William ‘Bill’ L. Schultz (November 25, 1923 – June 7, 2009) was a late 20th century American circus performer ( acrobat and flying trapeze artist), national paddleball champion, national racquetball champion, U.S. Marine, Big Time wrestler, the youngest executive director of the YMCA, and poet. He also sparred with John Wayne and other Hollywood celebrities.

Early life

William ‘Bill’ L. Schultz was born in 1923 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA into his father, William ('Billy', 'Lester') Schultz's Circus. Born into a circus family, Schultz developed into an acrobat and all-around athlete. Following high school and one year at the University of Wisconsin (UW), he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942. He became a Marine Champion in boxing and wrestling, later touring and performing alongside

professional athletes In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought lar ...

and Hollywood stars at War Bond shows throughout the United States. 1943 Bill Schultz tosses John 'Duke' Wayne in Hollywood

Education and YMCA career

Following the war, Schultz returned to the University of Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor's degree and

Master’s degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Physical Education. During this time, he served as captain of the Gymnastics Team and earned the title of Big Ten Champion on the flying rings. Schultz performed in the half-time shows of UW football and basketball games, entertaining fans with cartwheels on the fifty-yard line and handstands in the rafters of the old Field House. Subsequently, Schultz turned down an offer to perform with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, instead beginning a career with the YMCA. He served as Physical Director of the Madison (Wisconsin, USA) YMCA in 1949, and later became the youngest YMCA executive director in the country (Keokuk, IA). During his career, he traveled to build many YMCAs, while becoming a national champion in Paddleball in 1962 and Racquetball in 1968.

Circus World and Circus Parades

Going home to his circus roots, Schultz became Executive Director of the Circus World Museum in Baraboo (Wisconsin) in 1972. During the next 12 years, he developed the Museum and Library to become the state’s leading attraction. In 1980, Schultz brought the Great Circus Parade and 100,000 visitors to the streets of Baraboo. In 1981 and 1982 he staged the largest Circus Parade in the world for the city of Chicago. The Chicago Circus Parade was attended by over one million spectators lining the Michigan Avenue parade route.

Later life

After retiring from the circus in 1984, Schultz became a

substitute teacher A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is absent or unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, maternal leave and so on. "Substitute teacher" (usually abbreviated as "sub") is the most co ...

, teaching throughout Wisconsin. In 1993 Schultz wrote and illustrated ''The Joy of Remembering'', a book summarizing his philosophical and practical reflections on life. He promoted the book with talks throughout the country. Subsequently, Schultz wrote and self-published ''The Alphabet of Life'', a book that shared a lesson on life for each letter of the alphabet. Between 1992 and 1997, Schultz wrote his memoirs, titled My Life. In 2004, Schultz was one of four inaugural inductees into the Wisconsin Racquetball Association

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. Following Schultz's death in 2009, his memoirs were published as ''Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport''.

Books authored by William L Schultz

*Schultz, William L. The Joy of Remembering. Madison, Wis: Fox Point Pub, 1993. *Schultz, William L. The Alphabet of Life. Madison, Wis: Point Pub. Co, 1998. *My Life (1997) *Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schultz, William L. 1923 births 2009 deaths People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Military personnel from Wisconsin Educators from Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin American circus performers American racquetball players YMCA leaders United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II