The Bowerman

Bill Bowerman’s legacy in track and field is undeniable. He served as the University of Oregon’s head track and field coach from 1949-72 and remained active at the University and in the coaching world even as the shoe company he cofounded, Nike®, grew into a global sports giant.

Bowerman was born in Portland, Oregon and graduated from Medford High School before attending the University of Oregon. At Oregon, he played basketball and football and joined Bill Hayward’s Ducks as a quarter-miler. After graduation in 1934, he began his coaching career at the high school level, first in Portland and then as the head football and track and field coach at Medford. He continued to coach at the high school level until 1948, with an interruption while he served in the Army during World War II.

The greatest improvement is made by the man who works most intelligently.
– Bill Bowerman

In 1948, Bowerman returned to his alma mater, and a year later, with Hayward retiring, Oregon hired him as the head track and field and cross country coach. Over the next 23 years, the Ducks experienced new levels of success, winning four national team titles and finishing twice as runner-up. Individually, Bowerman’s athletes were equally successful; he coached 24 NCAA individual champs, 33 Olympians, 64 All-Americans, and athletes who have achieved 13 world records and 23 American records. Among his Olympians were Gold Medalist Otis Davis, Dyrol Burleson, Jim Grelle, Bronze Medalist Bill Dellinger, Ken Moore, Wade Bell, and Steve Prefontaine.

Bowerman’s contributions extend far beyond the University of Oregon. Bowerman served as the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association’s (NCTCA) vice president in 1958-59 and took the helm of the organization as its president in 1959-60. The NCTCA is one of several predecessor organizations that now form the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The timing of Bowerman’s NCTCA leadership could not have been more significant, as tension between NCTCA coaches and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) came to a head in 1960-61. In response to the concerns of NCTCA coaches over the operating practices of the AAU, Bowerman was one of the primary leaders in the formation of the United States Track and Field Federation, which was the first step in establishing the system of autonomous federations to control individual sports in the United States that exists today.

Bowerman also served as head track and field coach for the 1972 Olympic Team and played a leading role in Eugene’s successful bids to host the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic trials.

Bowerman also helped inspire the jogging boom in the U.S. in the 1970s. During a trip to New Zealand in the 1960s with the Oregon track team, Bowerman witnessed the jogging boom in that country, which led him to write a book on jogging and to start a jogging/running club in Eugene. As the cofounder of Nike®, Bowerman also achieved international recognition. He famously invented the waffle sole by pouring rubber on his wife’s waffle iron.

Although Bowerman’s tenure at Oregon is long over, his impact on the University, on track and field, and on the global sports arena continues to be felt. For his numerous contributions to the sport of track and field and to the profession of track and field coaching, Bowerman was an inaugural inductee into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 1995.

Tinker Hatfield
The Bowerman Trophy Designer

The Bowerman is designed by former University of Oregon and Bill Bowerman‐coached track and field student-athlete Tinker Hatfield. As an athlete, Hatfield was a talented pole vaulter who held the Oregon school record in the event and finished 6th in the vault at the 1976 Olympic Trials.

Trained in architecture, Hatfield initially joined Nike® as a corporate architect. In late 1985, he moved from designing workspaces to designing Nike® products, becoming Creative Director of product design in 1989. By 1993, Hatfield had become Vice President of Nike® Design.

Hatfield is now the overseer of Nike’s® “Innovation Kitchen”. He is perhaps best known as the designer of 13 designs in the iconic line of Air Jordan shoes, but his accomplishments also include creating the first-ever cross training shoe and designing the Air Max 1.

In 1998, Fortune Magazine named Hatfield one of the 100 Most Influential Designers of the 20th century.

About the Trophy

The Bowerman trophy is a stunning, one-of-a-kind figure that embodies the spirit of Bill Bowerman, combining aspects of speed, shape, and asymmetry to forge a symbol of excellence in track & field.

In its first iteration, weighing over 35 pounds and standing at 20 inches tall and 20 inches wide, the body of the trophy is milled from a solid block of aluminum and plated with 18-karat gold. An acrylic fin is attached at the top portion of the trophy embossed with a three-dimensional image of Bill Bowerman. One of the most unique, and telling, characteristics of the trophy is its use of a rubber, waffle-shaped outsole for its bottom layer, a tribute to Bowerman’s invention of the waffle-shaped shoe sole.

Debuted just moments before the first presentation of the award’s namesake on December 16, 2009, the first trophies were presented to Galen Rupp of the University of Oregon and Jenny Barringer of the University of Colorado.

2009 Hatfield Interviews

In the following interview, Hatfield talks with Ryan Fenton of Flotrack.org at the 2009 USTFCCCA Convention on his role with the creation of The Bowerman, his personal background with Bill Bowerman and Nike, and how the trophy took shape:

 

More Track & Field Videos on Flotrack.org

DEFINITION

The Bowerman is awarded each year to the top male collegiate athlete and to the top female collegiate athlete in the sport of NCAA track & field.

PERFORMANCES THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED

Athletes’ performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons shall be considered. An athlete need not have competed in both seasons to be eligible for the award.

Only performances from the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons of the year in which the award is given are considered. For example, performances from the 2009 outdoor track & field season should not be considered for the 2010 award.

Performances that occur outside the NCAA seasons of indoor track & field and outdoor track & field should not be considered. The performance window for the purposes of The Bowerman runs from December 1 of the preceding year through the respective division’s NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given (e.g. 2010).

Performances achieved while competing unattached during the indoor track & field or outdoor track & field seasons should not be considered, unless the athlete is competing on a national team at a competition that occurs during The Bowerman performance window (e.g. Indoor Track & Field World Championships).
Performances achieved in cross country, or in any sport other than indoor track & field and outdoor track & field, should not be considered.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION

The Bowerman is given by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

VOTE TABULATION

MEN

Votes received from The Bowerman Voters for male candidates shall be tabulated as follows:

1. Ballots: Each male Finalist shall receive 3 points for each “first choice” vote, 2 points for each “second choice” vote, and 1 point for each “third choice” vote.
2. Fan Voting: The top male vote-getter in the Fan Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest male vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the third highest male vote-getter shall receive 1 point.
3. USTFCCCA Member Voting: The top male vote-getter in the USTFCCCA Member Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest male vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the third highest male vote-getter shall receive 1 point.

DETERMINATION OF THE WINNER
The male Finalist with the highest point total after the tabulation of ballots, fan voting, and USTFCCCA member voting shall be declared the men’s winner of The Bowerman.

WOMEN

Votes received from The Bowerman Voters for female candidates shall be tabulated as follows:

1. Ballots: Each female Finalist shall receive 3 points for each “first choice” vote, 2 points for each “second choice” vote, and 1 point for each “third choice” vote.
2. Fan Voting: The top female vote-getter in the Fan Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest female vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the third highest female vote-getter shall receive 1 point.
3. USTFCCCA Member Voting: The top female vote-getter in the USTFCCCA Member Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest female vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the female third highest vote-getter shall receive 1 point.

DETERMINATION OF THE WINNER
The female Finalist with the highest point total after the tabulation of ballots, fan voting, and USTFCCCA member voting shall be declared the women’s winner of The Bowerman.

The Bowerman Voters

The Bowerman Voters consist of national and regional media personnel, track & field statisticians, NCAA collegiate administrators, past winners, and Presidents of affiliated organizations.

In addition, USTFCCCA members collectively receive one (1) vote in The Bowerman voting. Fans also collectively receive one (1) vote in The Bowerman voting.

Previous winners of the award will receive one (1) vote each in The Bowerman voting.

The independent accounting firm of Malcolm M. Dienes, L.L.C. tabulates The Bowerman ballots.

The Bowerman Advisory Board is comprised of NCAA collegiate administrators, national and regional media personnel, and track & field statisticians. Herman Frazier serves as the Board’s chair, and Alfreeda Goff serves as its vice-chair.

Herman Frazier, Chair
Deputy Athletics Director, Syracuse University

The Bowerman Advisory Board is chaired by Herman Frazier, Deputy Athletics Director at Syracuse University.

Frazier’s ties to the sport of track & field are both strong and deep. An eight-time All-American track & field performer at Arizona State University, Frazier was the leadoff runner for the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal-winning 4×400-meter relay, and he earned a Bronze Medal in the 400 meters. Frazier also qualified for the 1980 Olympic team in the 4×400-meter relay but was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.

After retiring from competitive track & field, Herman Frazier served the U.S. Olympic team in a leadership capacity. He served as an Assistant Chef de Mission for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a Vice Presidential Representative of the U.S. Olympic committee in the 2000 games in Sydney, and the Chef de Mission for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Frazier began his athletic administration career immediately upon graduation from ASU, joining the Sun Devil staff as an assistant director of events and facilities in 1977. He moved up the athletic department ranks over his 23-year tenure at ASU, eventually serving as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations. Frazier also served as a member of the NCAA Division I Track and Field Committee during his time at ASU, including a term as the Committee’s chair from 1994-95.

In 2000, Frazier left ASU to become the Director of Athletics at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Two years later, Frazier was named the Director of Athletics at the University of Hawai’i. In six years at UH, he guided Warrior athletics to unparalleled success, including the football team earning a spot in the 2008 Sugar Bowl following an unbeaten regular season. Frazier joined the Temple Univeristy athletic department in August 2008 as senior associate athletics director for sports adminstration.

In July 2011, Frazier was hired by Syracuse.

Alfreeda Goff, Vice-Chair

The Bowerman Advisory Board’s vice-chair position is held by Alfreeda Goff, the recently retired Senior Associate Commissioner and Chief of Staff at the Horizon League.

Goff is a former track & field coach, having served as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 1975 before serving as head coach for six years. Goff then joined the administrative ranks as the administrative assistant for women’s athletics and departmental scheduling at Pitt. From 1983-88, Goff served on the NCAA Division I Track and Field Committee, including a term as the Committee’s chair.

She later served as Associate Athletic Director at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1987-94 and as the Director of Athletics at Virginia State University from 1994-98.

Goff moved to the Horizon League in 1998, where she served the League as its director of championships, Senior Woman Administrator, and League governance liaison. She oversees all championships and is directly responsible for the sports of baseball, golf, men’s soccer, softball, indoor track and field, and volleyball.

Goff represented the Horizon League on the NCAA Division I Management Council from 1999-2004. She has also served on a number of other national committees, including the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and Women’s Basketball Issues Committee, NCAA Woman of the Year Committee, the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators’ Executive Committee, and the NCAA Division I Track and Field Committee.

Goff also was president of the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators in 2004-05. In the summer of 2005, Goff was honored as the Black Coaches Association’s Administrator of the Year.