Charles Bowles - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 55.782 W 123° 02.295
10T E 496981 N 4975141
Statue at McCullough Stadium commemorating Willamette University's longtime track & field coach
Waymark Code: WMGXT6
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2013
Views: 5
This life-size bronze statue depicts Charles J. Bowles (1922-2005), who for 25 years (1965-1990) coached track & field and cross country running at
Willamette University. The sculpture is located near the finish line of the running track at
McCullough Stadium and depicts the bespectacled coach wearing a jacket and pants and looking at his stopwatch - a whistle hangs around his neck. The sculpture is from artist Robert H. Hess and was dedicated in memory of Coach Bowles on September 29, 2012.
From 1961 to 1965 he served as freshman track coach under the legendary Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon. During his tenure at Willamette, Coach Bowles's teams won 20 conference championships and 16 NAIA District 2 championships. He is a member of the Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame. The university honored Coach Bowles in several other ways. The track & field complex at McCullough Stadium bears his name; each spring, the school hosts the Charles Bowles Spring Break Classic, one of the largest track & field events in the northwestern United States; since 1975, Willamette has hosted the Charles Bowles Invitational Cross Country Meet, the largest cross country event in the western United States.
More information about the coach can be found in his Wikipedia article.
Click a photo to enlarge
