During an era when sportswriters identified athletes with colorful nicknames, racer William Lawrence Schindler collected several: “Bronco Bill,” “Wild Bill,” and perhaps a bit of a harsh one after a tragic 1936 accident, “One-Legged” Bill Schindler.
Born in Freeport, Long Island, in 1909, Schindler lost his parents in his early teens. Before their deaths, however, he spent hours tinkering in his dad’s automotive shop. Anything with an engine captivated him.
That fascination led to racing motorcycles with his buddies. Bored with that, Schindler turned to racing on four wheels and got a ride in a friend’s “big car.” Evidently, he possessed an intuitive feel for race cars, for after only four outings he captured a pair of victories.
Midgets were the hot ticket during the 1930s and Schindler migrated to the little speedsters. By mid-1936 he’d won so often, he’d already wrapped up the EMRA midget championship.
He ran stock cars in a 250-miler on the Daytona beach course. When he learned of a large-purse sprint car race in Mineola, N.Y., he entered it.
That decision transformed his life.
Fighting for the lead in the feature, he forced his machine between another car and the fence but ran out of room and bounded into a wild, gyrating ride out of the track. The crash shattered his left leg and when infection set in doctors were forced to amputate it.
Tough and driven, Schindler wasn’t about to allow a missing leg to slow him. Within days of returning to racing with a prosthesis, in early 1937, he went to victory lane and captured the EMRA indoor midget championship.
In 1940, East Coast car owners formed the ARDC to escape the oppressive hand of the AAA. They elected Schindler their president, a position he held for eight years. Driving Mike Caruso’s potent midget, he also became their first champion with 21 feature wins.
World War II halted racing in 1941. Schindler, unable to serve because of his leg, devoted hours visiting veterans who had lost limbs in combat. His example of achievement in a rough-and-tumble sport inspired war-torn young men to believe they too could battle their way past devastating injuries and lead normal lives.
When racing resumed after the war, Schindler ripped through ARDC competition, capturing the 1945 and ’46 titles. In 1947, he won an incredible 53 features, but not the championship. Proving this rarified accomplishment wasn’t a fluke he duplicated the 53 feature wins and won the championship in 1948.
By 1949, midget racing revenues were drying up, so Schindler looked to the big purse at Indianapolis. He arrived at the speedway in 1950 without a ride, remarking to a friend, “I guess I’ll get a job with a team sweeping their garage.” He did better.
Influential AAA official Frankie DelRoy liked Schindler and found him a ride in Lou Rassey’s striking Auto Shippers Special.
Forced to start 22nd because he didn’t qualify on the first day, his speed was fourth quickest in the field. During the race, he worked his way to the front before a universal joint failed. That impressive run opened the door for other Championship Car rides. And he performed well.
After Indianapolis he took a second at Sacramento, a third at Bay Meadows and set a one-lap track record with a second at Darlington. The next two seasons brought more of the same. Two more Indianapolis starts and strong performances along the Championship Trail. Then on Aug. 16, 1952, he won at Springfield.
Schindler was just as competitive in the AAA sprint cars. In 1951, the Eastern title chase went down to the last race, with Schindler finishing second to Tommy Hinnershitz. In 1952, he was once more in a ferocious battle for the AAA Eastern Sprint championship. With the season winding down on Sept. 20, Schindler asked Mike Caruso to help him prepare the car at Allentown.
In a heat race, Schindler struck a rear axle torn from a car that crashed in front of him. His car exploded through the fence and destroyed a ticket booth.
Bill Schindler was dead.