Bill was born in Warroad, MN on January 28, 1938.

As a freshman in high school, Bill helped the Warroad Warriors take home a 2^nd place trophy in the 1953 Minnesota State High School Tournament playing alongside his older brother, Roger.

In 1960, Bill was involved in one of the greatest moments in U.S. hockey history, as he scored the tying and winning goals as the U.S. beat the Soviet Union 3-2 in Squaw Valley, California at the 1960 Olympics. Bill Christian and the U.S. hockey team went on to win the gold medal defeating Czechoslovakia in the championship game.

Brothers, Bill and Roger Christian also played in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Later, they founded Christian Brothers, Inc., which for decades was a leading hockey stick manufacturing company in Warroad, MN.

Bill Christian was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on October 6, 1984, and is a member of the Warroad Athletic Hall of Fame.