Meet the 2022 Hall of Fame Finalists
Team Ballot Bios
Paralympic Team
2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team
Names of all individuals on team
Manny Guerra, Lonnie Hannah, Brian Ruhe, Sylvester Flis, Matt Coppens, James Dunham, Patrick Byrne, Jack Sanders, Dave Conklin, Kip St. Germaine, Josh Wirt, Dan Henderson, Joe Howard, Patrick Sapp, Chris Manns
Paralympic Games experience
Comments to support the individual’s nomination
The 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team not only won the first gold medal in U.S. history in the event, but it did so as the lowest-seeded team in the tournament. Going undefeated in Paralympic play, the U.S. twice defeated 1998 gold-medalist Norway in their undefeated six-game run to the gold medal. The remarkable story of this team, led by coach Rick Middleton, is one not dissimilar to the 1980 'Miracle On Ice' U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team in many ways. Their gold medal on home soil served as a catalyst for the expansion of not only sled hockey in the U.S., but by extension, disabled hockey overall.
Paralympic Team
2008 Paralympic Sailing Team
Names of all individuals on team
Nicholas Salvatore Scandone, Maureen McKinnon
Paralympic Games experience
Comments to support the individual’s nomination
The pair of Nicholas Salvatore Scandone and Maureen McKinnon won gold at the Paralympic Games Beijing 2008. Both McKinnon and Scandone share a remarkably inspiring story of their journey to gold. Scandone's health was failing in the year leading up to the Games and yet the pair won the gold medal before Scandone passed away just six months after the Games, while McKinnon became the first woman to represent the U.S. in sailing at the Paralympic Games and the first woman to win gold in the Paralympic Games. Scandone was chosen by his fellow members of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team with the honor of being the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Beijing. Prior to his passing, Scandone was a collegiate national champion from the University of California - Irvine, and later placed second at the Olympic Trials in the Men's 470 class and was the Rolex Yachtsmen of Year in 2005 after beating an 88-boat fleet of able-bodied and disabled sailors in the 2.4-meter open world championship regatta.
