Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills speaks at UNE

Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills – the only American ever to win the Olympic 10,000 meter run, and only the second Native American to do so worldwide – spoke at the University of New England Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010.

His lecture topic was, “Global Unity Through Global Diversity."

Mills is an Oglala Sioux Indian. Mills was commissioned an officer in the United States Marine Corps, and trained for the Olympic team.  He qualified for the 1964 Olympic team in two events, the marathon and the 10,000-meter run, and achieved one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history by defeating favorite Ron Clarke of Australia.

Mills was the subject of a major motion picture, “Running Brave,” and co-authored the book, Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding, with Nicholas Sparks.  In 2005, Mills published his second book, “Lessons of a Lakota.”  He has been inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.