Bill Miller

William Preston Miller (February 22, 1930 – October 27, 2016) was an American athlete who competed in the javelin throw for the United States in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland where he won the silver medal with a throw of 72.46 meters. Miller was born in Lawnside, New Jersey.

AAU competition A graduate of Haddon Heights High School, he won the American Athletic Union competition in 1952 and 1954. He was an African-American and Native American athlete and one of the few Native Americans who have represented America at the Olympics.

Later career He worked for the U.S. State Department as the U.S. Liaison and head coach for the National Indonesian Track and Field Coach, then after, as the head coach of the National Malaysian Track and Field Team. In 1967, he brought his family back to the U.S. and took a job with the U.S. Office of Economic Security in Washington D.C. He later worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in Washington, then completed his career in Arizona working with Native American desert crops, Jojoba and Guayule.

He died Thursday, Oct. 27th, 2016 at his home, Ironwood Assisted Living in Apache Junction, Arizona.