Hall of Fame

Nominee Kristin Armstrong (Savola) – Cycling 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, eighth (road race)  

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (time trial), 25th (road race) 

• Olympic Games London 2012, gold (time trial), 35th (road race) 

• Olympic Games Rio 2016, gold (time trial), DNF (road race) 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

In August 2016, Armstrong made history at Rio 2016, one year after she came out of retirement, by winning the gold medal in the time trial becoming the first rider (male or female) to ever win three gold medals in the same cycling discipline. A two-time world champion in the time trial, Armstrong is the oldest female cyclist to win an Olympic medal in an individual event. Arguably one of the greatest American cyclists in modern history, Armstrong gives back to the sport by coaching the next generation of American superstars. Her roster of athletes includes Olympian Haley Batten who finished ninth in the XCO MTB race competing in her first Olympic Games, Olympian Emma White, bronze medalist in the team pursuit in Tokyo in her first Olympic debut and nine-time world champion Chloe Dygert. In 2021, Kristin was awarded the USOPC Medal of Ikkos for coaching excellence by one of her athletes. Kristin Armstrong is easily the most decorated Olympian in the sport of cycling. She accomplished back-to-back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, started a family in the middle of this run and won two world titles in the same discipline – a feat that will be hard to achieve again. She won her final gold medal at the age of 45, capping a career of domination that lasted over a decade and a half. 

Nominee

Natalie Coughlin - Swimming 

Olympic Games experience

• Olympic Games London 2012, bronze (4x100-meter freestyle)

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (100-meter backstroke), silver (4x100-meter freestyle, 4x100-meter medley), bronze (100-meter freestyle, 200-meter medley, and 4x200-meter freestyle)

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, gold (100-meter backstroke and 4x200-meter freestyle), silver (4x100-meter freestyle, 4x100-meter medley), bronze (100-meter freestyle)

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

In three Olympic Games, Natalie Coughlin competed in 12 events and won 12 medals, and is tied for the international record for most medals in most events entered. She became the first U.S. female athlete to win six medals at a single Games, and is the first U.S. woman in Olympic history to win back-to-back gold medals (100-meter backstroke). Coughlin is also tied for the most Olympic medals for a U.S. female athlete. At the University of California, Coughlin made history as the first woman to swim the 100m backstroke in less than one minute. She is a 12-time NCAA title holder, three-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year and held an unprecedented 61-0 undefeated record during her collegiate career. Ranked among the most accomplished Olympians of all time – male or female – Natalie has a record of 25 gold, 22 silver and 13 bronze medals at major international championships.  

Nominee

Shani Davis - Speedskating 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006, gold (1,000m), silver (1,500m)

• Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, gold (1,000m), silver (1,500m)   

• Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014

• Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Shani Davis’ perseverance and tenacity propelled him to do what no other person of color had accomplished. At the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006, Davis became the first African American athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games, winning the 1000-meter event and adding a silver medal in the 1500-meter event. Having set world records and winning world championships before those Games, Davis was under tremendous pressure. Yet and still, he maintained his excellence and composure to win and set an example for many others to come. Four years later in Vancouver, Davis went on to repeat his performance defending his title in the 1,000m - becoming the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in the event - and another silver in the 1,500m. In addition to Olympic Winter Games success, Davis is world championship bronze medalist, a 15-time world single distance championship medalist, a four-time world spring championships medalist, and a four-time world all-around championships medalist. Davis continues to be an ambassador for sport and an inspiration to young athletes of color around the world.

Nominee 

Cammi Granato - Women’s Ice Hockey  

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Games Nagano 1998, gold  

• Olympic Games Salt Lake City 2002, silver  

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Granato served as the team captain of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, helping the U.S. claim the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport of ice hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1988. She then captained the 2002 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team to a silver medal in Salt Lake City. She was a founding member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, helping the U.S. earn a silver medal at the inaugural women’s world championships in 1990. As a 15-year member of the U.S. Women’s National Team beginning in 1990, Granato is among the program’s all-time leading scorers with 343 points in 205 games and is the all-time women's national team leading scorer. In her last international competition and ninth world championships in 2005, she led Team USA to the gold medal, its first-ever in an IIHF Women’s World Championships. Granato has been steadfast in her mission to grow the game she loves so much and continues to break down barriers, including today serving as assistant general manager of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. As of February 2022, she is the third female assistant general manager in NHL history. 

Nominee Name

Mia Hamm - Soccer  

Olympic Games Experience

• Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, gold 

• Olympic Games Sydney 2000, silver  

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, gold  

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

One of the most decorated female soccer players in U.S. history, Mia Hamm was part of an exceptional group of women who broke down barriers for girls in sport both in the Olympic Movement and globally. Competitively, Hamm had 275 national team appearances and 158 national team goals. She is a three-time Olympic medalist, two-time world cup champion, two-time world cup bronze medalist, and was the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. Additionally, she is included in FIFA’s Top 100 Players in the World, is a five-time U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, and a three-time ESPY winner. Hamm co-founded the Women’s United Soccer Association, the first women’s professional league and is featured in the Women’s Professional Soccer logo.

Nominee Nominee 

Kayla Harrison – Judo 

Olympic Games experience

• Olympic Games London 2012, gold  

• Olympic Games Rio 2016, gold  

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Not only did Kayla Harrison become the first American (male or female) to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport of judo, but she also topped that off by becoming the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016. The most successful American judo player and Olympian in the history of the Olympic Movement, Kayla is the 2010 world champion and two-time world championship bronze medalist. Before turning 18, Harrison was a two-time U.S Senior National Champion becoming only the third American to win the Junior World Championships in 2008. She won a Silver Medal at the Junior World Championships in 2009 and became Senior World Champion in 2010, only the fourth American ever to do so. In 2015, Harrison was inducted into the U.S. Judo Federation Hall of Fame. Not only is her 13-year career impressive based on the results, her Olympic spirit and perseverance are unmatched.

Nominee Name

Michelle Kwan – Figure Skating  

Olympic Games experience

• Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998, silver 

• Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake 2002, bronze 

• Olympic Winter Games Lillehammer 1994, alternate 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Michelle Kwan is the personification of the Olympic Movement. As the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Michelle is a two-time Olympic medalist, five-time world champion and nine-time world championship medalist. She competed at the senior level for over a decade during the most competitive era of women’s figure skating and was the U.S. women’s champion nine times. Kwan has been honored by numerous sports and philanthropic organizations. Now 41, she was recently nominated by the Biden Administration as U.S. Ambassador to Belize. She began her diplomacy career in 2006 after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named her a Public Diplomacy Ambassador; the position was continued under the Obama Administration. She has served as an envoy to China, Russia, Argentina, Ukraine, South Korea, and Singapore.

Nominee Name

Eleanor (Elle) Logan – Rowing 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (women's eight+)  

• Olympic Games London 2012, gold (women's eight+) 

• Olympic Games Rio 2016, gold (women's eight+)  

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Elle Logan is the most decorated U.S. female rower ever, having won three Olympic gold medals and three world championship titles. Additionally, she medaled in three women’s boat classes at the world championships. In 2008, her crew was named FISA’s 2008 Crew of the Year. Her versatility in boat classes was incredible, even becoming the world's fifth-ranking single sculler in 2013. Logan won Stanford’s first NCAA Championship in 2009 and was named the Pac-12 Rower of the Century. An incredibly talented woman and athlete, Logan increased the standard of excellence for all U.S. female rowers.

Nominee 

Julia Mancuso – Alpine Skiing

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002 

• Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006, gold (giant slalom) 

• Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, silver (alpine combined, downhill) 

• Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, bronze (alpine combined) 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination 

Julia Mancuso began winning early in her career, ultimately establishing herself as one of the most decorated female athletes of her generation. After winning double world championship bronze medals at age 20, she came back one year later to win Olympic gold in the 2006 giant slalom at Torino 2006. Mancuso’s four Olympic medals, including one gold, are more than any other female Team USA skier or snowboarder, and she ranks third among Team USA women across all winter sports. Medaling at three straight Olympic Games, she achieved 36 world cup podiums, including seven victories. A free spirit, Mancuso became a popular personality in the sport worldwide, winning consistently over the span of a decade.

Nominee Name

Bode Miller – Alpine Skiing 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1988 

• Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002, silver (giant slalom, alpine) 

• Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006 

• Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, gold (alpine combined), silver (super-G), bronze (downhill) 

• Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, bronze (super-G) 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

In a career that spanned five Olympic Games (1998-2014), Bode Miller revolutionized his sport of alpine skiing globally with both his athleticism and his public persona. He achieved continual success at every level of the sport, including 33 world cup victories across all five events, two FIS overall world cup titles, double gold at back-to-back world championships in 2003 and 2005, and six Olympic medals. Miller ranks number two (behind Apolo Ohno) in most individual winter Olympic medals won by any Team USA athlete with six. He was a central figure in leading the U.S. Alpine Ski Team to its most successful period in history. In 2005, he founded his Turtle Ridge Foundation with the mission to provide grants to like-minded organizations that enhance community, opportunity and well-being for the adaptive community and youth sports programs. 

Nominee Name

Michael Phelps - Swimming 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Games Rio 2016 , gold (4x100m medley, 4x100m free, 200m fly, 4x200m free, 200m medley); silver (100m fly)

• Olympic Games London 2012, gold (100m fly, 200m medley, 4x100m medley, 4x200m free); silver (200m fly, 4x100m free); 4th (400m medley)

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (100m fly, 200m fly, 200m free, 200m medley, 400m medley, 4x100m free, 4x200m free, 4x100m medley)

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, gold (100m fly, 200m fly, 200m medley, 400m medley, 4x200m free, 4x100m medley); bronze (200m free, 4x100m free)

• Olympic Games Sydney 200, 5th (200m fly)

Comments to support the individual’s nomination 

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time (28 medals) and the winningest Olympian of all time (23 gold medals). The only male U.S. swimmer to compete on five Olympic teams, he was elected the flagbearer for the U.S. at Rio 2016 before closing out his Olympic career with six medals in Brazil. In 2000, at age 15, he became the youngest American male Olympian since 1932 and his eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games is an Olympic record. During the Beijing Games, Phelps set seven world records, eight American records and eight Olympic records. He set 29 long-course meter swimming world records in individual events, eight world records in relay events, and has the most FINA world championship swimming titles in history with 33. On top of his international success, Phelps made it nearly impossible for other U.S. swimmers to beat him on the sport’s biggest domestic stages, as he captured 36 USA Swimming summer national championships titles from 2003-2015, won four consecutive Olympic trials titles in the 200-meter butterfly (2004-2016) and 200m individual medley (2004-2016), and won three consecutive Olympic trials titles in the 200m freestyle (2004-2012) and 100m butterfly (2008-2016).

Nominee Name

John Smith - Wrestling  

Olympic Games experience

• Olympic Games Seoul 1988, gold (62 kg)  

• Olympic Games Barcelona 1992, gold (62 kg) 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

John Smith is one of only three U.S. wrestlers to win two Olympic gold medals. Between 1987-1992, Smith won six straight world or Olympic golds, the only U.S. wrestler to accomplish that feat. Known to have revolutionized wrestling with his unique technique, he was a two-time Pan American Games gold medalist, two-time world cup champion and 1990 Goodwill Games champion. Smith has been an Olympic coach for Team USA twice (2000, 2012) and the women’s world championships team coach four times. He has passed on his knowledge to multiple generations.

Nominee Name

Dawn Staley - Women’s Basketball 

Olympic Games experience

• Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, gold 

• Olympic Games Sydney 2000, gold 

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, gold  

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008 – served as an assistant coach to gold medal team 

• Olympic Games Rio 2016 – served as an assistant coach to gold medal team 

• Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – served as head coach to gold medal team 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Dawn Staley, head coach at the University of South Carolina, has had a long and illustrious USA Basketball career that began as an athlete in 1989 before she led the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and piloted the U.S. to a seventh-straight Olympic gold medal. She is a three-time Olympic and two-time FIBA world cup gold medalist as a player, and was named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 1994 and 2004. Staley was a member of the historic 1995-96 USA Basketball Women's National Team that rolled up a 60-0 record, captured the 1996 Olympic gold medal and was named the 1996 USA Basketball and U.S. Olympic Committee Team of the Year. A two-year ABL and eight-year WNBA veteran, saw action in seven All-Star Games, two in the ABL (1997, 1998) and six in the WNBA (2000-03, 2005-06). As an athlete, she was the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Opening Ceremony Flag Bearer, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2013), Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2012) and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (2008). Staley continues to be involved with USA Basketball by serving as a member of the USA Basketball Women's National Team Committee and shaping the teams of the future. She is also cited as the first person to win Naismith Award as a player and a coach.

Nominee Name

Brenda Villa – Water Polo 

Olympic Games experience 

• Olympic Games Sydney 2000, silver 

• Olympic Games Athens 2004, bronze 

• Olympic Games Beijing 2008, silver 

• Olympic Games London 2012, gold 

Comments to support the individual’s nomination

Brenda Villa is one of the most successful water polo players as a four-time Olympic medalist, three-time FINA world champion and three-time Pan American Games champion. She competed at the first Olympic Games to offer women’s water polo, where the team earned the silver medal in 2000. Villa additionally was the 2010 FINA world cup champion, four-time World Aquatics champion and has seven FINA world league titles. A longtime captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team, she was the FINA Player of the Decade in 2008-09. Villa continues to support the growth of water polo and water safety, serving on the USA Water Polo board of directors, Pan Am Sports executive committee and co-chair of USA Water Polo’s Racial Equity & Reform Task Force.

Nominee Name

Lindsey Vonn – Alpine Skiing 

Olympic Games experience

·       Olympic Games Salt Lake City 2002 

·       Olympic Games Torino 2006 

·       Olympic Games Vancouver 2010, gold (downhill), bronze (super-G)  

·       Olympic Games PyeongChang 2018, bronze (downhill) 

Final comments to support the individual’s nomination

The most successful female ski racer in history and with three Olympic medals to her name, Lindsey Vonn is the only American woman to ever capture downhill gold at the Olympic Winter Games and the only American woman with four World Cup overall titles. With an 18-year career that began with her first world cup victory in downhill in 2004, she has six world championship medals, including double gold in downhill and super-G from the 2009 Championships in France. Vonn concluded her skiing career after the 2017-18 season with a career total of 82 world cup victories, putting her in second place all-time internationally. In victory, defeat and battling back from crashes and injuries, Vonn will be remembered as a strong competitor who brought the sport of alpine ski racing to the mainstream of American sports.