F. Don Miller
F. Don Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1920 Racine, Wisconsin |
| Died | January 17, 1996 (aged 75) Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1969 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Unit |  Infantry Branch |
| Commands | 79th Infantry Division (United States), 313th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | World War II, Korea, Vietnam |
| Awards | Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts |
Francis Donald Miller (April 9, 1920 – January 17, 1996) was a United States Army colonel, executive director of the USOC, a NCAA champion boxer, and a U.S. Olympic Boxing Team head coach.
Early life and education
Col. F. Don Miller was born in Racine, Wisconsin on April 9, 1920. He was a graduate of St. Catherine's High School, class of 1939,[1] and earned a physical education degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1943.[2]
While at the University of Wisconsin, he was a member of the 1943 NCAA Boxing championships team and the individual champion at the 155 lbs.[2]
Military career
After earning the rank of second lieutenant in ROTC program at the University of Wisconsin, Miller entered active service at Fort Benning, Georgia, in April 1943.[3] During combat in World War II, he served as a company commander for the 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division, in the European theater.[4] On November 24, 1944, he was wounded by enemy fire while leading a 7th Army platoon into the city of Strasbourg, France.[5]
In 1949, Miller was assigned to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and oversaw boxing held at the U.S. Special Services School. While there he authored the first U.S. Army sports manual.[6] During the 1950s, Miller worked for the Eighth United States Army as an assistant and the Fourth United States Army as a supervisor.[4] He coached the United States boxing teams in the 1951 Pan American Games and 1956 Olympic Games.[7] In 1961, he was assigned to the Adjutant General's office at Fort Amador, Panama. In 1967, he was a representative of the U.S. delegation to the Pan-American games in Winnipeg and the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.[6]
Colonel Miller retired from active service in 1969 as the director of Army Education and Morale Support Directorate, and as the chief of all Army sports programs.[6] He received multiple awards during his distinguished military career, including a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts.[3]
Olympics career
After retiring from the Army, Miller devoted the remainder of his life to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and America's athletes. He served in a variety of positions for the USOC, starting in 1969, when he worked as an assistant executive director and led the fundraising department.[2] In 1973, Miller was named executive director and remained at that position until 1985.[8] During his position, Miller provided athletes with a sports medicine support and was a National Sports Festival planner.[9] He was President of the U.S. Olympic Foundation from 1985 until his passing in 1996.
Miller received the Knight of Maltain 1965 and the Olympic Order in 1984. The following year, Miller was presented with theTeddy Award[10] from the Touchdown Club of Washington.[7] He was a member of the National Association of Sports and Physical Education and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984. He also received the Centennial Trophy from the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1995.[11]
Personal life and death
Miller was married and had two 2 children.[11] He died in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996 of cancer, and is buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.[7]
Awards and recognition
- 1965 - Knighted into the Order of Malta[12]
- 1984 - awarded the IOC Silver Olympic Order[13]
- 1984 - inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame[14]
- 1984 - presented the Southland Olympia Award[15]
- 1985 - presented the DC Touchdown Club's Board of Governor's Award[16]
- 1985 - awarded The Olympic & Paralympic Torch Award[17]
- 1985 - the USOC creates the "F. Don Miller Award"[18]
- 1995 - awarded the IOC Centennial Trophy[19]
- 1996 - the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame creates "Col. F. Don Miller Sports Service Award"[20]
- 1997 - F. Don Miller residence hall dedicated at Olympic Training Center[21]
- 2001 - inducted into the St. Catherine's H.S. Hall of Fame[1]
United States Army Decorations
References
- ^ a b "Archived Halls of Fame". Racine St. Catherine's. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ a b c Moe, Doug (2005-09-14). Lords of the Ring: The Triumph and Tragedy of College Boxing's Greatest Team. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 93–95. ISBN 0299204243.
- ^ a b "Stars and Stripes". Racine Journal Times. 3 Jan 1944. p. 11. Retrieved 11 Aug 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Trower, Ralph (7 October 1956). "Sports, It's this way..." Racine Journal Times. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Lieutenant, Corporal, wounded in France". Racine Journal Times. 6 Feb 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ a b c May, Lynn (13 Jul 1976). "Background on Col. Don Miller". Retrieved 11 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Litsky, Frank (1996-01-18). "F. Don Miller, 75, U.S. Olympic Committee Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Attner, Paul (June 8, 1977). "'Straight-Shooting' Miller Works Unity Wonders". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "F. Don Miller, Former Head of USOC, Is Dead at 75". Los Angeles Times. 1996-01-18. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "DC Touchdown Club". DC Touchdown Club. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ a b By (19 January 1996). "St. Catherine's grad, U.S. Olympic official, dies at 75". Journal Times. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "F. Don Miller, 75, U.S. Olympic Committee Chief (Published 1996)". 1996-01-18. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ "Olympic awards presented at the 87th IOC Session". Olympic Review. No. 197. March 1984. p. 164. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "F. Don Miller". United States Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Collection: Rene A. Henry papers | Special Collections Research Center". scrcguides.libraries.wm.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ "dc touchdown club past award winners". Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Olympic & Paralympic Torch". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "182 Days to Atlanta". The Central New Jersey Home News. 19 Jan 1996. Retrieved 12 Aug 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "IOC Award". USA Today. 11 Apr 2025. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Past Winners". Sports Corp. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ^ "USOC unveils new additions". The Fresno Bee. 27 Apr 1997. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-08-12.