Bill Dellinger to be honored at TrackTown Tuesday season finale

Olympic bronze medalist and former Oregon men’s head track and field coach Bill Dellinger will be the guest of honor at the June 5 edition of TrackTown Tuesday.

Dellinger will be joined trackside at Hayward Field by a trio of athletes who excelled under his tutelage: Rudy Chapa, UO standout and former 3,000-meter American record holder; Mary Slaney, breaker of six world records in 1982 and double gold medalist at the 1983 World Championships; and Pat Tyson, acclaimed head coach at Gonzaga University.

Lance Deal, the 1996 Olympic silver medalist, will also be featured on the show. Deal is the current American record holder in the hammer throw and current world record holder in the indoor weight throw. Deal has been the Director of Track and Field Venues and Program Support at the University of Oregon since 2010, and he will be retiring from this position after the 2018 NCAA Championships. 

Bill Dellinger made appearances at three Olympic Games (1956, 1960, and 1964) in the 5,000m. His Olympic bronze medal came at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. His coaching tenure at Oregon spanned 29 years. In that time, Dellinger’s teams won five NCAA titles (one in track and field and four in cross country). He was also the distance coach of the 1984 Olympic track and field team.

The outdoor version of TrackTown Tuesday begins at 5:45 p.m. Food and beer will be available in the hospitality tent south of the finish line at Hayward Field, followed by the one-hour show at 6:30 p.m. Spectator seating will be in the West Grandstand. The evening will be hosted by TrackTown USA President Vin Lananna and Sasha Spencer Atwood, the Director of External Affairs at TrackTown USA, will be the emcee.

Click here for more information and see you on June 5!