Mills, "Billy" (William M.)
Track and Field
b. June 30, 1938, Pine Ridge, SD
Mills grew up on the Oglala Sioux Reservation and went to Haskell Institute in Kansas after being orphaned at twelve. He began running to get into shape for boxing but, after losing a couple of fights, he decided to concentrate on running for its own sake.
He ran distance events at the University of Kansas, graduating in 1962, then joined the Marine Corps. Mills returned to competition in 1964 and scored one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. He led the 10,000-meter run in the home stretch, but was passed by Mohamed Gamoudi of Tunisia and world record holder Ron Clarke of Australia and seemed to be out of the running.
However, Mills turned on a tremendous sprint, passed the two leaders with about fifty yards to go, and won by three yards in an Olympic record 28:24.4. He said of his victory, "I'm flabbergasted. I can't believe it. I suppose I was the only person who thought I had a chance." A virtual unknown entering the Olympics, Mills was suddenly a hero as the first American ever to win a gold medal in the event.
Mills also ran 14th in the Olympic marathon. The following year, he set a world record of 27:11.6 in the 6-mile, winning the AAU championship in a rare photo-finish over Gerry Lindgren. He retired from competition after injuries kept him out of the 1968 Olympics.