University Southern California Trojans
USC Track and Field Alum and Olympian Les Mills Dies at 91
June 30, 2026 | Track & Field
Former USC Track and Field athlete and four-time Olympian Les Mills passed away at the age of 91, his family announced Monday.
Mills, who transferred to USC from Foothill Junior College, competed for the Trojans for one year under USC Hall of Fame coach Verne Wolfe in shot put and discus. In his lone season in 1964, Mills helped USC to win the conference championship and finish third at NCAA championships. He also finished runner-up at AAWU championships in shot put and discus. At the completion of his Trojan career, he ranked No. 2 on the USC all-time discus list. Additionally, he scored double victories in dual meets against Stanford, Occidental, Arizona State, San Diego State and Long Beach State to help USC remain undefeated that year.
Alongside his collegiate career, Mills competed in four Olympic games for his home country of New Zealand. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he served as the New Zealand flag bearer, placing 11th in shot put and 28th in discus. At the 1964 games in Tokyo, he finished seventh in shot put and 21st in discus. In Mexico City in 1968, he placed 11th in shot put and he concluded his Olympic career by finishing 23rd in shot put and 14th in discus in the 1972 Munich games.
Mills also competed in the Commonwealth Games for former countries of the British Empire. He placed on the podium five times over the course of four games, including winning gold in discus at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. He also was fifth in the world shot put rankings in 1967 which remains the most recent Trojan to be featured in the top-10 world ranking for men's shot put.
After his track and field career finished, Mills launched his own fitness brand "Les Mills International" which has become a successful global enterprise. He also served as the mayor of Auckland, New Zealand from 1990-1998 and was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022.
Mills, who transferred to USC from Foothill Junior College, competed for the Trojans for one year under USC Hall of Fame coach Verne Wolfe in shot put and discus. In his lone season in 1964, Mills helped USC to win the conference championship and finish third at NCAA championships. He also finished runner-up at AAWU championships in shot put and discus. At the completion of his Trojan career, he ranked No. 2 on the USC all-time discus list. Additionally, he scored double victories in dual meets against Stanford, Occidental, Arizona State, San Diego State and Long Beach State to help USC remain undefeated that year.
Alongside his collegiate career, Mills competed in four Olympic games for his home country of New Zealand. In the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he served as the New Zealand flag bearer, placing 11th in shot put and 28th in discus. At the 1964 games in Tokyo, he finished seventh in shot put and 21st in discus. In Mexico City in 1968, he placed 11th in shot put and he concluded his Olympic career by finishing 23rd in shot put and 14th in discus in the 1972 Munich games.
Mills also competed in the Commonwealth Games for former countries of the British Empire. He placed on the podium five times over the course of four games, including winning gold in discus at the 1966 Commonwealth Games. He also was fifth in the world shot put rankings in 1967 which remains the most recent Trojan to be featured in the top-10 world ranking for men's shot put.
After his track and field career finished, Mills launched his own fitness brand "Les Mills International" which has become a successful global enterprise. He also served as the mayor of Auckland, New Zealand from 1990-1998 and was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022.
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