Dick Buerkle facts for kids
Buerkle setting world record for indoor mile (3:54.9) on January 13, 1978
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 3, 1947 Rochester, New York |
| Died | June 22, 2020 (aged 72) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1978) |
| Weight | 130 lbs (1978) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track |
| Event(s) | 1500 meters, mile |
| College team | Villanova |
| Club | NYAC |
| Coached by | Jumbo Elliott |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | Mile: 3:54.93i 3000m: 7:53.2 2-mile: 8:21.76 5000m: 13:23.20 10,000m: 28:25.0 |
| Updated on September 26, 2015. | |
Richard "Dick" Buerkle (born September 3, 1947 – died June 22, 2020) was an American Olympic runner. He set a world record for the men's indoor mile race. Dick Buerkle is famous for being one of the most successful "walk-on" athletes in college running. A walk-on athlete joins a sports team without a scholarship at first. His achievements at Villanova showed his amazing talent.
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Dick Buerkle's Running Journey
High School Running Start
Dick Buerkle started running competitively in his final year of high school. He graduated from Aquinas Institute in 1965. His best times were 4 minutes, 28 seconds for the mile. He also ran the two-mile race in 10 minutes, 1 second.
College Success at Villanova
Buerkle did not have a sports scholarship when he first went to Villanova. He joined the track team as a walk-on. There, he trained with head coach Jumbo Elliott. Assistant coach Jim Tuppeny also helped him a lot.
In his junior year, Dick Buerkle achieved a big goal. He ran the two-mile race in under nine minutes. His time was 8 minutes, 57 seconds. This earned him a track scholarship in April. Just two weeks later, he broke Villanova's two-mile record. He ran it in 8 minutes, 46.2 seconds. He finished his studies at Villanova in 1970. He earned a degree in Spanish.
Post-College Running and World Record
After college, Dick Buerkle worked for a company that sold contact lenses. He still focused on his running goals. He qualified for the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games.
At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, he ran the 5000 meters. He finished ninth in his heat. This was a very fast race, and he did not make it to the final. The U.S. team did not compete in the 1980 Olympics. This was because of a boycott ordered by President Jimmy Carter.
On January 13, 1978, Dick Buerkle made history. He broke the indoor mile world record. He ran it in 3 minutes, 54.93 seconds. This happened at the CYO Invitational at Cole Field House. He beat famous runners like Filbert Bayi and Paul Cummings. Before this big race, he reportedly ate nine Oreos and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
Later that year, he won the men's Wanamaker Mile. This race is part of the Millrose Games. He ran it in 3 minutes, 58.4 seconds. He beat Wilson Waigwa and Bayi again. After this victory, his picture was on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Track & Field News magazines.
Dick Buerkle's Life Outside Running
His Unique Look and Determination
Dick Buerkle had a bald head from a young age. He started losing his hair by age 12. People sometimes made fun of him at track meets. This actually made him even more determined to succeed. He later thanked Michael Jordan for making the bald look popular.
Life After Competition
In 1975, Dick Buerkle was a top American rival to runner Steve Prefontaine. When Prefontaine passed away, Buerkle wrote a poem to honor him. The poem was printed in the Register-Guard newspaper.
Buerkle eventually moved his family from Rochester, New York to Atlanta, Georgia. He retired from world-class running in 1981. He said this decision was not hard. He and his wife, Jean, had three children: Gabriel, Lily, and Tera.
After retiring from running, Buerkle worked in sales and teaching. In 1992, he began teaching Spanish at Dunwoody High School. He also coached track and field and cross-country running there. He later taught Spanish at Henderson Middle School. He coached the boys' track team to win county championships in 2011 and 2012. Dick Buerkle retired in January 2014. He passed away on June 22, 2020.
See also
- Four-minute mile
- World record progression for the mile run
