Bill McChesney papers , 1976-2003

Bill McChesney, Jr. (January 8, 1959 – October 29, 1992) was an American long-distance runner from Eugene, Oregon. He was born in Crescent City, California to Bill and Marcia McChesney, and had three brothers. He attended South Eugene High School, where he participated in track and field and cross country, received multiple athletics awards, and set national high school records. McChesney broke the national junior record for six mile and 10,000 meters.

At the University of Oregon, McChesney had an exceptional track career, ranking nationally and internationally and setting records that stood for decades. In his junior year he recovered from a heel injury and went on to place third in the 5,000 meters at the PAC-10 championships, NCAA Championships, and US Olympic Trials. He was unable to participate in the Moscow Olympics because of the United States boycott intended to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He was also on the 1983 U.S. World Championships team and was ranked #1 in the U.S. and #4 in the world for his 5,000 meters record.

McChesney married Nanci Westerlund on August 15, 1981, in Eugene, Oregon. They ran a graduation products business and Bill worked in leadership conferences, motivational speaking, and with local high school students. Bill McChesney died on October 29, 1992, in a traffic accident in Newport, Oregon, at age 33. He was survived by his wife, parents, and brothers Steve and Ken. His third brother, Tom, had died in a traffic accident in 1986.

McChesney was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1998 as part of the 1977 Cross Country team, and in 2002 for his individual achievements from 1977-1981.