Three swimmers and an historic relay are among the the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame (USOPC), Class of 2022. Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Trischa Zorn-Hudson and the 1976 women’s 4×100 freestyle relay of Wendy Boglioli, Kim Peyton, Jill Sterkel and Shirley Babashoff have been elected.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) today announced the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, Class of 2022, which will be honored and inducted in a ceremony held Friday, June 24, at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. The class of 2022 is made up of eight individuals, two teams, two legends, one coach and one special contributor.
The inductees include Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Muffy Davis (Para alpine skiing and Para-cycling), Mia Hamm (soccer), David Kiley (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field, and wheelchair basketball), Michelle Kwan (figure skating), Michael Phelps (swimming), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), Trischa Zorn-Hudson (Para swimming), the 1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team, the 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, Gretchen Fraser (legend: alpine skiing), Roger Kingdom (legend: track and field), Pat Summitt (coach: basketball) and Billie Jean King (special contributor).
“It’s a distinct honor to welcome the class of 2022 into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame and to celebrate their remarkable individual and team achievements as representatives of Team USA,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “Induction into the Hall of Fame adds to the tremendous legacies of these great athletes and teams, and also memorializes the contributions of those members of the “team behind the team” who dedicated themselves to helping Team USA achieve success on and off the field of play.”
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The class of 2022 has represented the United States as athletes at a combined 27 Olympic and Paralympic Games, tallying 129 medals, including 86 golds. There are also two new sports or sport disciplines added to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, with Muffy Davis as a Para-cyclist and the 2002 sled hockey team. Pat Summitt and Billie Jean King become the first female inductees in the coach and special contributor categories, respectively.
National Governing Bodies, alumni, current athletes and additional members of the Olympic and Paralympic community were invited to nominate eligible athletes. From there, a nominating committee comprised of individuals from the Olympic and Paralympic movements narrowed it down to a set of finalists. The class of 2022 was determined by a voting process that includes Olympians and Paralympians, members of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family, and an online vote open to fans. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame was one of the first national sports halls of fame to include fan voting as part of its selection process, and this year, more than 432,000 votes were cast across all platforms.
This will be the 17th class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame (USOPC), bringing the total to 168 inductees (individuals and teams). The first class was inducted in 1983 and the most recent class was inducted in 2019. Find the entire list of Hall of Fame inductees here.
The USOPC class of 2022 includes:
- Natalie Coughlin (swimming – 2004, 2008, 2012): In three Olympic Games, Natalie Coughlin competed in 12 events and won 12 medals, and became the first U.S. female athlete to win six medals at a single Games. She is tied for the most Olympic medals for a U.S. female athlete.
- Muffy Davis (Para alpine skiing and Para-cycling – 1998, 2002, 2012): A seven-time Paralympic medalist, Davis has been a part of the Paralympic Movement for 20 years as an athlete, ambassador, volunteer, and active member of several committees. She is a two-term IPC Governing Board member and currently serves on the USOPC Governing Board and USOPC Paralympic Advisory Council.
- Mia Hamm (soccer – 1996, 2000, 2004): One of the most decorated female soccer players in U.S. history, 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.
- David Kiley (Para alpine skiing, Para track and field, and wheelchair basketball – 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992 (summer and winter), 2000): David Kiley is a six-time Paralympian and Paralympic gold medalist across three sports. During his career, Kiley became the only player to play wheelchair basketball in four different decades. Kiley went on to coach in three additional Paralympic Games as a part of the wheelchair basketball team and has served as NWBA Commissioner and President.
- Michelle Kwan (figure skating – 1994 (alternate), 1998, 2002): As the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Kwan 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.
- Michael Phelps (swimming – 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016): 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, Phelps closed 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.
- Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing – 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018): 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 concluded after the 2017-18 season, she is in second place all-time internationally with a career total of 82 world cup victories.
- Trischa Zorn-Hudson (Para swimming – 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004): The most decorated Paralympic athlete of all time, Trischa Zorn-Hudson’s incredible career spanned seven Paralympic Games over more than two decades. She is credited with winning 55 Paralympic medals, including 41 gold. Over a 12-year span from 1980 to 1992, Zorn-Hudson was unbeaten in every Paralympic race in which she competed, taking gold in 25 races.
- 1976 Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay Swimming Team: En route to breaking the world record by almost four seconds, the women’s team defeated a team of what was later revealed to be state-sponsored, medically enhanced athletes from East Germany, in the final event on the swimming program. The squad of Kim Peyton, Wendy Boglioli, Jill Sterkel and Shirley Babashoff pulled off what was deemed impossible when they bettered the East Germans.
- 2002 Paralympic Sled Hockey Team: The 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team championship performance led the U.S. to its first-ever Paralympic gold in sled hockey. Going undefeated in Paralympic play, the U.S. twice defeated the 1998 gold medal winning team of Norway in their undefeated six-game run to the gold medal. Their gold medal on home soil served as a catalyst for the expansion of not only sled hockey in the U.S.
- Gretchen Fraser (legend: alpine skiing – 1948): Gretchen Fraser became the first global ski star, winning gold and silver in the debut of alpine skiing’s modern events at the 1948 Olympic Winter Games. In a sport that was capturing global attention after WWII, Fraser was treated as a national hero upon her triumphant return to America.
- Roger Kingdom (legend: track and field – 1984, 1988): Roger Kingdom is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles in 1984 and 1988. A former world and American record holder, he is one of only two runners to ever win consecutive Olympic titles in the 110-meter hurdles.
- Pat Summitt (coach: basketball – 1976, athlete; 1984, coach): As a coach, Summitt helped lead the U.S. women’s team to gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. During her tenure as the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Tennessee, Summit led the squad to eight NCAA championships and compiled more wins than any other Division I college basketball coach in NCAA history, a record that stood until 2020, and never missed the NCAA tournament in 38 years. As an athlete, Summit won Olympic silver as a co-captain at the 1976 Games. Summit is the first woman inducted in the coaching category.
- Billie Jean King (special contributor): Billie Jean King’s influence and playing style elevated the state of women’s tennis beginning in the late 1960s. King won 39 major titles in her career, competing in both singles and doubles. In addition to coaching the Olympic gold-medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. women’s tennis teams, King captured a record 20 Wimbledon titles. She was one of the founders and the first president of the Women’s Tennis Association, was part of a group that founded World Team Tennis, and she also founded the Women’s Sports Foundation to support women in sport around Title IX, which continues to have a massive impact on Olympic and Paralympic sport. King is the first woman inducted into this category.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic (USOPC) Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place June 24 and will be hosted by NBC’s Mike Tirico. The event will not be open to the public, but a livestream will be available.
Feeling like another slap to the face. In a swimming world article, you didn’t even mention the names of the women relay swimmers who have waited for their long overdue recognition. Please update
See my comment above. I’m happy to help out with the names of those Champions.
Congrats to Kim Peyton, Wendy Boglioli, Jill Sterkel and Shirley Babashoff. This is long overdue. RIP Kim Peyton.
Jennifer Hooker is also included in the 1976 Relay as she swam in the preliminary heat.