William Samuel Steele was an American athlete who competed mainly in the long jump. Steele won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1948 London Olympics. A two-time USA Outdoor champion, Steele was the 1948 Olympic Trials champion and a two-time NCAA long jump champion. He was considered the world's best long jumper in 1942 and 1946, and was world ranked #1 by Track & Field News their first two years of producing worldwide rankings, 1947 and 1948.