View source for Bill Rodgers (runner)

{{short description|American distance runner}}
{{redirect|Bill Rodgers (athlete)|other sportspeople with this name|Bill Rodgers (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Bill Rodgers
| image          = Bill Rodgers 1977.jpg
| image_size     =
| caption        = Rodgers at the [[Amsterdam Marathon]] in 1977
| birth_name     =
| fullname       = William Henry Rodgers
| nationality    =
| residence      =
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1947|12|23}}
| birth_place    = [[Hartford, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date     =
| death_place    =
| height         = {{convert|1.75|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| weight         = {{convert|59|kg|lb|abbr=on|order=flip}}
| country        =
| sport          = [[Long-distance running]]
| club           = [[Greater Boston Track Club]]<ref name=r1>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/bill-rodgers-1.html Bill Rodgers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201202852/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/bill-rodgers-1.html |date=February 1, 2014 }}. sports-reference.com</ref>
| retired        =
| pb             = '''[[5000 meters]]''': 13:42.00<ref name="All-Athletics">{{cite web|url=http://www.all-athletics.com/node/294058|author=All-Athletics|title=Profile of Bill Rodgers|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-date=March 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322210449/http://www.all-athletics.com/node/294058|url-status=dead}}</ref> <br> '''[[10,000 meters]]''': 28:04.42<ref name="All-Athletics"/> <br> '''[[Half marathon]]''': 1:04:55<ref name="All-Athletics"/> <br> '''[[Marathon]]''': 2:09:27<ref name="All-Athletics"/>
| olympics       =
| highestranking =
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1975 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|1975 Rabat]]|Individual}}
}}

'''William Henry Rodgers''' (born December 23, 1947) is an American runner, Olympian, and former record holder in the [[marathon]]. Rodgers is best known for his four victories in both the [[Boston Marathon]], including three straight from 1978 to 1980, and 4 straight wins in the [[New York City Marathon]], between 1976 and 1979.

==Biography==
===Early life===

Born in [[Hartford, Connecticut]], Rodgers moved to [[Newington, Connecticut]], with his family when he was around five. He attended [[Newington High School]], where he played hockey and baseball, along with his older brother Charlie. When Newington High School added cross country as a sport in the fall of 1963, sophomore Bill Rodgers decided to join. Running track and cross country under coach Frank O'Rourke, Rodgers ran the mile in 4:28:8, won the 1965 Connecticut state cross country title and finished seventh in the New England Cross Country Championships.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://dailydsports.com/bill-rodgers/|title=Bill Rodgers • The Daily Dose|date=October 21, 2015}}</ref> He first ran a road race at the Manchester Thanksgiving Day 4.78 mile race in 1965.  Despite his amazing success, he never won this famous race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1991-11-26-0000209031-story.html|title = Rodgers Seeks Masters Record in Manchester Race}}</ref>

===Running career===

In the fall of 1966, Rodgers enrolled at [[Wesleyan University]] where he ran cross country and track, graduating with a B.A. in sociology in 1970. One of his teammates and college roommate, [[Amby Burfoot]], won the 1968 [[Boston Marathon]] while still a student at Wesleyan and went on to edit ''[[Runner's World]]'' magazine. Another teammate and friend was future Olympian [[Jeff Galloway]], who is a noted author on running.<ref name="auto"/>

After graduating in 1970, Rodgers enrolled to study and eventually receive his MS in special education from [[Boston College]]. After stepping away from competitive running for a time, in 1973, track coach [[Bill Squires]] first formed the [[Greater Boston Track Club]] at Boston College to train small group of local elite runners, with Rodgers becoming one of them.<ref name="auto"/>

In April 1973, Rodgers entered his first [[Boston Marathon]], dropping out at mile 20. After the race, Rodgers quit running for three months, only to return to training. Rodgers then won the Bay State Marathon in 2:28 in October 1973.<ref name="auto"/>

In April 1974, Rodgers returned to run the Boston Marathon, finishing 14th. On October 29, 1974, Rodgers ran his first [[New York City Marathon]], finishing fifth. One month after New York, Rodgers won the [[Philadelphia Marathon]] in 2:21.<ref name="auto"/>

In 1975, Rodgers then burst into national prominence when he won the [[1975 Boston Marathon]] in 2:09:55, setting a new American record.<ref name="auto"/>

Rodgers won both the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon four times each between 1975 and 1980, twice breaking the American record at Boston with a time of 2:09:55 in 1975 and  2:09:27 in 1979.  In 1977, he won the [[Fukuoka Marathon]], making him the only runner ever to hold the championship of all three major marathons at the same time.  He made the 1976 U.S. Olympic team and raced the marathon at the [[Montreal Olympics]] in 1976, finishing 40th in 2:25:14. He did not participate in the [[1980 Summer Olympics|Olympics in 1980]] due to the [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|U.S. boycott]] over the invasion of [[Afghanistan]] by the [[USSR]].<ref name=r1/>

In 1975, Rodgers won the bronze medal at the [[IAAF World Cross Country Championships]], equaling Tracy Smith's 1966 bronze in the International [[Cross Country Running|Cross Country]] Championships as the highest an American had ever finished in international cross country competition. Rodgers' most remarkable year on the road racing circuit came in 1978 when he won 27 of the 30 races he entered, including the Pepsi 10&nbsp;km nationals (with a new world road 10&nbsp;km best time of 28:36.3), the [[Falmouth Road Race]], and the Boston and New York City marathons. Rodgers is also the former world record holder for 25 kilometers as he broke [[Pekka Päivärinta]]'s world record with a time of 1:14.11.8 on a track at [[West Valley College]] in [[Saratoga, California]], in 1979.<ref name=r1/>

''[[Track & Field News]]'' ranked Rodgers number one in the world in the marathon in 1975, 1977 and 1979.<ref name=r1/> Of the 59 marathons Rodgers ran, 28 were run under 2:15. In all, he won 22 marathons in his career. He came to be referred to by sportswriters and others as "Boston Billy".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/articles/2009/04/15/26_more_miles_for_boston_billy/|title=26 more miles for Boston Billy|last=Powers|first=John|date=April 15, 2009|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=October 5, 2009}}</ref>

Rodgers was inducted to the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]] on December 3, 1999, in ceremonies in Los Angeles. In 1998, Rodgers was inducted in the first round to the [[National Distance Running Hall of Fame]] in [[Utica, New York]].

Rodgers has run the [[Bix 7]] road race in [[Davenport, Iowa]], every year since 1980, earning the local nickname "Bix Billy". A bronze statue of Rodgers and [[Joan Benoit Samuelson]] was erected near the Bix finish line in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://qctimes.com/sports/running/bix7/another-year-in-the-bix-th-quad-city-times-bix/article_b270d55e-8500-56b6-a86e-43fa209973c3.html | title=Another year in the Bix: 44th Quad-City Times Bix 7 'quite the sight' | first=Sarah | last=Ritter | date=July 28, 2018 | work=[[Quad-City Times]] | location=[[Davenport, Iowa]] | access-date=July 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://qctimes.com/sports/running/bix7/collection_28c18df8-96e9-5015-be05-415a74e44a7d.html|title=1999|website=Quad-City Times}}</ref>

On April 20, 2015, [[Patriots' Day]], Rodgers was honored by the [[Boston Red Sox]] as he threw out the [[ceremonial first pitch]] at [[Fenway Park]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9e-C6fb5qk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/G9e-C6fb5qk| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Marathon runner Rodgers tosses first pitch|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

''Bill Rodgers Running Center'' in [[Faneuil Hall Marketplace]] in Boston was owned and operated by Bill and his brother Charlie. The family-run business operated from 1977 to 2013.<ref>conversation with Bill Rodgers{{better source needed|reason=original research|date=April 2025}}</ref> He lives in the small town of [[Boxborough, Massachusetts]], and still participates in running-themed events.

Rodgers was named as a grand marshal for the [[2025 Boston Marathon]], alongside long-time friend and fellow Boston Marathon champion, Bob Hall, a wheelchair athlete.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/2025-boston-marathon-grand-marshals-bob-hall-bill-rodgers/64354033 |title=Boston Marathon legends Bob Hall, Bill Rodgers named grand marshals for 2025 |first=Veronica |last=Haynes |website=[[WCVB-TV]] |date=April 2, 2025 |accessdate=April 18, 2025}}</ref>

== Marathons ==
# 1973 Boston Marathon (Did not Finish)(DNF)
# 1973 Bay State Marathon (2:28:12) 1st Course Record (CR)
# 1974 Boston (2:19:34) 14th
# 1974 New York City Marathon (NYC) (2:36:00) 5th
# 1974 [[Philadelphia Marathon]] (2:21:57) 1st CR
# [[1975 Boston Marathon|1975 Boston]] (2:09:55) 1st American Record (AR)
# 1975 [[Enschede Marathon]], Netherlands (DNF)
# 1975 Fukuoka Marathon (2:11:26) 3rd
# 1976 Olympic Trials (2:11:58) 2nd
# 1976 Montreal Olympics (2:25:14) 40th
# 1976 [[1976 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:10:10) 1st CR
# 1976 Sado Island, Japan (2:08:23) 1st CR (200 meters short)
# 1976 Maryland (2:14:12)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://westernmdtiming.com/MdMarathon/MM76RESULTS.txt |title=THE FOURTH ANNUAL MARYLAND MARATHON |publisher=Maryland Timing  |access-date=December 16, 2019}}</ref> 1st CR
# 1977 Kyoto, Japan (2:14:25) 1st
# 1977 Boston (DNF)
# 1977 [[Amsterdam Marathon|Amsterdam]], Netherlands (2:12:47) 1st CR
# 1977 Waynesboro (2:25:12) 1st
# 1977 [[1977 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:11:28) 1st
# 1977 Fukuoka (2:10:55) 1st
# 1978 Boston (2:10:13) 1st
# 1978 [[1978 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:12:12) 1st
# 1978 Fukuoka (2:12:53) 6th
# 1979 Boston (2:09:27) 1st AR
# 1979 Montreal (2:22:12) 15th
# 1979 [[1979 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:11:42) 1st
# 1980 Boston (2:12:11) 1st
# 1980 Toronto (2:14:47) 1st
# 1980 [[1980 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:13:20) 5th
# 1981 Houston-Tennaco (2:12:10) 1st CR
# 1981 Boston (2:10:34) 3rd
# 1981 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2:14:13) 1st CR
# 1981 [[Stockholm Marathon|Stockholm]], Sweden (2:13:28) 1st
# 1981 Bank One, Columbus, OH (2:17:34) 7th
# 1982 Houston (2:14:51) 5th
# 1982 Tokyo (2:24) 301st
# 1982 Boston (2:12:38) 4th
# 1982 Atlantica-Boavista, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (DNF)
# 1982 [[Melbourne Marathon|Melbourne]], Australia (2:11:08) 1st
# 1983 [[Miami Marathon|Orange Bowl]], FL (2:15:08) 1st
# 1983 Boston (2:11:58) 10th
# 1983 Beijing, China (DNF)
# 1983 [[1983 Chicago Marathon|Chicago]] (2:21:40) 30th
# 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials (2:13:31) 8th
# 1985 New Jersey Waterfront (2:14:46) 2nd
# 1985 [[1985 New York City Marathon|NYC]] (2:15:33) 7th
# 1986 [[1986 Boston Marathon|Boston]] (2:13:35) 4th
# 1986 [[1986 Chicago Marathon|Chicago]] (2:15:31) 11th
# 1987 Phoenix (DNF)
# 1987 [[1987 Boston Marathon|Boston]] (2:18:18) 15th
# 1987 NYC (2:25:01) 54th
# 1988 Phoenix (DNF)
# 1988 Los Angeles (2:20:27) 2nd masters
# 1988 Boston (2:18:17) 2nd masters
# 1988 NYC (DNF)
# 1989 Los Angeles (2:22:24)
# 1990 Boston (2:20:46) 5th masters
# 1992 Vietnam International 19th
# 1996 Boston (2:53:23)
# 1999 Boston (DNF)
# 2009 Boston (4:06:49)<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20783307/bill-rodgers-runs-4-06-in-first-marathon-in-a-decade/ | title=Bill Rodgers Runs 4:06 in First Marathon in a Decade | first=Scott | last=Douglas | date=April 21, 2009 | magazine=[[Runner's World]] | access-date=July 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://more.arrs.run/runner/3748|title=Bill Rodgers Profile at ARRS|website=more.arrs.run|accessdate= June 17, 2024}}</ref>

== Awards and distinctions ==
* 1973 AAU All-American Long Distance Team (20K)
* 1975 National AAU- DI Benadato Award – Best Athletic Performance
* 1975 Nominated [[James E. Sullivan Award|Sullivan Award]] (placed second)
* 1975 '''Ranked #1''' in the World in the Marathon by ''[[Track & Field News]]''
* 1976 Ranked #6 in the World in the Marathon by ''Track & Field News''
* 1976 Member U.S. Olympic Team – Montreal, Canada
* 1976 AAU All-American Track & Field Team (10K)
* 1977 '''Ranked #1''' in the World in the Marathon by ''Track & Field News''
* 1978 Ranked #2 in the World in the Marathon by ''Track & Field News''
* 1979 '''Ranked #1''' in the World in the Marathon by ''Track & Field News''
* 1981 Ranked #7 in the World in the Marathon by ''Track & Field News''
* 1989 New York Road Runners Club [[Abebe Bikila Award]]
* 1989 Tiffany's Man of Achievement Award
* 1990 RRCA Masters of the Year Award
* 1992 RRCA Masters of the Year Award
* 1994 CT Sports Writers Alliance Gold Key Award
* 1999 Inducted into Long Distance Running Hall of Fame
* 2000 Inducted into [[USA Track and Field]] Hall of Fame
* 2025 Inducted into the [[Credit Union Cherry Blossom]] Hall of Fame
[[File:Bill Rodgers Mount Dora 5K 2019.jpg|thumb|right|Bill Rodgers, on right, at the Mount Dora 5K in 2019.]]

== Personal track records ==
* 1 mile – 4:18.8
* 2 miles – 8:48 (indoor practice); 8:53.6 (1975)
* 3 miles – 13:25.4 (1976)
* 5 kilometers – 13:42.00 (1978)
* 10 kilometers – 28:04.4 (1976)
* 15 kilometers – 43:39.8 (1977 – American Record)
* 10 miles – 46:35
* 20 kilometers – 58:15 (1977 – American Record)
* 1 hour – 12&nbsp;mi 1351 yd (20.556&nbsp;km) (1977 – American Record)
* 25 kilometers – 1:14:12 (1979 – World and American Record)
* 30 kilometers – 1:31:50 (1979 – American Record)

== Personal road records ==
* 10 kilometers: 28:16 (1983)
* 15 kilometers: 43:25 (1981)
* 20 kilometers: 58:43 (1982)
* 25 kilometers: 1:17:23
* 30 kilometers: 1:29:04 (1976 – Unofficial World Road Record)
* Marathon (42.195 kilometers): 2:09:27 (1979 – former American record)

== Major road race wins ==
* Boston Marathon: 4 wins
* New York City Marathon: 4 wins
* Fukuoka Marathon: 1 win
* Amsterdam Marathon: 1 win
* [[Houston Marathon]]: 1 win
* [[Melbourne Marathon]]: 1 win
* [[Falmouth Road Race]]: 3 wins
* Virginia 10-Miler: 5 wins
* [[Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run]]: 4 wins
* [[Boilermaker Road Race]] 15&nbsp;km: 1 win
* Beverly Hills 10&nbsp;km: 4 wins
* Azalea Trail 10&nbsp;km: 4 wins
* Gurnet Classic Beach Run, Duxbury MA
* Bloomsday 12&nbsp;km: 1 win
* [[Gasparilla Distance Classic]] 15&nbsp;km: 1 win (first yr.)
* Jacksonville [[Gate River Run]] 15&nbsp;km: 1 win, 1978
* [[Bix 7]]: 2 wins (incl. first yr.)
* Big Boy 20&nbsp;km: 3 wins
* Toronto Marathon,1 win,1980

==See also==
* [[List of winners of the Boston Marathon]]
* [[List of winners of the New York City Marathon]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Books===
* Rodgers, Bill, ''Marathoning'' (with Joe Concannon) (1980) Simon & Schuster, {{ISBN|0-671-25087-6}}
* Rodgers, Bill, ''Masters Running and Racing'' (with [[Joe Henderson (runner)|Joe Henderson]] and Priscilla Welch) (1995) Rodale Books, {{ISBN|0-87596-330-7}}
* Rodgers, Bill, ''Bill Rodgers' Lifetime Running Plan: Definitive Programs for Runners of all Ages and Levels'' (1996) Collins, {{ISBN|0-06-273386-9}}
* Rodgers, Bill & Douglas, Scott, ''The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running, 2nd edition'' (2003) Alpha, {{ISBN|0-02-864466-2}}
* Derderian, Tom, Boston Marathon: The First Century of the World's Premiere Running Event, 1996, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, {{ISBN|0-88011-479-7}}
* Rodgers, Bill & Shepatin, Matthew, ''Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey from Unknown Grad Student to the Top of the Running World'' (2013) {{ISBN|978-1250016980}}

===Audio interviews===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080209203017/http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/12/podcast-110-bill-rodgers-says-dont-boycott-beijing/ Bill Rodgers: "Don't Boycott Beijing" Podcast Interview]

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.billrodgersrunningcenter.com/ Bill Rodgers Running Center]
* [http://www.runningpast.com/rodgers.htm Running Past Profile]
* {{USATF Hall of Fame|id=138}}
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Olympics.com profile}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{National Distance Running Hall of Fame inductees}}
{{Footer WBYP Marathon Men}}
{{Footer New York Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Boston Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Amsterdam Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Stockholm Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Fukuoka Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer US NC 10K run Men}}
{{Footer US NC 15K run Men}}
{{Footer US NC 20K run Men}}
{{Footer US NC 30K run Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1976 Summer Olympics}}
{{Boston Marathon}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Bill}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Connecticut]]
[[Category:American male marathon runners]]
[[Category:American male cross country runners]]
[[Category:Olympic male marathon runners]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:New York City Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:Boston Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:American masters athletes]]
[[Category:Wesleyan Cardinals men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]