1970s Standout Held World Indoor Mile Record

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Dick Buerkle, the last American man to hold a world record in the mile, died Monday at 72 according to a report in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Buerkle ran 3:54.93 in the indoor mile in 1978 and held the world record for 13 months before Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland broke it. 

Buerkle, who grew up in Upstate New York, was bald by the time he was 12 years old, which gave him a distinct look on the track. He didn't take up running until his senior year at Aquinas Institute in Rochester and walked on to the track team at Villanova. 

He thrived at Villanova and became a two-time Olympian, in 1976 after winning the 5,000 meters at the U.S. Trials in Eugene, and also in 1980 when the Games were boycotted. 

Buerkle was a salesman, teacher and coach after his competitive racing days ended in 1981.