The Olympic Museum by Colorado Springs Gazette, LLC

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THE OLYMPIC MUSEUM

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STANDARD U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum strives to give each individual a unique experience Five features you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss at the museum PAGES 14-15

Designers of the museum aspired to make it one of the most accessible buildings in the world PAGE 10

A look at the athletes in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame PAGES 17-25

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Sunday, August 2, 2020

WElcome to Olympic City USA Here, the stories of achievement are personal and powerful. Let us inspire you. Craft a fun getaway or staycation with a trip to the new U.S. Olympic & Paralymic Museum, stops in local eateries and breweries, and a visit to family favorites like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Flying W Ranch and Cave of the Winds Mountain Park. Come for the stories and leave with the inspiration. Learn more at VisitCOS.com

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WHAT TO KNOW

Aiming for experience tailored to individual BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN

brent.briggeman@gazette.com

The Olympics, more than perhaps anything else, mark an entry point into a broader world of sports for those who consume them. For my sister, it meant Mary Lou Retton vaulting to Perfect 10. Posters on the wall followed and much of her childhood was dedicated to gymnastics as a result. My introduction came in 1988 with Ben Johnson being stripped of gold and Greg Louganis banging his head, and, well, I appreciate the lasting lessons that sports can be equally spectacular and complicated. For generations, the spectacle has meant Jesse Owens or Peggy Fleming or fists raised in Mexico City or the Miracle on Ice or Mark Spitz or Carl Lewis, all the way through to Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Lindsey Vonn. Many of the greats rose from individual sports, providing different meanings for the individuals who clung to their stories. If there’s an overarching theme to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, which opened July 30 as the cornerstone to a revitalized southeastern downtown Colorado Springs, it’s producing an individualized experience. Unlike Halls of Fame in Canton and Cooperstown and Springfield, which stand as monuments to a single sport and those who have thrived within its boundaries, the Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame is tasked with celebrating the best from sports ranging from equestrian to curling, competed on snow and sand and all surfaces in between. Such an undertaking can’t be squeezed between four conventional walls, so the museum is constructed in a spiral shape that deposits viewers at the top and allows them to corkscrew their way through 13 galleries to the bottom. There are solid artifacts to visit, but most of what visitors will encounter are interactive screens that will tailor the experience to their interests by telling the stories behind the names and moments that have defined America’s role in the Olympic movement. To make this happen, visitors will give information such as hometown and sports interests upon entering, and the “credential” they wear will inform the displays how to tailor the experience to

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CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs was slated to open July 30. what they want to see. Fittingly, this museum is curated not by a figure from sports, but by a past president of Smithsonian Enterprises and National Geographic. “The museum isn’t about the what and the where, but it’s really about the how and the why,” CEO Christopher Liedel told The Gazette in May. “It’s taking that story from what you may be able to find on your own to really giving you a more in-depth experience. We really tried to make that come alive in the content.” Athletes such as 1984 gymnast Michelle Dusserre consulted on the project, providing input on projects such as the Hall of Nations — a simulation of walking into the stadium during opening ceremonies — in an effort to pro-

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vide as much authenticity as possible. This project, in multiple variations, has been a hope for the city since Colorado Springs staked its claim as headquarters for the U.S. Olympic Committee in the late 1970s. The city is home to 23 Olympic National Governing Bodies, the Olympic Training Center that serves more than 10,000 athletes each year and around 2,000 people are employed here in connection to the Olympic movement. The city raised nearly $8 million in the late 1980s for an Olympic Hall of Fame and museum before canceling the project before construction began because of escalating costs. In 1995, a small-scale U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was added as part of a $23.8 million expansion of the Olympic Training Center.

In 2013, Colorado Springs was awarded $120.5 million over 30 years through the Regional Tourism Act, funded through state income tax revenue, as part of the City for Champions. Nor’wood Development Group provided a 1.7-acre land grant and ground was broken at Sierra Madre Street and Vermijo Avenue in 2017. The city — given permission to use Olympic City USA as its official nickname in 2015 — estimates attendance at the museum will be around 350,000 per year, with forecasts on the number of out-of-state visitors ranging from 105,000 to 262,000. If all goes to plan, that’s a lot of individual experiences to be taken from Colorado Springs’ newest tourist destination.

A worker sweeps the floor of The Lab exhibit July 17 at the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs.

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

PLANNING A TRIP? HERE ARE THE ODDS AND ENDS Location and transportation

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum is located at 200 S. Sierra Madre St. Access from the north or south on Interstate 25 is gained by taking Exit 141 (West Cimarron Street). Head east on Cimarron and turn left on South Sierra Madre. The museum is on the left, with several parking lots and garages located within walking distance. Bike racks are located in front of the stadium and designated ride share and bus pickup/drop off locations are located on South Sierra Madre adjacent to the museum.

Hours and admission

The museum is open every day except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Sunday through Friday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and extended Saturday hours run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $24.95 for adults, $14.95 for children ages 3-12, seniors 65 and older and military (active duty or retired) and first responders with ID are

$19.95. Children 2 and under are free.

Timed admission

To help with flow through the museum and its interactive exhibits, admissions will be operated under a timed schedule and guests can reserve a time when purchasing tickets. Times can be reserved and purchased 90 days in advance.

Memberships

Individual memberships are available at $99, providing year-round admission, discounts on guest admissions and at the museum café and shop and access to exclusive members-only hours. Memberships for two adults are $149, family (two adults, up to three children under 18 and two guest passes per year) are $175 and the family plus membership (two adults, up to five children under 18 and one guest pass each visit) is $249.

Exhibits

The 60,000-square-foot museum is

home to the world’s most extensive collection of Olympic medals and torches, thanks in large part to a donation from private donor Gordy Crawford. There are torches from each Games since they were introduced in 1936, and only a handful of medals are missing — a gold from 1904 and medals from recent games in Sochi and Vancouver that athletes are as-yet unwilling to donate. The scoreboard from USA Hockey’s Miracle on Ice victory over the U.S.S.R. is on display, as are various artifacts provided by athletes and collectors.

Interactives

Visitors will be allowed to test their athletic skills in six sports, including a 30-yard dash against actual Olympians. Much of the museum’s information is displayed on interactive screens that is customizable based on preferences provided by guests. Visitors will be ushered through a Parade of Nations that will simulate walking into the stadium during opening ceremonies.

Dining

The Flame Café is located on the north side of the museum, offering views of Pikes Peak. The restaurant will hold the same hours as the museum, but is open to patrons with or without a museum ticket. Food-based events are planned and the frequently changing menu may see tweaks during Olympic Games to highlight fare of the host city.

Permitted items

Cameras are permitted and pictures and videos can be taken throughout the museum (the museum wants patrons to use #USOPMuseum). Only in the theater are they not allowed. Wheelchairs, strollers and service animals are allowed, and the museum is fully compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Items not permitted

Backpacks and bags (except diaper bags), weapons and smoking are prohibited. Food and beverage is not allowed in exhibit areas.

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TIMELINE

Springs’ role in the Olympic movement BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN • THE GAZETTE

Reconstructing the key events over the past 50 years that led to Colorado Springs becoming Olympic City USA and to the eventual construction of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum and Hall of Fame. Dec. 28, 1974

Unhappy with the country’s performance in the 1972 Olympic Games and longstanding disputes between the Amateur Athletic Union, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the United States Olympic Committee, President Gerald Ford signs an executive order to launch a commission on Olympic sports.

February 1976

Civic leaders from Colorado Springs make a successful pitch to the USOC to move its headquarters from New York to the former site of Ent Air Force Base, a location east of downtown that had been recently decommissioned after NORAD moved its command underground in Cheyenne Mountain. Baton Rouge, La., was the only other city to make a bid for the USOC headquarters. Colorado Springs seals the deal with the allure of high-altitude training potential and cozy financial terms — $1 million provided by the El Pomar Foundation to cover relocation, $1 annual rent for the Ent Air Force Base’s 34 acres.

KATIE KLANN, THE GAZETTE FILE

Aug. 1, 1978

ABOVE: Mohamed Lahna speeds around the indoor track in the Olympic Training Center Velodrome in Colorado Springs during the U.S. Paralympics Track Cycling National Championships on Dec. 8, 2018. Lahna won the bronze medal for the paratriathlon at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio.

The offices for the USOC open in Colorado Springs. About onethird of the staff in the previous headquarters in a New York townhome relocate to the Pikes Peak region.

Nov. 8, 1978

President Jimmy Carter signs the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, which consolidates power for nonprofessional sports. The act charters and gives a monopoly to the U.S. Olympic Committee, which now has the authority to charter national governing bodies for sports. SEE TIMELINE • PAGE 7

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LEFT: The Olympic flag flies over the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

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TIMELINE FROM PAGE 6

1983

The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs sees a wave of construction in preparation for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A multisport Sports Center with six gyms and the Velodrome in Memorial Park are added to the city’s facilities.

March 18, 1991

After five years of fundraising and debating about potential sites, a plan to build a U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs was shelved by USOC leadership when the estimated cost rose from $10 million to $27 million. The city had raised about $7.6 million for the project.

July 23, 1995

The USOC approves a $23.8 million expansion and upgrade of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, leading to the creation of an athlete center, a sports medicine and science complex and a visitor’s center that includes the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

March 2008

The USOC agrees to a $53 million incentive package that keeps it in Colorado Springs for 25 more years and facilitates the relocation of its offices to downtown.

May 2010

USOC and its 225 employees move from Boulder Street to the current headquarters at 27 S. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs.

June 29, 2013

The Gazette first reports that Colorado Springs plans to seek $82 million from the state’s Regional Tourism Act program for a “City for Champions” project that would include a U.S. Olympic museum, a multiuse stadium, an Air Force Academy visitors center and a university sports medicine performance center. “I don’t think it is an overstatement to say this is a watershed moment in the history of our region,” then-Mayor Steve Bach said. “We could have an indelible impact maybe for 100 years or more.”

December 2013

Colorado Economic Development Commission approves $120.5 million over 30 years in state income tax revenue to the city of Colorado Springs to facilitate the four “City for Champions” projects.

June 10, 2017

A ground-breaking ceremony takes place at Sierra Madre Street and Ver-

THE GAZETTE FILE PHOTOS

The groundbreaking for the $75 million U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum was attended by former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, above, U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun and U.S. Olympic Museum board chairman Dick Celeste, among others on June 9, 2017. mijo Avenue in southwest downtown Colorado Springs, beginning construction on the USOPC Museum and Hall of Fame. “This is an historic and transformational day for the city of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region,” Mayor John Suthers says. “Today we break ground on the nation’s one and only Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame and we continue to construct the foundation for our future as Olympic City USA.”

Spring/summer 2020

After the planned May opening was delayed because of reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum’s debut was rescheduled for July 30.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s headquarters is at 27 S. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs. Sunday, August 2, 2020

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ARCHITECTURE

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, pictured July 17, with Pikes Peak in the background, was designed by New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The “skin” on the outside captures the movement of the Olympic athlete, and no two panels out of about 10,000 are the same.

Capturing the spirit of sport and the Games BY KATE SHEFTE

kate.shefte@gazette.com

When described to the city of Colorado Springs’ code reviewers at one point, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum was three stories and a basement. To anyone standing outside — and especially navigating the inside — that will likely seem ludicrous. “Nothing this complicated in my professional career,” project manager John Graham of Anderson Mason Dale Architects said. “It’s really, really interesting to see how many people this project has obviously kept really busy doing an amazing amount of really smart work.” New York-based Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the museum, unveiling concept designs in May 2015. The company’s other projects include redevelopment of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and currently the Museum of Modern Art expansion in New York. Denver-based architect of record Anderson Mason Dale was awarded the project in 2014. While Diller Scofidio + Renfro developed the concept and

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mapped it out, Anderson Mason Dale oversaw the day-to-day along with a team of consultants. “It’s a beautifully unique form, but it has to get put together with real materials,” Andy Nielsen, a guiding architect on the project, said. “It’s trying to capture the spirit of sport and the spirit of the Games ... in brick and mortar.” Palmer High School grad Luc Bamberger drove down several times per month. Among many other things, he oversaw the installation of arguably the project’s biggest construction challenge — the skin. “(DSR’s) concept was really, ‘How do we capture the dynamic movement and spirit of Olympic athletes?’ They really saw this form as being kind of evocative of athletes in motion, kind of this dynamic twisting shape,” he said. “Even for them, this one’s really, I’d say very unique, worldwide in terms of the skin, how it was articulated, how it was designed and how it’s manufactured.” “It’s fun to see it going up in my hometown. It’s exciting.” “Just less than” 10,000 “diamond

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panels” stretching and flexing over the twisting shape of the building are meant to evoke the fabric of an Olympic swimmer’s skintight suit. No two panels are the same. Bamberger said basic rules were set up about the panels’ geometry and how they’d lift up at one end. That was inserted into computer software, which laid out a pattern across the building within defined boundaries. They were manufactured at MG McGrath Architectural Surfaces in Minnesota. Each panel had “cut and mark” fold lines and a unique, traceable panel on the back. They were all hand-bent at McGrath. They would slide down, lock and screw in. “We really harnessed every tool we had available to us in terms of computers, computer software,” Bamberger said. As precise as the planning was, Bamberger said there was still “definitely a learning curve” and as workers started on the south elevation and got a few rows up, they had to pull them off and start over. The interior is also designed to con-

vey “dynamic movement.” Ramps containing exhibitions spiral through the spaces. “It was an intricate puzzle to get all these spaces layered together,” Bamberger said. The museum is close to train tracks and the “acoustic imposition,” as Nielson called it, of the trains called for a feat of design. They built a “floating” theater, suspended within the structure of the museum but not connected to it. A floating slab was built on top of the structural slab, embedded with “a grid of isolation jacks.” A crew armed with Allen wrenches was sent in to “lift the floor up bit by bit.” The result is an “unbelievably acoustically distinct” experience, according to Graham. Bamberger said a “dramatic” lobby lit from above welcomes guests. A large LED screen was set to project footage and graphics. The idea was scrapped due to cost, then resurrected. He contributed heavily to its creation. It will welcome thousands to this labor of love. Three stories and a basement, indeed.

HALL OF FAME

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS

U.S. boxers, from left, Wilbert McClure, light middleweight; Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), light heavyweight; and Edward Crook, middleweight, wear gold medals at the Olympic village in Rome on Sept. 6, 1960.

FACTS AND FIGURES

he U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame will be housed in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in downtown Colorado Springs, but control over who earns that recognition will remain a few blocks away with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Got all that? Here is more information about the Hall of Fame. • The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee established its Hall of Fame in 1979 and inducted the first members in 1983, a 21-member class that included Olympic icons like Muhammad Ali, Bob Beamon, Babe Didrikson, Peggy Fleming, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Mark Spitz, Jim Thorpe and the 1980 men’s hockey team. • New classes are to be inducted every two years, starting with the 2019 class. The frequency of elections has changed through the Hall of Fame’s history. They were held annually from 1983-’92. No classes were added between 1992-

2003 and 2012-’19. The only classes inducted this century were 2004, ’06, ’08, ’09, ’12 and ’19. • A nominating committee that includes athletes, media, USOPC executives, USOPC board of directors and one at-large member vote on nominees for each class. • Once finalists are announced, voting is done by fans, Olympic and Paralympic alumni and their families. • Each class comprises five Olympians, three Paralympians, two legends (defined as long-retired athletes), one Olympic or Paralympic team, one Olympic or Paralympic coach and one special contributor. The number of individual spots reflects the U.S. team sizes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. • There are currently 99 Olympians and Paralympians, 10 legends, 10 teams, four coaches and 18 special contributors in the Hall of Fame. BRENT BRIGGEMAN, THE GAZETTE

On Jan. 22, 1967, Peggy Fleming, 18, of Colorado Springs displays phases of her championship performance in the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship in Omaha, Neb. Sunday, August 2, 2020

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BUILDING DESIGN

Accessibility is a defining feature for museum BY KATE SHEFTE

kate.shefte@gazette.com

As plans for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum came together, accessibility became one of the project’s defining features. Its designers aspired to build the most accessible museum in the world. “Accessibility actually becomes part of the exhibition,” Ileana Rodriguez, a Houston-based architect and 2012 Paralympian, said. Early in the design phase, project manager John Graham, of Mason Dale Architects, said input from Olympians and Paralympians was sought. Anderson Mason Dale, the Denver-based architect of record on the project, hired Rodriguez directly. Rodriguez set a U.S. record in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2008 and at one time trained in Colorado Springs. She took seventh in the 100 breaststroke at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Under “ambitions” in a 2011 paralympic.org profile, Rodriguez put that she wanted, “To work as an architect to make more buildings accessible to people with a disability.” For the better part of a decade, that’s what she’s been doing. She owns a design consulting firm, I Design Access LLC, but at the time of her involvement with the Olympic Museum she was “moonlighting.” Rodriguez says she came on board because of past experience with the then-USOC, working with them on the expansion of the Olympic Training Center to make it accessible for all. “I was very keen on forcing the design to be equal for everyone,” Rodriguez said. “It doesn’t matter if you are an athlete or someone that doesn’t do sports, or if you’re someone with a disability, it doesn’t matter. The experience should be the same.” She’s been using a wheelchair since she was 13. She sought more perspectives as well, reaching out to other Paralympians. She also pushed for exhibits to represent Olympians and Paralympians equally, though she recognized the Olympics have been around much longer. Museum CEO Chris Liedel reaffirmed that it was close to a 60-40 percentage split. “We’re not equal yet, OK, in general. But I think this is a great step,” Rodriguez said. “The museum, I definitely

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CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Ramps leading into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, pictured July 17, and throughout the building make the museum accessible to all visitors. think it’s going to make a statement, what the U.S. team could be about.” Guests enter, purchase tickets and receive a personalized electronic tag that communicates needs to certain exhibits. They’ll then take a 20-person elevator up to the top floor through a painted shaft that communicates “the Olympic experience.” The wide, continuously flowing ramps allow visitors to travel down through the exhibits, which also have a strong emphasis on providing the same expe-

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riences for all. There will be braille and audio-visual elements. And no one has to split up and find a way to the next level. “Everybody’s going to take the same path,” Graham said. “There’s not a sort of hierarchy of moving up and down in the building.” Luc Bamberger of Anderson Mason Dale said the test in whether they made one of the world’s most accessible museums will be in how visitors experience it.

“On our minds yes, we did everything we could and really (went) the extra mile to make sure it really turned out well,” he said. Up-to-code wasn’t the goal. “I think this building will set a national and international standard for accessibility,” former chairman of the board Dick Celeste said. “Whether you’re in a wheelchair or sight impaired or hearing impaired, you will be able to have an experience that’s essentially the same as an able-bodied person.”

THE VISIONARY Early on, project steered by ex-CC president Celeste BY KATE SHEFTE

kate.shefte@gazette.com

Where Interstate 25 curls around America the Beautiful Park, Dick Celeste can admire a project more than a decade in the making. A formerly “underutilized” section of downtown Colorado Springs is now an architectural feast for the eyes. He helped get the ball rolling on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. “He’s been a very, very valuable teammate and visionary from the beginning,” said Chris Jenkins, president of Nor’wood Development Group, which contributed the land for the museum. Celeste retired as president of Colorado College after nearly nine years in 2011. He said he offered his services to newly elected Springs Mayor Steve Bach. “I wanted to be helpful to him, I told him, even though he hadn’t been my candidate,” Celeste said with a laugh. One of his ideas was an Olympic museum and hall of fame, an idea that had been rumbling around the city for decades. There wasn’t a signature museum of that kind in the United States. “The Olympic values are perhaps the most globally unifying values we have,” Celeste said, adding that those values are what drove him as the project progressed. Celeste’s varied career includes an appointment to director of the Peace Corps by President Jimmy Carter and 31/2 years as ambassador to India. As governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991, he helped lure a tourism booster to Cleveland. He need only look around the site of his 80th birthday party, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to see the results. Celeste said Bach asked him to lead a volunteer effort and put together a working committee. A feasibility study ruled the project attractive. “It was important that it be a worldclass endeavor,” Celeste, now 82, said. “The brand is a world-renowned brand and the experience should be the same.” Large donations came in from local organizations, which Celeste said “gave the project a lot of credibility.” He became the founding chair of the board of the eventual U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Establishing partnerships, reaching out to potential donors and, Jenkins said, closing out the community presentation for the City for Champions

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ABOVE: Dick Celeste, left, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Museum board, joins Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist, during a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new Olympic museum June 9, 2017, in Colorado Springs. LEFT: From left, Dick Celeste, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun break ground for the $75 million U.S. Olympic Museum on June 9, 2017.

THE GAZETTE FILE

application, Celeste was in the thick of things from the beginning. “I said no matter how hard you try to imagine what this building and experience will be like, I guarantee you it

will exceed your imagination,” was the promise in an early meeting, Celeste said. “That’s been sort of the challenge we’ve put all the way along the way.” Sunday, August 2, 2020

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THE ‘MIRACLE’ SCOREBOARD

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Chris Capps, left, and Peter Maiurro look at the “Miracle on Ice” scoreboard at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs. The scoreboard has been in Lake Placid since the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Games. The scoreboard will become a fixture in the new U.S. Olympic Museum.

How iconic ‘Miracle on Ice’ scoreboard arrived The moment lingers. The United States Olympic hockey team had somehow beaten the unbeatable Soviet Union and broadcaster Al Michaels was asking, in a glorious shout, “Do you believe in miracles?” and across America women and men were struggling to answer yes. United States 4, Soviet Union 3. An improbable score from the 1980 Winter Olympics that retains its ability to thrill and inspire. After a long journey, a section of the scoreboard has arrived in Colorado Springs. On the west side of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum on the edge of downtown, the scoreboard

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DAVID RAMSEY david.ramsey@gazette.com/476-4895

dominates a big room. Throngs of museum visitors soon will be stopping here for selfies. Count on that. The journey began in late 2017 when New York state announced a $100 million modernization of Lake Placid

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Olympic Center, where the “Miracle on Ice” somehow happened. The renovation swept the past from the arena, home of Olympic competition in 1932 and 1980. This sweeping meant a new scoreboard. Dave Ogrean, a resident of Colorado Springs, immediately reached out to friends in upstate New York. He asked Denny Allen, longtime manager of Lake Placid’s ice arena, to save one of the scoreboard’s four sections for the Olympic Museum. Ogrean, retired executive director of USA Hockey, was working at the arena the night the United States toppled the Soviets, who had won five of the last six gold med-

als and would win the next three. Leaders of the Lake Placid Olympic Center agreed to donate the section to the Olympic museum. Next, Ogrean pursued funds for the complicated move from Lake Placid to Colorado Springs. He asked Bill Hybl of El Pomar Foundation to donate the money required to move the scoreboard. Hybl quickly arranged the donation. He clearly remembers the night of Feb. 22, 1980, which he spent in his car listening to a radio broadcast of the victory. SEE RAMSEY • PAGE 13

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

The U.S. hockey team pounces on goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics on Feb. 22, 1980. It’s been four decades since his landmark goal area became the centerpiece of the U.S. Olympic hockey team’s Miracle on Ice celebration.

RAMSEY FROM PAGE 12

“We were on our way to go somewhere,” Hybl says, “and I was certainly excited like everybody else. This was an upset of upsets and a great feeling for all of us.” A special crate was constructed to protect the scoreboard panel, and a truck was secured to drive from Lake Placid to the Olympic Museum. The cost was $6,000. The museum, still under construction, did not have a place for the scoreboard when it arrived in January 2019. The scoreboard was placed in storage at the Space Foundation. Technicians worked to preserve and update the scoreboard. When the section arrived, it retained its origi-

nal lighting and electronic hardware. During the restoration, the original acrylic and metal panels on the surface were kept intact, but the insides were brought into 2020 with original 1978-79 lights replaced by state-of-theart LED lights. Peter Maiurro works as chief communications and business affairs officer for the museum, and he oversaw much of the detail of the scoreboard’s move and restoration. He catches himself smiling when he sees the scoreboard in its distinctive glory. Yes, the scoreboard means much to him. “It was a moment in America’s history when people really rallied around a group of underdogs,” he says. “At the height of the Cold War, beating the Soviet hockey team was such a powerful geopolitical moment. It was a moment to rally against what so many people thought was a global enemy.”

The victory was so unlikely. On Feb. 9, 1980, the Soviets trampled the United States, 10-3, in an exhibition at New York’s Madison Square Garden and after the game Soviet coach Viklor Tikhonov shrugged off the victory, calling it a “practice game.” When a reporter asked if the Soviets had not bothered to give their best effort, Tikhonov smiled and answered, “You are quite correct.” In the Olympic lead-in to The Miracle, the Soviets destroyed Japan, the Netherlands and Poland by a combined 41-5. But the Americans shocked the hockey world, and maybe themselves, with a miracle comeback victory in the tournament semifinals. Two nights later, the Americans edged Finland, 4-2, for gold while the Soviets crushed Sweden, 9-2 for the silver. Many of the Soviets didn’t bother to bring their silver medals home, choosing to toss

them in the trash or the lake. On Jan. 7, 2020, the scoreboard that recognizes The Miracle was installed on the top floor of the Olympic museum. A crane was used to carefully put the scoreboard through an opening on the west face of the museum. Ogrean, who first imagined the scoreboard in Colorado Springs, enjoys seeing the reaction of those who examine that 4-3 score in lights. He knows thousands soon will be looking at the scoreboard in a freshly opened museum on the northwest edge of downtown. “It’s from the most iconic sporting event in my life,” he says. “I see on their faces the impact it had on their lives. It’s the reaction that I observe from everyone else who sees it, and I’m reminded of how big this was.” Yes, it was big then. And it’s a rare sports moment that remains forever big.

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MUSEUM FEATURES

5 things you don’t want to miss BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN • THE GAZETTE

Designers of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum consulted with past Olympic athletes to make the 60,000-foot, 13-gallery museum as packed with as much information and hands-on opportunities as possible. Here are five features of the museum that figure to be visitor favorites.

JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE

Olympic gold medalist skater Peggy Fleming and her husband, Greg Jenkins, toured the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum for the first time during a soft opening Tuesday. They were in the Parade of Nations exhibit, which simulates the feel of going to an opening ceremony.

1. PARADE OF NATIONS The museum has previewed this feature for athletes, bringing goose bumps and tears. Most athletes never win an Olympic medal, but nearly all experience the thrill of walking into the stadium in front of the world and under their country’s flag. This captures that feeling. Visitors will walk through a hall, listening to the inner monologue of athletes and hear the building chants of “USA, USA!” before they are welcomed into a circular room surrounded by LED screens that take them into the stadium in a full sensory experience that tried to mimic the real thing.

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2. INTERACTIVE SPORTS In this hands-on (feet, too) experience, visitors can run a 30-meter dash down an actual track with Jesse Owens or other U.S. Olympians or Paralympians running right next to them on a giant LED video board at the speed they would have actually posted. And it’s not limited to track. There’s also an interactive experience for alpine skiing, archery, goalball, skeleton and sled hockey. Athletes appearing digitally will give instructions before the interactive competition begins, then offer tips on how to improve once it’s finished. RENDERING COURTESY OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MUSEUM

This rendering depicts the interactive 30-meter running track that allows visitors to compare their speed with that of Olympians.

CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

Athletes’ medals from all the modern day Olympics hang inside the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs on July 17.

3. MEMORABILIA ON DISPLAY The world’s largest collection of competition medals will be stored in the museum, with most of the missing medals coming from recent Games as athletes aren’t yet ready to part with them. There are also torches from each Olympics dating back to 1936. The scoreboard from Lake Placid, showing the U.S.’ Miracle on Ice victory over the U.S.S.R. is there, too. Digital screens do much of the heavy lifting in the storytelling at the museum, but there’s some hardware on hand, too.

RENDERING COURTESY OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MUSEUM

This rendering depicts some of the many interactive screens found in the museum.

4. CUSTOMIZABLE EXPERIENCE Visitors will check in before entering and receive a credential that will store within it information on the guests’ hometown, favorite sports and any unique needs they might have. If hearing is an issue, they’ll find closed captioning or American Sign Language awaiting them. If bright lights cause problems, exhibits will make the necessary adaptations for them. This will also help them learn more about their interests, find Olympic athletes in the database who came from nearby hometowns and return home with information about their visit — and their performance in the interactive events — able to be reviewed.

5. INTERACTIVE HALL OF FAME The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee oversees the Hall of Fame and those elected to it, but the museum will be the physical home of the Hall. There won’t be any of the familiar busts associated with Halls of Fame at places like Cooperstown or Canton, but screens will rotate through the honorees or provide on-demand information in interactive displays. For bios on the Hall of Famers, see pages 17-26 RENDERING COURTESY OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC MUSEUM

This rendering shows a display screen in the museum’s Hall of Fame.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

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HALL OF FAME

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michael Phelps has tears in his eyes as he shows off his gold medal after the men’s 200-meter butterfly final during the swimming competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro.

Athletes who could be enshrined in museum BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN

brent.briggeman@gazette.com

Contemplating U.S. Olympians and contributors with a track record that could warrant inclusion into the USOPC Hall of Fame, which will soon be permanently located in Colorado Springs. Carmelo Anthony, basketball The former Denver Nuggets all-star was Team USA’s first four-time Olympian, owns three gold medals and ranks first in team history in games, points and rebounds. Simone Biles, gymnastics Widely considered the greatest female gymnast of all time, she won three individual gold medals in 2016, adding a bronze in balance beam and team gold. Mia Hamm, women’s soccer The team leader for Team USA’s gold-medal squads in 1996 and 2004 and a silver-medal run in 2000, she retired as the all-time leading goal scorer in international play among men or women.

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Katie Ledecky, women’s swimming With four gold medals and a silver in 2016, Ledecky notched the most decorated single-Olympics performance by a U.S. female athlete. Tara Lipinski, women’s figure skating The first five American women to win gold in singles are in the Hall of Fame; Lipinski, the sixth, is not. Al Michaels, contributor It would have been historic under any context, but Michaels’ call of USA Hockey’s victory in 1980 helped make it miraculous. Bode Miller, men’s downhill skiing Perhaps the most successful male American alpine ski racer in history, Miller owns a Team USA-best six skiing medals in the Winter Olympics. Michael Phelps, men’s swimming The most decorated Olympian of all time, Phelps owns 28 medals — including eight gold medals in 2008.

Lindsey Vonn, women’s downhill skiing Vonn’s 2010 gold medal in the downhill was a first for an American woman, and she was named the USOC’s Sportswoman of the Year. Johnny Weir, men’s ice skating Weir could warrant inclusion as an athlete, competing in two Olympics and claiming bronze in 2008. Beyond that, his famously flamboyant style and work as an NBC commentator would qualify him for recognition in the contributor category. Shaun White, men’s snowboarding White’s three gold medals are the most by a snowboarder, and that doesn’t touch on his famed Flying Tomato persona and work in the Winter X Games and skateboarding. 2016 U.S. women’s basketball team The U.S. women have long been dominant in basketball, but in 2016 they ran away from everyone — winning games by margins of 65, 46, 43, 30, 26 and 19 points. They took the final 101-72 over Spain.

HALL OF FAME

Bios of male Olympian inductees BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN

brent.briggeman@gazette.com

MUHAMMAD ALI

Boxing – 1960 Class of 1983 Then known as Cassius Clay, “The Greatest” won gold in 1960 and used it as a springboard to become a three-time world heavyweight champion and earn recognition as Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated in 1999.

BRUCE BAUMGARTNER

Wrestling – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 2008 The flag bearer for the U.S. in 1996, Baumgartner won a combined 13 world and Olympic super-heavyweight freestyle medals between 1983 and 1996 — including gold in 1984 and 1992. He’s one of eight Americans to earn medals in four Olympics. He is the current president of Colorado Springs-based USA Wrestling.

BOB BEAMON

Track and field – 1968 Class of 1983 Beamon shattered the long jump record by 21 inches in Mexico City, soaring 29 feet, 2.5 inches for an event mark that stood for 23 years and remains the Olympic record. Sports Illustrated named it one of the five greatest sports moments of the 20th century.

MATT BIONDI

Swimming – 1984, 1988, 1992 Class of 2004 Between Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps as American icons in the pool, there was Biondi. He broke Spitz’s mark for Olympic medals by an American male (11) and held it until Phelps broke it. His haul included eight golds, two silvers (one by .01 second) and world records in five events.

BRIAN BOITANO

Figure skating – 1984, 1988, 1992 Class of 2008 Boitano appeared in three Olympics in figure skating, capturing gold in 1988. His career also included two world titles and four U.S. championships. The Colorado-raised creators of South Park immortalized him in the song, “What Would Brian Boitano do?” SEE PAGE 18

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Carl Lewis performs his winning jump to capture a gold medal in the Olympic long jump event, with a measure of 28.7 feet, at the Olympic track and field stadium in Seoul. Sunday, August 2, 2020

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FROM PAGE 17

RALPH BOSTON

Track and field – 1960, 1964, 1968 Class of 1985 Boston broke Jesse Owens’ 25-year-old long jump record in 1960 when he became the first person to break the 27-feet barrier. He took gold in Rome that year, then silver and bronze in the next two Games. He unofficially coached Bob Beamon, who shattered his mark in 1968.

DICK BUTTON

Figure skating – 1948, 1952 Class of 1983 The gold medalist in 1948 and 1952, Button left a long list of firsts — first American Olympic figure skating champion, first American world champion, first skater to land a double axel and first skater to land a triple jump. He later earned a law degree and won an Emmy as an analyst.

LEE CALHOUN

Track and field – 1956, 1960 Class of 1991 The first hurdler to win 110-meter gold medals at successive Games, Calhoun led American podium sweeps at Melbourne and Rome. He later coached at Grambling State, Yale and Western Illinois and served as an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the 1976 Games.

MILT CAMPBELL

Track and field – 1952, 1956 Class of 1992 Campbell took silver in the decathlon at 18 in 1952, then became the first African-American athlete to win the event in 1956. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1957 and shared a backfield with Jim Brown. He is the only athlete in the national track and field and swimming halls of fame.

BART CONNER

Gymnastics – 1976, 1984 Class of 1991 The youngest member of the 1976 Olympic gymnastics team, Conner qualified for the 1980 Games prior to the U.S. boycott. He won an individual gold in 1984 on the parallel bars and helped the team to its first gold in 80 years. He later married Romanian gold medalist Nadia Comaneci.

WILLIE DAVENPORT

Track and field/bobsled – 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 Class of 1991 A track competitor at four Olympics that included a gold medal in the 1968 Summer Games in 110-meter hurdles (he set the world record the following year), Davenport then became one of the first two African-Americans to make a Winter Olympics team when he qualified on the bobsled team in 1980.

GLENN DAVIS

Track and field – 1956, 1960 Class of 1986 Nobody could circle a track faster than Davis, as he is the only person to set the record in the 400 meters with and without hurdles. He is one of four to twice win Olympic gold in the 400-meter hurdles, and he also won as part of a 1,600-meter relay team in 1956.

JOHN DAVIS

Weightlifting – 1940, 1948, 1952

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Class of 1989 A two-time gold medalist (1948, 1952), Davis held every world record in his weight class at one point and became the first man to break the 400-pound mark in the clean and jerk. He retired following an injury at the 1956 Olympic Trials and died of cancer in 1984 in Albuquerque.

OSCAR DE LA HOYA

Boxing – 1992 Class of 2008 “The Golden Boy” capped a decorated amateur career with a surprise gold in Barcelona in 1992, the only U.S. boxer to win that year. As a pro he then went 39-6, with 30 of his wins by knockout.

HARRISON DILLARD

Track and field – 1948, 1952 Class of 1983 A product of the same Cleveland high school as his hero, Jesse Owens, Dillard served as a Buffalo Soldier in the all-black 92nd Infantry Division in World War II before embarking on a legendary career that resulted in four Olympic gold medals. He is the only man to win the 100-meter sprint and 110 hurdles.

EDDIE EAGAN

ico City. His lasting legacy is his back-first technique, known as the “Foxbury flop” that replaced the conventional straddle roll and has become the standard for the sport.

JOE FRAZIER

Boxing – 1964 Class of 1989 “Smokin” Joe Frazier made the Olympic team as an alternate, competing only after Buster Mathis broke his thumb shortly before competition in Tokyo. Frazier then broke his own thumb in the semifinals, but kept it quiet and won gold in a 3-2 decision. He later became heavyweight champion from 1970-73 and participated in some of the most storied bouts in the sport’s history.

DAN GABLE

Freestyle wrestling – 1972 Class of 1985 Gable swept his six matches in Munich without giving up a single point. The Olympic gold was added to his two college titles (he went 117-1 at Iowa State) and golds at the World Championships and Pan American Games. He became Iowa’s winningest coach, taking 15 NCAA Division I titles from 1976-1997.

Bobsled/boxing – 1920, 1924, 1932 Class of 1983 Born in Denver and a graduate of Longmont High School, Eagan became the first person to win gold in the Summer (boxing in 1920) and Winter Olympics (four-man bobsled in 1932). His diverse life for the Rhodes scholar included undergrad at Yale and law school at Harvard. He served in both World Wars in noncombat roles, rising to colonel.

ROWDY GAINES

LEE EVANS

GARY HALL JR.

RAY EWRY

SCOTT HAMILTON

Track & field – 1968 Class of 1989 Evans won a pair of gold medals at the 1968 Games, setting world records in the 400 meters and as part of the 4x400 relay that stood for nearly 20 years. He was also influential in his role in the black power movement with the U.S. team. Track and field – 1900, 1904, 1908 Class of 1983 For 100 years – until Michael Phelps broke it – Ewry held the record with eight gold medals in individual events. Ewry, who survived childhood polio, won all eight of his medals in standing jumping events. He notched three-peats in the standing long jump and high jump from 1900-08 and took the standing triple jump in 1900 and 1904 (it was discontinued prior to 1908).

GEORGE FOREMAN

Boxing – 1968 Class of 1990 Before the Rumble in the Jungle, heavyweight crowns in the 1970s and again at age 45 in 1994 and grill fame, the 19-year-old Foreman won the “Cold War clash” over 29-year-old Ionas Chepulis of the Soviet Union in the heavyweight gold-medal bout, with the referee stopping the fight in the second round.

DICK FOSBURY

Track and field – 1968 Class of 1992 Fosbury broke the American high jump record and won Olympic gold with a jump of 2.24 meters in Mex-

Swimming – 1984 Class of 2006 Gaines broke 11 world records in the lead-up to 1980, but missed out on the Olympics because of the U.S. boycott. He returned in 1984 and took three golds, anchoring two relays the capturing 100-meter freestyle. He later became a commentator for NBC and has been called “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador.” Swimming – 1996, 2000, 2004 Class of 2012 Hall won 10 medals in his career, including five golds. The son of a three-time Olympian, Hall Jr. won his 50-meter freestyle in 2000 and defended it in 2004 when he was the oldest American male Olympic swimmer since 1924. Figure skating – 1980, 1984 Class of 1990 Hamilton’s gold medal in 1984 (he finished fifth in 1980) was part of a four-year run of dominance that saw him win four World Championship, four U.S. Championships and go undefeated in all amateur competitions. He then became a television analyst for the sport.

BOB HAYES

Track and field – 1964 Class of 2006 “Bullet Bob” sprinted to gold in the 100-meter dash in Tokyo, then joined the Dallas Cowboys as a Hall of Fame receiver and became the only Olympic gold medalist to win a Super Bowl ring (the Broncos also selected him in the 1964 AFL Draft, but he opted for the NFL offer). At one point he held records in the 60-, 100- and 220-yard dashes in addition to the 100-meter dash.

ERIC HEIDEN

Speedskating – 1976, 1980 Class of 1983 His five gold medals in 1980 (at 500, 1,000, 1,500, SEE PAGE 19

FROM PAGE 18

TOMMY KONO

5,000 and 10,000 meters) were more than all but two countries and stand as a record for a single Winter Games. He then took up cycling, winning a national title and competing in the Tour de France. He is an orthopedic surgeon and was the team physician for the Sacramento Kings.

Weightlifting – 1952, 1956, 1960 Class of 1990 Kono was the only weightlifter in history to set world records across four weight divisions. His career began in the most unlikely of places — a detention center during World War II where he family, of Japanese descent, was placed. He twice won Olympic gold and added a silver.

DAN JANSEN

ALVIN KRAENZLEIN

Speedskating – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994 Class of 2004 Jansen racked up world titles and records, but didn’t translate that to the Olympic Games until his final race. In 1988, shortly after his sister’s death due to leukemia, Jansen fell in the 500- and 1,000-meter races. Finally, he won gold in 1994 with a world-record time in the 1,000 in his final race.

BRUCE JENNER

Track and field – 1972, 1976 Class of 1986 Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce, won gold in a record-breaking performance in the decathlon in 1976 — launching to a status among the most wellknown athletes in the 1970s. Jenner became a reality television star on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” and earned the 2015 Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPY Awards after coming out as a transgender woman.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

Track and field – 1992, 1996, 20000 Class of 2009 Wearing gold shoes, Johnson became the first man to win 200- and 400-meter gold medals in a single Olympics with his memorable performance in Atlanta in 1996. He also took gold in the 4x400 relay in 1992 and defended his 400 title in 2000.

RAFER JOHNSON

Track and field – 1900 Class of 1985 The first four-time gold medal winner at a single Olympics, Kraenzlein, a trained engineer at the University of Wisconsin, revolutionized the modern technique for hurdling. He later coached track and, for two seasons, football at Michigan.

SAMMY LEE

Diving – 1948, 1952 Class of 1990 Lee was the first Asian-American to win Olympic gold for the U.S, and the first man to win back-to-back golds in 10-meter diving. He earned his doctorate from USC in 1947, before his first Olympic Games. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in South Korea from 1953-55, later coached divers such as Greg Louganis and practiced as an ear, nose and throat doctor until 1990.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD

Boxing – 1976 Class of 1985 Leonard won all six of his bouts in the 1976 Games by 5-0 decisions, adding Olympic gold to a long list of amateur accolades that included Golden Gloves, AAU and Pan American titles. Leonard planned to retire from boxing after the Olympics, but family situations changed that plan and he went 36-3-1 as a pro and became the first boxer to earn more than $100 million.

Track and field – 1956, 1960 Class of 1983 Johnson took silver in the decathlon in 1956 — two years after debuting in the event while at UCLA — and then took gold in Rome in 1960. He later launched an acting career and appeared in movies like “Licence to Kill” (1989) and several television shows. He was chosen to light the Olympic flame in Los Angeles in 1984.

CARL LEWIS

DUKE KAHANAMOKU

GREG LOUGANIS

Swimming/water polo – 1912, 1920, 1924 Class of 1984 Known as the father of modern surfing in his native Hawaii, Kahanamoku won three Olympic gold medals in swimming and was an alternate on the U.S. water polo team in 1920. He later starred in motion pictures and served as sheriff on Oahu between 1933 and 1961.

KARCH KIRALY

Beach volleyball/volleyball – 1984, 1988, 1996 Class of 2008 Kiraly won three national championships at UCLA, then helped the U.S. to gold in 1988 and 1992. He also played professionally oversees. When he retired from indoor competition the California native returned to his beach roots, setting a record for wins on the AVP Pro Beach Tour and winning gold in the first beach competition held at an Olympic Games in 1996.

Track and field – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 1985 Lewis’ dominance in the 1980s carried from the sprints into the long jump pit. He won nine gold medals, one silver and was named Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 and Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated. Diving – 1976, 1984, 1988 Class of 1985 Louganis became the first man to sweep the 3- and 10-meter diving events in consecutive Olympics when he did so in 1984 and 1988. His gold in Seoul came despite a concussion suffered when he hit the board in the preliminary rounds. He later became an activist for civil liberties and the LGBTQ+ community.

PHIL MAHRE

Alpine skiing – 1976, 1980, 1984 Class of 1992 Mahre was voted the greatest male American skier of all time by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association in 2002 and his 27 World Cup race wins are second only to Bode Miller among American men. But his only Olympic gold came in 1984 when he beat his twin brother, Steve, and learned soon after that his son was born in Arizona an hour before the race. Phil and Steve established the Mahre Training Center in Keystone.

BOB MATHIAS

Track and field – 1948, 1952 Class of 1983 Mathias was the first athlete to win consecutive Olympic decathlons — the first coming when he was 17 and had tried the decathlon for the first time that summer. He remained unbeaten through 11 career decathlons, served in Congress, starred in Hollywood films, was an officer in the Marines and served as USOC president when it relocated to Colorado Springs.

BILLY MILLS

Track and field – 1964 Class of 1984 Despite a qualifying time that was a full minute slower than the favorite, Mills won gold and set a world record in the 10,000-meter event in 1964. He remains the only American to win the event. Of Native American descent, Mills — a former Marine — founded the Running Strong for American Indian Youth nonprofit organization.

BOBBY JOE MORROW

Track and field – 1956 Class of 1989 Known for his smooth running style, Morrow won three golds in Melbourne, claiming the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchoring the victorious 4x100 relay team — Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Usain Bolt are the only others to pull off the trifecta. Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year. An injury and team decision kept him out of the 1960 games.

EDWIN MOSES

Track and field – 1976, 1984, 1988 Class of 1985 A two-time gold medal winner in the 400-meter hurdles (likely shorted a third by the 1980 U.S. boycott) who won 122 consecutive races over a span of nearly 10 years, Moses earned the No. 47 ranking on ESPN’s SportCentury 50 Greatest Athletes. He is also a physicist with an MBA degree who worked closely with the USOPC on issues of substance abuse, performance-enhancing drug testing and has served on multiple committees to champion causes for athletes.

JOHN NABER

Swimming – 1976 Class of 1984 Naber set four world records in winning four gold medals in 1976, making him the most decorated Olympian in the Montreal Games. He later served as president of the U.S. Olympic Alumni Association and was a three-time Olympic torch bearer.

DAN O’BRIEN

Track and field – 1996 Class of 2012 The decathlon champion at the Atlanta Games, O’Brien lived up — albeit belatedly — to the hype created by a famous “Dan and Dave” marketing campaign alongside Dave Johnson in advance of the 1992 Games. O’Brien missed qualifying for Barcelona after failing to clear the pole vault. He won three consecutive world championships in 1991, ’93 and ’95.

PARRY O’BRIEN

Track and field – 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964 Class of 1984 A two-time gold medalist, O’Brien revolutionized the sport by introducing a style that included rotating his SEE PAGE 20

Sunday, August 2, 2020

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American Apolo Anton Ohno at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. FROM PAGE 19

body 180 degrees to generate momentum. He broke the world record in the shot put 17 times. He was the flag bearer for the U.S. in Tokyo in 1964.

AL OERTER

Track and field – 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 Class of 1983 Oerter’s introduction to discus is said to have begun when, in high school, a discus landed at his feet and he casually threw it back to the coach. He threw it so far the coach immediately made him a thrower. He became the first athlete to win an Olympic event four consecutive times, when he captured the discus in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968, overcoming a serious car accident in 1957 to do so. He later founded the Art of the Olympians organization, featuring creations from fellow athletes.

APOLO ANTON OHNO

Speedskating – 2002, 2006, 2010 Class of 2019 Ohno’s two gold medals, two silvers and four bronze medals make him the most decorated American at the Winter Olympics. His crossover appeal helped him host a Game Show Network program and he was a champion on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars.” He has spent time training in Colorado Springs and holds one of the best times up the Incline in Manitou Springs, covering the distance in a reported time of 17 minutes, 45 seconds.

JESSE OWENS

Track and field – 1936

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Class of 1983 Perhaps no one is more synonymous with the United States’ role in the Olympic movement than Owens, who won four Olympic gold medals in the 1936 Games to the dismay of German leader Adolf Hitler. Owens, an African American son of a sharecropper, won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, the long jump and ran with the winning 4x100 relay team. The track and field stadium at Ohio State bears his name, and he was ranked sixth among North American Athletes of the 20th century by ESPN.

FLOYD PATTERSON

Boxing – 1952 Class of 1987 Patterson won Olympic gold as a middleweight by knocking out Romania’s Vasile Tita in the first round. He then turned pro and two years later won the light heavyweight belt. He would go on to twice hold the heavyweight championship, sharing the ring with contemporaries like Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali.

J. MICHAEL PLUMB

Equestrian – 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1992 Class of 2008 A seven-time Olympian and six-time medalist, Plumb became the first equestrian inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He holds the record for greatest number of appearances in any sport at the Games for an American.

BOB RICHARDS

Track and field – 1948, 1952, 1956 Class of 1983 Richards was the first Olympian to win two gold

medals in the pole vault and was the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. He was a theology professor and ordained minister when he won his first Olympic title.

DAVID ROBINSON

Basketball – 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 2008 The first Olympic appearance for The Admiral came in 1988 (a bronze-medal run), after his stellar career at Navy. He then helped the U.S. to gold medals as a professional in 1992 and 1996. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA champion and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

DON SCHOLLANDER

Swimming – 1964, 1968 Class of 1983 Schollander’s four gold medals made him the most successful athlete at the 1964 Olympics. He was 18 at the time and earned the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States and topped Johnny Unitas as AP Athlete of the Year. He then swam at Yale, added another Olympic gold in 1968 and retired from competition.

FRANK SHORTER

Track and field – 1972, 1976 Class of 1984 Shorter won gold in the marathon in 1972, then followed with silver in 1976. He is the only American athlete to medal twice in the event and the only American male to win the event since 1912. A longtime resident of Boulder who now lives in Palmer Lake, he co-foundSEE PAGE 21

FROM PAGE 20

ed the Bolder Boulder event and is largely credited with popularizing running in the United States in the 1970s. He later helped to establish the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and chaired it from 2000 to 2003.

MARK SPITZ

Swimming – 1968, 1972 Class of 1983 Spitz won seven gold medals in 1972, all in record time. That stood as an all-time record for gold medals in a single Games until Michael Phelps topped it 36 years later. Spitz amassed nine gold medals, a silver and a bronze. He retired at age 22 and landed multiple endorsement deals as well as a career in television and film.

JIM THORPE

Track and field — 1912 Class of 1983 Among the most celebrated all-around American athletes of all time, Thorpe played professional football and baseball in addition to being an Olympic champion in the decathlon and pentathlon. He was later stripped of his medals when it was discovered he had previously played semiprofessional baseball and did not meet the standards for amateur competition. Thorpe, of Native American descent, had his medals posthumously restored by the International Olympic Committee in 1982.

BILL TOOMEY

Track and field – 1968 Class of 1984 Toomey famously loved the number 10, noting he had ten letters in his name, was born Jan. 10 and always wore No. 10 as an athlete. So he chose the decathlon as his track and field specialty, winning Olympic gold in the event in 1968 despite missing on his first two pole vault attempts and facing the prospect of falling from the competition if he hadn’t completed a third. He graduated from the University of Colorado and later coached track at California Irvine and worked as a television broadcaster and marketing consultant.

PETER VIDMAR

Gymnastics – 1984 Class of 1991 Forced to miss the 1980 Games because of the United States boycott, he was among the 461 athletes to later be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal as a result. He did, however, return in 1984 and won silver in the men’s all-around, taking gold in the pommel horse and as part of the team competition. He was the highest-scoring American gymnast in Olympic history. He later lived in Colorado Springs and worked in various roles with the USOC before resigning after controversy surrounding his opposition to gay marriage.

JOHNNY WEISSMULLER

Swimming/water polo – 1924, 1928 Class of 1983 A hero in real life (Weissmuller and his brother rescued two dozen people from a capsized boat in Lake Michigan) he was the sport of swimming’s first superstar after winning five Olympic gold medals and a bronze in swimming and water polo. He later starred in 12 films in the role of Tarzan. When the Swimming Hall of Fame was launched in 1965, he was named the first honoree.

MAL WHITFIELD

Track and field – 1948, 1952

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Johnny Weissmuller, right, as Tarzan, Maureen O’Sullivan as Jane and Cheetah the chimpanzee in a scene from the 1932 movie “Tarzan the Ape Man.” Class of 1988 The first African-American recipient of the Sullivan Award, Whitfield won five gold medals as a middle-distance runner competing at 400 and 800 meters. He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II and also served in the Korean War as an Air Force sergeant. After retiring from competition, Whitfield worked for the U.S. Intelligence Service and as an American Goodwill Ambassador and promoting athletics worldwide.

LONES WIGGER JR.

Shooting – 1964, 1968, 1972 Class of 2008 An Army officer for 26 years, Wigger is widely considered the most decorated rifle shooter in the world.

He broke 29 world records, won 58 national championships and won two Olympic gold medals and a silver. With the Army he rose to lieutenant colonel, served two tours in Vietnam and instructed soldiers in marksmanship.

FRANK WYKOFF

Track and field – 1928, 1932, 1936 Class of 1984 The native Iowan became the first man to win three relay gold medals, helping the United States to victories in the 4x100-meter race in three consecutive Olympics, each in record time. His final medal came as anchor to a relay team in 1936 that included Jesse Owens. He worked as a teacher and administrator in Los Angeles until his death in 1972 at age 70. Sunday, August 2, 2020

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HALL OF FAME

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

American Mary Lou Retton performs on the balance beam during the women’s gymnastics individual all-around finals at the XXIII Summer Olympic Games on Aug. 3, 1984, in Los Angeles.

Bios of female Olympian inductees BY BRENT BRIGGEMAN

brent.briggeman@gazette.com

TENLEY ALBRIGHT

Figure skating – 1952, 1956 Class of 1988 A polio survivor as a child who used figure skating to aid in her recovery, Albright claimed silver in 1952 and gold in 1956. She later became a practicing surgeon for 23 years, a faculty

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member at Harvard and served as vice president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

accomplished at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs in 1983 (10.79).

EVELYN ASHFORD

SHIRLEY BABASHOFF

Track and field – 1976, 1984, 1988, 1992 Class of 2006 Ashford was a five-time medalist (four gold), the U.S. flag bearer in 1988 and first woman to run the 100-meter dash in under 11 seconds at the Olympics (10.97 in 1984) — a feat she first

Swimming – 1972, 1976 Class of 1987 Babashoff won nine Olympic medals (including three golds). Four of her six silvers came in SEE PAGE 23

FROM PAGE 22

the 1976 Games when women’s swimming was dominated by the East German team she accused of using performance-enhancing drugs — accusations later proven to be true.

JOAN BENOIT

Track and field – 1984 Class of 2008 Benoit took gold in the inaugural women’s marathon in 1984. A distance-running mainstay for a decade, she knocked 8 minutes off the Boston Marathon record in 1979 and won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s best amateur athlete in 1985 after winning the Chicago Marathon.

BONNIE BLAIR

Speedskating – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 2004 The dominant long-track speedskating sprinter across three Olympic Games, Blair was the first American woman to win five gold medals. She won the 400 in three consecutive Winter Games. Blair’s son, Grant Cruikshank, plays hockey in Colorado Springs at Colorado College.

CONNIE CARPENTER-PHINNEY

Speedskating/cycling – 1972, 1984 Class of 1992 Carpenter-Phinney was the youngest American woman to compete at an Olympic Winter games when she qualified in speedskating at 14 in 1972. An injury in 1976 caused her to begin training on a bike and she began competing in that sport, ultimately winning Olympic gold in the road race in 1984.

TRACY CAULKINS

Swimming – 1984 Class of 1990 A three-time gold medalist in 1984, Caulkins’ Olympic haul was undoubtedly impacted by the 1980 Moscow boycott. She had won five golds the World Championships in 1978 at 15 (becoming the youngest winner of the James E. Sullivan Award), but had to wait six years before making her Olympic debut.

DONNA DE VARONA

Swimming – 1960, 1964 Class of 1987 An Olympian at age 13, she retired at age 17 after her second Olympic appearance resulted in a pair of gold medals. She then became a pioneer among women in sports broadcasting and became a central figure in the fight for equality among female athletes.

GAIL DEVERS

Track and field – 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 Class of 2012 The Olympic 100-meter champion in 1992 and 1996 (the first woman to repeat in the events since Wyomia Tyus in 1964/68), Devers overcame complications that arose from treatment for Grave’s disease following her first Olympic appearance in 1988.

BABE DIDRIKSON

Track & field – 1932 Class of 1983 Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, who lived in Colorado, was legendary for her excellence across an array of sports — golf, basketball, baseball, among them. She had a brief foray into track, taking gold in the javelin and 80-meter hurdles and silver in the high jump in the 1932 Games.

TERESA EDWARDS

Basketball – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 Class of 2009 After taking Georgia to two NCAA Women’s Final Four appearances, she helped Team USA to gold in 1984 and again in 1988. A bronze finish in 1992 motivated her to keep playing for the national team, and she helped the U.S. to golds in 1996 and 2000. She was the youngest and oldest basketball player to win an Olympic gold medal.

JANET EVANS

Swimming – 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 2004 Evans broke the world records in the 400-, 800and 1,500-meter freestyle at age 15. The next year she won three Olympic gold medals in Seoul. She defended her 800 freestyle victory in 1992 and added a silver in the 400 free. She was selected to hand the torch to Muhammad Ali during the opening ceremony in 1996.

LISA FERNANDEZ

Softball – 1996, 2000, 2004 Class of 2012 Fernandez pitched the U.S. to victory in three consecutive gold-medal games, set an Olympic record with 25 strikeouts in a game and, in 10 Olympic starts, has more shutouts (5) than earned runs allowed (4). The former UCLA star also set a single-Olympics mark with a .545 batting average in 2004.

PEGGY FLEMING JENKINS

Figure skating – 1968 Class of 1983 After training in Colorado Springs at The Broadmoor for three years, Fleming shot to international fame with her gold-medal performance in 1968 — the only U.S. gold in Grenoble. The Colorado College alumni later became a television analyst for the sport and was part of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.

FLORENCE GRIFFITH JOYNER

Track & field – 1984, 1988 Class of 2004 FloJo had retired from running at age 19 and was working as a bank teller when coach Bob Kersee recruited her to return. She then took silver in the 200-meter dash in 1984. By 1988, she was the dominant figure in the sport, setting world records in the 100 and 200 and earning three golds in Seoul.

DOROTHY HAMILL

Figure skating – 1976 Class of 1991 Hamill broke onto the world stage by winning the National Novice title in 1969, then began to train with coach Carlo Fassi at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. That began a climb that culminated with a gold medal in 1976 and unprecedented commercial endorsement demand for a skater.

JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE

Track & field – 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 Class of 2004 Joyner-Kersee was the first woman to win back-toback Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon, doing so in 1988 and 1992. She also won gold in the long jump in 1988. She briefly played professionally in the American Basketball League after retiring from track and field. Sports Illustrated named her the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century.

MICKI KING

Diving – 1968, 1972 Class of 1992 The first woman appointed to a faculty position at a U.S. military academy as the Air Force Academy physical education instructor and diving coach, Col. Maxine King Hogue fractured her arm hitting the board in her Olympic debut in 1968 but returned to win gold in 1972. She enlisted in the Air Force in 1966 and served until 1992. King was a member of the committee that permitted women to be enrolled in service academies, and her daughter, Michelle Hogue, presented her with a class ring when she graduated from Air Force in 2004.

LISA LESLIE

Basketball – 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 Class of 2019 Leslie’s basketball resume stacks up with any in the history of the women’s game. She averaged double figures in every major international event in which she competed, including four consecutive Olympic Games that all ended in gold. She was an NCAA Player of the Year, three-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion.

KRISTINE LILLY

Soccer – 1996, 2000, 2004 Class of 2012 Lilly enjoyed the longest, most decorated women’s soccer career in U.S. history — including a pair of Olympic gold medals and a silver. Her 354 international appearances is a record, she’s the only person to play in five FIFA Women’s World Cups and her 130 international goals rank second in U.S. history.

NASTIA LIUKIN

Gymnastics – 2008 Class of 2019 Liukein’s five medals in Beijing tied Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller for most in a single Games. Her haul included gold in the individual all-around, silvers on the beam, bars and team competition and a bronze in floor exercise.

MISTY MAY-TREANOR

Beach volleyball – 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Class of 2019 After finishing fifth in the 2000 Games, May-Treanor partnered with Kerri Walsh Jennings and began a streak of three consecutive Olympic golds. May-Treanor was named Most Outstanding Player of the Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. In indoor, she led Long Beach State to an undefeated NCAA title in 1998.

PAT McCORMICK

Diving – 1952, 1956 Class of 1995 McCormick won the 3- and 10-meter diving events in the 1952 Games, then repeated the feat in 1956 just eight months after the birth of her son (setting a record for margin of victory in 3-meter dives that still stands). She later served on the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

MARY T. MEAGHER

Swimming – 1984, 1988 Class of 2009 Meagher owned world records in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly races and won golds in both events in Los Angeles in 1984. She added a gold by swimming the butterfly leg in the 4x100 medley relay. She later added a silver and bronze in 1988. Her first SEE PAGE 24

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American Kristi Yamaguchi skates during the opening ceremony Feb. 8, 2002, at Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City.

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world record came at age 14 in 1979, but the U.S. boycott prevented her from swimming in 1980.

DEBBIE MEYER

Swimming – 1968 Class of 1986 Born in Annapolis, Md., at the U.S. Naval Academy, Meyer became the first female swimmer to earn three individual gold medals at the same Olympic Games when she, at 16 in high school, won the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle events in Mexico City. She retired young and didn’t compete in another Games.

SHANNON MILLER

Gymnastics – 1992, 1996 Class of 2006 Miller won seven Olympic medals across two Games, taking silver in the all-around in 1992 among her four medals from Barcelona. In 1996 she won the balance beam — a first for a U.S. gymnast — and was the highest point earner for an American squad that defeated Russia for the first time for team gold.

MARY LOU RETTON

Gymnastics – 1984 Class of 1985 Fifty years after Wheaties began displaying athletes on its cereal box, Retton became the first female athlete to grace the Breakfast of Champions cover after a star turn at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Then a sophomore in high school, Retton became the first American to win the all-around gold medal, clinching it with a perfect 10 on the vault.

WILMA RUDOLPH

Track & field – 1956, 1960 Class of 1983 Despite overcoming childhood polio and delivering a child as a high school senior in 1958, Rudolph dom-

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inated at the 1960 Games in Rome with gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and as part of the 4 x 100 relay team. She was the first American to win three gold medals at the same Olympic Games. She died of brain and throat cancer in 1994.

PICABO STREET

Alpine skiing – 1994, 1998, 2002 Class of 2009 A native of Triumph, Idaho, Street won silver in the downhill in 1994 and followed that with gold in 1998 in the super-G shortly after knee surgery. Street also became the first non-European woman to win a World Cup downhill season title. She lives part time in Winter Park during retirement.

JENNY THOMPSON

Swimming – 1992, 2996, 2000, 2004 Class of 2012 Thompson’s eight gold medals are the most for a female swimmer in Olympic history. All of her medals — 12 in total — came in relay events, though she was a world-record holder in the 100-meter butterfly. A Stanford graduate who made the U.S. Olympic team in 2004 while in medical school, Thompson is a licensed physician specializing in pediatric anesthesiology.

DARA TORRES

Swimming – 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008 Class of 2019 Torres’ career was defined by its longevity, as she was the first American to swim in five Olympic Games and, at 41 in 2008, the oldest female to swim in Olympic competition. Her 12 medals are tied for most among American female swimmers and she set eight American records during her career, including three in Beijing in 2008 during her final competition.

WYOMIA TYUS

Track & field – 1964, 1968 Class of 1985

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Tyus became the first person to defend a 100-meter dash Olympic gold medal, following her victory in 1964 with another in 1968 with a world-record time of 11.08 seconds. She also earned a gold and silver medal in relays. She was one of 11 U.S. athletes who carried the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony in 1984.

AMY VAN DYKEN

Swimming – 1996, 2000 Class of 2008 Van Dyken-Rouen, a Denver native and 1994 NCAA Swimmer of the Year while at Colorado State, trained in Colorado Springs and earned six Olympic gold medals in swimming. Her four gold medals in 1996 were a record for an American female. In 2014 she was paralyzed from the waist down in an ATV accident in Colorado.

WILLYE WHITE

Track & field – 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 Class of 2009 For nearly two decades, White was the best female long jumper in the United States. She competed in her first Olympic Games as a sophomore in high school, winning the first of two career silver medals. She won nine consecutive U.S. outdoor championships and set seven world records. He worked for 37 years in city government as a health administrator, director of recreational services and a founder of sports programs for underserved youth.

KRISTI YAMAGUCHI

Figure skating – 1992 Class of 2006 Yamaguchi won gold in women’s singles at the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. She claimed world titles in singles in 1991 and 1992 after previously claiming a World Junior title in pairs. A third-generation descendant of Japanese emigrants, Yamaguchi’s mother was born in an internment camp during World War II.

HALL OF FAME

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

American Erin Popovich competes during a heat of the women’s 50-meter butterfly S7 at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games on Sept. 13, 2008. She is one of the inductees already in the hall.

Paralympians highlighted in the Springs BY KATE SHEFTE

kate.shefte@gazette.com

CANDACE CABLE

Class of 2019 Para alpine skiing, para Nordic skiing, para track and field, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2016 Cable was the first American woman to win medals in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. She earned 12 medals over the course of her career, including eight golds, and had 84 career first-place marathon finishes. She went on to serve as vice chair of the board of directors for the organizing committee for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

JEAN DRISCOLL

Class of 2012 Para track and field, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 Driscoll is the first eight-time winner of the Boston Marathon, including seven consecutive firstplace finishes from 1990 to 1996. She’s a 12-time Paralympic medalist, winning five golds.

DIANA GOLDEN

Class of 2006 Para alpine skiing, 1988 Golden won the gold medal in giant slalom in Calgary in 1988. She persuaded the U.S. Ski Asso-

ciation to allow disabled skiers to compete in national championships against able-bodied skiers, which became known as the “Golden Rule.” Golden was the first disabled skier inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. She passed away from cancer in 2001 at age 38.

JOHN MORGAN

Class of 2008 Para swimming, 1984, 1992 Morgan won 13 gold medals between his two Paralympic Games appearances and medaled in each of his 10 events in Barcelona in 1992. Morgan established 14 world records — five in the B2 class and nine in the B1 class.

ERIN POPOVICH

Class of 2019 Para swimming, 2000, 2004, 2008 Popovich won 14 career gold medals, including seven in Athens, and broke numerous world and Paralympic Games records. In 2005, she won the first ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. Popovich attended Colorado State and was named associate director of sport operations for U.S. Paralympics Swimming in 2018.

RANDY SNOW

Class of 2004 Wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, 1984, 1992,

1996, 2000 Snow won gold medals in men’s singles and men’s doubles in Barcelona in 1992. He won 22 major tournament titles in the course of his tennis career and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Snow was the first Paralympian welcomed into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2009 at 50.

CHRIS WADDELL

Class of 2019 Para alpine skiing, para track and field, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 Waddell won 13 medals and became the most decorated male monoskier in U.S. history. He won 12 medals in four Winter Paralympic Games, including a gold-medal sweep of the men’s downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super-G at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer. He added silver in the 200-meter race in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games.

SARAH WILL

Class of 2009 Para alpine skiing, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002 Will was the youngest member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team in 1992 when she won gold medals in downhill and super-G. She retired after a gold-medal sweep in all four alpine disciplines at Salt Lake City. In total, she finished with 12 gold medals and one silver. Sunday, August 2, 2020

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HALL OF FAME

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

The U.S. men’s ice hockey team rushes toward goalie Jim Craig after the upset win over the Soviet Union in the final group stage of the Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 22, 1980, in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Teams highlighted in the Springs BY KATE SHEFTE

kate.shefte@gazette.com

1956 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Class of 1986 Led by K.C. Jones and Bill Russell, the 1956 team won each of its eight games by 30-plus points. The U.S. downed the Soviet Union 89-55 in the gold-medal game in Melbourne.

1960 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Class of 1984 This team that won the Americans their fifth straight gold medal has been called the greatest amateur team ever assembled. It featured 10 future NBA players, including the next four Rookie of the Year winners.

1960 MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Class of 1989 Under new coach Jack Riley, the underdog U.S. team beat Canada and the Soviet Union before Roger Christian scored three times in the third period in a rally for gold against Czechoslovakia. Herb Brooks, who would go on to coach the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, was the last player cut.

1964 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Class of 1988 Fueled by guard Jerry Shipp and forward Bill

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Bradley, Team USA continued its winning ways. The U.S. beat the Soviet Union 73-59 in the final.

1980 MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Class of 1983 Trailing 3-2 in the third period against fourtime defending gold medalist the Soviet Union, the Americans tied the medal-round game and captain Mike Eruzione scored the go-ahead goal. Broadcaster Al Michaels delivered the iconic line: “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” Two days later, the Americans beat Finland for gold.

1984 MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Class of 2006 On home soil in Los Angeles, the group became the first American squad in 80 years to win Olympic gold in the team all-around competition.

1992 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Class of 2009 The first year professional players were allowed to compete in the Olympics appropriately featured an all-star team. Eleven of the 12 players have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A team consisting of Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stock-

ton beat Croatia for gold.

1996 WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Class of 2008 Nicknamed the Magnificent Seven, they became the first American squad to win Olympic gold in the women’s team all-around competition. Kerri Strug delivered the iconic moment when she landed her second vault attempt on an injured foot.

1996 WOMEN’S SOCCER

Class of 2004 Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly were part of a roster that held on to beat China 2-1 in the gold-medal game in Atlanta. It became the first women’s team admitted into the Olympic Hall of Fame.

1998 WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY

Class of 2019 The undefeated Americans beat Canada for the second time, 3-1, in the gold-medal game at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, which caused ripples in the sport back home.

2004 WOMEN’S SOFTBALL

Class of 2012 Australia became the first team in nine games to score a run against Team USA, but the Americans won 5-1 to secure gold.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

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Nekter Juice Bar Colorado Springs welcomes the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum to the community. Visit our Colorado Springs location on North Academy today!

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