Sports

Bill Dellinger, Olympic Medalist and Pre’s Mentor, Dies at Age 91

Bill Dellinger, Olympic bronze medalist in the 5,000 meters, mentor to the legendary Steve Prefontaine, and for more than 30 years a winning University of Oregon coach, died on June 27 at age 91. Dellinger was an outsider in the star-studded 5,000-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, but he coped with the rain-soaked […]

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4 weeks ago

June 28, 2025

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Bill Dellinger, Olympic bronze medalist in the 5,000 meters, mentor to the legendary Steve Prefontaine, and for more than 30 years a winning University of Oregon coach, died on June 27 at age 91.

Dellinger was an outsider in the star-studded 5,000-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, but he coped with the rain-soaked cinder track, the wildly varying pace, and the mass sprint on the final lap to emerge as a surprise bronze medalist, while Bob Schul even more dramatically won gold. Ralph Hill (silver, 1932), Paul Chelimo (silver 2016, bronze 2020), and Grant Fisher (bronze, 2024) are the other Americans to medal at that distance.

In a very different crisis, the terrorist siege and massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Dellinger showed the same cool judgment under pressure. As coach to Prefontaine, he took the distraught 21-year-old into his own accommodation, and then drove him out of the city for a day of calm privacy, enabling him to reorient for the fraught 5,000-meter final. Prefontaine narrowly missed a medal, but it was Dellinger who put him in a position to challenge as unforgettably as he did.

Bill (William Cornelius) Dellinger was a lifelong contributor to the sport of running, who needs to be defined by more than his connections to Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman. A committed man of Oregon, he was born in Grants Pass. In ninth grade in Springfield, his running ability caught not only the coach’s eye, but that of future novelist Ken Kesey, who recalled watching him from the school bus, “running to school instead of riding, rain or shine, the very sort of nut you’d expect to win the state cross-country title” (as retold by Kenny Moore in Bowerman and the Men of Oregon).

As a sophomore at the University of Oregon, early in Bowerman’s coaching regime, Dellinger first showed his ability to pull a surprise success under pressure, when he was the unexpected winner of the NCAA 1-mile title in 1954. Bowerman described that as “my greatest and most satisfying experience.” Dellinger went on to be a three-time All-American, won every collegiate cross-country race, placed second and first in the next NCAA track finals, and won the U.S. Olympic Trials 5,000 in an American record, to qualify for the 1956 Olympics.

bob schul and bill dellinger posing with their medals

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Bob Schul (left) and Bill Dellinger display their medals after winning gold and bronze at 5,000 meters in the 1964 Olympics.

That year he also graduated (with a major in education), married his wife, Marol, and lowered the U.S. 5,000 record three times, to 14:16.2. But in Melbourne’s extreme heat he failed to finish the Olympic race. The failure deepened his resolve. He had joined the Air Force, and while posted to a radar station in Washington state, he spent the next year training solo twice a day on a remote Olympic Peninsula beach, counting strides to estimate track distances. That made him one of the first American track runners to persist at a world-class level after leaving college. His rewards included more American records, at 1500 meters (3:41.5), and world records at two and three miles indoors (8:49.9, 13:37.0).

One of his finest moments was a race when he fearlessly challenged the top Soviets in a tense U.S.S.R.-U.S.A. dual meet in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War, marginally losing the race (in the same time as the winner), but winning a standing ovation from the Russian crowd.

His second Olympics, Rome 1960, were another disappointment, but Dellinger was now a teacher and coach at Springfield’s Thurston High School, and came back under the direct guidance of Bowerman. In his third Olympics, in 1964, he got it right. It was Dellinger’s sudden attack with 600 meters to go that ignited the race. He kept fighting as more fancied runners faded. He grabbed third from France’s Michel Jazy in the last strides, in 13:49.8, his outdoors personal record, despite the adverse conditions and disruptive tactics.

He then retired to coach at Lane Community College, until in 1967 he was hired as Bowerman’s assistant at Oregon. He took over as cross-country head coach in 1969, the freshman year of the phenom Prefontaine. Dellinger took most of the responsibility for the development of that passionate and complex young man, and deserves credit for his success. Their relationship and behavior together was often said to be (as Moore writes in Bowerman) “like brothers.”

Dellinger faced his greatest personal challenge when Prefontaine was killed in a car wreck in 1975. Moore comments, “Dellinger was so shaken by Pre’s death that he doubted he could ever grow personally close to an athlete again.” He had succeeded Bowerman as head coach in 1973, vowing to continue his legacy, though always more reserved and thoughtful and less egotistic in style. Tension arose when Dellinger became affiliated with Adidas, designing a shock-absorbing road shoe that was in competition with Bowerman’s Nike waffle shoes. Another problem was Bowerman’s disinclination to give Dellinger credit for Prefontaine’s development. The breach was eventually healed on Dellinger’s initiative. Moore describes him as a man with a strong sense of justice who remembered his indebtedness to his former mentor. Tom Jordan, author of Pre, acknowledged Dellinger’s “always honest remembrances.”

As Oregon’s head track and field coach from 1973 to 1998, Dellinger played a significant part in coaching Olympians Alberto Salazar, Rudy Chapa, Matt Centrowitz Sr., and other major running talents, including some post-collegiates like Olympic marathoner Ron Tabb. He guided Oregon to four NCAA cross-country team championships, with five second places, and four thirds; and to the NCAA track and field outdoor championship in 1984. He guided 108 All-Americans. His straightforward style proved apt for the often rebellious university culture of the 1970s, as well as the administrative and fund-raising aspects of the coach’s duties. He retired in 1998 because of a prostate issue.

Dellinger was distance coach for the USA Olympic team in 1984. In 2001, he was inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame and the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. USA Track & Field gave him the Legend Coach Award, and he was inducted into the Collegiate Coaching Hall of Fame. He is honored by the annual inter-collegiate Bill Dellinger Invitational Cross-Country race in Springfield, Oregon. He suffered a stroke in 2000, but resumed some individual coaching. He had surgery for a stomach tumor in 2012.

In the 1997 movie Prefontaine, Dellinger’s character was played by Ed O’Neill, and in Without Limits (also the Prefontaine story, 1998) by Dean Norris. A short documentary, The Magician, was released in 2018. Tinker Hatfield of Nike, who was coached by him, said that Dellinger will in time be regarded not only as Bowerman’s heir, but as his equal.

But his full legacy is wholly his own. As an athlete, Dellinger was a record-breaking leader in America for eight years, and he won an Olympic bronze medal in one of history’s great races. As a coach, his life’s work earned him adulation in his last years whenever he appeared at any Oregon event, and the tributes of a large following of admirers on social media on every birthday.

Roger Robinson is a highly-regarded writer and historian and author of seven books on running. His recent Running Throughout Time: the Greatest Running Stories Ever Told has been acclaimed as one of the best ever published. Roger was a senior writer for Running Times and is a frequent Runner’s World contributor, admired for his insightful obituaries. A lifetime elite runner, he represented England and New Zealand at the world level, set age-group marathon records in Boston and New York, and now runs top 80-plus times on two knee replacements. He is Emeritus Professor of English at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and is married to women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer.

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Sports

Men’s Cross Country Announces 2025 Schedule

Story Links SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule. The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October […]

Published

23 minutes ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule.

The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October 3.

Santa Clara hosts the annual Bronco invitational at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale on October 18. More info can be found here.

Pre Nationals on October 18 close out the regular season before the WCC Championships November 1. NCAA West Regionals are November 14 in Sacramento, and the NCAA Championships are November 22 in Columbia, Mo.

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Sports

NBCUniversal Considering Cable Channel Featuring Peacock Sports, NBA Content

Shutterstock image Erik Gruenwedel July 23, 2025 Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA. The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part […]

Published

33 minutes ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NBCUniversal Considering Cable Channel Featuring Peacock Sports, NBA Content

Shutterstock image

Erik Gruenwedel

July 23, 2025

Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA.

The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part of the league’s 11-year, $75 billion license rights agreement with Disney (ABC Sports and ESPN), NBC, Peacock and Prime Video, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move, citing sources familiar with the situation.

NBCUniversal has made no official comment on the situation.

The sports channel would be bundled with select third-party premium TV offerings rather than conventional pay-TV bundles.

The move comes as NBCUniversal is spinning off its cable assets into a separate standalone company called Versant, which includes CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.

At the same time, live sports remains a pay-TV staple, while Fox and Disney in the fall plan to launch standalone streaming services — Fox One and ESPN — targeting TV sports viewers.

Peacock, which ended March with 41 million paid subscribers, currently streams NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” and an exclusive NFL game, in addition to PGA Tour golf, college football, the WNBA, Olympics and Premier League Soccer.

Comcast ended the quarter with more than 12 million Xfinity premium TV subscribers.

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Volleyball Earns AVCA Team Academic Award

Story Links Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week. Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and […]

Published

41 minutes ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week.

Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball programs earned the award.

“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”

Head coach Michele Zabinski just finished her 20th season in charge of the volleyball program leading the Bulldogs to a 14-17 overall record and a spot in the MAC Freedom postseason tournament last season. Thirteen Bulldogs earned MAC Fall Academic Honor Roll honors and first-year Allison Reimer was named to the MAC Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team.

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Women’s Golf Adds Three For 2025-26

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26. Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine […]

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45 minutes ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.

Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine

Alyson Sor will transfer to Long Beach State after a pair of successful seasons with Black and Blue rivals UC Irvine. Last season, Sor had a 74.29 scoring average and recorded four Top 20 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the Soboba Classic at Soboba Springs Golf Club last spring, helping UC Irvine win the team championship. She has a career Division I low of 68 and had a Top 10 finish at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational as a true freshman. “Aly is our Long Beach local,” said Waite. “We wanted to bring the Wilson High School star back home. She is a long hitter who has big aspirations with golf, and we are excited to help get her to the next level with her game.”

Emma Kang | Torrance, Calif. | South Torrance HS | Idaho

Emma Kang comes to Long Beach State by way of Idaho, where she spent the last two seasons as a regular part of the lineup. A two-time All-Big Sky selection, she was the Big Sky Player of the Week after winning the Tri-State Invite hosted by Eastern Washington, and she had the lowest scoring average last season for the Vandals at 74.4. “It was time for Emma to come back home,” said Waite. “Her Dad is a Long Beach State alum and she’s from Torrance, so we took the opportunity to welcome her into the team and back to Southern California. She brings great collegiate experience and has the eagerness to learn.”

Chloe Park | Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. | Palos Verdes Peninsula HS

Chloe Park has an extensive junior golf record and will join Long Beach State as a freshman in 2025. The 2021 Southern California Junior Tour Player of the Year, Park was a winner earlier this year at the Two-Day Spring Series at Morongo, carding a 75 and a 76, and shot a 71 at Bear Creek Golf Club in the TTC Cantlay Series. “We are excited to bring in Chloe as a freshman,” noted Waite. “She is a fierce competitor who knows how to compete.”

Former All-Big West golfers Madison Le and Erin Lee are joined by Isabelle Olivas-Lowell in returning to the program, while Olivia Chappell, Summer Schafer, and Kailey Yoon committed to the program in November.

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Lobo VB Unveils Complete 2025 Schedule – University of New Mexico Lobos athletics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public. This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With the unveiling of New Mexico Volleyball’s nonconference matchups and an update to the Mountain West Conference schedule due to the addition of Grand Canyon, the Lobos’ complete 2025 schedule is now available to the public.

This year’s slate includes 14 home matches at the Johnson Center that kick off with this year’s Lobo Invitational, a multi-team event that will feature matchups between and against Manhattan, Northern Arizona and Houston Christian (Aug. 29-30). Last season, the Lobos averaged over 800 fans a game for the third season in a row, with a season-high 1,387 fans in attendance vs. New Mexico State on Sept. 16.

The Lobos have won at a .585 clip over the past four seasons and are 33-18 at home in that span.

After renewing their rivalry for the first time since 2019 last season, the Lobos will again face New Mexico State twice – they’ll host the Aggies Sept. 16 at the Johnson Center before hitting the road for a match in Las Cruces the following day. UNM is 18-12 against the Aggies at home and 10-19 against them on the road.

Last year, the Lobos defeated NMSU in four sets in Albuquerque (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21) before sweeping them in three sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-13) two days later in Las Cruces.

The Lobos are looking to return to the Mountain West Tournament after missing out in 2024 to snap a streak of three consecutive tournament appearances. In 2024, UNM found its rhythm late in the season, winning four of their last six after weathering a seven-match skid. The Lobos led the conference in digs per set (15.77) and ranked second in blocks per set (2.53) in 2024, finishing ninth in the conference standings at 13-15 overall and 6-12 in MW play.

Fans will get their first chance to see this years’ Lobos in action when they host D-II New Mexico Highlands in exhibition action on Aug. 23 at the Johnson Center. Follow @UNMLoboVB on socials for promotions, updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.

NONCONFERENCE
After the Lobo Invitational, UNM heads to Stephenville, Texas for tournament action hosted by Tarleton State – they’ll face the Texans on that Thursday (Sept. 4) before meetings with Northwestern State (Sept. 5) and Prairie View A&M (Sept. 6).

They’ll be in Riverside, Calif. the following weekend for one more weekend of round-robin matchups hosted by Cal Baptist, opening up with Portland State (Sept. 11) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 12) in neutral-site action before facing host Cal Baptist on Sept. 13.

MOUNTAIN WEST PLAY
Conference play will include an 18-match format with each MW team playing nine home contests and making nine road trips during league action. League play begins on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and concludes Saturday, Nov. 22.

The Lobos will begin conference play with four home matchups in a row, beginning with Utah State (Sep. 25) and Boise State (Sep. 27) in the Johnson Center for Week 1 before matchups with Colorado State (Oct. 2) and Wyoming (Oct. 4).

After a three-game road swing featuring dates at San Diego State (Oct. 9), new conference opponent Grand Canyon (Oct. 11) and UNLV (Oct. 16), UNM returns home for a rematch with the Lopes (Oct. 18) before another road swing to Fresno State (Oct. 23) and San Jose State (Oct. 25).

Another four-match home stretch takes place from Oct. 30-Nov. 8, with UNM hosting Nevada, Air Force, UNLV and San Diego State in that span – the Lobos’ matchup with the Aztecs will be Senior Day at the Johnson Center. After heading to Nevada (Nov. 13) and Air Force (Nov. 15), the Lobos close out the season with road dates at Wyoming and Colorado State on Nov. 20 and 22nd, respectively.

If the Lobos qualify for the conference tournament, they’ll be returning to Vegas the following week to begin postseason action. League play will determine the seeding for the 2024 MW Volleyball Championship, which will start Wednesday, Nov. 26, and conclude Saturday, Nov. 29, in Las Vegas at the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV Campus.

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Women's Basketball Recognized on WBCA Academic Honor Roll

Story Links WBCA Release Atlanta, Ga. — The University of Lynchburg women’s basketball team was selected as a special mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll for their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, announced by the WBCA. The WBCA Academic Honor Roll recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the […]

Published

1 hour ago

July 24, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Women's Basketball Recognized on WBCA Academic Honor Roll

Atlanta, Ga. — The University of Lynchburg women’s basketball team was selected as a special mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll for their accomplishments on the court and in the classroom, announced by the WBCA.

The WBCA Academic Honor Roll recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined grade point average, inclusive of all student-athletes on the roster for the entire season. Teams having a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better and qualify for consideration of the top 25 in their division are honored as special mentions.

Lynchburg is one of four teams in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference to be selected to this year’s list. The other schools within the conference include Washington & Lee, Shenandoah, and Randolph-Macon.

To view the complete list released by the WBCA containing all 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll selections, click here.

Visit Lynchburg athletics’ home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Give Lynchburg Athletics a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg Athletics on Instagram and X.

–LYN–

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