EUGENE – Cottage Grove High School alum Dyrol Burleson will be inducted into the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 14. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) will host the event at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, and former longtime “SportsCenter” anchor Neil Everett, a UO alum, will emcee the event.
The event is open to public and admission is free.
Burleson is one of 14 track or cross -country stars that will be honored. After graduating from CGHS, Burleson ran under coach Bill Bowerman at Oregon from 1959-62.
Burleson’s career that included 6th place in the 1500m at 1960 Olympics and 5th place in the 1500m at the ’64 Olympics. He also set American records twice in the 1,500 metres and twice in the mile, and anchored the Oregon 4xmile relay team that broke the world record in 1962.
One of Burleson’s American records was set at Hayward field. In 1960, as a 20-year-old sophomore, Burleson ran a 3:58.60 mile time – one-tenth of a second faster than the previous American record – becoming only the second American to break the 4-minute barrier and the first of any country to do so at Hayward field.
