Billy Mills facts for kids
Mills (left) and Gammoudi at the 1964 Olympics
|
|||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla | ||||||||||
| Full name | William Mervin Mills | ||||||||||
| Nationality | Oglala Sioux Tribe, American | ||||||||||
| Born | June 30, 1938 Pine Ridge, South Dakota, U.S. |
||||||||||
| Alma mater | Haskell Institute University of Kansas |
||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm | ||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg | ||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||
| Club | U.S. Marine Corps | ||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 5000m: 13:41.4 10,000m: 28:17.6 Marathon: 2:22:56 |
||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||
William Mervin Mills (born June 30, 1938) is an American Oglala Lakota former track and field athlete. He is also known by his Lakota name, Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla. Billy Mills won a gold medal in the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
His victory in 1964 was a huge surprise. He was not well-known before the event. He was the first non-European to win this Olympic race. He is still the only winner from the Americas. Billy Mills also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
William Mervin Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This is where the Oglala Lakota people live. His Lakota name, Tamakhóčhe Theȟíla, means "loves his country" or "respects the earth."
He became an orphan when he was twelve years old. Mills started running while attending the Haskell Institute. This school is now called Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. In 1956, he won a state championship in cross country there. Billy Mills was a boxer and a runner when he was young. He later chose to focus only on running.
He went to the University of Kansas on a sports scholarship. He was a top cross-country runner three times. In 1960, he won the individual title at the Big Eight cross-country championship. While he was at Kansas, his track team won national championships in 1959 and 1960.
After finishing college in 1962, Mills joined the United States Marine Corps. He was a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve. He held this rank when he competed in the 1964 Olympics. Some stories say Mills did not own new running shoes until the night before the Olympics.
The Amazing 1964 Olympics Race
Billy Mills made the U.S. Track and Field Team for the 1964 Summer Olympics. He qualified for both the 10,000 meters and the marathon. The favorite to win the 10,000 m race in 1964 was Ron Clarke from Australia. Clarke held the world record. Other strong runners were Pyotr Bolotnikov from the Soviet Union and Murray Halberg from New Zealand.
Mills was not well-known as a runner. He had finished second in the U.S. Olympic trials. His time in earlier races was much slower than Clarke's. Clarke started the race by running very fast every other lap. This made the race tough. Halfway through, only four runners were still with Clarke. These were Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia, Kokichi Tsuburaya of Japan, and Mills.
First, Tsuburaya fell behind, then Wolde. With two laps left, only Gammoudi and Mills were still with Clarke. Clarke had run a world record time. But neither Gammoudi nor Mills had ever run that fast before.
Mills and Clarke were running side-by-side as they started the last lap. Gammoudi was right behind them. They were passing other runners who were a lap behind. Clarke got stuck behind other runners. He pushed Mills once, then again. Then Gammoudi pushed both of them and took the lead.
As they went around the final curve, Clarke chased Gammoudi. Mills seemed too far behind to win. But Mills moved to an outer lane and sprinted past both of them! His winning time was 28:24.4. This was almost 50 seconds faster than his previous best. It also set a new Olympic record. No American had ever won the 10,000 m before. No other American came close until Galen Rupp won silver in 2012.
American TV viewers heard the excitement during the race. The NBC expert, Dick Bank, yelled, "Look at Mills! Look at Mills!" The main announcer seemed to miss what was happening. Bank was later fired for being too excited.
After the race, Mills asked Clarke if he was running as hard as he could at the end. Clarke said yes. Mills said he tried to stay relaxed during his final sprint. He felt this helped him pass Gammoudi and Clarke. Both Clarke and Mills also ran the marathon after the 10,000 m race. Clarke finished 9th, and Mills finished 14th.
Life After the Olympics
After his Olympic win, Billy Mills set U.S. records. He set records for the 10,000 m (28:17.6) and the three-mile run. His best time for the 5,000 m was 13:41.4. In 1965, he and Gerry Lindgren both broke the world record for the six-mile run. They finished at the same time at a national championship.
Helping Others
Billy Mills is a co-founder of a group called Running Strong for American Indian Youth. He started it with Eugene Krizek. This group helps Native American people get basic needs like food, water, and shelter. It also helps their communities become stronger and more confident.
Mills now speaks for the organization. He travels around the country. He encourages young Native Americans to follow their dreams. Mills also works to prevent and manage diabetes. He helps adults and young people learn how to live a healthy life. Mills himself has Type 2 diabetes.
Mills wrote a book with Nicholas Sparks called Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. He also wrote Lessons of a Lakota. He gives many speeches and supports different events. He lives near Sacramento, California.
Movies and TV Shows
Billy Mills' life story was made into a movie in 1983. It was called Running Brave. Actor Robby Benson played Billy Mills. He was also featured on a radio show called On Being in 2016. The episode was about "Running as a Spiritual Practice."
Awards and Honors
Billy Mills has received many awards and honors for his achievements:
- In 1976, he was added to the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
- In 1984, he helped carry the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics.
- Also in 1984, he was added to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
- He is also in the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. He is in the Kansas, South Dakota, San Diego, and National High School Halls of Fame too.
- President Barack Obama gave Mills the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal. This was for his work with Running Strong for American Indian Youth.
- In 2014, Mills received the NCAA's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award.
- In 2014, the Virginia State Senate praised Mills for his Olympic win's 50th anniversary.
- The Anti-Defamation League honored Mills in 2014.
- In 2015, he received the President's Council Lifetime Achievement Award. This award goes to people who help promote physical activity and sports.
- In 2017, his achievements were honored with a plaque in Sacramento's Walk of Stars.
- On February 26, 2018, a middle school in Lawrence, Kansas, was renamed Billy Mills Middle School.
- In October 2018, Mills was one of the first people added to the National Native American Hall of Fame.
Books by Billy Mills
- 1990, Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding, written with Nicholas Sparks.
- 2005, Lessons of a Lakota.
See also
In Spanish: William Mills para niños
- Olympic medalists in athletics
- Jim Thorpe
