Some good news, courtesy USATF media relations. Paul Merca > > >Contact: Hal Bateman >Media Communications Coordinator >USA Track & Field >317-261-0500 x322 >http://www.usatf.org > >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE >Monday, October 16, 2000 > >Xerox to Again Sponsor Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies >OLYMPIC QUARTET ADDED TO >NATIONAL TRACK & FIELD HALL OF FAME > > INDIANAPOLIS - A quartet of and field notables - all U.S. Olympians - >has been elected to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. > Selected in recent balloting were sprinter Chandra Cheeseborough of >Nashville, Tennessee; Olympic distance medalist and coach Bill Dellinger of >Eugene, Oregon; Olympic long jump champion Arnie Robinson of San Diego, >California; and Olympic shot putter Maren Seidler of Tucson, Arizona. > That brings to 184 the number of inductees into the National Track & >Field Hall of Fame, located in the RCA Dome in downtown Indianapolis. > The 22nd annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, presented by The >Document Company - Xerox, will take place in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, >December 2, during USA Track & Field's Annual Meeting at the Albuquerque >Convention Center. > Eligible voters included Track and Field Writers of America members, Hall >of Fame members, USATF Association presidents, members of USATF standing >sports committees and members of USATF's Athletes Advisory Committee. > Cheeseborough, 41, is one of those rare athletes who made an >international team while still in high school. She won the 200 at the 1975 >Pan American Games and competed in the 1976 Olympics, both times while still >a prep. She also was a member of the 1980 Olympic team but her top >performance came at the 1984 Olympics, when she was second in the 400 and won >gold medals in both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays. > Dellinger, 66, was a star runner at the University of Oregon and was a >member of the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic teams. In the latter Olympics, he >won a bronze medal in the 5,000. He later became head coach at Oregon and had >a distinguished career, coaching such great athletes as Hall of Famer Steve >Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Mary Slaney. > Robinson, 52, won the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics, then took the >gold medal in 1976. A seven-time national champion, Robinson was also the >1971 Pan American Games champion and was second in the Pan Ams in 1975. He >later became a junior college track coach. > Seidler, 49, was a member of four Olympic teams (1968, 1972, 1976 and >1980) and competed internationally 21 times, one of the highest totals on >record. She also raised the national shot put record 16 times, 10 times >outdoors and won 19 national titles, indoors and outdoors. > "As always, the Hall of Fame continues to add to its quality and >prestige," said USATF President Patricia Rico. "The mixture of athletic >ability with coaching skills gives us the balance we seek to achieve in our >Hall of Fame selection. Once again, I thank Xerox for their contributions to >this ceremony." > "It is always an honor to welcome new members to the Hall of Fame," said >USATF CEO Craig Masback. "All represented the United States with distinction >at the Olympic Games and all are worthy of this honor. We continue to be most >appreciative to Xerox for their sponsorship of this prestigious ceremony." > "We are once again happy to take a leading part in highlighting the >history of a great sport," said Xerox Manager of Olympic Marketing Terry W. >Dillman. "Our congratulations go to Chandra, Bill, Arnie and Maren for >attaining this special honor." > Biographies for each of the Hall of Famers follow: > > CHANDRA CHEESEBOROUGH: Born Jan. 10, 1959, Jacksonville, Fla. Although >only 16 years old, Chandra Cheeseborough broke onto the international track >scene in spectacular fashion by winning two gold medals at the 1975 Pan >American Games, taking the 200 in an American record time of 22.77. After >high school, she attended Tennessee State University and had a distinguished >career under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Ed Temple. She was a member >of three Olympic teams, 1976, 1980 and 1984, but it was in the latter >Olympics where she had her greatest performances, winning two gold medals in >the relays and taking second in the 400 to Hall of Famer Valerie Brisco. In >1984, she set a pair of American 400 records but lost each to Brisco. >Cheeseborough later became a coach and returned to Tennessee State. She was >named head coach of both men and women in 1999, following in the footsteps of >Temple. She also has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the >1999 Junior Pan-Am Championships. > BILL DELLINGER: Born March 23, 1934, Grants Pass, Ore. A contributor to >the sport both as an athlete and coach, Bill Dellinger will be forever >remembered as one of the greatest coach-athletes ever produced by the state >of Oregon. Dellinger, who attended Springfield H.S., went to college in >nearby Eugene where he became an outstanding distance runner for the Ducks >under the tutelage of the late Hall of Fame coach Bill Bowerman. He competed >in the 5,000 in three Olympic Games and was the bronze medalist in 1964. He >also was the 1959 Pan American Games 5,000 champion, as well as winning three >national titles and setting several national records. After coaching in high >school and junior college, he returned to Oregon in 1966 as cross country >coach and became head track coach in 1973. Under his coaching, the Ducks won >the 1984 NCAA outdoor track title and four NCAA cross country championships. >Among the athletes he coached were Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar, Rudy >Chapa and Joaquim Cruz. He returned to the Olympics in 1984 as an assistant >coach. He retired at the end of the 1998 cross country season but continued >coaching in a consulting capacity. He suffered a stroke in early August in >Rhode Island but has since returned to Eugene and is currently recuperating. > ARNIE ROBINSON: Born April 7, 1948, San Diego, Calif. The 1970 NCAA long >jump champion while at San Diego State, Arnie Robinson achieved his greatest >fame in his post-college years. The winner of the 1972 and 1976 Olympic >Trials long jump, Robinson was third in the 1972 Olympic long jump but took >the gold medal in 1976. He was the 1971 Pan American Games champion and was >second in 1975. A veteran of 10 international competions, Robinson was also >the first World Cup long jump champion in 1977. Overall, he won seven >national long jump titles, six outdoors. From 1976 to 1978, he was the top >ranked long jumper in the world with a career best of 27-4.75 in 1976, still >18th on the U.S. all-time list. He retired after the 1979 season but >maintained his interest in the sport and became a successful club and junior >college (San Diego Mesa) coach in the San Diego area. Robinson was injured in >an auto accident on Aug. 19 and is currently recuperating. > MAREN SEIDLER: Born June 11, 1951, Brooklyn, N.Y. For a period of 13 >years, Maren Seidler totally dominated American women shot putters. She won >23 national titles from 1967 to 1980 and was a member of four Olympic teams >(1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980). She was also a member of three Pan American >teams (1967, 1975, 1979) and placed second in 1979. In all, she competed on >20 international teams. Seidler, who attended Tufts University, broke the >American shot put record 16 times, indoors and outdoors, and raised the >outdoor record from 54-9 to 62-7.75. Seidler was the first American woman to >throw the shot more than 60 feet. She was ranked first in the U.S. 11 times. > ># # #
