Marty Liquori

In 1967 Marty Liquori became the third American high schooler to break four minutes for the mile, running 3:59.8. He attended Villanova where he was NCAA mile champion from 1969-71. He also won the AAU mile in 1969 and 1971. Later in his career, he moved to the 5,000 and won the AAU title in that event in 1975 and 1977-78. Liquori won the Pan American Games 1,500 in 1971 and was second in the 1977 World Cup 5K. In May 1971, he faced American mile legend Jim Ryun in what was termed the “Dream Mile” in Philadelphia and defeated Ryun with a long sustained kick, winning in 3:54.6. Although he competed in the 1968 Olympics, injuries hampered his attempts to compete in 1972 and 1976. He later became a sports commentator on television and eventually a professional jazz guitarist.

Personal Bests: 880y – 1:49.2 (1975); 1500 – 3:36.0 (1971); Mile – 3:52.2 (1975); 2 miles – 8:17.12 (1975); 5000 – 13:15.06 (1977); 10000 – 29:08.9 (1978).