Dr. Ken Foreman selected to receive the prestigious Bill Bowerman Coaching Award by The National Distance Running Hall of Fame and Nike.

UTICA, N.Y. (July 9) - Dr. Ken Foreman, the legendary Seattle Pacific University track & field coach for 38 years, has been selected to receive the prestigious Bill Bowerman Coaching Award by The National Distance Running Hall of Fame and Nike. Foreman will be honored during the hall of fame's induction ceremony Saturday (July 12) in Utica, N.Y.

The Bowerman Award is given annually to a United States distance running coach who, like Bowerman himself, believes that they are more teacher than coach, constantly nurturing athletes to find the best within their mind and body. Foreman is the third recipient of the award.

Joining him as honorees Saturday will be George Young, Mary Slaney and Jim Ryun, who will all be inducted into the hall of fame.

Earlier this year, Foreman was among the charter class of inductees into Seattle Pacific's Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. He retired from SPU following the 2000 season and now resides in Kailua Kona, Hi., where he serves as boys cross country and track coach at Konawaena High School.

Foreman was a pioneer in coaching women's distance runners, the most notable being Doris Brown Heritage, who was inducted into the NDR hall of fame a year ago. Foreman served as head coach of U.S. women's national teams many times, including the 1980 Olympic Games, 1983 World Championships, 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1967, '70 and '73 World Cross Country Championships.

In three different stints (1950-57, 65-78 and 85-99) as Seattle Pacific coach, Foreman guided 20 distance runners to All-America status, including six national champions. However his Falcon Track Club, a forerunner to the SPU women's varsity program, spawned even greater runners.

Heritage won five consecutive world cross country titles, she and Vicki Foltz won a combined six U.S. titles and the Falcon Track Club won the 1972 national cross country championship.

In an age when the likes of Heritage were restricted to racing distances no more than 800 meters, Foreman advocated for events of greater length, often citing scientific proof of females' capabilities. He served as race director of the first U.S. Olympic marathon trials in 1984, the 1990 Goodwill Games marathon and Seattle's Emerald City Marathon from 1985-89. Foreman was the U.S. chairman of the women's long distance running and served as assistant national coach for the marathon at both the 1987 World Championships and 1988 Olympics.

The National Distance Running Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremony as part of Hall of Fame Weekend in Utica, with the Boilermaker Road Race -- the largest 15k road race in the U.S. -- held the following day.