Eugene’s most famous son was Steve Prefontaine (Pre) a long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. While running for the Oregon Track Club, Prefontaine set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters, as he prepared for the 1976 Olympics. His coach, Bill Bowerman, was the co-founder of Nike, testing many of his shoe prototypes with Pre.  While Pre was running, Nike went from a local to a national brand.  Pre died suddenly in a bizarre car wreck in 1975, at only age 24, pinned under his own car and dying of asphyxiation while waiting for medical assistance.