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Steve Prefontaine Incredibly RARE Signed 1974 Handwritten Letter.
Lot 1. Steve Prefontaine Incredibly RARE Signed 1974 Handwritten Letter. IMPORTANT NOTE: Both Kevin Keating and PSA-DNA have authenticated Prefontaine’s autograph. Prefontaine was the greatest U.S. middle-distance runner in history. Only 22 when he wrote the letter offered here, he died 16 months later in a one-car accident. At the height of his career, he held every U.S. track and field record for distances from 2,000 to 10,000 meters. During his career, he won 78 percent of his races, 120 of 153. He was the first athlete to win the same event at the NCAA champions four consecutive years – 5,000 meters, 1970-73. Prefontaine’s popularity helped to spark the running boom in the U.S. in the early 1970s. His coach was Bill Bowerman, a co-founder of Nike. In fact, Prefontaine was the first athlete to endorse Nike shoes. His life has been the subject of two movies, Prefontaine in 1997 and Without Limits in 1998, as well as a documentary, Fire on the Track. In his Jan. 16, 1974 letter on 6” x 8” lined paper, Prefontaine writes, “I run because I love it and it is part of my life. One thing I can say is run for run (sic; possibly “fun”) and if you can’t don’t.” The page has a light stain in the lower left away from Prefontaine’s signature, which is a gem mint 10. The original envelope is with the letter. Prefontaine’s autograph is extremely rare, and especially so on a handwritten letter. He remains one of the most popular and recognizable 1970s athletes. Collectible Classics is pleased to offer this outstanding example!
Winning Bid $888.
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