Bill Spencer (biathlete)

William Allen Spencer (June 23, 1936 – December 3, 2020)[1] competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics on the United States Biathlon Team. Bill Spencer died on Thursday, December 3, 2020. He was 84 years old.[2][3][4]

Early life

Spencer was born in Russellville, Alabama. His family later moved to Salt Lake City where he attended South High School. He was a 1959 Collegiate All-American skier at the University of Utah[5] where he was also a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. He graduated from Utah in 1961 and served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1984, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.[6][7][8]

From 1963 to 1968, he was assigned to Ft. Richardson in Alaska with his wife Judy, a son and two daughters.[8] He completed two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as an infantry officer, earning three Bronze Star Medals (one with Valor), three Air Medals (one with Valor), and three Army Commendation Medals.[9][10]

As an athlete

National Championships

Spencer won both the U.S. Biathlon Championships and the Canadian Biathlon Championships in 1966 and 1967. He was U.S. National 30 km Cross-Country Champion in 1965. He was a member of the U.S. CISM (Council International Sports Military) team 1964 to 1968 and 1973.[11]

Olympics

Spencer competed in one event at the 1964 games. He finished 30th in the men's individual 20 km race. This was good for second best on the American team.[12]

In the 1968 games Spencer competed as an individual and as part of the Men's 4 x 7.5 km relay. He finished 37th in the individual 20 km event (the second best of the U.S. squad) and the team finished eighth in the relay (out of fourteen teams).[13]

As a coach and official

After retiring from competition Spencer spent time as a coach and official. He was the U.S. biathlon team leader for the 1972 and 1984 Winter Olympics as well as numerous World Cups and World Championships. He was the U.S. Olympic shooting coach for the 1976, 1980, and 1992 Winter Olympics.[11]

Spencer was the Coordinator of the National Guard Bureau Biathlon Program from 1977 to 1984. From 1984 to 1994 he was the U.S. Biathlon Association Coach and Development Coordinator.[11]

From 1973 - 2002 he was the U.S. representative to the International Biathlon Union (IBU) Technical Committee, serving as Technical Delegate for the Calgary Olympics in 1988. At the 2002 Olympics he was Deputy Chief of Competition for the Biathlon.[11]

At the 2002 Olympics, he carried the Olympic torch off of the plane, along with Nikki Stone, that had brought it to the U.S. from Greece.[14]

He is the grandfather of U.S. Olympic rower Molly Reckford.[15]

Awards
  • 1966 - Sports Illustrated Award of Merit
  • 2000 - Inducted into the U.S. Biathlon Hall of Fame[11]
  • 2002 - IBU Medal of Honor
  • 2003 – Inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame[5]
  • 2004 - Inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame[11]
  • 2005 – Inducted into the University of Utah's Crimson Club Hall of Fame[7]

References
  1. "Bill Spencer". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  2. "USA Biathlon" (PDF). Olympstat.com.
  3. "William Allen Spencer". Olympic.org.
  4. Schencker, Lisa (September 20, 2010). "Olympic athletes relate dreams to youngsters". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. "Hall of Fame 2000s". Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
  6. "Bill Spencer". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  7. "Spencer, William".
  8. "Alumni News: Competes in Winter Olympics" (PDF). The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 51, no. 1. Spring 1964. p. 23.
  9. Kemp Spangler, Donna (September 19, 2001). "Some athletes may go to war". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  10. "In the Company of Heroes: Athlete Visit to the VA". Life As a Bobsledder.
  11. "Bill Spencer". Alf Engen Ski Museum.
  12. "Offizieller Bericht der IX. Olympischen Winterspiele Innsbruck 1964" (PDF). Austrian Federal Publishing House for Instruction, Science and Art, Vienna and Munich. LA84 Foundation. 1964. p. 126. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  13. "Rapport Officiel Xes Jeux Olympiques D'Hiver 1968 Grenoble" (PDF). Comité d'organisation des Xemes jeux olympiques d'hiver. LA84 Foundation. 1968. p. 380. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  14. "Ali sends Olympic torch on 46-state tour". The Saint Augustine Record, Associated Press.
  15. "'My life flashed briefly before my eyes': How N.J. rower Molly Reckford turned a panicked moment into Olympic domination". Retrieved August 30, 2021.
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