Advertisement

Mills’ Miracle : When He Won the 10,000 at Tokyo 30 Years Ago Today, It Might Have Been the Greatest Upset of All Time

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Thirty years ago today at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, arguably the best of all American sports stories sprang from the gallant heart of a Camp Pendleton Marine lieutenant named Billy Mills.

On second thought, it’s not arguable.

You need to understand where I’m coming from on this. I’ve been writing newspaper sports stories for 32 years, back then at the Oceanside Blade-Tribune, the home paper for Camp Pendleton events. But nothing in all those years shocked me the way this one did. When reports of Mills’ victory went around the world that day, an old city editor told me the news. I thought, “It’s got to be some kind of typo. Or maybe it’s a Billy Mills from England or someplace.”

In the spring of 1964, I had covered several Pendleton dual meets. Not once had I had reason to interview Mills. He never won a race. He wasn’t close to being the best performer on the Camp Pendleton track team, much less the best in the world.

Advertisement

So, as I said, 30 years later, it’s still the best of all sports stories.

Some contenders:

--Bob Mathias’ decathlon victory at the 1948 Olympics, when he was 17. Two months before those London Olympics, Mathias had not only never competed in a decathlon, he had never competed in six of the 10 events. Four months before London, he had never seen a javelin.

--The 1990 Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas fight. Only two days before, when Douglas, a 48-1 shot, said at a Tokyo news conference that the heavyweight championship was about to change hands, U.S. reporters in the back row smirked and giggled. I know. I was a smirker.

--The 1969 New York Mets. They were a joke, too, until they won the World Series.

But for me, it’s still Mills.

Late in Mills’ year, 1964, the Associated Press polled sports editors on the year’s top upset. Mills won, beating out USC’s 20-17 victory over No. 1 Notre Dame and Muhammad Ali’s upset of Sonny Liston.

The story of Mills, a seven-sixteenths Sioux, now as well as then, seems not improbable but impossible.

Advertisement

Consider:

--Before he won the gold medal, Mills had run five 10,000-meter races. He had won none, and in two failed to break half an hour.

--In the entire pre-Olympic track season in 1964, he didn’t win a race of any kind. In Camp Pendleton dual meets, Mills was a Saturday also-ran in mile and two-mile races.

--Before the Tokyo Olympics, Track & Field News had a panel of six experts handicap each event. Not one picked Mills to finish in the top six in the 10,000 meters.

Advertisement

--Immediately after the race, favored Ron Clarke of Australia, who finished third, was asked if he had worried about Mills beforehand.

“Worried about him?” he snapped. “I never heard of him.”

--After the race, a confused Japanese race official ran up to Mills and said, “Excuse me, but what is your name?”

The more Americans learned about Billy Mills, the more they liked his story.

As a child, he lived in a world of alcoholism and despair on a Sioux reservation in Pine Ridge, S.D. Orphaned at 13, Mills was shipped off to a Kansas Indian school, Haskell Institute.

Advertisement

He became a long distance runner, won some high school races, and was awarded a track scholarship to the University of Kansas. His collegiate career was largely undistinguished, but he did win the Big Eight mile and two-mile championships one year.

He married a KU student, Pat Harris, and quit running. But she talked him into resuming his track career in 1963. He enlisted in the Marines, eventually becoming a motor pool officer at Camp Pendleton.

There, under 70-year-old Coach Earl Thomson, Mills joined a talented Pendleton track team, one that competed in dual meets against the likes of USC and Arizona State.

“What a lot of people didn’t know then was that in early ‘64, I was doing a lot of marathon work in the hills on the base, with a marathoner, Alex Breckenridge,” Mills said. “We’d do 20- and 25-mile runs, up and down hills. I was really building up my body for the ’64 Olympic trials.”

No one knew, of course, because no one had reason to ask.

“I knew all along that I had enough speed to win a gold medal at an Olympic distance race,” he said. “I felt all along if I could just stay with the leaders in a race, I could beat anybody on the last lap.

“I’ve been saying this for 30 years and no one’s believed me yet, but I went to Tokyo that year fully confident I could win, if I was close to the leaders at the finish.”

Many were surprised at the 1964 Olympic trials that the virtually unknown Mills made the team in the 10,000, as well as the marathon. Yet even at the trials, he was overshadowed.

Advertisement

The track hero that summer was a 5-foot-5 teen-ager, Gerry Lindgren, who had upset two veteran Soviet Union runners earlier at a USA-USSR meet at the Coliseum.

Mills was a distant second to Lindgren at the trials 10,000, and quietly made the Olympic team. For that, he got his first headline in the Oceanside Blade-Tribune. Then he packed his bag for Tokyo. He also borrowed money from friends for a ticket for Pat, so confident was he that he would win.

In 1964, Clarke was the greatest long distance runner in the world. A contender was Tunisian Mohamed Gammoudi. Lindgren’s stock slipped--he would finish ninth--when he turned an ankle in training in Tokyo.

Until two laps remained in the 25-lap race, the leaders were Clarke, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia and Murray Halberg of New Zealand, with Mills in the hunt. Then Wolde and Japan’s Kokichi Tsuburaya lost contact.

Clarke looked like a cinch. When they rang a bell to start the last lap, Clarke and Mills were together, Gammoudi right behind.

Then came one of the most amazing final laps in Olympic history. Clarke, trying to wend his way through lapped stragglers in gathering darkness, literally shoved Mills off the track.

Advertisement

Mills ran back into contention, but by then Gammoudi had a 10-yard lead. At the head of the stretch, Clarke finally caught Gammoudi, and the 75,000 in Olympic Stadium rose, expecting to see Clarke and Gammoudi run for the tape.

At that point, Mills, just behind the leaders, was no worse than a bronze medalist. Even at that, they probably would have had a parade for him at Camp Pendleton.

But Mills wanted to win the race.

He burst out of another group of stragglers with a devastating sprint and blew past Clarke and Gammoudi, beating the Tunisian by three yards. He crossed the tape with arms raised, an expression of rapture on his face.

That was the first and last time an American has won the Olympic 10,000.

That Wednesday morning in Oceanside, Oct. 14, 1964, the city editor tore copy off an old AP news printer, and said, “Your guy Mills won the race.”

To which I replied, “Yeah, right.”

Was it possible? The same Billy Mills who five months before was battling for third place in Camp Pendleton dual meets?

The same. Not only that, his Olympic-record time, 28 minutes 24.4 seconds, topped his previous best by 46 seconds.

Advertisement

Today, he speaks frequently to Native American youth groups, imparting themes of confidence and goal-setting.

“I grew up in a no-philosophy world,” he says.

“No one I knew had goals, or a reason to live. Life was day to day. Kids in an environment like that, they don’t know an opportunity when they see one.

“I often talk about Ron Clarke as an example of goal-setting. Clarke wanted that gold medal as bad as I did. He ran 120 miles a week for years too. He failed. But he didn’t lose the goal. I assumed he would retire after Tokyo.

“But when I asked him after our race what his goals were, he said: ‘I’m going to start all over again and the next time we race, Billy, you’d better be ready.’

“Well, we raced five more times and he beat me every time. He went to Europe after the Olympics that summer and broke 12 world records in six weeks.”

If all this sounds like a movie, it was. “Running Brave,” with Robbie Benson as Mills, came out in 1983.

Advertisement

Today, Pat and Billy Mills live in Fair Oaks, near Sacramento. They have three grown daughters.

Mills, who owns an insurance agency, says that when reporters come around on the 50th anniversary of his gold-medal race, he still won’t be conceding it was the upset everyone else makes it out to be.

“To me, it’s never been an upset,” he said. “I got myself in great shape, I went over there to win the race, and I did it.”

Advertisement
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top