Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951, in Coos Bay, Oregon. His father, Raymond George Prefontaine (November 11, 1919 – December 21, 2004), was a welder who served in the U.S. Army in World War II. Steve's mot… See more

When he got into Marshfield High School in the fall of 1965, Prefontaine joined the cross country team, coached by Walt McClure Jr. McClure had run under coach Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon in Eugene an… See more

Steve Prefontaine decided to enroll at the University of Oregon to train under coach Bill Bowerman (who in 1964 co-founded Blue Ribbon Sports, later to become known as Nike). He won four 5,000-meter titles in track three … See more