Al Oerter

September 19, 2016 0

Alfred Oerter Jr. was the first athlete to win a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Summer Olympics. Born in the…

Michael Johnson

September 13, 2016 0

Happy 49th birthday to the only man in track & field history ever to win the 200 and 400 meter dashes in the same meet. Michael…

Zola Budd

August 10, 2016 0

Mention the name Zola Budd to the casual track fan and you will likely get one [or all] of three responses:  Barefoot.  South African.  Tripped…

Birthdays

August 4, 2016 0

Today we celebrate the birthdays of a fistful of notable athletes. Gregory Foster was born in Chicago on this date in 1958.  He attended Proviso…

Lasse Viren

July 22, 2016 0

The 20th century produced several legendary Finnish middle and long distance runners.  The last of these “Flying Finns” was Lasse Viren. The nickname was first used…

Amy Acuff

June 15, 2016 0

An elementary school teacher drove Amy Acuff to make five U.S. Olympic teams. Amy Lyn Acuff was born in Port Arthur, Texas—hometown of the late…

Paavo Nurmi

June 13, 2016 0

Paavo Nurmi is the most accomplished distance runner in history. Born in Turku, Finland, on this date in 1897, Nurmi was the oldest of five…

Rod Milburn

May 18, 2016 0

Rod Milburn was a man with enormous talent and terrible timing. Rodney Milburn, Jr. was born in Opelousas, Louisiana—a small town 30 miles west of…

Jim Ryun

April 29, 2016 0

The greatest miler in American track history turns 69 today. James Donald Ryun was born in Wichita, Kansas, on this date in 1947.  After being…

Boston Marathon

April 19, 2016 0

The Boston Marathon is the oldest and fastest marathon in the United States. “Marathon” comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger, who was…