 Bill Dellinger (right) at the 1964 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | William Solon Dellinger |
| Born | (1934-03-23)March 23, 1934 (age 91) Grants Pass, Oregon, United States |
| 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 | |
| Personalbest(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 | |
William Solon Dellinger (born March 23, 1934) is a retired American middle-distance runner, and track and field and cross country coach. 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 theUniversity of Oregon in 1954, 1955, and 1956.
Upon retirement from competition, Dellinger took a position as the assistant coach toBill Bowerman for theOregon 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 the Pac-10 coach of the year multiple times.[3]
Dellinger was instrumental in the development and coaching of Oregon and American great distance starSteve Prefontaine in conjunction with Bowerman, and their experience was made into a 1997 filmPrefontaine, in which Bill Dellinger was played byEd O'Neill.
In Co-Operation withAdidas, 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 OlympiansMary Decker,Bill McChesney,Alberto Salazar,Matt Centrowitz,Don Clary, and many others.[1]
Dellinger retired from the University of Oregon in 1998[4] and would later join his mentor, Bill Bowerman, as an inductee in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2001. He retired after he had a stroke in 2000.
Since retirement, he has stayed out of theTrack 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.[5]
Dellinger was inducted into theUSTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame in 2024.[6]
Records set by Dellinger:[7]
Media related toBill Dellinger at Wikimedia Commons
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USTFCCCA Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame | ||
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| Class of 2022 |
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| Class of 2024 | ||
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