Bill Koch is an American ski racer and the first world-class cross-country skier from the United States. A native of Brattleboro, Vermont, he is a graduate of the nearby The Putney School in Putney. He originally competed in the NIS in the Nordic combined, but later switched to cross-country skiing. In 1974 he became the first American to win a medal in international competition, placing third in the European junior championships. Koch won the silver medal in the 30 km event at the 1976 Winter Olympics, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in Nordic skiing. He remains the only North American male to win an Olympic medal in this event. Koch also finished sixth in the 15 km event at those same Winter Games. Koch has the world record time for 30k set on South Pond in Marlboro, Vermont. Stress caused by media pressure, along with asthma, plagued Koch after his early successes. Considered the top American sportsman at the 1980 Winter Olympics, he performed poorly and finished far out of contention in all of his races. Afterward, he popularized a new skiing technique that resembled ice skating on skis, now known as the skate-skiing cross-country skiing technique. 

June 7th, 1955 in Brattleboro (Age 69)