Dick Buerkle
 Buerkle setting world record for indoor mile (3:54.9) on January 13, 1978 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
September 3, 1947 Rochester, New York |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track |
| Event(s) | 1500 meters, mile |
| College team | Villanova |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
Indoor mile: 3:54.93[1] 3000 meters: 7:53.2[1] 2-mile: 8:21.76[1] 5000 meters: 13:23.20[1] 10,000 meters: 28:25.0[1] |
| Updated on September 26, 2015. | |
Richard "Dick" Thomas Buerkle (/ˈbɜːrkliː/; born September 3, 1947 in Rochester, New York) is a former Olympic athlete and once held the world record for the indoor one-mile run. He is known as one of the most successful walk-ons in the history of American collegiate running, due to his athletic successes while at Villanova.
Running career
Buerkle graduated from Aquinas Institute high school in 1966 with a personal best of 4:28 for the one-mile run. He graduated from Villanova University in 1970 with a degree in Spanish studies.[2] At Villanova, he learned under the tutelage of head coach Jumbo Elliott and assistant coach Jim Tuppeny. He finally received a track scholarship in April of his junior year, after running a two-mile race in less than nine minutes, with a final time of 8:57. Two weeks later, Buerkle lowered Villanova's two-mile record to 8:46.2.[3]
Buerkle qualified for the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. The 1976 Games in Montreal were a disappointment for Buerkle; in the 5000 meters, he was ninth in what was, at that point, the fastest 5000 m heat in history and did not qualify for the final. The U.S. team did not compete in 1980 because of the boycott enacted by President Jimmy Carter.
He ran the mile in less than four minutes on six occasions in his career; his personal best of 3:54.9 broke the indoor world record on Friday, January 13, 1978.[4] It was set at Cole Field House at the University of Maryland in College Park; another victory at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City put his image on the covers of Sports Illustrated[5] and Track & Field News.[6]
At the time of Steve Prefontaine's death in 1975,[7] Buerkle was his chief American rival; he composed a tribute poem that was printed in the Eugene's Register-Guard the following day.[8]
Personal life
Buerkle eventually grew tired of the winter weather in his native Rochester, New York, and relocated his family to Atlanta, Georgia, soon thereafter. Buerkle continued to live and work in the Atlanta area after retiring from world-class competition in 1981. Buerkle said that the decision was not difficult. By that point, he and his wife, Jean, whom he met at Villanova, had a son, Gabriel, and two daughters, Lily and Tera.
Buerkle tried careers in sales and teaching in tandem with his running career. In 1992, he began teaching Spanish at Dunwoody High School, where he also coached track and field and cross-country running. He used to work at Henderson Middle School, training the track team and teaching Spanish, but retired in January 2014.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 All-Athletics. "Profile of Dick BUERKLE".
- ↑ "Blast from the Past: Dick Buerkle". 1999-01-19. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ↑ Reif, Michael (2008-01-26). "Greater Rochester Track Club Hall of Fame" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ↑ "Two set world marks". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. January 14, 1978. p. 8.
- ↑ Putnam, Pat (February 6, 1978). "The slop and hustle take over". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
- ↑ "Track and Field News: Archive: Past Issues: 1978". Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ↑ Newnham, Blaine; Mack, Don (May 30, 1975). "Pre's death the end of an era". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1A.
- ↑ Buerkle, Dick (May 31, 1975). "Ode to S. Roland". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
