When terrorists stormed the Olympic Village in Munich in 1972, panic and grief swept through the athletes’ quarters. Among them was 21-year-old Steve Prefontaine, shaken by the incident just days before the biggest race of his life. It was Bill Dellinger, his coach, who stepped in and brought Prefontaine into his own room. Not only did he shield him from the chaos, he also prepped him for the upcoming race. This was the man that William Solon Bill Dellinger was. And as he passed away on June 27, at the age of 91, the track and field community, amongst many others, mourns his loss.

But Dellinger wasn’t just Pre’s coach. His own legacy draws a compelling tale. In 1956, he ran the 5000 meters in the Melbourne Olympics and was knocked out in the heats. Four years later, he came back, tried again in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Yet again, Olympic gods were not on his side. But this track and field legend knew better than to give up. When the Summer Olympics took place in Tokyo in 1964, Bill, at age 30, on a rainy cinder track, executed a powerful run to claim bronze in a personal-best time of 13:49.8. A fond memory to draw inspiration from as he left behind a legacy that year.

On June 27, 2025, Bill Dellinger—one of the most accomplished figures in American distance running and a key architect of Oregon’s storied track and field legacy—passed away at the age of 91. After retiring from competition, Dellinger took over as head coach of Oregon’s track and field team in 1973 and led the program until 1998. Over those 25 years, athletes under his guidance broke 18 American records, won 12 individual NCAA titles, and made 17 Olympic appearances.

The track and field community continues to mourn the demise of the 91-year-old. Amongst them is the former TV sports anchor and Arkansas graduate, Hayden Herrera, who also joined in saying, “Always enjoyed covering the Dellinger Invitational, Bill still showed up even in his later years and people loved seeing him. Dellinger was portrayed by Ed O’Neill in the movie Prefontaine and by Dean Norris in the movie Without Limits.” Steve Prefontaine and Bill Dellinger were deeply interconnected. Dellinger took most of the responsibility for the development of Prefontaine. Their relationship together was often said to be (as Moore writes in Bowerman) “like brothers.”

Dellinger served in the U.S. Air Force and only began his coaching career after that. He started with a teaching and coaching career at Springfield’s Thurston High School. Later, he joined the Oregon coaching staff in 1968, where he succeeded Bowerman as head coach in 1973. The man served for 29 years as the cross country head coach and 25 years as the head track and field coach. During all these years, Oregon captured four NCAA cross-country team titles and added five runner-up finishes.

His 1984 track and field outdoor squad delivered a 113-point championship performance at Hayward Field, a total that represents the highest total ever recorded at an NCAA meet to this day. During his tenure, 23 runners earned 41 cross-country all-America honors, while 58 track and field athletes earned the same accolades 105 times. The man was such a legend and a figure in the sport. It’s only understandable for the fans’ track and field community to mourn his loss.

Track and field community mourns the passing of Bill Dellinger

Bill Dellinger was not just a coach or an athlete; he was a monumental figure in the track and field world. This fan just sums up the heart of everyone when he says, “A ‘legend’ is a cliched term for a great many people, but not Bill Dellinger. As a university student I would while away my afternoons reading the accounts of the achievements of The Men of Oregon. RIP Mr Dellinger.”

During this period, he became a two-time NCAA champion (mile in 1954 and the 5,000 meters in 1956, the latter of which he broke the record three times in 1956), three-time all-American, and three-time conference champion from 1953 to 1956. Why was he also one of the people who trained the men of Oregon? Because just like this fan said,  he was “A legend in coaching. He will be greatly missed. Sending up prayers for he and his loved one’s.” In his coaching tenure at the university, he had the likes of Prefontaine, Centrowitz, Salazar, Chapa, Cruz, and McChesney under him, each of whom won individual NCAA titles, set records, or became Olympians.

Another fan wrote on X, “A giant in the sport of Track & Field His passing coined on the blockchain forever.” Outside his collegiate career, the Olympian had six American records, two world indoor records (2 miles and 3 miles). He set world indoor records of 8:49.9 for 2 miles and 13:37.0 for 3 miles, both indoors. One wrote, “Absolute god damn legend! May he rest in peace 🙏🏻“.

For his career as both a track and field coach and athlete, he has been honored with the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, UO Athletics Hall of Fame, Track and Field Hall of Fame for Coaching, Distance Running Hall of Fame, Drake Relays Hall of Fame, and Grants Pass Hall of Fame. Rest in peace, William Solon Bill Dellinger.