William Henry Rodgers (born December 23, 1947) is an American runner, Olympian, and former record holder in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. Rodgers is best known for his four victories in both the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

, including three straight from 1978 to 1980, and 4 straight wins in the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

, between 1976 and 1979.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, Rodgers moved to

Newington, Connecticut Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Located south of downtown Hartford, Newington is an older, mainly residential suburb located in Greater Hartford. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,536. The Connecticu ...

with his family when he was around five. He attended Newington High School, where he played hockey and baseball, along with his older brother Charlie. When Newington High School added cross country as a sport in the fall of 1963, sophomore Bill Rodgers decided to join. Running track and cross country under coach Frank O’Rourke, Rodgers ran the mile in 4:28:8, won the 1965 Connecticut state cross country title and finished sixth in the New England Cross Country Championships. He first ran a road race at the Manchester Thanksgiving Day 4.78 mile race in 1965. Despite his amazing success, he never won this famous race.

Running career

In the fall of 1966, Rodgers enrolled at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

where he ran cross country and track, graduating with a B.A. in sociology in 1970. One of his teammates and college roommate,

Amby Burfoot Ambrose Joel "Amby" Burfoot (born August 19, 1946) is a former American marathoner whose peak competitive years came in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was the winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon. After retiring from competition, he became a ru ...

, won the 1968

while still a student at Wesleyan and went on to edit ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...

'' magazine. Another teammate and friend was future Olympian

Jeff Galloway Jeff Galloway (born July 12, 1945 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American Olympian and the author of ''Galloway's Book on Running.'' A lifetime runner, Galloway was an All-American collegiate athlete and a member of the 1972 US Olympic Team i ...

, who is a noted author on running. After graduating in 1970, Rodgers enrolled to study and eventually receive his MS in special education from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. After stepping away from competitive running for a time, in 1973, track coach

Bill Squires William Squires (November 24, 1932 – June 30, 2022) was an American track and field coach. He was well known for coaching the Greater Boston Track Club at the height of its marathon success, including marathoners Bill Rodgers, Alberto Sala ...

first formed the

Greater Boston Track Club The Greater Boston Track Club (usually abbreviated GBTC), a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 in Boston, Massachusetts to provide coaching for runners looking to remain competitive beyond their collegiate running careers. During the pa ...

at Boston College to train small group of local elite runners, with Rodgers becoming one of them. In April 1973, Rodgers entered his first

, dropping out at mile 20. After the race, Rodgers quit running for three months, only to return to training. Rodgers then won the Bay State Marathon in 2:28 in October 1973. In April 1974, Rodgers returned to run the Boston Marathon, finishing 14th. On October 29, 1974, Rodgers ran his first

, finishing fifth. One month after New York, Rodgers won the

Philadelphia Marathon The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November each year since 1954. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top te ...

in 2:21. In 1975, Rodgers then burst into national prominence when he won the 1975 Boston Marathon in 2:09:55, setting a new American record. Rodgers won both the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon four times each between 1975 and 1980, twice breaking the American record at Boston with a time of 2:09:55 in 1975 and 2:09:27 in 1979. In 1977, he won the

Fukuoka Marathon The is an IAAF Gold Label international men's marathon race held in Fukuoka, Japan. It was previously known as the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship between 1947 and 2021, when it was announced the race would be discontinued on its ...

, making him the only runner ever to hold the championship of all three major marathons at the same time. He made the 1976 U.S. Olympic team and raced the marathon at the

Montreal Olympics Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

in 1976, finishing 40th in 2:25:14. He did not participate in the Olympics in 1980 due to the U.S. boycott over the invasion of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

by the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In 1975, Rodgers won the bronze medal at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

, equaling Tracy Smith's 1966 bronze in the International Cross Country Championships as the highest an American had ever finished in international cross country competition. Rodgers' most remarkable year on the road racing circuit came in 1978 when he won 27 of the 30 races he entered, including the Pepsi 10 km nationals (with a new world road 10 km best time of 28:36.3), the

Falmouth Road Race The Falmouth Road Race is an annual road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights. The race organizer is Falmouth Road Race, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that puts on the race e ...

, and the Boston and New York City marathons. Rodgers is also the former world record holder for 25 kilometers as he broke

Pekka Päivärinta Pekka Johannes Päivärinta (born 4 May 1949 in Aura) is a Finnish former long-distance runner. He won men's senior race in the first World Championships of cross-country running in 1973. He competed in 1972 Olympics at 3000-meter steeplechas ...

's world record with a time of 1:14.11.8 on a track at

West Valley College West Valley College is a public community college in Saratoga, California. It is part of the California Community College system. History The college was founded as West Valley Junior College in 1963. It was to serve the footprint of the Campbell ...

Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, its population was 31,051 at the 2020 census. Saratoga is an affluent residential community, known for its wineries, restaurants, and attra ...

in 1979. ''

Track & Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running ...

'' ranked Rodgers number one in the world in the marathon in 1975, 1977 and 1979. Of the 59 marathons Rodgers ran, 28 were run under 2:15. In all, he won 22 marathons in his career. He came to be referred to by sportswriters and others as "Boston Billy". Rodgers was inducted to the

National Track and Field Hall of Fame The National Track and Field Hall of Fame is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field. It is located within the Armory Foundation (the former Fort Washington Avenue Armory) at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, ...

on December 3, 1999, in ceremonies in Los Angeles. In 1998, Rodgers was inducted in the first round to the

National Distance Running Hall of Fame The National Distance Running Hall of Fame was established on July 11, 1998, to honor those who have contributed to the sport of distance running. Many of those who are inducted have achieved great success as runners, but some members are enshrined ...

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

. Rodgers has run the Bix 7 road race in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, every year since 1980, earning the local nickname "Bix Billy". A bronze statue of Rodgers and

Joan Benoit Samuelson Joan Benoit Samuelson (born May 16, 1957) is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woma ...

was erected near the Bix finish line in 2007. On April 20, 2015,

Patriots' Day Patriots' Day (Patriot's Day in Maine) is an annual event, formalized as a legal holiday or a special observance day in six states, commemorating the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy, some of the first battles of the American Revo ...

, Rodgers was honored by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

as he threw out the

ceremonial first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

. ''Bill Rodgers Running Center'' in

Faneuil Hall Marketplace Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...

in Boston was owned and operated by Bill and his brother Charlie. The family-run business operated from 1977 to 2013. He lives in the small town of

Boxborough, Massachusetts Boxborough is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. The town name is often simplified to "Boxboro" on highway signs and official documents. Geography According to the United State ...

, and still participates in running-themed events.

Marathons

# 1973 Boston Marathon (Did not Finish)(DNF) # 1973 Bay State Marathon (2:28:12) 1st Course Record (CR) # 1974 Boston (2:19:34) 14th # 1974 New York City Marathon (NYC) (2:36:00) 5th # 1974

(2:21:57) 1st CR # 1975 Boston (2:09:55) 1st American Record (AR) # 1975

Enschede Marathon The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon (42 km, 195 metres). It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. ...

, Netherlands (DNF) # 1975 Fukuoka Marathon (2:11:26) 3rd # 1976 Olympic Trials (2:11:58) 2nd # 1976 Montreal Olympics (2:25:14) 40th # 1976 NYC (2:10:10) 1st CR # 1976 Sado Island, Japan (2:08:23) 1st CR (200 meters short) # 1976 Maryland (2:14:12)1st CR # 1977 Kyoto, Japan (2:14:25) 1st # 1977 Boston (DNF) # 1977

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, Netherlands (2:12:47) 1st CR # 1977 Waynesboro (2:25:12) 1st # 1977 NYC (2:11:28) 1st # 1977 Fukuoka (2:10:55) 1st # 1978 Boston (2:10:13) 1st # 1978 NYC (2:12:12) 1st # 1978 Fukuoka (2:12:53) 6th # 1979 Boston (2:09:27) 1st AR # 1979 Montreal (2:22:12) 15th # 1979 NYC (2:11:42) 1st # 1980 Boston (2:12:11) 1st # 1980 Toronto (2:14:47) 1st # 1980 NYC (2:13:20) 5th # 1981 Houston-Tennaco (2:12:10) 1st CR # 1981 Boston (2:10:34) 3rd # 1981 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2:14:13) 1st CR # 1981 Stockholm, Sweden (2:13:28) 1st # 1981 Bank One, Columbus, OH (2:17:34) 7th # 1982 Houston (2:14:51) 5th # 1982 Tokyo (2:24) 301st # 1982 Boston (2:12:38) 4th # 1982 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DNF) # 1982

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia (2:11:08) 1st # 1983

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

, FL (2:15:08) 1st # 1983 Boston (2:11:58) 10th # 1983 Beijing, China (DNF) # 1983

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(2:21:40) # 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials (2:13:31) 8th # 1985 New Jersey Waterfront (2:14:46) 2nd # 1985 NYC (2:15:33) 7th # 1986 Boston (2:13:35) 4th # 1986 Chicago (2:15:31) 11th # 1987 Phoenix (DNF) # 1987 Boston (2:18:18) 15th # 1987 NYC (2:25:01) 54th # 1988 Phoenix (DNF) # 1988 Los Angeles (2:20:27) 2nd masters # 1988 Boston (2:18:17) 2nd masters # 1988 NYC (DNF) # 1989 Los Angeles (2:22:24) # 1990 Boston (2:20:46) 5th masters # 1992 Vietnam International 19th # 1996 Boston (2:53:23) # 1999 Boston (DNF) # 2009 Boston (4:06:49)

Awards and distinctions

* 1973 AAU All-American Long Distance Team (20K) * 1975 National AAU- DI Benadato Award – Best Athletic Performance * 1975 Nominated Sullivan Award (placed second) * 1975 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by ''

'' * 1976 Ranked #6 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News * 1976 Member U.S. Olympic Team – Montreal, Canada * 1976 AAU All-American Track & Field Team (10K) * 1977 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News * 1978 Ranked #2 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News * 1979 Ranked #1 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News * 1981 Ranked #7 in the World in the Marathon by Track & Field News * 1989 New York Road Runners Club

Abebe Bikila Award The Abebe Bikila Award is an annual prize given by the New York Road Runners club (NYRR) to honour individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of long-distance running. The first recipient of the award was Ted Corbitt, a foun ...

* 1989 Tiffany's Man of Achievement Award * 1990 RRCA Masters of the Year Award * 1992 RRCA Masters of the Year Award * 1994 CT Sports Writers Alliance Gold Key Award * 1999 Inducted into Long Distance Running Hall of Fame * 2000 Inducted into

USA Track and Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

Hall of Fame Bill Rodgers Mount Dora 5K 2019

Personal track records

* 1 mile – 4:18.8 * 2 miles – 8:48 (indoor practice); 8:53.6 (1975) * 3 miles – 13:25.4 (1976) * 5 kilometers – 13:42.00 (1978) * 10 kilometers – 28:04.4 (1976) * 15 kilometers – 43:39.8 (1977 – American Record) * 10 miles – 46:35 * 20 kilometers – 58:15 (1977 – American Record) * 1 hour – 12 mi 1351 yd (20.556 km) (1977 – American Record) * 25 kilometers – 1:14:12 (1979 – World and American Record) * 30 kilometers – 1:31:50 (1979 – American Record)

Personal road records

* 10 kilometers: 28:16 (1983) * 15 kilometers: 43:25 (1981) * 20 kilometers: 58:43 (1982) * 25 kilometers: 1:17:23 * 30 kilometers: 1:29:04 (1976 – Unofficial World Road Record) * Marathon (42.195 kilometers): 2:09:27 (1979 – former American record)

Major road race wins

* Boston Marathon: 4 wins * New York City Marathon: 4 wins * Fukuoka Marathon: 1 win * Amsterdam Marathon: 1 win *

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wi ...

: 1 win *

Melbourne Marathon The Melbourne Marathon has been held annually since 1978. The 42.195 km run over the traditional marathon distance is the main race within the annual Melbourne Marathon Festival. The race celebrated its 30th birthday in 2007 with a new cour ...

: 1 win *

: 3 wins * Virginia 10-Miler: 5 wins *

Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run The Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run is an annual 10-mile (16 km) road race in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973 originally as a precursor training run for elite runners planning to compete in the Boston Marathon, the race has evolved over the y ...

: 4 wins * Utica Boilermaker 15 km: 1 win * Beverly Hills 10 km: 4 wins * Azalea Trail 10 km: 4 wins * Gurnet Classic Beach Run, Duxbury MA * Bloomsday 12 km: 1 win * Gasparilla 15 km: 1 win (first yr.) * Jacksonville Gate River Run 15 km: 1 win, 1978 * Bix 7: 2 wins (incl. first yr.) * Big Boy 20 km: 3 wins * Toronto Marathon,1 win,1980

References

Notes

Books

* Rodgers, Bill, ''Marathoning'' (with Joe Concannon) (1980) Simon & Schuster, * Rodgers, Bill, ''Masters Running and Racing'' (with

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and Priscilla Welch) (1995) Rodale Books, * Rodgers, Bill, ''Bill Rodgers' Lifetime Running Plan: Definitive Programs for Runners of all Ages and Levels'' (1996) Collins, * Rodgers, Bill & Douglas, Scott, ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running, 2nd edition'' (2003) Alpha, * Derderian, Tom, Boston Marathon: The First Century of the World's Premiere Running Event, 1996, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, * Rodgers, Bill & Shepatin, Matthew, ''Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey from Unknown Grad Student to the Top of the Running World'' (2013)

Audio interviews

Bill Rodgers: "Don't Boycott Beijing" Podcast Interview

External links

Bill Rodgers Running Center

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Bill 1947 births Living people People from Boxborough, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Track and field athletes from Connecticut American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners American male cross country runners Olympic male marathon runners Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics New York City Marathon male winners Boston Marathon male winners American masters athletes Wesleyan University alumni