Billy Mills Biography

1938-

American track and field athlete

Lakota Sioux runner Billy Mills was responsible for one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history. A complete unknown in the track-and-field world, Mills outran a field of international track stars to win the gold medal in the 10,000-meter race in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mills's win was the first gold medal by any American in this event, and was a particular source of pride for Native Americans. Interestingly, the only other American ever to medal in the event was another Native American, Louis Tewanima, a Hopi Indian, who won silver in 1912.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Billy Mills Speakers Bureau, 7760 Winding Way, Suite 722, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. Phone: (916) 965-5738.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY MILLS:

(With Nicholas Sparks), Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding, Crown, 1994.