Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American middle and long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Olympics. Prefontaine once held the American record in seven different distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters.Prefontaine died in May 1975 at the age of 24 in an automobile accident in Eugene, Oregon.
The career of Steve Prefontaine, alongside Jim Ryun, Frank Shorter, and Bill Rodgers generated considerable media coverage, which helped inspire the 1970s "running boom". Prefontaine was often known for his mustache and his long locks of hair that parted as he ran.
Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951, in the coastal logging town of Coos Bay, Oregon.His father, Raymond Prefontaine, was a carpenter and a welder after his time serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. Steve's mother, Elfriede, worked as a seamstress. The two returned to Coos Bay after Ray had met Elfriede in Germany while serving with the U.S. Army occupation forces.He had two sisters, Neta and Linda, and they all grew up in a house built by their father.
Prefontaine was a rambunctious person, even during his formative years. He was always moving around, partaking in different activities.In junior high, Prefontaine was on his school’s football and basketball teams, but was rarely allowed to play because of his short stature.In the eighth grade, he noticed several high school cross country team members jog to practice past the football field, an activity he then viewed as mundane. Later that year, he began to realize he was able to compete well in longer distance races in his physical education class during a three-week conditioning period.By the second week of the daily mile runs, Prefontaine was able to finish second in the group. With this new-found success, he fell in love with cross country.
1564 - 1616
1803 – 1882
1854 – 1900
1942 – 2016
1928 – 2014
1835 – 1910
1869 – 1948
1884 – 1962
1898 – 1963
1929 – 1993
1879 – 1955
1809 – 1865
1807 – 1870
1800 – 1859
1795 – 1821
1755 – 1793
1984 -
1989 – 2011
1943 – 2001
1815 – 1902
1929 – 1994
1767 – 1848
