Oral history interview with Bill Bowerman, 1981 September 17

This oral history interview with Bill Bowerman was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in Eugene, Oregon, on September 17, 1981, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.

In this interview, Bowerman discusses his family background and early life in Fossil and Medford, Oregon, including playing football in high school. He talks about his experiences at the University of Oregon during the Depression, about working as a football and track coach at Medford High School, and about the coaching techniques of UO track coach Bill Hayward. He speaks at length about his career as track coach at University of Oregon from 1948 to 1973. He talks about technological advances in track equipment and about the running track at the university. He describes his introduction to jogging while in New Zealand, talks about introducing the sport to the U.S., and discusses developing running shoes for his athletes. He briefly shares his experiences as coach for the 1972 U.S. Olympic track team. He talks about working with the Amateur Athletics Union, about several athletes he trained, and about his retirement activities, including his continued involvement with Nike, Inc. He closes the interview by reflecting on his career.