Referred to as both "Bill" and "Willie," as well as "The Shoe", Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2 pounds, Shoemaker was so small at birth that he wasn't expected to live more than a few hours. Kept in a shoebox near a fire to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to be 4-foot-11 and weighing only 95 pounds. His smallness proved a benefit, because he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing.
His career as a jockey began in his teen years, with his first professional ride on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later - on April 20 - on a racer named Shafter V.
Shoemaker won 11 Triple Crown races during his career, but the Triple Crown itself eluded him.
The breakdown of wins is as follows:
When Shoemaker earned his 6,033rd victory in September 1970, he broke the record of jockey Johnny Longden. In 1999, Shoemaker's own record of 8,833 career victories was broken by Panamanian-born Laffit Pincay Jr
Win #8,833, Shoemaker's last, came at Gulfstream Park, Florida on January 20, 1990 aboard Beau Genius. Two weeks later, on February 3, Shoemaker rode in his very last race as a jockey, at the Santa Anita racetrack. He finished 4th, aboard a horse by the name of Patchy Groundfog. All told, Bill Shoemaker rode in a record 40,350 races.
Soon after retiring as a jockey, Shoemaker returned to the track as a trainer, where he had modest success. A car accident on April 8, 1991 left him paralyzed from the neck down and wheelchair-bound, but he continued to train racehorses until his retirement in 1997.
Shoemaker was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1958.