Richard Thomas Buerkle (/ˈbɜːrkliː/ BERK-lee;[3] September 3, 1947 – June 22, 2020) was an American Olympic athlete and a world record holder for the men's indoor mile.

He finally received a track scholarship in April of his junior year, after breaking the nine-minute barrier in the two-mile race, recording 8:57 at a dual meet in Knoxville.

On January 13, 1978, at the CYO Invitational held at the Cole Field House, he broke the indoor mile world record with a time of 3:54.93, finishing ahead of Filbert Bayi and Paul Cummings.

[9] He then won the men's Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in 3:58.4, beating Wilson Waigwa and Bayi for a second consecutive race on Madison Square Garden's track.

[12] At the time of Steve Prefontaine's death in 1975,[13] Buerkle was his chief American rival; he composed a tribute poem that was printed in the Eugene's Register-Guard the following day.

[14] Buerkle eventually grew tired of the winter weather in his native Rochester, New York, and relocated his family to Atlanta, Georgia, soon thereafter.