Kidd, "Billy" (William W.)
Skiing
b. April 13, 1943, Burlington, VT
America's first real world-class male skier, Kidd attended the University of Colorado. He was on the 1962 national ski team but missed most of the 1963 season with a chronic sprained ankle.
In 1964, he became the first American male to win an Olympic medal in Alpine skiing, taking a silver in the slalom and a bronze in the Alpine combined. He was the U. S. national giant slalom champion that year.
Kidd and the great Jean-Claude Killy of France had a number of duels on the European circuit in 1966 and Kidd won several of them. He missed the 1967 season with a broken leg and the chronic ankle sprain bothered him during much of 1968. However, he beat Killy in a World Cup slalom in Colorado that year and managed to finish fifth in Olympic giant slalom.
After winning his second World Cup Slalom, at Squaw Valley, in 1969, Kidd won the world Alpine combined event in 1970. It was the first world championship ever for an American male skier. He then joined the professional International Ski Racing Association and won the giant slalom and Alpine combined events at the ISRA world championships.
Recurring injuries forced his retirement in 1972. He became ski director at Steamboat Springs, CO, did television commentator, helped coach the U. S. team, and wrote two instructional books on the sport.