2008 USATF Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Former 800-meter Olympian Johnny Gray leads the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame Class of 2008.

The new class was announced on Tuesday and also includes Don Bowden, Bill Carr and Bernie Wefers, are joined by contributor Jimmy Carnes.

There are four categories in which individuals may be voted into the Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2008 will be inducted Saturday evening, December 6, at the Jesse Owens Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held in conjunction with USATF's 2008 Annual Meeting in Reno Nevada.

Those categories are: Modern athletes, retired less than 25 years; Veteran athletes, retired more than 25 years or more; Coaches; and Contributors. Each category has its own selection committee that chooses the finalists from the list of nominations.

Johnny Gray: Is the American recordholder in the indoor (1:45.0) and outdoor (1:42.60), and won a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games. During his prolific career he made four Olympic teams, a three-time U.S. World Outdoor team member, and twice, he was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 800.

DON BOWDEN: A 1956 Olympian at 1,500 meters, Don Bowden ran 3:58.7 and is best known for being the first American ever to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile.

BILL CARR: The 1932 Olympic 400m gold medalist, Bill Carr also captured gold at the '32 Los Angeles Olympics as anchor of the 4x400m relay USA team that finished in the world record time of 3:08.2.

BERNIE WEFERS: A three-time USA 100y and 220y champion and two-time IC4A 100y champion, Bernie Wefers is considered one of the most dominant sprinters of his era.

JIMMY CARNES: One of the leading figures in the formation of The Athletics Congress/USA, as USATF was known when it began operations.

For more information on the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, visit: usatf.org

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.