1999 Hall of Fame Inductee

EUGENE GENO MEYERS &endash; Grass Valley, CA
Cross Country &endash; 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970
Track and Field &endash; 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971

Gene was born and raised in Oroville, California. He graduated from Oroville High School in the spring of 1967 and enrolled at Chico State in the fall of 1967. He was a coach's dream the minute he attended his first cross-country practice, a local freshman possessing outstanding athletic potential and the personal qualities that made him exceptional. He was extremely loyal to his teammates and coach, had a tremendous work ethic, and was able to physically handle some of the most intense workouts when other runners were not.

Geno became the cornerstone of one of the greatest distance teams that Chico State has ever had. During his 4-year tenure in cross country, Chico State won the Far Western Conference Championship in 1968 and 1969. In track and field, he held the conference meet record in the mile and was an All-American in 1969 and 1971.

Geno was one of the few athletes that could excel at all distance races. He held the school record in the 880-yard run, the mile run and the three-mile run. His converted times (from yards to metric distances) and ranking on Chico State's All Time Top 10 List exemplify how talented he really was thirty years ago! He is presently ranked second in the 800-meters, third in the 5,000-meters and fourth in the 1,500-meter race. His 800-meter record stood for 25 years and was finally broken in 1994.

Gene Meyers is one of the best, if not the best, distance runners to wear a uniform for Chico State.