Education
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mills graduated from Illinois State University in 1950.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Mills graduated from Illinois State University in 1950.
He served as the head coach at Pomona College (1957–1961), Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1962–1963), the United States Merchant Marine Academy (1964), Utah State University (1967–1972), Wake Forest University (1973–1977), Southern Oregon University (1980–1988), and the United States Coast Guard Academy (1997). During his six years as Utah State"s head coach, his teams went 38–23–1. 8–3 marks in 1971 and 1972 were the best.
Mills took the first collegiate football team to Japan.
The Japanese equivalent of the Heisman Award, known as the "Mills Trophy," is presented to the top collegiate football player in Japan each year.