Bowling Green State University alumnus Dave Wottle is one of 14 collegiate athletes to be selected for this year’s 2023 Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame class.

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the inductees on Wednesday.

There are now 44 total athletes in the USTFCCCA Collegiate Hall of Fame. Wottle, a 1973 graduate, was an Olympic Gold Medalist and five-time NCAA Champion during his time as a Falcon.

Wottle competed for the Bowling Green men’s cross country and track and field teams from 1969-73, earning a plethora of conference and national accolades. In 1969, he placed 30th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. That spring, he was the runner-up in the mile at the 1970 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning All-American honors.

He carried his success into the 1971 cross country season, winning the MAC Championship and placing 12th at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors once again. After missing the 1971 track and field season due to injury, he claimed the first individual national title in BGSU history, winning the 800 at the 1972 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He also anchored the NCAA Champion Distance Medley Relay team, teaming with Craig MacDonald, Ted Farver, and Sid Sink. He earned his second national title at the 1972 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning the 1500.

Wottle qualified for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, after winning the 800 at the Amateur Athletic Union Championships and tying the 800 world record of 1:44.30 at the United States Olympic Trials.

At the Olympics, Wottle produced one of the most memorable performances in sports history, passing nearly every runner in the field before taking the lead in the final straightaway. He lunged across the finish line, beating pre-race favorite Yevhen Arzhanov of the USSR by 0.03 seconds. Wottle was the first BGSU student-athlete to win an Olympic Gold Medal, an exclusive club that now features hockey players Rob Blake, Ken Morrow and Mark Wells.

“Dave Wottle will always be considered one of Bowling Green State University’s greatest treasures. He has left a lifelong impact on this University and community and has positively impacted generations of alumni,” said Derek van der Merwe, BGSU director of athletics and recreation. “Widely recognized as one of the greatest athletes to ever compete in the Orange and Brown, he has made the University and its over 190,000 alumni proud of his achievements. Congratulations, Dave, on your induction into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame.”

When he returned to Bowling Green for his senior season, Wottle won two more national titles, both in the mile. After taking the crown at the 1973 NCAA Indoor Championships, he retained it at the 1973 NCAA Outdoor Championships, running a time of 3:57.1 that remains the fastest mile time in NCAA Championship history. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in History, Wottle raced the mile at the University of Oregon, competing against Oregon’s Steve Prefontaine, Wottle’s former Olympic teammate. Wottle finished first in 3:53.30, the third-fastest mile in world history at the time.

Under BGSU Hall of Fame Head Coach Mel Brodt, Wottle and the Falcons placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for four consecutive years. Wottle helped the Orange and Brown increase their team finish each season, placing ninth in 1969, eighth in 1970, seventh in 1971, and sixth in 1972. Wottle was a key piece of the 1969 team that also won the MAC team title, running alongside fellow BGSU Hall of Famer Sid Sink.

“This induction once again puts Dave Wottle among the all-time greats of NCAA Track & Field and Cross Country. He was chosen for displaying excellence in collegiate track & field and cross country at its very best,” said Lou Snelling, BGSU head cross country/track & field coach. “Beyond the stats, Dave has been such an important ambassador for Bowling Green State University and the sport as whole for over 50 years.”

A native of Canton, Ohio, Wottle was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978, the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1982, and the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame in 1990. He holds six indoor school records and raced for one record-holding relay team, the 4×1600. He is the first athlete from the Mid-American Conference to be inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame.

About the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

This is the second year the USTFCCCA has inducted collegiate athletes into its Hall of Fame, with 30 athletes being enshrined last year. The exclusive list will now expand to 44 and include collegiate legends such as Wottle, Prefontaine, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner, Jesse Owens and Wilma Rudolph. Eligibility for induction this year was limited to men who had completed their collegiate eligibility prior to 2000 and women prior to 2010. The 2023 Induction Ceremony is set to take place at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon on September 14, which is the day preceding the 2023 Diamond League Final, the Prefontaine Classic, September 16-17, in Eugene.

2023 USTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame Inductees

Dyrol Burleson (Oregon, 1959-1962)

Michael Carter (SMU, 1980-1984)

Joetta Clark (Tennessee, 1981-1984)

Michael Conley (Arkansas, 1982-1985)

Sheila Hudson (California, 1986-1990)

Holli Hyche (Indiana State, 1991-1994)

Edwin Moses (Morehouse, 1974-1977)

Renaldo Nehemiah (Maryland, 1978-1979)

Sonia O’Sullivan (Villanova, 1988-1991)

Julie Shea (NC State, 1978-1981)

Seilala Sua (UCLA, 1997-2000)

John Thomas (Boston U., 1959-1962)

Wyomia Tyus (Tennessee State, 1964-1967)

Dave Wottle (Bowling Green, 1969-1973)