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{{NPOV|date=December 2024}}
{{Short description|American track athlete}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name = Steve Scott
|name = Steve Scott
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|turnedpro =
|turnedpro =
|retired =
|retired =
|pb = '''[[800 meters|800m]]''': 1:45.05<ref name="IAAF">{{cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/steve-scott-2596|author=[[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]]|title=''Steve Scott - Athlete Profile''}}</ref> <br/> '''[[1500 meters|1500m]]''': 3:31.76<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[Mile run|Mile]]''': 3:47.69<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[3000 meters|3000m]]''': 7:36.69<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[5000 meters|5000m]]''': 13:30.39<ref name="IAAF"/>
|pb = '''[[800 meters|800m]]''': 1:45.05<ref name="IAAF">{{cite web|url=https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/steve-scott-2596|author=IAAF|author-link=International Association of Athletics Federations|title=''Steve Scott - Athlete Profile''}}</ref> <br/> '''[[1500 meters|1500m]]''': 3:31.76<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[Mile run|Mile]]''': 3:47.69<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[3000 meters|3000m]]''': 7:36.69<ref name="IAAF"/> <br/> '''[[5000 meters|5000m]]''': 13:30.39<ref name="IAAF"/>
|olympics =
|olympics =
|worlds =
|worlds =
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|updated =
|updated =
|medaltemplates =
|medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men’s [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|1983 Helsinki]]|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|1983 Helsinki]]|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 m]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|Olympic Boycott Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[Liberty Bell Classic|1980 Philadelphia]] | [[Athletics at the 1980 Olympic Boycott Games|1500 m]]}}
}}
}}
'''Steve Scott''' (born May 5, 1956) is an American former [[track and field|track]] athlete and one of the greatest [[mile run]]ners in American history. The silver medalist in the [[1500 meters]] at the inaugural [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics]] in Helsinki in 1983, Scott owns the [[United States records in track and field|U.S. indoor record]] in the 2000 meters (4:58.6-1981). He held the American outdoor mile record for more than 26 years and also is the former American indoor record holder in the same event. ''[[Track & Field News]]'' ranked Scott #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/1500usranking.pdf|title=T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression|website=www.trackandfieldnews.com}}</ref> and 11 times during his career he was ranked in the top ten in the world by T&FN.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/1500worldranking.pdf|title=T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression|website=www.trackandfieldnews.com}}</ref> Additionally, he participated for the US team at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]]. He finished 5th in the 1500 meter run at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]] held in Korea. Scott was also an Olympian on the [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympics]] team which was not allowed to go to Moscow. He ran the sub [[four-minute mile]] on 136 occasions in his career, more than any other runner in history.
'''Steve Scott''' (born May 5, 1956) is an American former [[track and field|track]] athlete. The silver medalist in the [[1500 meters]] at the inaugural [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics]] in Helsinki in 1983, Scott owns the [[United States records in track and field|U.S. indoor record]] in the 2000 meters (4:58.6-1981). He held the American outdoor mile record for more than 26 years and also is the former American indoor record holder in the same event. ''[[Track & Field News]]'' ranked Scott #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/1500usranking.pdf|title=T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression|website=www.trackandfieldnews.com}}</ref> and 11 times during his career he was ranked in the top ten in the world by T&FN.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/men/1500worldranking.pdf|title=T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression|website=www.trackandfieldnews.com}}</ref> Additionally, he participated for the US team at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympics]]. He finished 5th in the 1500 meter run at the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]] held in Korea. Scott was also an Olympian on the [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympics]] team which was not allowed to go to Moscow. He ran the sub [[four-minute mile]] on 136 occasions in his career, more than any other runner in history.


Scott is also regarded as the founder of [[speed golf]] in 1979; on December 2, 1982, Scott set a record for the fastest round of golf played on a regulation course, completing 18 holes in 29 minutes, 33.05 seconds at Miller Golf Course in Anaheim, Calif. Using only two clubs and running from hole to hole, he posted a respectable score of 95.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedgolfinternational.com/press5.htm|title=speedgolfinternational.com|website=www.speedgolfinternational.com}}</ref>
Scott is also regarded as the founder of [[speed golf]] in 1979; on December 2, 1982, Scott set a record for the fastest round of golf played on a regulation course, completing 18 holes in 29 minutes, 33.05 seconds at Miller Golf Course in [[Anaheim, California]]. Using only two clubs and running from hole to hole, he posted a respectable score of 95.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedgolfinternational.com/press5.htm|title=speedgolfinternational.com|website=www.speedgolfinternational.com}}</ref>


==Early years==
==Early years==
Scott grew up in the 1960s in [[Upland, California]]. His mother was a runner who preceded the running boom. His father was an overweight physician who smoked and did not see the value of running. Through his mother's influence and a coach's persistence, Scott ran on [[Upland High School|Upland's]] cross country team. The persistent coach was Robert Loney, cross country coach and math instructor at [[Upland High School]]. Steve caught track fever watching the 1972 Olympics on television, as U.S. runner [[Dave Wottle]] won the gold medal in the 800 meters. Wottle is often remembered for running the Olympic final in a golf cap, which he forgot to take off during the medal ceremony while the national anthem played. Wottle's cap inspired Scott, so he wore a cap in every race of the 1972 [[Cross country running|cross country]] season. In his junior year in high school, Scott made the varsity squad as the fifth runner. In track, he concentrated on the shorter distances and ran the 800 in 1:58 and the mile in 4:30. He also met Kim Votaw, a freshman runner who would eventually become his wife in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080315,00.html|title=Who's the World's Best Miler? Steve Scott Won't Take Coe (or Ovett) for An Answer}}</ref> The couple was divorced in 1994.<ref>http://www.utsandiego.com/sports/20080302-9999-1s2scott.html</ref>
Scott grew up in the 1960s in [[Upland, California]]. His mother was a runner who preceded the running boom. His father was an overweight physician who smoked and did not see the value of running. Through his mother's influence and a coach's persistence, Scott ran on [[Upland High School|Upland's]] cross country team. The persistent coach was Robert Loney, cross country coach and math instructor at [[Upland High School]]. Steve caught track fever watching the 1972 Olympics on television, as U.S. runner [[Dave Wottle]] won the gold medal in the 800 meters. Wottle is often remembered for running the Olympic final in a golf cap, which he forgot to take off during the medal ceremony while the national anthem played. Wottle's cap inspired Scott, so he wore a cap in every race of the 1972 [[Cross country running|cross country]] season. In his junior year in high school, Scott made the varsity squad as the fifth runner. In track, he concentrated on the shorter distances and ran the 800 in 1:58 and the mile in 4:30. He also met Kim Votaw, a freshman runner who would eventually become his wife in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080315,00.html|title=Who's the World's Best Miler? Steve Scott Won't Take Coe (or Ovett) for An Answer}}</ref> The couple was divorced in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/sports/20080302-9999-1s2scott.html|title=The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News}}</ref>


In his senior year, Scott became the top runner on the cross country team and improved his track times to 1:52 in the 800 and 4:15 in the mile. He finished fourth in the [[CIF California State Meet]] in the 880 yards<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results - 1915 to present |publisher=Hank Lawson |access-date=2012-12-25}}</ref> and drew several college scholarship offers. He liked coach Len Miller and joined him at the [[University of California, Irvine]] in the fall of 1974. He still holds the UCI school record in the 1500,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucirvinesports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucir/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502022209/http://www.ucirvinesports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucir/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats |archive-date=2010-05-02 }}</ref> and the UC Irvine Steve Scott Invitational is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2009-05-01/news/dpt-spucitrack050209_1_steeplechase-meter-high-jump|title=UC Irvine is site for Steve Scott Invitational today}}</ref> While at UCI, Scott won the 1977 [[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship]]s Division-I 1500-meter title after winning the 1500 twice and the mile once at three previous NCAA Division-II meets.
In his senior year, Scott became the top runner on the cross country team and improved his track times to 1:52 in the 800 and 4:15 in the mile. He finished fourth in the [[CIF California State Meet]] in the 880 yards<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results - 1915 to present |publisher=Hank Lawson |access-date=2012-12-25}}</ref> and drew several college scholarship offers. He liked coach Len Miller and joined him at the [[University of California, Irvine]] in the fall of 1974. He still holds the UCI school record in the 1500,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ucirvinesports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucir/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats |title=The Official Athletic Site of UC Irvine |access-date=2011-02-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502022209/http://www.ucirvinesports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ucir/sports/c-track/auto_pdf/cumulative-stats |archive-date=2010-05-02 }}</ref> and the UC Irvine Steve Scott Invitational is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.dailypilot.com/2009-05-01/news/dpt-spucitrack050209_1_steeplechase-meter-high-jump|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518171551/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2009-05-01/news/dpt-spucitrack050209_1_steeplechase-meter-high-jump|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 18, 2011|title=UC Irvine is site for Steve Scott Invitational today}}</ref> While at UCI, Scott won the 1977 [[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship]]s Division-I 1500-meter title after winning the 1500 twice and the mile once at three previous NCAA Division-II meets.


Scott ran his first sub-4:00 mile indoors at the [[Sunkist Invitational]] in Los Angeles in January 1977, his junior year in college. The following year, he blossomed from an unknown college runner to an international miler, competing on both sides of the Atlantic. When he graduated with a degree in social ecology in 1978, Scott had already run 11 sub-4:00 miles.
Scott ran his first sub-4:00 mile indoors at the [[Sunkist Invitational]] in Los Angeles in January 1977, his junior year in college. The following year, he blossomed from an unknown college runner to an international miler, competing on both sides of the Atlantic. When he graduated with a degree in social ecology in 1978, Scott had already run 11 sub-4:00 miles.


==International running career==
==International running career==
When [[Sebastian Coe]] set a [[World record progression for the mile run|mile record]] of 3:48.95 in [[Oslo]] on July 17, 1979, Scott finished second with a time of 3:51.11. Because records at the time were rounded up to the nearest tenth of a second, Scott missed tying [[Jim Ryun]]'s [[United States|American]] mile record of 3:51.1 by 1/100th of a second. However, in 1981, the [[IAAF]] started to recognize records in running events longer than 400 meters to the hundredth of a second, meaning that Scott's 3:51.11 had tied Ryun's record, depending on how the times were interpreted.
When [[Sebastian Coe]] set a [[World record progression for the mile run|mile record]] of 3:48.95 in [[Oslo]] on July 17, 1979, Scott finished second with a time of 3:51.11. Because records at the time were rounded up to the nearest tenth of a second, Scott missed tying [[Jim Ryun]]'s [[United States|American]] mile record of 3:51.1 by 1/100 of a second. However, in 1981, the [[IAAF]] started to recognize records in running events longer than 400 meters to the hundredth of a second, meaning that Scott's 3:51.11 had tied Ryun's record, depending on how the times were interpreted.


Scott won the 1,500 m at the 1980 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|U.S. Olympic Trials]] but did not compete at the Moscow Olympic Games due to the [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|U.S. boycott]]. He did however receive one of 461 [[List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients|Congressional Gold Medal]]s created especially for the spurned athletes.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Caroccioli|first1=Tom|last2=Caroccioli|first2=Jerry|title=Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=Highland Park, IL|isbn=978-0942257403|pages=243–253}}</ref> His greatest success at an Olympic or World championship came at the inaugural [[World Athletics Championships]] in [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]] in 1983, when he won a silver medal behind [[Steve Cram]]. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul, he placed 10th and 5th in the 1,500 m respectively.
Scott won the 1500 m at the [[1980 United States Olympic trials (track and field)|1980 U.S. Olympic Trials]] but did not compete [[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|at the Moscow Games]] due to the [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|U.S. boycott]]. He received one of 461 [[List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients|Congressional Gold Medal]]s created especially for the spurned athletes,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Caroccioli|first1=Tom|last2=Caroccioli|first2=Jerry|title=Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games|year=2008|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=Highland Park, IL|isbn=978-0942257403|pages=243–253}}</ref> and won the 1500 m at the [[Liberty Bell Classic]] organised for athletes from boycotting nations. His greatest success at an Olympic or World championship came at the inaugural [[World Athletics Championships]] in [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]] in 1983, when he won a silver medal behind [[Steve Cram]]. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul, he placed 10th and 5th in the 1500 m respectively.


Perhaps his greatest legacy was setting three American mile records. While there was uncertainty whether his 3:51.11 was at least equal to the American mile record or not, his first undisputed American record came when he ran third in another Oslo race on July 11, 1981 with a time of 3:49.68, becoming the first American to break 3:50 in the event and the fifth ever to do so. [[South African people|South African]] [[Sydney Maree]], who was in the process of gaining his American citizenship, ran 3:48.83 on September 9, 1981, though this time was not generally seen as being an American record.
Perhaps his greatest legacy was setting three American mile records. While there was uncertainty whether his 3:51.11 was at least equal to the American mile record or not, his first undisputed American record came when he ran third in another Oslo race on July 11, 1981 with a time of 3:49.68, becoming the first American to break 3:50 in the event and the fifth ever to do so. [[South African people|South African]] [[Sydney Maree]], who was in the process of gaining his American citizenship, ran 3:48.83 on September 9, 1981, though this time was not generally seen as being an American record.


The following year Scott broke the American mile record twice, both times again at Oslo. First, he won a race on June 26, 1982 in 3:48.53, becoming history's third-fastest miler behind Coe and [[Steve Ovett]]; then 11 days later he ran 3:47.69, the second-fastest mile in history. That time would stand as the American record for a quarter century until [[Alan Webb (athlete)|Alan Webb]] ran 3:46.91 in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101335.html|title=Webb Breaks 25-Year-Old U.S. Record in the Mile|first=Steve|last=Yanda|date=22 July 2007|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>
The following year Scott broke the American mile record twice, both times again at Oslo. First, he won a race on June 26, 1982 in 3:48.53, becoming history's third-fastest miler behind Coe and [[Steve Ovett]]; then 11 days later he ran 3:47.69, the second-fastest mile in history. That time would stand as the American record for a quarter century until [[Alan Webb (runner)|Alan Webb]] ran 3:46.91 in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101335.html|title=Webb Breaks 25-Year-Old U.S. Record in the Mile|first=Steve|last=Yanda|date=22 July 2007|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>


He was the 1500&nbsp;m bronze medalist at the [[Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games|1987 Pan American Games]].
He was the 1500&nbsp;m bronze medalist at the [[Athletics at the 1987 Pan American Games|1987 Pan American Games]].


Scott loved to race—indoors, outdoors, on the roads, and in cross country—sometimes as many as 50 competitions a year. This included three top ten finishes in the U.S. National Cross Country Championships (7th in 1979, 4th in 1980, and 6th in 1981) as well as three victories in the [[Carlsbad 5000]] road race from 1986 to 1988. His times at Carlsbad in 1986 (13:32) and 1988 (13:30) were World Best times for a road 5K. Among his fellow middle distance runners, he was known as one of track & field's fiercest competitors. During the decade that followed his first sub-4-minute mile, Scott lived out of a suitcase. He traveled the world and competed year-round in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Germany, Sweden, Norway, England, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Australia and New Zealand.
Scott loved to race—indoors, outdoors, on the roads, and in cross country—sometimes as many as 50 competitions a year. This included three top ten finishes in the U.S. National Cross Country Championships (7th in 1979, 4th in 1980, and 6th in 1981) as well as three victories in the [[Carlsbad 5000]] road race from 1986 to 1988. His times at Carlsbad in 1986 (13:32) and 1988 (13:30) were World Best times for a road 5K. Among his fellow middle-distance runners, he was known as one of track & field's fiercest competitors. During the decade that followed his first sub-4-minute mile, Scott lived out of a suitcase. He traveled the world and competed year-round in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Germany, Sweden, Norway, England, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Australia and New Zealand.


In the closing stages of a career that saw Scott race at the highest levels for nearly two decades, his attempt to run a sub-4:00 mile at age-40 in 1996 <ref>https://bringbackthemile.com/news/detail/master_of_the_mile</ref> was derailed by a battle with [[testicular cancer]].
In the closing stages of a career that saw Scott race at the highest levels for nearly two decades, his attempt to run a sub-4:00 mile at age-40 in 1996 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bringbackthemile.com/news/detail/master_of_the_mile|title = Master of the Mile}}</ref> was derailed by a battle with [[testicular cancer]].


==California State University San Marcos Coach==
==California State University San Marcos Coach==
He was cured of testicular cancer and since retiring from competition he has built one of the most successful [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] collegiate programs in the country as Head Coach of Track and Cross Country at [[Cal State San Marcos]]. At San Marcos he has led the women's team to 3 National Titles from 2009-2011, and in 2011 the men's team placed 2nd. He later received an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for his services to sport. In 2002, he was inducted into the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame|USA Track and Field Hall of Fame]]. Scott has two sons, Corey and Shawn, and a daughter, Megan. He and his wife JoAnn live in [[Carlsbad, California]].
He was cured of testicular cancer and since retiring from competition he has built one of the most successful [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] collegiate programs in the country as Head Coach of Track and Cross Country at [[Cal State San Marcos]]. At San Marcos he has led the women's team to 3 National Titles from 2009 to 2011, and in 2011 the men's team placed 2nd. In 2002, he was inducted into the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame|USA Track and Field Hall of Fame]]. Scott has two sons, Corey and Shawn, and a daughter, Megan. He and his wife JoAnn live in [[Lake Kiowa, Texas]].


== Personal bests ==
== Personal bests ==
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== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{iaaf name|id=2596}}
* {{World Athletics}}
* [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/hof/Scott_Steve.asp USA Track and Field Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/hof/Scott_Steve.asp USA Track and Field Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.bunnhill.com/BobHodge/TrainingLogs/scott1981.htm 1981-82 Training Logs]


=== Video Interviews ===
=== Video Interviews ===
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{{S-start}}
{{S-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jim Ryun]], 3:51.1, 1967|title=American Record holder in mile run, 3:47.69|years=1982|after=[[Alan Webb (athlete)|Alan Webb]], 3:46.91, 2007}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jim Ryun]], 3:51.1, 1967|title=American Record holder in mile run, 3:47.69|years=1982|after=[[Alan Webb (runner)|Alan Webb]], 3:46.91, 2007}}
{{succession box|before=[[Eamonn Coghlan]]|title=[[3000 metres#Men.27s Seasons Best|Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1981|after=[[David Moorcroft]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Eamonn Coghlan]]|title=[[3000 metres#Men.27s Seasons Best|Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1981|after=[[David Moorcroft]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{S-end}}
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[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Upland, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Upland, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:American male middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:American male middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes of the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
⚫
[[Category:Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States]]
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[[Category:Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
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[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:UC Irvine Anteaters athletes]]
[[Category:UC Irvine Anteaters men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Testicular cancer survivors]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games]]
⚫
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
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[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games]]
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[[Category:Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Upland High School alumni]]
[[Category:American Masters Athlete that competed in Olympics]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]

Latest revision as of 06:02, 8 December 2024

Steve Scott
Scott signing autographs in Toronto in 1982
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1956-05-05) May 5, 1956 (age 68)
Upland, California
Sport
SportTrack
Event(s)1500 meters, mile
College teamUC Irvine
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800m: 1:45.05[1]
1500m: 3:31.76[1]
Mile: 3:47.69[1]
3000m: 7:36.69[1]
5000m: 13:30.39[1]
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1983 Helsinki 1500 m

Steve Scott (born May 5, 1956) is an American former track athlete. The silver medalist in the 1500 meters at the inaugural IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in 1983, Scott owns the U.S. indoor record in the 2000 meters (4:58.6-1981). He held the American outdoor mile record for more than 26 years and also is the former American indoor record holder in the same event. Track & Field News ranked Scott #1 in the U.S. on 10 occasions,[2] and 11 times during his career he was ranked in the top ten in the world by T&FN.[3] Additionally, he participated for the US team at the 1984 Olympics. He finished 5th in the 1500 meter run at the 1988 Olympics held in Korea. Scott was also an Olympian on the 1980 Olympics team which was not allowed to go to Moscow. He ran the sub four-minute mile on 136 occasions in his career, more than any other runner in history.

Scott is also regarded as the founder of speed golf in 1979; on December 2, 1982, Scott set a record for the fastest round of golf played on a regulation course, completing 18 holes in 29 minutes, 33.05 seconds at Miller Golf Course in Anaheim, California. Using only two clubs and running from hole to hole, he posted a respectable score of 95.[4]

Early years

[edit]

Scott grew up in the 1960s in Upland, California. His mother was a runner who preceded the running boom. His father was an overweight physician who smoked and did not see the value of running. Through his mother's influence and a coach's persistence, Scott ran on Upland's cross country team. The persistent coach was Robert Loney, cross country coach and math instructor at Upland High School. Steve caught track fever watching the 1972 Olympics on television, as U.S. runner Dave Wottle won the gold medal in the 800 meters. Wottle is often remembered for running the Olympic final in a golf cap, which he forgot to take off during the medal ceremony while the national anthem played. Wottle's cap inspired Scott, so he wore a cap in every race of the 1972 cross country season. In his junior year in high school, Scott made the varsity squad as the fifth runner. In track, he concentrated on the shorter distances and ran the 800 in 1:58 and the mile in 4:30. He also met Kim Votaw, a freshman runner who would eventually become his wife in 1979.[5] The couple was divorced in 1994.[6]

In his senior year, Scott became the top runner on the cross country team and improved his track times to 1:52 in the 800 and 4:15 in the mile. He finished fourth in the CIF California State Meet in the 880 yards[7] and drew several college scholarship offers. He liked coach Len Miller and joined him at the University of California, Irvine in the fall of 1974. He still holds the UCI school record in the 1500,[8] and the UC Irvine Steve Scott Invitational is named after him.[9] While at UCI, Scott won the 1977 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships Division-I 1500-meter title after winning the 1500 twice and the mile once at three previous NCAA Division-II meets.

Scott ran his first sub-4:00 mile indoors at the Sunkist Invitational in Los Angeles in January 1977, his junior year in college. The following year, he blossomed from an unknown college runner to an international miler, competing on both sides of the Atlantic. When he graduated with a degree in social ecology in 1978, Scott had already run 11 sub-4:00 miles.

International running career

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When Sebastian Coe set a mile record of 3:48.95 in Oslo on July 17, 1979, Scott finished second with a time of 3:51.11. Because records at the time were rounded up to the nearest tenth of a second, Scott missed tying Jim Ryun's American mile record of 3:51.1 by 1/100 of a second. However, in 1981, the IAAF started to recognize records in running events longer than 400 meters to the hundredth of a second, meaning that Scott's 3:51.11 had tied Ryun's record, depending on how the times were interpreted.

Scott won the 1500 m at the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials but did not compete at the Moscow Games due to the U.S. boycott. He received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes,[10] and won the 1500 m at the Liberty Bell Classic organised for athletes from boycotting nations. His greatest success at an Olympic or World championship came at the inaugural World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland in 1983, when he won a silver medal behind Steve Cram. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul, he placed 10th and 5th in the 1500 m respectively.

Perhaps his greatest legacy was setting three American mile records. While there was uncertainty whether his 3:51.11 was at least equal to the American mile record or not, his first undisputed American record came when he ran third in another Oslo race on July 11, 1981 with a time of 3:49.68, becoming the first American to break 3:50 in the event and the fifth ever to do so. South African Sydney Maree, who was in the process of gaining his American citizenship, ran 3:48.83 on September 9, 1981, though this time was not generally seen as being an American record.

The following year Scott broke the American mile record twice, both times again at Oslo. First, he won a race on June 26, 1982 in 3:48.53, becoming history's third-fastest miler behind Coe and Steve Ovett; then 11 days later he ran 3:47.69, the second-fastest mile in history. That time would stand as the American record for a quarter century until Alan Webb ran 3:46.91 in 2007.[11]

He was the 1500 m bronze medalist at the 1987 Pan American Games.

Scott loved to race—indoors, outdoors, on the roads, and in cross country—sometimes as many as 50 competitions a year. This included three top ten finishes in the U.S. National Cross Country Championships (7th in 1979, 4th in 1980, and 6th in 1981) as well as three victories in the Carlsbad 5000 road race from 1986 to 1988. His times at Carlsbad in 1986 (13:32) and 1988 (13:30) were World Best times for a road 5K. Among his fellow middle-distance runners, he was known as one of track & field's fiercest competitors. During the decade that followed his first sub-4-minute mile, Scott lived out of a suitcase. He traveled the world and competed year-round in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Germany, Sweden, Norway, England, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Australia and New Zealand.

In the closing stages of a career that saw Scott race at the highest levels for nearly two decades, his attempt to run a sub-4:00 mile at age-40 in 1996 [12] was derailed by a battle with testicular cancer.

California State University San Marcos Coach

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He was cured of testicular cancer and since retiring from competition he has built one of the most successful NAIA collegiate programs in the country as Head Coach of Track and Cross Country at Cal State San Marcos. At San Marcos he has led the women's team to 3 National Titles from 2009 to 2011, and in 2011 the men's team placed 2nd. In 2002, he was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame. Scott has two sons, Corey and Shawn, and a daughter, Megan. He and his wife JoAnn live in Lake Kiowa, Texas.

Personal bests

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Distance Mark Data Location
800 m 1:45.05 July 4, 1982 Byrkjelo, Norway
1000 m 2:16.40 August 23, 1981 Nice, France
1500 m 3:31.76 July 16, 1985 Nice, France
One Mile 3:47.69 July 7, 1982 Oslo, Norway
3000 m 7:36.69 September 1, 1981 Ingleheim, Germany
5000 m 13:30.39 June 6, 1987 Eugene, Oregon

Book

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  • Steve Scott & Marc Bloom, Steve Scott the Miler Macmillan (1997) ISBN 978-0-02-861677-3

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e IAAF. "Steve Scott - Athlete Profile".
  2. ^ "T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression" (PDF). www.trackandfieldnews.com.
  3. ^ "T&FN: Decathlon Events OR Progression" (PDF). www.trackandfieldnews.com.
  4. ^ "speedgolfinternational.com". www.speedgolfinternational.com.
  5. ^ "Who's the World's Best Miler? Steve Scott Won't Take Coe (or Ovett) for An Answer".
  6. ^ "The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News".
  7. ^ "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  8. ^ "The Official Athletic Site of UC Irvine". Archived from the original on 2010-05-02. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  9. ^ "UC Irvine is site for Steve Scott Invitational today". Archived from the original on May 18, 2011.
  10. ^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
  11. ^ Yanda, Steve (22 July 2007). "Webb Breaks 25-Year-Old U.S. Record in the Mile" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  12. ^ "Master of the Mile".
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Video Interviews

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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Jim Ryun, 3:51.1, 1967
 American Record holder in mile run, 3:47.69
1982 		Succeeded by
Alan Webb, 3:46.91, 2007
Preceded by Men's 3000 m Best Year Performance
1981 		Succeeded by
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