Ogden native, Olympian runner Wade Bell dies at age 79
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- In this undated photo, Ogden native Wade Bell runs a race for the University of Oregon.
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- Wade Bell poses in 1968 for a Team USA photo ahead of the Olympics.
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- In this undated photo, Ogden native Wade Bell runs track at the University of Oregon.
Ogden native, Ben Lomond High School alumnus and U.S. Olympian runner Charles Wade Bell died Thursday, July 4, at age 79.
Word of his death initially passed through the track community at the University of Oregon, where Bell, who was known by the first name Wade, ran collegiately and later worked for decades as a meet official.
A 1964 alumnus of Ben Lomond High, Bell set Utah prep records in the 800- and 1600-meter races under the direction of Chick Hislop, eventual Weber State legend and multiple-time Hall of Fame coach.
Legendary Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman recruited Bell to Eugene, where the Ogden native became a three-time All-American, ran a sub-4 minute mile and won an NCAA championship in the 880-yard (800 meters) race. He also won that race in the 1967 Pan American Games.
In 1967, Bell ran American records in both the 1,000-yard and 1,000-meter races, and ran a leg on a world-record relay team for Oregon.
Bell then ran the 800 meters for the United States at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Not long after, Bell became a mainstay at Oregon’s Hayward Field as a course clerk and in a stint as the meet director of the Prefontaine Classic while building his personal accounting firm. He also worked as a meet official at the Big Sky Conference championships for more than 20 years.
He’s credited with helping Bowerman set up the first foundation for Nike’s philanthropic efforts.
Bell worked in June’s U.S. Olympic Trials at Oregon before being hospitalized, according to DyeStat.com.
His best 800-meter mark at Oregon (1:45.17) is still top 10 in the prestigious program, a place he then worked for 55 years as a meet official/clerk.
He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1998.
