He was born in Coos Bay, Oregon in 1951 and began his running career collaborating in cross-country events at high school.

He continued cross-country at the Varsity of Oregon and ran track races too. A record run in the five thousand meters led to his selection for the US team to go to the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. He came really close to winning a gong and finished a respectable fourth in the grand final. After graduation from College , his next goal was to play a role in the 1976 Olympic Games at Montreal. It seemed that Prefontaine was an amazing sportsman, even in events outside of his specialty.

Sadly, his actual potential wasn’t realized and he never made it to his 2nd Olympic Games . It was said that Fontaine could have been drinking over the limit and a 2nd automobile was concerned.

There are several commemorative sites to laud his memory. One of these is known as Pre’s Rock, a reference to his nickname. It’s a plaque placed at the location of the crash, containing his picture and a dedication. Runners who admire him leave souvenirs at the commemorative in remembrance. A race meeting, called the Pre Classic is arranged each year to revere Steve Prefontaine. In 1997, the film Prefontaine was released, starring Jared Leto as the runner. Billy Crudup played Steve Prefontaine in the 1998 film, Without Boundaries . The documentary is aptly titled, Fire On the Track.