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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Billy Mills to Welcome Youth Athletes at Junior Olympics

Posted November 16th, 2007 at 3:28 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Cross Country, Track & Field, Olympics

Billy_mills_gold_medal Olympic legend and National Track & Field Hall of Famer Bill Mills will be the special guest of honor at the 2007 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, USATF announced Friday. More than 3,000 athletes will compete at the event, to be held December 8 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.

The 1964 Olympic 10,000-meter champion and University of Kansas graduate, Mills will provide the young athletes attending the Junior Olympic Championships with an inspirational talk during the opening ceremonies. Mills will sign autographs and will be on-hand race day to support USATF’s young athletes.

“We are truly honored to have Mr. Mills attending the Junior Olympics and hope the young athletes can learn from his wonderful life story,” said USATF Missouri Valley President Gilbert Castillo, whose Association is hosting the Championships. “He’s not just a national hero, he is a local legend who is greatly admired by a wide range of people.”
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Podcast 14: Interview with legendary Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills

Posted February 14th, 2007 at 3:45 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

In today’s podcast, I am joined by Billy Mills - a true hero of running and a compassionate warrior.

At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Billy set an Olympic record and won a gold medal in the 10,000m; becoming the first and still the last American to win a gold in the event.

After his successful running career, Billy has channeled his love for running into a passion for fighting against poverty and discrimination as the national spokesperson of Running Strong for Native American Youth. He is also the subject of the 1983 movie “Running Brave”.

Download the podcast to hear Billy to discuss what has been called the “biggest upset in Olympic history”, running in borrowed shoes, how he has felt and been treated as a Native American athlete, teaching younger generations the importance of “Global Unity Through Global Diversity”, the possibility of him entering the 2007 Marine Core Marathon and much more!

Listen In
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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Billy Mills
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 24.0MB
Length: 00:35:04

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BILLY MILLS
Compassionate Warrior

Posted December 15th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Jennifer Lipman

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Columns, Olympics, SPOTLIGHT

This is part three of the 5-part series: “BILLY MILLS: Overlooked Hero of Running” (Links to the other installments in this series are located at the conclusion of this article).

For nearly 50 years Billy Mills has channeled his love for running into a passion for fighting against poverty and for encouraging Native American youth to believe in the power of their dreams.

As we mentioned in Part 2 of this series, Mills is a descendant of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) tribe and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. After losing his parents at the young age of 12, he brought athletics into is life.

Since his historic 10,000m gold medal victory at the 1964 Olympics, Billy Mills has used his fame to help children that face the same poverty and rejection that he battled throughout his own life.
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BILLY MILLS
The Olympic Legend

Posted December 14th, 2006 at 9:19 AM by Jenna Sumara

Section: News & Results, Motivation, Columns, Olympics, SPOTLIGHT

This is part two of the 5-part series: “BILLY MILLS: Overlooked Hero of Running” (Links to the other installments in this series are located at the conclusion of this article).

Billy Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on June 30, 1938 in the Oglala Sioux Indian reservation. Billy’s Lakota name is Makata Taka Hela meaning “love your country” or more traditionally translated, “respects the earth”.

After losing his parents when he was only 12-yrs old, Mills became involved with running at the Haskell Institute; an Indian school located in Lawrence, Kansas. In the late 1950’s, Mills attended the University of Kansas on an athletic scholarship.

At Kansas his hard work and natural abilities on the track continued to flourish. In 1958 and 1959 he was All-American in cross country. In the 1960 Big Eight Conference, Mills won an individual title in cross country. The following year, Mills again became the conference champion in the two mile race; coming in with a time of a little over nine minutes.
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BILLY MILLS
Overlooked Hero of Running

Posted December 4th, 2006 at 1:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, SoundOFF, Columns, Olympics, SPOTLIGHT

Billy Mills Native American 10,000m gold medalist runner This year Runner’s World selected running legend Frank Shorter as one of it’s “Heroes of Running”. We don’t disagree with this designation; Shorter was an incredible runner and continues to be an inspiration to athletes around the world.

However, Shorter’s selection highlights a real injustice, but not because Shorter is in anyway undeserving of the award. Conversely, it serves to highlight how the media, and the running & fitness industry as a whole, have spent so much time focusing on runners like Shorter and Steve Prefontaine that many other heroes of running have sadly, been overlooked.

Want an example? How about Olympic Champion Billy Mills; the first and only American to win a gold medal in the 10,000m. Not only did Mills beat the top international athletes on the grandest of stages (Via one of the most dramatic come-from-behind wins in history), but he has also did so while battling prejudice because of his Native American background. Today, Mills has gone on to be a true role model and advocate for several generations of Native American youths.

So why have Mills and his amazing accomplishments been so overlooked? Read the rest of this entry »

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