Any visit to the Willamette Valley starts with the memory of legendary University of Oregon distance runner Steve Prefontaine, a native Oregonian who transformed the world of track and field in the early 1970’s. After his death, Pre’s legacy would live on with Eugene’s emergence as “Tracktown, U.S.A.” Storied Hayward Field would host countless world-class track events, including the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976 and 1980. Eugene will once again host the Olympic Trials in June of 2008, connecting track’s past, present and future, while returning the country’s most prestigious pre-Olympic event to its rightful home in “Tracktown, U.S.A.”

Best known as the tranquil setting for Oregon’s wine country, the expansive Willamette Valley comes to life on Saturday afternoons in the fall as the University of Oregon and Oregon State University play host to raucous crowds and big-time college football foes. The two Pac-10 universities offer a number of first-class athletic venues. In addition to the Olympic Trials, Hayward Field will host the NCAA Track & Field Championships for the ninth time in 2010, while Gill Coliseum at Oregon State University recently hosted the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.

The Willamette Valley has quickly grown into a baseball and softball hotbed, highlighted by Oregon State University’s dramatic title run during the 2006 College Baseball World Series. In addition to NCAA baseball and softball regionals, the region has hosted the American Legion Baseball World Series and NCAA Division II Softball Championships. And the region is home to two minor league baseball teams, the Eugene Emeralds and Minor League Baseball’s 2006 “Team of the Year,” the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

The Willamette Valley is also the site of ”the world’s best skatepark” in Newberg, and offers recreational enthusiasts a myriad of opportunities for cycling, canoeing, kayaking and snow sports. Check out the additional information to the right and then head north to the Portland metro area, where more big-time sports activity awaits.