William DISNEY

Bill Disney never won a major outdoor title at pack style speed skating, but he was the U.S. National and North American Indoor champion in 1955. Almost exclusively a sprinter, Bill Disney skated an excellent time of 40.3 seconds at Squaw Valley to finish second to the Russian great, Yevgeny Grishin. Although it was never recognized by the International Skating Union, only a few weeks before the Olympics, Disney had skated 500 meters in 40.1 seconds to break Grishin's world mark. In 1964 Bill Disney was given the honor of carrying the United States flag into the stadium at the opening ceremonies of the Innsbruck Winter Olympics. Disney like most speed skaters, also competed as a cyclist, but not with the success of his brother, Jack Disney, who made the U.S. Olympic team three times in that sport. Following his competitive days, Bill Disney coached many top U.S. speed skaters.

Personal Bests: 500 – 39.8 (1964); 1500 – 2:14.4 (1964).