NATIONAL DISTANCE RUNNING HALL OF FAME
ANNOUNCES NEWEST INDUCTEES

BOSTON, April 11 – The National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, New York,
announced today its fifth class of inductees at a joint press conference with the Boston
Athletic Association (BAA) as part of the Boston Marathon weekend events. Those
selected for induction in 2002 are the late Bill Bowerman, the late Browning Ross,
Doris Brown Heritage and John J. Kelley.

"It has become a tradition that the announcement be made as part of the festivities
celebrating the country’s oldest annual marathon," said John Petrone, co-director of the
Distance Running Hall of Fame. "We couldn’t be happier to be here and make this
important announcement just prior to this glorious race."

Bowerman was the co-founder of Nike and a legendary coach at the University of
Oregon, where he coached 24 NCAA individual champions, won four national team
championships and coached the U.S. Olympic track and field team in 1972. He also
created and developed the concept of lightweight, waffle-soled running shoes.
Browning Ross was an eight-time AAU cross-country champion and an Olympian, but
his greatest contributions came off the beaten path. He was the founder and first
president of the Road Runners Club of America, an organization that now has more than
200,000 members. Doris Brown Heritage, long-time coach at Seattle Pacific University,
is a five-time world cross country champion, placed on two Olympic teams, holder of
14 national titles and once held the world record for the 3,000 meters. John J. Kelley’s
win in the 1957 Boston Marathon is credited with putting American distance runners –
and the race itself – on the map. He was U.S. National Marathon Champion for eight
straight years, was a two-time Olympian and finished second at Boston five times.

The Hall of Fame will hold its 2002 Induction Ceremony in its home city of Utica on
July 13, as part of the Hall of Fame – Boilermaker Weekend. The Boilermaker Road
Race is the largest 15K in the United States and will be staged the following day. The
induction of these four individuals brings the number of those enshrined to 21.
Inductees are decided upon by the Hall of Fame voting committee which includes the
hall’s board members, previous inductees, the media and a group of leaders and
organizers representing the nation’s running community.

"With each induction class we bring more and more credibility to the sport of distance
running," said Earle Reed, co-director of the Hall. "This is one of those classes that
have it all – outstanding performers, individuals who have given on and off the race
course and innovators and coaches who have given so much to our sport. We’re truly
honored to be able to announce this class in cooperation with an event with the reputation of
the Boston Marathon."

See the attached information pages for additional biographical information on the 2002
inductees and for the full list of those enshrined in the National Distance Running Hall
of Fame or contact the Hall at (315) 724-4525.