Ronald William Miller (April 17, 1933 – February 9, 2019) was an American businessman and professional American football player. He was president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 1980 to 1984 and was president of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Family Museum. Miller was the son-in-law of Walt Disney. Early life Ronald William Miller was born near Los Angeles. His mother, Stella (Bennett), worked in a candy factory and his father, John W. Miller, was a tire salesman who emigrated from Canada before his son's birth. He attended the University of Southern California where he played on the Trojan Football Team and was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Football Miller then served in the Army and played professional football before he was knocked unconscious during a game, one where Walt Disney was in attendance. Miller told entertainment reporter Dale Pollock in August 1984: "My father-in-law saw me play in two football games when I was with the Los Angeles Rams. In one of them, I caught a pass and Dick 'Night Train' Lane let me have it from the rear. His forearm came across my nose and knocked me unconscious. I woke up in about the third quarter. At the end of the season, Walt came up to me and said, 'You know, I don't want to be the father to your children. You're going to die out there. How about coming to work with me?' I did and it was a wise decision on my part. I'm really very proud of having been a professional athlete. I think it teaches you to be competitive, to accept challenges and to see things through. I realize the image some people have of jocks, but I think that certainly has changed over the years," Career Miller initially worked at Walt Disney Productions for a few months in 1954 as a liaison between WED Enterprises and Disneyland before he was drafted into the Army later that year. When he came home from the Army, he played professional football, however later he was prompted by Walt Disney to return to work for him. Disney sponsored his son-in-law and got him into the Screen Director's Guild and Miller worked as a second assistant on Old Yeller (1957). He soon rose up the ranks to a variety of producer positions and also directed some of Disney lead-ins for the popular