Steve Prefontaine
Steve Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About Steve Prefontaine
Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 – May 30, 1975) was an American long-distance runner who set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters from a period of 1973 to 1975. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and he was preparing for the 1976 Olympics with the Oregon Track Club at the time of his death in 1975. Prefontaine's career, alongside those of Jim Ryun, Frank Shorter, and Bill Rodgers, generated considerable media coverage, which helped inspire the 1970s "running boom". He was killed in an automobile crash near his residence in Eugene, Oregon, at the age of 24. One of the premier track meets in the world, the Prefontaine Classic, is held annually in Eugene in his honor. Prefontaine's celebrity status and charisma later resulted in two 1990s feature films about his short life.