Bill Schmidt (born December 29, 1947) is a retired male American javelin thrower from the Pittsburgh suburb of Southview, Pennsylvania.
His dad was a coal miner for 29 years and marched with John L. Lewis, the UMW organizer and President.
Schmidt attended Canon McMillan Senior High School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and competed in football and track and field.
He played American Legion Baseball and made the Western Pennsylvania All Star Team.
He competed for the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany in the javelin throw where he won the bronze medal.
He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Exercise, Sport and Leisure Studies The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.
He is retired and recently, November 15, 2022, published his life story, 'Southview to Gettysvue, From a Coal Camp to Olympic Podium, to Courtside with Michael Jordan'.