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Kansas’ Billy Mills Selected as Dick Enberg Award Recipient
4/13/2026 11:00:00 AM | Track & Field
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field alumnus, humanitarian and Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills has been selected as the Dick Enberg Award Recipient, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced on Monday.
Named in honor of the longtime sports broadcaster and advocate for CSC's Academic All-American program, the Dick Enberg Award is presented annually to an individual who has distinguished themselves nationally through their career achievement and meaningful contributions to society while promoting the values of education and academics.
Mills becomes the 30th recipient of the Dick Enberg Award, which is recognized as one of the most prestigious honors College Sports Communicators may confer on an individual. The award was created in 1997 in recognition of Dick's passion and support of the Academic All-America® program for more than 30 years and his dedication to education for more than four decades. He served as the official spokesperson for the Academic All-America® program from 1986 until his passing in 2017.
Mills will receive the award during the CSC's All-Star Night of Honors at the CSC Unite 26 Convention on Monday, June 8, in Las Vegas.
"(Dick Enberg) is a legend. I am honored and humbled by this award," Mills said. "My dad would tell me to take my culture, traditions, spirituality, and put them together, extract the virtues and values that empower them, and put those virtues and values into your daily life. And that's basically what I've done to try to understand the diversity of the world."
Mills was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Barack Obama in 2012. He received the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award, recognizing a former varsity athlete who has become a distinguished citizen, in 2013. In 2014, Mills received one of his most cherished honors, the Kay Family Award from the Anti-Defamation League, presented to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in standing up to hatred, antisemitism, injustice, and bias.
Mills earns the award after a standout athletic career at Kansas from 1958-61, which was followed by his iconic 10,000-meter win at the 1964 Olympics. Since the conclusion of his running career, he has worked as a motivational speaker and humanitarian, spreading a message of perseverance and dedication to younger generations across the globe.
Mills was born in 1938 to an Oglala Lakota (Sioux) family and spent his early years on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His childhood was marred by tragedy though, after both his parents and his sister died, all by the time Mills turned 12.
Mills spent the rest of his childhood at Haskell Indian Nations School in Lawrence, Kan., and, in 1958 was recruited by Kansas head coach Bill Easton to compete for the KU track team. Mills' first months with the Jayhawks were not easy as he experienced life for the first time outside the Native American community.
As a Jayhawk, Mills was named to the NCAA All-American cross country team three times, won the 1960 Big Eight Championship and, as a member of the Jayhawks' track team, helped lead his team to the 1959 and 1960 Outdoor National Championships. While Mills was a legendary runner for the Crimson and Blue, it is his accomplishments following his KU athletic career that earned him international attention.
After being commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps after college, Mills joined the U.S. Marine Corps Track & Field Team and qualified for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. He qualified for the 10,000-meter finals with a time nearly a minute slower than world record-holder Ron Clarke of Australia and hardly drew notice in a field packed with former gold medalists and record holders. In the final, Mills blew past Clarke and other favored runners in the final 100 meters, completing the six-mile race in 28:24.4 and beating his personal best time by 46 seconds. To this day Mills is the only American to win the Olympic 10,000 meters.
Mills considered his win in Tokyo "a gift" and pledged that he would work for the rest of his life to give back for the memorable moment. His wife, Patricia, suggested that he honor those who believed in him by passing his inspiration on to younger generations. Mills co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth. The organization works to help American Indian youth, increasing their self-esteem and improving their futures. Today, Mills travels the world as a spokesman for the organization.
Mills was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1976, and the University of Kansas Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
Past recipients of the Dick Enberg Award include, Ruth Riley Hunter (2025), Warrick Dunn (2024), Tamika Catchings (2023), Patricia Melton (2022), Billie Jean King (2021), Amy Privette Perko (2020), Frank Beamer (2019), Bill Walton (2018), Dr. Robert Khayat (2017), Roger Staubach (2016), Andre Agassi (2015), Ann Meyers Drysdale (2014), Mike Krzyzewski (2013), Joe Paterno (2012), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (2011), Tom Hansen (2010), Steve Smith (2009), Chuck Lee (2008), Pat Summit (2007), Gerald R. Ford (2006), Father Theodore Hesburgh (2005), Ted Leland (2004), Tom Osborne (2003), Alan Page (2002), Donna Shalala (2001), Bill Russell (2000), Dean Smith (1999), John Humenik (1998) and Dick Enberg (1997).
Named in honor of the longtime sports broadcaster and advocate for CSC's Academic All-American program, the Dick Enberg Award is presented annually to an individual who has distinguished themselves nationally through their career achievement and meaningful contributions to society while promoting the values of education and academics.
Mills becomes the 30th recipient of the Dick Enberg Award, which is recognized as one of the most prestigious honors College Sports Communicators may confer on an individual. The award was created in 1997 in recognition of Dick's passion and support of the Academic All-America® program for more than 30 years and his dedication to education for more than four decades. He served as the official spokesperson for the Academic All-America® program from 1986 until his passing in 2017.
Mills will receive the award during the CSC's All-Star Night of Honors at the CSC Unite 26 Convention on Monday, June 8, in Las Vegas.
"(Dick Enberg) is a legend. I am honored and humbled by this award," Mills said. "My dad would tell me to take my culture, traditions, spirituality, and put them together, extract the virtues and values that empower them, and put those virtues and values into your daily life. And that's basically what I've done to try to understand the diversity of the world."
Mills was presented with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Barack Obama in 2012. He received the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award, recognizing a former varsity athlete who has become a distinguished citizen, in 2013. In 2014, Mills received one of his most cherished honors, the Kay Family Award from the Anti-Defamation League, presented to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in standing up to hatred, antisemitism, injustice, and bias.
Mills earns the award after a standout athletic career at Kansas from 1958-61, which was followed by his iconic 10,000-meter win at the 1964 Olympics. Since the conclusion of his running career, he has worked as a motivational speaker and humanitarian, spreading a message of perseverance and dedication to younger generations across the globe.
Mills was born in 1938 to an Oglala Lakota (Sioux) family and spent his early years on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His childhood was marred by tragedy though, after both his parents and his sister died, all by the time Mills turned 12.
Mills spent the rest of his childhood at Haskell Indian Nations School in Lawrence, Kan., and, in 1958 was recruited by Kansas head coach Bill Easton to compete for the KU track team. Mills' first months with the Jayhawks were not easy as he experienced life for the first time outside the Native American community.
As a Jayhawk, Mills was named to the NCAA All-American cross country team three times, won the 1960 Big Eight Championship and, as a member of the Jayhawks' track team, helped lead his team to the 1959 and 1960 Outdoor National Championships. While Mills was a legendary runner for the Crimson and Blue, it is his accomplishments following his KU athletic career that earned him international attention.
After being commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps after college, Mills joined the U.S. Marine Corps Track & Field Team and qualified for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. He qualified for the 10,000-meter finals with a time nearly a minute slower than world record-holder Ron Clarke of Australia and hardly drew notice in a field packed with former gold medalists and record holders. In the final, Mills blew past Clarke and other favored runners in the final 100 meters, completing the six-mile race in 28:24.4 and beating his personal best time by 46 seconds. To this day Mills is the only American to win the Olympic 10,000 meters.
Mills considered his win in Tokyo "a gift" and pledged that he would work for the rest of his life to give back for the memorable moment. His wife, Patricia, suggested that he honor those who believed in him by passing his inspiration on to younger generations. Mills co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth. The organization works to help American Indian youth, increasing their self-esteem and improving their futures. Today, Mills travels the world as a spokesman for the organization.
Mills was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1976, and the University of Kansas Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
Past recipients of the Dick Enberg Award include, Ruth Riley Hunter (2025), Warrick Dunn (2024), Tamika Catchings (2023), Patricia Melton (2022), Billie Jean King (2021), Amy Privette Perko (2020), Frank Beamer (2019), Bill Walton (2018), Dr. Robert Khayat (2017), Roger Staubach (2016), Andre Agassi (2015), Ann Meyers Drysdale (2014), Mike Krzyzewski (2013), Joe Paterno (2012), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (2011), Tom Hansen (2010), Steve Smith (2009), Chuck Lee (2008), Pat Summit (2007), Gerald R. Ford (2006), Father Theodore Hesburgh (2005), Ted Leland (2004), Tom Osborne (2003), Alan Page (2002), Donna Shalala (2001), Bill Russell (2000), Dean Smith (1999), John Humenik (1998) and Dick Enberg (1997).
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