowerman's retirement in 1972,[2] Dellinger succeeded him as head coach. In his 25 years of coaching, Dellinger's men won five NCAA titles, achieved 108 All American honors, and had a 134-29 meet record.
He was instrumental in the development and coaching of Oregon and American great distance star Steve Prefontaine in conjunction with Bowerman, and their experience was made into a 1997 film Prefontaine, in which Bill Dellinger was played by Ed O'Neill.
In Co-Operation with Adidas, Dellinger developed the so called "Dellinger Web", a Cushioning Technology used on various Shoes throughout the 80s and early 90s.
Dellinger also coached many post-collegians including Olympians Mary Decker, Bill McChesney (athlete), Alberto Salazar, Matt Centrowitz, Don Clary, and many others.[1]
After retiring from coaching
Dellinger retired from the University of Oregon in 1998 [3] and would later join his mentor, Bill Bowerman, as an inductee in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2001.
Since retirement, he has stayed out of the Track and Field world, except for a few appearances at meets named in his honor.
In 2021 USA Track and Field awarded Dellinger their Legend Coach Award.[4]
Records
Records set by Dellinger:[5]
- 1956 American Record holder: 5000 meters 14:16.2
- 1958 American Record holder: 1500 meters 3:41.5
- 1959 World Record holder (indoors): 2 miles 8:49.9
- 1959 World Record holder (indoors): 3 miles 13:37.0
- 1960 American record holder: 2 miles 8:43.8
See also
References
- ^ a b Bill Dellinger Archived 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b Binder, Doug (August 20, 2008). "Bill Dellinger surged to '64 Olympic bronze and helped put Oregon on track map". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Bill Dellinger's Retirement from the University of Oregon".
- ^ "LONGTIME UNIVERSITY OF OREGON COACH BILL DELLINGER TO RECEIVE 2021 USATF LEGEND COACH AWARD". United States Track and Field. June 22, 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ Duck Record Holders Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. goducks.com
External links
Media related to Bill Dellinger at Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Dellinger at the USATF Hall of Fame (archived)
- 1934 births
- Living people
- American male middle-distance runners
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes
- Oregon Ducks track and field coaches
- American track and field coaches
- Sportspeople from Grants Pass, Oregon
- Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Track and field athletes from Oregon
- Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games
- American track and field athletics Olympic medalist stubs