About Hayward Field

At the heart of Eugene’s successful bid for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, Hayward Field looms as one of the world's most famous track and field venues. 

In 2010, Track Town USA will welcome the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the 10th time since 1962 – the most of any venue in modern history. It's also the only facility to ever host three consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials (1972, 1976, 1980), while six U.S. Championships have graced the storied venue, including recent events in 1999 and 2001.

The centerpiece of 'Track City USA', Hayward Field attracts athletes, coaches and fans from thousands of miles away because of its renowned crowds well-versed in the sport and ready to roar in approval. Hayward Field's historic, covered grandstands are equally beloved, and comparable to many famous European venues. The 'Carnegie Hall' for American track and field plays host annually to the nation's finest single-day track and field contest, the Prefontaine Classic, which features the top mix of national and international talent on American soil each year. 

The University of Oregon’s fabled track and field-only facility is named for the first of several legendary coaches, Bill Hayward, who guided the University of Oregon’s men’s team from 1904-1947. 

Hayward Field was initially constructed for football in 1919. Two years later, a six-lane cinder track was installed and a full schedule of track events were transferred from Kincaid Field on the opposite edge of campus. The facility was utilized for both sports until the opening of Autzen Stadium in 1967.

The stadium (current capacity: 10,500) has undergone significant improvements in modern history, and in 2008 will showcase a new track surface, permanent lights, a video board and newly configured infield.
The Genesis of Oregon Track and Field

The birth of track and field on the UO campus dates back to 1895. The student body (then numbering 353) built a quarter-mile dirt track at Kincaid Field, now the site of 13th Avenue and Kincaid Street, to practice for their annual field day, held in conjunction with commencement exercises. In 1900, the Ducks started competing in dual meets against regional universities and opponents and sported a 13-3 record in their first nine years – including an undefeated stretch from 1906-09. The first upgrade to the Kincaid track came in 1904 when it was covered partially to facilitate inclement-weather practice and competition. By 1912 the sport had started to outgrow the facility, and the university started to explore other possibilities.
The Origin of Hayward Field

Although collegiate sports went on hiatus temporarily in 1917 because of the first World War, a full schedule of meets returned in 1919 – the same year Hayward Field was built for football. Two years later, a six-lane cinder track bordering the football playing field was installed for $10,000, including a 220-yard straightway on the east end of the track. Bleachers were transferred from Kincaid Field, and in 1925, the wooden east grandstand was added. In 1928, the students paid to cover the bleachers on the north end that remained until 1950.
The Transition to Track-Only

With the construction of Autzen Stadium for football in 1967, Hayward Field became a track-only venue. One of the stadium’s most famous former features was its south end bleachers that obscured nearly a quarter of the track. Oregon runners and eventual Olympians Otis Davis and Wade Bell were famed for trailing the field as they disappeared behind the bleachers, only to emerge into daylight with a commanding lead. The cinder track lasted until 1970 when the facility received its first all-weather surface. Five years later, the west grandstands were completely rebuilt to their current layout.
Recent Improvements

The University of Oregon continues to update the classic facility as it looks ahead to the 2008 Olympic Trials.
In 2007, distance running fans celebrated a new permanent lighting system that was unveiled for the Oregon Invitational distance carnival. The grand venue can now easily accommodate the most televised hours of Olympic Trials coverage ever, thanks to eight, 110-foot light poles and additional lighting system fixed to the top of west and east grandstands.

A complete facelift of the indoor practice area under the west grandstands was finished in the spring of 2006, and included a new urethane-coated competition surface, jump runways and pits, and several throwing rings. A pair of state-of-the-art underwater and anti-gravity treadmills were installed to enhance Oregon’s national-class athletic treatment facilities.

Powell Plaza – unveiled in 2005 to welcome fans into the fabled facility – details UO’s rich track and field heritage and is named after the family of Lloyd Powell, a track teammate of former coach and athlete Bill Dellinger. That same year, the facility welcomed a new four-lane, fully-lit 400-meter all-weather track that encircles six new tennis courts on the southwest edge of the track.
Situated on the northwest corner of the facility, the $2 million Bowerman Building was completed in 1992 and dedicated to Bill Bowerman and his family who donated funds necessary to construct the all-purpose building. The two-story, 15,000-square foot brick building houses the university’s hailed International Institute for Sport and Human Performance along with athletic treatment, locker rooms and meeting rooms. Memorabilia and various exhibits commemorate great athletes, teams and moments of the program’s history. 

One of the biggest renovations to date came prior to the 1988 NCAA Championships with a two-year project to convert the track from a 440-yard dimension to a 400-meter oval with 85-meter straightaways. To accommodate the size changes, the east grandstands were moved back to the east approximately 11 meters (or 35 feet, 9 1/2 inches) – with the structure reconditioned later in the process.
Other Track & Field Facilities/Resources

The Pacific Northwest’s first indoor all-sport training facility, the Ed Moshofsky Center, is available to UO student-athletes for year-round, all-weather conditioning. Runners, jumpers and throwers can train in the climate-controlled, spacious environment on both Mondo sprint lanes and soft surfaces.

Off the track, UO’s nationally-renowned strength and conditioning program offers student-athletes a one-of-a-kind combination of coaches, facilities and event-specific training programs.

The team enjoyed a dramatic expansion of the athletic department's treament facilities in 2007. The updated Casanova Center space offers a combined 12,000 square feet of treatment and rehabilitative space, including state-of-the-art hydrotherapy amenities such as three Hydroworx underwater treadmills and three oversized hot and cold plunge pools. The space includes comprehensive physician services, a digital X-ray center and a fully equipped treatment area with top-of-the-line therapeutic equipment and cardio stations to aid in efficient and prompt recovery. Student-athletes can utilize an amazing new nutrition resource center for consultation and pre/post workout snacks.
Major Collegiate and National Events Hosted

    •    2007 NCAA West Regional Championships
    •    2006 Pacific-10 Conference Championships
    •    2005 NCAA West Regional Championships
    •    2001 USA Championships
    •    2000 Pacific-10 Conference Championships
    •    1999 USA Championships
    •    1996 NCAA Championships
    •    1993 USA Championships
    •    1992 Pacific-10 Conference Championships
    •    1991 NCAA Championships
    •    1988 NCAA Championships
    •    1986 TAC Championships
    •    1984 NCAA Championships
    •    1980 U.S. Olympic Trials
    •    1980 AIAW (Now NCAA women's) Championships
    •    1978 NCAA Championships
    •    1976 U.S. Olympic Trials
    •    1975 USA/USSR/Poland Decathlon-Pentathlon
    •    1975 Pan American Games Trials
    •    1975 AAU Championships
    •    1973 Pacific-8 Conference Championships
    •    1972 Olympic Trials
    •    1972 NCAA Championships
    •    1971 AAU Championships & Marathon
    •    1968 National Junior Championships
    •    1967 AAWU (Now Pac-10) Championships
    •    1964 NCAA Championships
    •    1962 NCAA Championships
    •    1962 Far West Championships
    •    1960 AAU Decathlon Championships

Hayward Field Specifications

Track Events

The 400-meter track consists of eight 48-inch lanes with 85-meter straightaways and 115-meter curves. Track resurfaced in 2000 by APS. 

Steeplechase water jump has an inside location with the same surface as the track. Barrier height for the men is 36 inches. Barrier height for the women is 30 inches. The length of the water jump is 12 feet for both men and women.

Field Events

All field events are contested on the stadium infield for the best spectator viewing with the exception of the hammer. 

Hammer Throw is contested on a spacious nearby field adjacent to the south of the stadium. The hammer has its own seating area with viewing possible from the west grandstands. 

High Jump has a 25-meter octagon shaped approach which allows for jumping from any direction. The horizontal jumps are staged on single runways along the east and west straightaways with the capability of jumping in the north and south directions. 

Long Jump / Triple Jump competitions are held on north-sourth runways on both sides of the track. The long jump is usually on the west and the triple jump on the east. The distances between the boards and pits are 3.66 meters (12-0) for the long jump, 10.36 meters (34-0) for the women's triple jump and 12.80 meters (42-0) for the men's triple jump. The runways are as follows: East: Triple Jump (Men) - 59.36 meters (194-9); Triple Jump (Women) - 61.80 meters (202-9); Long Jump (if needed) - 68.50 meters (224-9). West: Long Jump: 54.28 meters (178-1); Triple Jump (M if needed) 45.14 meters (148-1): Triple Jump: (W if needed) 47.60 meters (156-2) 

Pole Vault pits have both north and south runways. The men's north runway is 46.00 meters (150-11) and the men's south runway is 46.32 meters (152-0). The women's north runway is 50.34 meters (165-2) and the women's south runway is 43.06 meters (141-3). 

Javelin runway is 45.34 meters (148-9).