Roscoe Devine

3:59.1

June 2, 1966, Eugene

On the race: Divine remembers running under four minutes several times during his time at Oregon. His first time came as an 18-year-old freshman in the inaugural Oregon Twilight Meet, which was organized to help teammate Bob Woodell with expenses relating to his broken back. When he crossed the line in 3:59.1, Divine was the second-youngest sub-4 miler. “It was kind of like climbing Mount Everest,” he said. “Once one guy did it, people started doing it. They thought it was kind of a human barrier and it turned out that it wasn’t.”

On Bowerman: The coach’s focus was on winning the race, not time. “Running under 4 minutes was what it took to win some of them,” Divine said. Divine said Bowerman’s workouts could be incredibly intense, often pushing Divine to his limits. That would quickly be followed by a lighter workout. “He believed in rest as much as working hard,” Devine said. But it was that intensity that allowed him to break through.

On his life now: Divine worked in the lumber business for 15 years. He still works, running a temporary personnel business. He also worked in commercial real estate, but joked that he’s getting ready to retire as he approaches 70 years old. He loves to work, though. He regularly attends track meets and football games while living in the Eugene-Springfield area.