Billy Mills

Billy Mills is an Oglala Lakota athlete, Olympic gold medalist, author, and cofounder of Running Strong for American Indian Youth. He was born on June 30, 1938, grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and won the 10,000-meter gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics as a U.S. Marine lieutenant. He has also worked as a motivational speaker and has written or coauthored books including Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills.

Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills presents Mills’s own life story, including his childhood on Pine Ridge, the racism and health challenges he faced, and the dream that led to his Olympic victory.