Billy Mills: A Giant Killer and Trail Blazer 1
Billy Mills is the only American to win a gold medal in the 10,000 meter run.
“You have to look deeper, way below the anger, the hurt, the hate, the jealousy, the self-pity; way down deeper, where the dreams lie, son. Find your dream. It’s the pursuit of the dream that heals you.”
These are the words of a Lakota (Sioux) father to his young son struggling with the whys of poverty, adversity, and racism in 1940s America.
When the young Oglala Lakota brave was 12 years old his father died, leaving him an orphan. Wisely, he took his father’s advice and pursued sports in his quest to find that dream.
Football and boxing filled the void for a time, but the young lad discovered a special connection to his inner dream when he took up distance running.
“All I had was the pursuit of a dream: I wanted to be an Olympian,” the boy would later say.
He was a natural. He found success in high school, setting numerous school records. Bill Easton, the track coach at the University of Kansas, was impressed with the gangly youngster and offered him a track scholarship.
Opportunity knocked…and Billy Mills opened the door.
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