Year Inducted: 2008
Bil, a long-time resident of Fairfield, is best known as a sports writer for Sports Illustrated, which published more than 200 of his articles. He received the Missouri Penny Prize for journalism three times as well as the Columbia School of Journalism prize. Among his more memorable articles were a three-part series on drugs in sports in 1969 and a three-part series about women in sports in 1973. The latter helped change the focus of legislation on women’s equality in sports. In 1966, he co-founded the Fairfield Striders, an AAU women’s track team. That was before girls had an opportunity to participate in track and field. Despite competing against large- city teams, the Striders won their share of team and individual victories.