COTTAGE GROVE – Cottage Grove city and school officials celebrated the newly installed Dyrol Burleson Kiosk last week.
Located along the Dyrol Burleson Trail just north of Cottage Grove High School on the riverside of River Road, the trail was established following a city proclamation by Mayor Candace Solesbee on Aug. 25, 2025.
The kiosk is a joint project created by graphic designer and historian Alice Christianson, researcher Dana Merryday, and master woodworker Alan Schwake. Funding was provided by The Woodard Family Foundation.
The three panels of the kiosk highlight significant phases of Burleson’s running career – his time at Cottage Grove High School, his tenure at the University of Oregon, and his two Olympic appearances representing the U.S.
Retired coach Bud Taylor has long dreamed of recognizing Burleson’s achievements as a source of inspiration for local youth, he said. A native of Saginaw, Burleson exemplified grit, goal-setting, and hard work, and drew on the supportive environment of a small town, which propelled him to national and international success.
Taylor, along with many locals, remembers seeing Burleson training on the roads and seeks to commemorate his contributions by motivating Cottage Grove youth to strive for excellence.
Taylor himself was inspired by Burleson, who was a few years his senior in high school and was coached by another local athletic legend, Wally “Chick” Ciochetti. All three men have been inducted into the Cottage Grove High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
Burleson’s running career highlights include:
- While in the CGHS library, Burleson saw the Jan. 3, 1955, issue of Sports Illustrated featuring Roger Bannister on the cover after the latter ran the world’s first sub-4-minute mile. Inspired, Burleson set a goal to run the mile and appear on an SI cover. He achieved this feat twice.
- In 1958, he broke the national high school mile record by three seconds.
- His CGHS 1500-meter record still stands.
