Coach William Mills has had a long tenure as a track and field coach. He has over 14 years of experience as a head coach with over five years as a coach on the collegiate level. He first began working for his high school as a coach for eight years before becoming the head coach of Thiel College. Now he is the new head coach of Eastern University’s track and field team.
Coach Mills began his track career as a football player. He had impressive speed and was recommended to try track and field to enhance his football speed. After having great success in track, Coach Mills officially switched over from football to track. His love and passion for the sport ultimately led to him becoming a head coach.
When asked “Why Eastern?” Coach Mills explained that it was a great opportunity. He had recently gotten married over the summer and a change of scenery was much needed. Eastern offered a bigger administration role to him and allowed for a better work-life balance. Eastern is close enough to the city of Philadelphia, and the track and field team was seeking success for a new team. Previously, his wife had a long commute from home to work, and a new environment was not only exciting but convenient for them.
I asked him about the state of the team, and he said they are doing great. The team is showing up and getting workouts done. That’s almost everything he can ask for. Coach Mills explained that his main focus is changing the current culture of the team. Having fun with track and field is his biggest priority as of now. “Many coaches come to teams and only worry about winning. For me, I’d rather let my personality shine and help make the sport fun for the team. That is when the winning will come,” Coach Mills said.
I finally asked the hard-hitting question in regards to his position. The final question asked was, “How does it feel to be the fourth track and field head coach in the last four years?” He responded by stating his day-to-day motto. The motto of Coach Mills is A.T.C., which stands for Accept The Challenge. Coach Mills went on to talk about how we as people face life’s challenges is what determines our character. He said he is willing to stand with the team and face any challenge that comes. He is determined to stay and help develop our athletes into better athletes, people and students.