Since its inaugural operating in 2006, the Invoice Dellinger Invitational has introduced collectively collegiate applications from throughout the nation for a celebration of cross nation, competitors and neighborhood. The 2026 version, set for Friday, October 9, marks the twentieth operating of the invitational, hosted by the Oregon Geese.

The meet honors legendary College of Oregon males’s observe & subject and cross nation coach Invoice Dellinger. A Springfield, Oregon, native and two-time NCAA champion for the Geese, Dellinger was a three-time Olympian, successful the bronze medal within the 5,000 meters on the 1964 Olympic Video games. He additionally set two world indoor data and 6 American data throughout his aggressive profession.

Dellinger’s legacy prolonged effectively past the observe. In cross nation, he took pleasure in by no means shedding a race as a highschool, collegiate or post-collegiate athlete. As Oregon’s males’s cross nation head coach from 1968–1998, he guided the Geese to 4 NCAA workforce titles and 12 top-three NCAA finishes. His athletes earned 45 cross nation All-America honors, whereas his groups collected 13 convention and 4 district championships. Oregon people below his management added eight Pac-8/10 titles and 6 regional crowns.

Dellinger handed away in 2025 on the age of 91, leaving a long-lasting legacy on the College of Oregon and all through the game of cross nation.