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Four Olympians Selected to Hall

© Susan Wessling

INDIANAPOLIS - It is that time of year again, when the National Track & Field Hall of Fame opens its doors to new members. Four athletes, all U.S. Olympians, make up the newest class, which will be inducted into the hall on Dec. 2.

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 have been selected in the most recent balloting.

"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."

Robinson, 52, and Cheeseborough, 41, are former Olympic gold medalists.

Robinson was golden in the long jump in the 1976 Olympics and he also won bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics. He was a seven-time national champion and was the 1971 Pan American Games champion. He later became a junior college track coach.

Cheeseborough, 41, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, burst onto the American scene as a teen-ager. She won the 200 at the 1975 Pan American Games and competed in the 1976 Olympics, both while still a high school student. In the 1984 Olympics, when she was second in the 400 and won gold medals in both the 4 by 100 and 4 by 400-meter relays. She also was a member of the 1980 Olympic team.

A star runner at the University of Oregon, Dellinger, was a member of the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic teams. In 1964, he won a bronze medal in the 5,000. He later became head coach at Oregon, coaching such great athletes as Hall of Famer Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Mary Slaney. Dellinger is 66 years old.

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 raised the national shot put record 16 times, 10 times outdoors and won 19 national titles, indoors and outdoors.

"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."

The ceremonies, in their 22 year, will take place in Albuquerque, N.M., 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.

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