Birthday: 09/30/36 Mile PR: 3:55.4 - 1965
Metric Mile (1500m) PR: 3:38.9 - 1964
High School: Lincoln HS '55
Hometown: Portland, OR
College: University of Oregon '59
Jim Grelle finished 8th at the 1960 Olympic Games in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:45.0. He was the 1963 Pan Am Games 1500 meter gold medalist and the silver medalist in 1959. Grelle won the NCAA Mile title in 1959, the AAU crown at 1500 meters in 1960 and the AAU indoor Mile titles in 1965-66.
At the 1962 Mt. SAC Relays, the Oregon grad became the 4th American to break 4 minutes for the Mile (3:59.9), and on June 15, 1965 in Vancouver, Canada, he ran his Mile PR of 3:55.4 to set the U.S. record that teen phenom Jim Ryun broke 12 days later in San Diego.
Grelle also held the U.S. indoor Mile record (4:03.6 in 1961) and tied the 2 Mile outdoor record (8:25.2 in 1966), also Jim Ryun.
On June 13, 2020, Jim Grelle passed peacefully at his house in Portland, OR.
FUN FACT: Grelle was coached by two legends: Bill Bowerman (Oregon) and Mihály Iglói (Los Angeles Track Club).
"My father had a 'laser focus'. He was humble, gracious, gregarious and he took what he had from running and used it in his life. There was this balance of instruction and a quiet voice."
By Peter John L. Thompson
The world of Track & Field Athletics is deeply saddened by the news that...
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Runner started at Lincoln High, went to UO, then all the way to the Olympics
By Gary Henley, The Daily Astorian
GEARHART, Ore. — He’s the North Coast’s own running legend.
And while Jim Grelle takes as much pleasure nowadays playing and talking about golf, he still loves reminiscing about...
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