Mixed martial arts a way of life for Pete Mills

SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL Pete Mills has been a prominent competitor, teacher and promoter of various martial arts. He will be inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame on July 26. He is pictured at Sevier Heights Baptist Church June 27 before one of his classes.

July 05, 2016

Pete Mills demonstrates a martial arts technique with his son Todd Mills during a class at Sevier Heights Baptist Church on Monday, June 27, 2016 before his class. Mills will be inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame on July 1. (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

By Dave Link of the Knoxville News Sentinel

July 05, 2016

Pete Mills got into mixed martial arts as a student at Carter High School before graduating in 1963.

More than 50 years later, Mills, 71, still is going strong in the sport and has no plans to stop.

"I'll go as long as I can," Mills said.

Mills, a 10th degree Black Belt, will be inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame on July 26 at the Knoxville Convention Center for his wide-reaching contributions to mixed martial arts.

His career began in 1959 when Mills was in junior high school and his father, Walter, taught him boxing. Walter Mills, a former Golden Gloves boxer, took his son to the Knoxville Golden Gloves gym at Chilhowee Park to hone his skills.

Pete Mills also ran track at Carter, played running back on the football team and wrestled.

"At that time all the football players had to wrestle," Mills said. "A lot of the same skills you have for takedowns (in wrestling) are the same as tackling drills."

Mills began studying French footfighting and pressure point systems in 1962 and the next year met Harold Long, who was teaching a style of karate at Continental Health Spa in Western Plaza.

For the next five years, Mills got serious about mixed martial arts while working at an industrial park. Mills studied for four months in 1966 under world-renowned karate expert Tatsuo Shimabuku, who was staying at Long's home, and made black belt in February of 1967.

Mixed martial arts became a way of life for Mills, who was also an avid weight lifter.

"The sport aspect of it attracted me," he said. "When I first started, I thought I might do self defense for six months. I started winning tournaments, and it started to be fun, so I stayed with it. I never dreamed it would be a career."

Mills was drafted into the Army on May 1, 1968, and soon got another chance to cross train in taekwondo. He trained with the Korean Ranger Group out of Cam Ranh Bay and spent 14 months in Vietnam.

After returning home, Mills went back to training and tournament style fighting in 1970 and opened the Pete Mills Karate School on Merchants Road.

"It was a unique karate school in that we did a lot of different things," Mills said. "We did weight training, judo, and also karate."

Mills' karate school has trained more than 300 black belts and numerous tournament champions. Mills also has conducted seminars around the world.

Three weeks ago, Mills spent several days holding a seminar at Radford (Va.) University.

"It became my profession," Mills said. "It's been very good for me. I've been in 35 countries (conducting seminars)."

Mills also spreads his Christian faith while on his travels. His son, Todd, organizes most of his foreign mission trips to perform martial arts and spread their faith.

"That's what I really go there for," Mills said. "I'm a Christian, so when I'm overseas I'm also able to share my faith."

Mills and his son still conduct six classes a week at several National Fitness Center locations.

Mills hasn't lost his edge in the sport.

"Obviously at my age I don't do tournaments, but I still fight with my black belts and train with them," Mills said. "I'm able to do it because I stayed with it all these years."

About Dave Link

Dave Link is a freelance contributor to the News Sentinel.