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10th out of 86 books
—
217 voters
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike's Co-founder
The first biography of the legendary track coach, and founder of Nike, who had an unparalleled impact on the sport of running
During his tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon from 1949 through 1972, Bill Bowerman won 4 national team titles, trained dozens of milers to break the 4-minute barrier, and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. Single-hande...more
During his tenure as track coach at the University of Oregon from 1949 through 1972, Bill Bowerman won 4 national team titles, trained dozens of milers to break the 4-minute barrier, and his athletes set 13 world and 22 American records. Single-hande...more
Hardcover, 480 pages
Published
July 25th 2006
by Rodale Books
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In a sense, this three-star rating is an average: for those in the first group, this book may well merit four or five stars, but to the general audience (non-athletes in particular), the book would be of little to no interest. But if you fall into one of the former categories (runner, coach, or Nike fan), read on for a quick recap of the book's salient aspects.
First of all, I have to commend author Kenny Moore (former Oregon runner coached by Bowerman, and later Oregon MFA graduate) for his thor...more
First of all, I have to commend author Kenny Moore (former Oregon runner coached by Bowerman, and later Oregon MFA graduate) for his thor...more
Bill Bowerman was the head coach of the University of Oregon track team for 20-some years, but he was so much more than that. He was an innovator, an inventor, a philanthropist, a war hero. Kenny Moore ran on Bowerman's teams, and he wrote this biography of Bowerman and his world. Few are more qualified for such a task than Moore, being both a writer and a former Bowerman-coached athlete.
Even if you think you know Bill Bowerman, after reading this book you learn that you know very little. I foun...more
Even if you think you know Bill Bowerman, after reading this book you learn that you know very little. I foun...more
Bio of extraordinary Oregonian Bill Bowerman. I didn't realize how much his life touched the lives of so many around the world, including me. Pioneer ancestors, politics, track & field, the running boom, professional running, the Cascade Runoff, Nike, Without Limits (a movie about Steve Prefontaine) and even Rajneeshees were all influenced, if not intimately shaped, by Bowerman. An incredible man who got the most out of life.
I think that this book can be enjoyed on many levels - track dorks,...more
I think that this book can be enjoyed on many levels - track dorks,...more
An Oregon legend, one cannot just label Bill Bowerman a legendary track and field coach at University of Oregon and on the 1972 Munich Olympic team. This nearly 500-page biography of Bowerman documents the stories of his life, and Kenny Moore, who was coached by Bowerman, is the perfect writer to tell the stories. Bowerman was an educator, a war hero, an innovator, a philanthropist, a husband and a father who loved the creative process of his being and “was motivated more by the journey than the...more
I was overcome with emotion as I finished this book this morning; Moore has done a rare thing. He has humanized his "old coach," a legendary, mythic figure, and he has placed him in the context of his time (WW2 to the 90's), place (Oregon), and family (beloved wife Barbara, three children). I loved the focus of the book on Bill Bowerman the man and the coach, yet I still feel like he exists in a swirl of mystery and shade. His quips and retorts are legendary, but his warmth and intelligence unde...more
Jan 10, 2012
Dave
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Paul Jacobs
Recommended to Dave by:
Kevin
3.5 stars.
The good: Bowerman is a character. Kenny Moore takes the reader through years of Bowerman anecdotes and those anecdotes are laced with dozens of famous and not-so-famous runners. I couldn't help wanting to have been tested and coached by Bowerman. This book made me appreciate Eugene, Hayward Field, and the Prefontaine Classic even more.
The not-so good: Kenny Moore is a great choice for a biographer of Bowerman, but I found his occasional switches to first person narration to be jarring...more
The good: Bowerman is a character. Kenny Moore takes the reader through years of Bowerman anecdotes and those anecdotes are laced with dozens of famous and not-so-famous runners. I couldn't help wanting to have been tested and coached by Bowerman. This book made me appreciate Eugene, Hayward Field, and the Prefontaine Classic even more.
The not-so good: Kenny Moore is a great choice for a biographer of Bowerman, but I found his occasional switches to first person narration to be jarring...more
A note on the rating: If you are a reader from the great big world of readers, the quality of this book rates at three stars. But if you are a reader that also happens to be a competitive runner or cross-country and/or track and field enthusiast then this book rates at five stars and might very well be the best one on our passion's subject. For the average reader, you might be in awe that Bowerman experienced and did all that he did, but there is a chance you won't find the deep investigations i...more
Quite simply, this is the best biography I have ever read. The names, places, and events may be unknown to many but I worked for a running publication for 12 years and was indirectly associated with many of the prominent individuals.
Bill Bowerman was descended from a line of true American pioneers. He was an American hero during WWII and again during the Munich games, safeguarding not only his athletes, but the Olympic spirit as well.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I finished it. I didn't...more
Bill Bowerman was descended from a line of true American pioneers. He was an American hero during WWII and again during the Munich games, safeguarding not only his athletes, but the Olympic spirit as well.
This book brought tears to my eyes as I finished it. I didn't...more
True story of Bill Bowerman, and amazing track coach in Oregon that trained many kids that broke records and went on to the Olympics, including Steve Prefontaine. Pulled this book our on the bus and turns out the guy sitting across from me had trained with Bowerman and we had an amazing conversation! Great NY moment, all because of this book.
Really enjoyable for a memoir. Fans of Oregon and Bowerman and Pre and Nike and good man with integrity will like this book. It's long winded at parts and has more technical data than the average person would like, but for runners it's very intriguing.
This is NOT a book about Bowerman's relationship with Pre (aren't there enough of those out there already?!), but rather his background, career in coaching, and impact on running as a sport. Took me 2 plane trips (long!), but well worth the time.
Sep 04, 2008
Toni
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Oregonians, runners, University of Oregon alumni
Recommended to Toni by:
My Grandma
Yes, another book given to me by my Grandma. She started talking about it and what do you know she got me an autographed copy. Thanks Grandma. The perks of having a librarian in the family.
This book is a must read for Oregonians and track lovers. Bill Bowerman coached at the University of Oregon and developed running shoes for the company what would become Nike. Bowerman was a legendary coach and coached many of the world's finest athletes like Otis Davis, Dyrol Burleson, Archie San Romani, Bil...more
This book is a must read for Oregonians and track lovers. Bill Bowerman coached at the University of Oregon and developed running shoes for the company what would become Nike. Bowerman was a legendary coach and coached many of the world's finest athletes like Otis Davis, Dyrol Burleson, Archie San Romani, Bil...more
Excellent book about a coach who tailored training to the recovery ability of the individual athlete. Interesting to contrast this with the approach taken by the coach in "Running With The Buffalos"
Great story of the running culture in Oregon. I particularly enjoyed it as I was a student at the U of Oregon immediately following the story. Kenny Moore is a wonderful, easy to read author.
I loved this book. It was very long, but I love dthe history in it both true history and the history of running (in Oregon) the athletes, and Nike. I would recommend this book to ALL runners:)
your bound to find something interesting about some of the greatest runners ever produced from USA and Canada. Bowerman was part genius and part mad scientist.
I had no idea how far running and exercise science has come in the last 40 years. And a lot of it began right here in Oregon. Amazing story.
You don't have to be a track fan to enjoy reading about Bill Bowerman and his remarkable influence on track and field in so many different ways.
Great book. Looks at Bowerman's life and what an influential man he was for many people at Oregon. What an amazing coach this man was.
I ran a marathon in Bowerman shoes from Nike, so I had to find out more about him. The chapter on Steve Prefontaine is memorable.
Moore is one of my favorite sports writers, but he loved Bowerman too much to write a great book about him. Disappointing.
Feb 12, 2010
Jennifer
is currently reading it
It started out really good - now it's slow and I'm having a tough time getting motivated to pick it up and finish it
Fine biography of Oregon's legendary trach coach who brought jogging to America and helped found Nike.
Really enjoyed this book and Moore's ability to portray the interesting life of Bowerman.
Well written. Probably only interesting if you live in Oregon or are really into track.
Great book about coaching - the legendary track coach of OR and founder of Nike.
Cool about about the University of Oregon track coach and how he helped found Nike.
Very entertaining read for track fans, and some good Oregon history, as well.
Running, history and a biography. What more could I want.
I found the first 100 pages a bit hard to get through and ended up setting the book aside for 6 months, but once the story turned to Oregon track and field I was thoroughly engaged. I believe Moore's intention was to write a complete biography, and the chapters on Bowerman's early life at the beginning of the book were necessary to paint an accurate picture of the man, so I don't fault him for including these. All in all, it was an excellent read--recommended to anyone with an interest in the hi...more
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