William C. Pullum

Hall of Fame

Hometown:

Brentwood, Tennessee

Biography:

LTC Retired Bill Pullum was the head coach of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit international rifle squad in 1962. Pullum is credited with coaching the 1964 Olympic Team to two gold medals, one silver, and two bronze medals in the rifle events. He retired from the Army in May 1966 and became the civilian rifle coach at the USAMU. He was the rifle coach for the 1966 World Championship Team that dominated the rifle events helping the USA win the Nasser Trophy as the most successful team at the World Championships. He was also the coach of the rifle team at the 1968 Olympic Games where the rifle team collected a gold and two silver medals. He left the USAMU in the Spring of 1970 and worked within real estate and coached the Mexican National Shooting Team.

Pullum returned to the USAMU in late 1974 to become the Shop Officer where he helped lead the development of arms, ammunition and the gunsmithing support to make the USAMU and the USA the best shooters he possibly could. He was the Chairman of the NRA International Competitions Committee from 1978-1988, and was also a member of the NRA Board of Directors for that time as well. Pullum was a driving force behind the creation of the National & National Development Team, as well as the construction of the Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the 1974 World Championships, Pullum led the team as coach and once again dominated the field with 15 gold medals. He also was the team manager of the 1980 Olympic Shooting Team, the rifle coach of the 1984 Olympic Games, and the assistant team manager of the 1988 Olympic Games Shooting Team.

In 1985, Pullum moved to Colorado Springs to be the director of the US Shooting Team. He served as a member of the board of the International Shooter Development Fund, INC. (now the US Shooting Team Foundation, INC) and as a member of the Shooting Sports Research Council. Pullum was also a delegate to the UIT General Assembly and the USOC House of Delegates.

In addition to his coaching repertoire, Pullum also authored two books on rifle shooting, Position Rifle Shooting and Successful Shooting. The publications had major impacts on the development of mental training techniques in the USA and all over the world.

Competition Highlights:

  • 1962 Coach, USAMTU International Rifle Section
  • 1964 Rifle Coach, U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, Tokyo, Japan
  • 1966 Rifle Coach, U.S. World Shooting Championships Team, Wiesbaden, Germany
  • 1968 Rifle Coach, U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 1974 Rifle Coach, U.S. World Shooting Championships Team, Thun, Switzerland
  • 1978 Chairman, NRA International Competitions Committee
  • 1980 Team Manager, U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, Moscow, USSR
  • 1984 Rifle Coach, U.S. Olympic Shooting Team, Los Angeles, USA