Born January 10, 1939, Philadelphia, Pa.

William "Bill" Toomey became the world's greatest athlete through hard work and determination and climaxed his career with a victory in the 1968 Olympic Games decathlon.

A good all-around athlete at the University of Colorado, Toomey won four National AAU pentathlon titles before turning to the decathlon. A good long jumper and 400 runner, Toomey worked hard on the field events and won five-straight National AAU decathlon titles. Following his Olympic victory, he won the 1969 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. That same year, he set a world decathlon record with a score that lasted for nearly three years. He also briefly held the world decathlon record in 1966 and in 1967 was the Pan-American Games champion. Toomey was formerly married Mary Rand, the 1964 Olympic women's long jump champion from Great Britain. Toomey now lives in California involved in various sports promotions. He was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.