Thirty-four years ago, former Illini track star Mike Durkin qualified for the 1976 United States Olympic Team by running the fastest 1,500-meter race of his life – a time of 3 minutes, 36.72 seconds – finishing third to Rick Wohlhuter and Matt Centrowitz. It was about four seconds faster than his previous best time of 3:40.3 and the equivalent of a 3:54 mile. A product of Chicago's Holy Cross High School, Durkin competed during the golden age of prep distance running in Illinois. He finished second in the state meet in the mile in his junior and senior years despite running times that would win state championships almost any other year. As a junior in 1970, Durkin ran a state-record time of 4:09.5 but narrowly lost to Andy Rupert of Proviso West. In his senior year, he ran the mile in 4:07.3 but lost by a second to Dave Merrick of Lincoln Way. At Illinois, Durkin had a stellar career, winning nine individual Big Ten track championships. His freshman year at Illinois he captured the Big Ten outdoor mile run title, defeating Michigan State's reigning NCAA indoor mile champion Ken Popejoy. After graduating from Illinois in 1975, Durkin decided to stop running despite having run a 3:56.7 mile his senior year and focused on law school and working at Chicago's Merchandise Mart. Eight months later, after watching an Illini track meet at the Armory, he once again caught the running bug and eventually qualified for the '76 Olympic team. At the Montreal Games, Durkin ran an excellent time of 3:38.7 in his first-round heat of the 1,500 but missed qualifying for the semifinals by one-tenth of a second because of an unusually fast first-round heat after his. The gold-medal race was won with a time slower than Durkin had run in his heat. For the next two years he attended and graduated from law school, passing the bar in 1978 and beginning his legal career at the firm that he is now a name partner of, now called Storino, Ramello & Durkin. In 1979, he decided to begin training for the 1980 Olympic Trials. Durkin again finished third at the Trials to earn the final spot in the 1,500 on the Olympic team. His dream for a second Olympic experience was shattered when then-President Jimmy Carter persuaded the U.S. Olympic Committee to boycott the Moscow Summer Games. Durkin is currently village attorney for Elmwood Park, Forest Park and Streamwood.

Illini birthdays this week

Sunday: Brad Childress, football coach (54)

Monday: Tom Fletcher, baseball (68)

Tuesday: Bucky Godbolt, football coach (55)

Wednesday: Anthony Williams, football (45)

Thursday: Rich Adams, basketball (54)

Friday: Matt Cushing, football (35)

Saturday: Kris Dupps, basketball (47)

NEXT SUNDAY: Claude Rothgeb

By Mike Pearson, author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore and assistant athletic director at Miami (Ohio)