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 the University of Oregon in 1954, 1955, and 1956.
 Bill Dellinger (right) at the 1964 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Solon Dellinger | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 23, 1934 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Coaching career
editUpon 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 the Pac-10 coach of the year multiple times.[3]
Dellinger 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, Alberto Salazar, Matt Centrowitz, Don Clary, and many others.[1]
After retiring from coaching
editDellinger 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 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.[5]
Dellinger was inducted into the USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame in 2024.[6]
Records
editRecords set by Dellinger:[7]
- 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
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Dellinger voted Pac-10's award as coach of year". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 20, 1986. p. 3C.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Introducing the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame Class of 2024". March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Duck Record Holders Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. goducks.com
External links
edit
Media related to Bill Dellinger at Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Dellinger at the USATF Hall of Fame (archived)
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