The World Heads to Uni

A revamped Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is due to host this year’s World Athletics Championships. Track and field has become synonymous with the state, but its past includes stories of both glory and shame. Michael Houston tells the tale.

The modest east and west grandstands have been demolished and the core features of one of the world’s most iconic tracks have been given a facelift - but the legacy remains.

Hayward Field - home of the Oregon Ducks - has been transformed from a reliable venue to an athletics stadium worthy of hosting major events.

Located in Eugene at the University of Oregon campus, the first World Athletics Championships on American soil is set to take place there this year.

This is a startling fact considering the nation’s stature in the sport, but there seems to be no better place to hold the flagship event than one of the most pivotal cities in the “running boom”.

Part of the revamp is the construction of a tower, a 10-storey structure which pays tribute to five track and field legends from the university.

Former decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton is one of them, as is Otis Davis, the 400 metres and 4x400m relay gold medallist from the Rome 1960 Olympics.

Another recognised is Raevyn Rogers, the current Olympic bronze and world silver medallist who is likely to represent the hosts in the women’s 800m at the World Championships.

All three have achieved great things, but they perhaps pale in comparison to the legacies of coach Bill Bowerman and runner Steve Prefontaine, two of the most influential people in collegiate and professional athletics.

Bowerman was the wise mind behind the success of Prefontaine, an enigma whose personality stood out as much as his running achievements.

While “Pre” was becoming the top middle-distance prodigy in the country, Bowerman was already finding his feet away from the inside of lane one, having founded Blue Ribbon Sports with one of his former athletes, Phil Knight.

The pair teamed up in 1964 to launch the company which initially started as a distributor for Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger. It later merged into the apparel giant Asics.

BRS would trade shoes under a new name after severing ties in the Far East in 1971. That name - Nike - has become the biggest sportswear brand in the world.

Davis has claimed that Bowerman, his coach at the university, made him the first pair of Nike shoes. This is contrary to suggestions that they were made for Knight, who was a solid but unspectacular miler.

If not for a tragic accident, Bowerman’s name would likely be plastered on the calendar of every Diamond League season.

The Hayward Restoration Meets of 1973 and 1974 were created to provide high-quality athletics, while raising funds to replace the deteriorating wooden west grandstand at Hayward Field.

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In 1975, this event was set to become the “Bowerman Classic” in honour of the coach, and was scheduled for June 7. However, on June 1, he approved a name change. It would now be known as the “Prefontaine Classic”.

Prefontaine was twice the state champion in cross country in high school, which earned him a spot at the University of Oregon.

Despite persistent offers from elsewhere, he was won over by Bowerman’s lofty promise that he could make him the greatest runner in the world.

He certainly showed that form during his college years, becoming the National Collegiate Athletic Association cross country champion in three of his four years.

The only time he missed out was when he finished third as a freshman, but in all four years he was an NCAA gold medallist on the track.

Three of these were in the three mile event, with the other coming in his junior year in the 5,000m which he won in front of a home crowd at Hayward Field.

During his student days, Prefontaine also came fourth in the 5,000m at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. He came home behind Finnish running royalty Lasse Virén, Tunisia’s Mohamned Gammoudi and Britain’s Ian Stewart.

Despite only having a Pan American title to his name on the international stage, Prefontaine outshone many of his opponents. He was an eccentric, moustachioed, long-haired stallion who prided himself on “hitting the front” and making everyone come after him.

This resulted in an undefeated streak during his college years in distances from three miles to the 10,000m, and he was only defeated three times in the mile.

Forty years on from his NCAA successes, it was not uncommon to find adolescent athletes in the United Kingdom posting “Pre” quotes about running hard on their social media pages. I was one of them.

Why is his legacy so important to the athletics masses? He had a certain arrogance to him about his ability, but one that was completely justified. He had a personality similar to the likes of Muhammad Ali. He believed, and nothing could stop him getting to the top - at least in theory.

Bowerman gave his blessing to the Prefontaine Classic name only two days after a car crash that killed his student on May 30, 1975. He was only 24.

Prefontaine was driving Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter - another athlete regarded as an architect for the 1970s running boom - from a party to the home of two-time Olympian and fellow Duck, Kenny Moore.

Minutes after dropping Shorter off, Pre’s convertible jumped the kerb of a winding road, hit a rock wall and flipped over, trapping him inside. Although alive when the incident was reported by a bystander, Prefontaine was pronounced dead at the scene, with his blood alcohol level above the legal limit according to the Eugene Police Department. Pre’s Rock, a memorial to him, remains at the site of his untimely death.

The day after his funeral in his hometown of Coos Bay - a two-hour drive from Eugene - a memorial service was held at Hayward Field which was attended by thousands.

His impact on the sport goes beyond his achievements on the track.

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift” is a quote repeated within the athletics community, which was popularised by Prefontaine. Fittingly, the marathon route for the World Athletics Championships travels past Pre’s Trail, a route that he designed with Bowerman to replicate the terrain of European cross country running.

Pre and Bowerman’s names are part of the furniture in the state of Oregon, which has remained the home of Nike. Its famous “swoosh” logo is now so iconic that the company name was dropped from it in 1995.

Yet, the headquarters for one of the most recognisable brands in the world is not located among skyscrapers. Instead, it is nestled in the north-west of Oregon on unincorporated land on the outskirts of Beaverton, a town home to fewer than 100,000 people.

This is clearly a strategic move. It is close to the state’s largest city, Portland, but at the same time it keeps the company close to its origins and the University of Oregon.

Away from the state, there are approximately 16,000 athletes and sports organisations who promote the brand globally.

From basketball great Michael Jordan to some of the best footballers on the planet, superstar athletes have long donned the Nike tick.

This extends to athletics, with the Diamond League circuit featuring swathes of Nike blue and green vests across both track and field. Olympic champions such as Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah,

A statue of Bill Bowerman watches on at Hayward Field.

Photo: Getty Images

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Americans Athing Mu and Ryan Crouser, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon are just some of the top stars who compete in the colours.

While Ingebrigtsen, Thompson-Herah and Kipyegon are among the biggest names on the track, Nike also helps athletes who previously worked full-time to support their athletics careers.

For example, British women’s 400m hurdler Jessie Knight was able to switch into a part-time position as a teacher after qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, after receiving financial support.

At the time she was ranked 50th in the world, while she was 45th in the 2019 list of fastest times.

Her deal likely came following a fast indoor 400m in Glasgow, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic. This, then, is not just goodwill from Nike but a clear use of advertising.

What Nike does try to put down as goodwill is its generous donations to the University of Oregon, with their collaboration beneficial for both parties.

Last year, the company sent a second $500 million gift to the college. As an alumnus at the university, Phil Knight has also been giving back - as well as shortening his tax bill - and since 1994 has reportedly donated almost $1 billion. Some of this has been put towards new sports facilities, as well as $500 million towards a new science campus.

The Oregon Ducks basketball team play at the Matthew Knight Arena, named after the Nike co-founder’s son who died at the age of 34 in a scuba diving accident.

Knight reportedly paid $100 million towards its construction, close to half of the total $227 million cost.

Another $41.7 million went to the John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, named after the late alumnus and founding Nike Board member.

The Autzen Stadium - home of the American football team - was renovated in 2002 with $30 million coming from Knight. He also paid $68 million towards a new training facility for the team.

As of 2017, the billionaire had reportedly given more than $300 million to sport at the university.

Away from construction, Nike also builds relationships with the university’s students. Five scholarships worth $2,000 have been paid to Ducks athletes whose eligibility to compete has expired, and one student a year will receive an internship at the company’s headquarters.

With the give, comes the take. Varsity coaches must make Nike appearances, and the basketball teams can expect to play in Nike-sponsored tournaments.

If the university ever wants to change its logo, Nike gets “first dibs” over the decision.

This is something which could be overseen by designer Tinker Hatfield, who once attended the university. The overlap between the two parties is incestuous, but one that the university relies on more than Nike does.

Dave Frohnmayer took over as President of the University of Oregon in 1994, when the institution desperately needed funding, according to University of Nike, a book by Joshua Hunt.

This came after state legislation cut resources to higher education, leading to the President revamping the funding model. Knight came on board in the same year, with his first major contribution of $27.4 million going towards the expansion of the library.

Following various donations, Knight had power in a university like no other billionaire. By the late 1990s he was contributing towards Frohnmayer’s annual salary through a supplemental payment approved by the Board of Higher Education.

He also made an annual gift of $1 million towards the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, a non-profit organisation started by Frohnmayer and his wife after their daughters were born with the rare genetic disorder.

At this point, Knight was a puppeteer who had leverage over the President and was unafraid to flex this power. At the same time, Nike faced major criticism for its working conditions in poorer nations after a young Vietnamese woman, Nguyen Ti Tu Phuong, was killed by a malfunctioning sewing machine. Independent reports criticised Nike’s affiliation with sweatshops.

In April 2000, students staged a sit-in for the first time since the protests against the Vietnam War in 1969, as part of calls for the university to join the Worker Rights Consortium.

After Frohmayer signed a one-year deal with the labour rights organisation, Knight pulled funding for the Autzen Stadium expansion and only returned his pledge when the agreement expired.

On the track, Knight reportedly threatened to withdraw funding when the university’s athletic director, Bill Moos, refused to fire coach Martin Smith in 2005.

Smith eventually resigned from his position that year following seven seasons, after failing to win an NCAA team title during his tenure, and Moos followed in 2007.

Vin Lananna replaced Smith in the role, and helped to revitalise athletics in Oregon which regained its reputation as a major powerhouse.

This proud tradition of achievement in athletics in Eugene has led the city to be known as “TrackTown USA”.

Sports giant Nike has a huge presence in Oregon. Photo: Getty Images

Mary Cain made a series of allegations against Alberto Salazar and never fulfilled her potential. Photo: Getty Images

This name is aided by the success at the university, but it goes far beyond the collegiate athletes and also extends to Olympic and world champions.

Ten years ago, Alberto Salazar was regarded as one of the greatest athletics coaches on the planet. Known for his intricate tweaking of techniques and adopting East African training methods, he attracted major names to the Nike Oregon Project such as Mo Farah, Sifan Hassan, Yomif Kejelcha and former Ducks Matt Centrowitz and Galen Rupp.

Farah, a four-time Olympic champion, won both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles back-to-back at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and is the major success story of the NOP.

Rupp was often his sidekick and won 10,000m silver behind the British runner at London 2012.

Centrowitz became Olympic champion in the men’s 1500m at Rio 2016, while at the same Games his training partner Clayton Murphy claimed bronze in the men’s 800m.

However, suspicion has long loomed over every athlete associated with Salazar, who started the NOP in 2001.

The coach’s name has been associated with doping allegations since 2015, when he was named in an investigation by BBC Panorama and American non-profit organisation ProPublica.

Testimonies from athletes claimed that they were micro-dosed with testosterone and prednisone.

One of those to speak out was Kara Goucher, a former member of the NOP and the 2007 world silver medallist in the women’s 10,000m.

She said Salazar pressured her into taking thyroid medication to lose the weight gained during her pregnancy in 2010.

In September 2019, the United States Anti-Doping Agency banned Salazar and Jeffrey Stuart Brown, a doctor at the NOP, for offences related to trafficking testosterone and tampering with doping control. This ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Salazar was then banned by the United States Center for SafeSport, which works to protect the welfare of athletes. Last year, he became “permanently ineligible” to coach after SafeSport found he had committed four violations of emotional and sexual misconduct, including penetration of athletes with his finger on two occasions while giving a massage.

The likes of Goucher, as well as Mary Cain and Amy Yoder Begley, spoke out against their former coach.

Cain’s accusations were particularly sad. Having just turned 26, the American middle distance runner’s career in the sport is over, despite once being one of the most promising athletes of her generation.

At the age of 16, she finished 18th in the women’s 800m at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials.

She then broke her high school record in the 1500m with a run of 4min 11.01sec for gold at the World Junior Championships, against women who were as much as three years older than her. She beat the previous best of Jordan Hasay, another NOP runner. With the world at her feet, she joined the NOP later that year.

Cain, however, would never make it to the Olympic Games. Her last personal bests came in 2014, at the age of 18, with injuries blighting the rest of her career.

In late 2019, The New York Times published a video where she attributed her downfall to poor coaching under Salazar.

She alleged weight control measures and said that her coach body-shamed her. As a result, she developed an eating disorder, could no longer menstruate and suffered five bone fractures in five years, she said.

Last year, she filed a $20 million lawsuit against Salazar and Nike for the emotional and physical abuse she alleges.

The NOP died in 2019, along with Salazar’s positive legacy. Centrowitz made the jump

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Alberto Salazar, centre, with star athletes Galen Rupp, left, and Mo Farah, right. Photo: Getty Images to the Bowerman Track Club, named after the great university coach.

BTC has other links to the NOP, through head coach Jerry Schumacher. He had been touted as Salazar’s tentative successor as head coach in 2008, but the pair split a year later after falling out.

The apprentice was now the rival over at the BTC, but his team has not been free from controversy.

Shelby Houlihan’s positive test for nandrolone has shook the Schumacher squad, with the American runner receiving a four-year ban.

Houlihan, who blamed a contaminated burrito, cannot compete until 2025. Although within the rules of the suspension, her continued involvement in the training group led to Gabriela DeBues-Stafford - who came fifth in the 1500m at Tokyo 2020 - to depart after less than two years.

Speaking to LetsRun, the Canadian said she did not believe BTC had doping issues elsewhere, but was uncomfortable with the ambiguity over Houlihan’s participation in the team.

Some athletes were not told about the provisional suspension until days before it was made public, it was claimed.

“This absence of clarity surrounding the boundaries between BTC and a banned athlete is the critical reason for my departure,” said DeBues-Stafford. “I think Jerry is a great guy, and I can’t imagine him putting his athletes in a position that he thinks would break any codes or any guidelines given to either himself or Shelby. “However, it doesn’t matter how much I like or respect someone, or if I believe that they think they are abiding by the rules, I need to personally be able to verify all relevant text verbatim to ensure I am adhering to all codes of ethics and antidoping in our sport. “I cannot outsource that responsibility to someone else.” Schumacher rejected DeBues-Stafford’s request to train separately from the banned athlete. Eugene is still a Mecca for distance runners, regardless of the controversies, and the World Championships will feel like a cosy return to one of the most important places in athletics. Hayward Field first received a cinder track 101 years ago, when it was far removed from its look today. Several elite athletes will roll back to their college years in July for the grandest homecoming of all. Rogers will be hoping to stand at the top of the podium in Oregon once again, although she will be much older and wiser. Rupp will be pacing down the same streets as he did on his Sunday runs 15 years ago. While shadows will loom from the murky side of Oregon athletics, the memories of Prefontaine and Bowerman, and Bill Dellinger and Vin Lananna, will continue to shine on.

Even 47 years on from his death, Pre’s quotes continue to inspire, and Bowerman’s legacy is remembered. Even Salazar’s ethical training techniques have been adopted elsewhere.

World titles and world records will be the aim of many over the 10 days of competition between July 15 and 24.

Inspirational quotes from Eugene’s favourite son will ring in the ears of many distance runners on the start line. Pre’s most fitting line might be a call back to his front running, and his willingness to never lose while always setting the standard.

“The best pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die”.