Month: March 2016

3:58.6 April 23, 1960, Eugene On the race: “I only got under 4 because of Ernie Cunliffe of Stanford,” Burleson said. “He and I were close friends, and he came out of the start on fire. I had to run… Continue Reading →

3:59.8 June 2, 1966, Eugene On the race: Between 6,000 and 8,000 people were at the Oregon Twilight Meet for the race. Bell doesn’t remember the other athletes, but he remembered that everyone was going for the milestone. The splits were… Continue Reading →

3:59.4 May 6, 1967, Corvallis On the race: Kvalheim didn’t head into the dual meet with Oregon State intending to break the barrier; he was more concerned about getting points for his team. It was “just the way the race… Continue Reading →

3:59.2 June 5, 1970, Eugene On the race: The only time Savage broke four minutes in the mile was in front of a home crowd at Hayward at the Twilight Invitational, the day before his 22nd birthday. He remembers the exact… Continue Reading →

3:56.2 June 23, 1967, Bakersfield, California On the race: Wilborn said he doesn’t vividly remember the first half of the race, but does remember the end. With 300 meters to go, realizing that he was in good position and on… Continue Reading →

3:59.9 April 28, 1962, Walnut, California On the race: At the time of the race, Grelle was living in Los Angeles, running for the L.A. Track Club under the famous Hungarian track coach Mihály Iglói. He moved to L.A. for… Continue Reading →

3:58.3 May 26, 1962, Modesto, California On the race: Forman said he “didn’t expect to win that day or to run very fast,” but he did just that. “I didn’t feel tired in that race until maybe 10 yards to… Continue Reading →

3:59.1 June 2, 1966, Eugene On the race: Divine remembers running under four minutes several times during his time at Oregon. His first time came as an 18-year-old freshman in the inaugural Oregon Twilight Meet, which was organized to help… Continue Reading →

3:57.6 June 5, 1964, Compton, California On the race: San Romani remembers a crowded field at the Compton Invitational: “Coach was like, ‘Hey, I think you ran 3:57.’ It was quite an exciting day.” San Romani and a few others all… Continue Reading →