William Danforth Mulliken (August 27, 1939 – July 17, 2014) was a Hall of Fame American competition swimmer who attended Miami University in Oxford and was a 1960 Rome Olympic champion in the men's 200-meter breaststroke.

[1][2] Born August 27, 1939, in Urbana, Ohio, to Jean Forrest and Wallace Mulliken,[3] he attended Champaign High School, which lacked a swimming team.

[2][7][8] Mulliken represented the United States at the 1959 Pan American Games, where he captured a gold medal winning the 200-meter breaststroke, his signature event, in 2:43.1, though he would improve significantly on his time in the 1960 Olympics.

Three of his opponents were heavily favored to outperform him; Yoshihiko Osaki of Japan, Georgi Prokopenko of the Soviet Union and Australian world record holder Terry Gathercole.

On his third turn in the 50-meter course, coming into the final length, Mulliken realized that with a strong finish he could overtake Osaki, and likely set a new Olympic record.

[2][12] His unexpected win inspired the U.S. team, as an American had not won the Olympic event since Joe Verdeur at the 1948 Games in London.

[9] In 1991, Mulliken founded Big Shoulders, a swim event in Lake Michigan at Ohio Street Beach and held annually since.