Robert Winston "Bob" Day (October 31, 1944 – March 15, 2012) was an American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competed at the

1968 Mexico Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

. He lettered and graduated from UCLA where he was on Jim Bush's track team, winning an individual NCAA Championship in the mile in 1965, with the team title following at the 1966

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Athlete's individual performances earn points for ...

. Also while at UCLA, he became the 12th American to break four minutes for the mile in 1964, and held the school record (3:56.4) for 40 years. In 1965 he became an All-American when the UCLA Distance Medley Relay (Bob Frey, Dennis Breckow,

Arnd Krüger Arnd Krüger (born July 1, 1944) is a German professor of sport studies. Krüger earned his BA (English major) from UCLA in 1967 and his PhD from the University of Cologne (Modern and Medieval History) in Germany in 1971. He attended UCLA on a t ...

, Bob Day) was faster than the World Record. He won the 1968 US Track & Field Senior National crown in the 5,000 meter event competing for the US Army team. Later in life, he was the first head coach of both the Cross Country and Track and Field programs at Beckman High School in Irvine. He began at Beckman in 2005, and won his first Pacific Coast League title in 2008. He died of bladder cancer at his home in Irvine, California, aged 67.Bob Day dies at 67; UCLA's greatest distance runner
''LA Times,'' March 17, 2012

References

1944 births 2012 deaths American male long-distance runners UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Irvine, California Track and field athletes from California Deaths from bladder cancer Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American people {{US-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub