The Legend of Dale Story

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At age 5 Dale’s dad abandoned his family. At 11 he contracted polio and became paralyzed from the neck down for 18 months at 17 he set a national record in the mile, 4:11 seconds. He’d go on to win the first ever NCAA National title in the 5,000, an event he ran barefoot in 30° weather. He’d later set a world record in the 2 mile 8:46 seconds. Following college he became a school teacher in Wallowa, Oregon where he worked for 33 years instructing science and forestry while also advocating for wilderness preservation. Dale was also a legendary bow hunter who started hunting elk with a recurve in 1961, which he also did barefoot. This man is a national treasure.