POSTED: Monday March 9th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Sports Corp Spotlight - USOC

A weekly column by from Mike Moran with his own opinions and musings devoted to all things in Sports in our town and around the area, and the “buzz” for everything from the Olympic athlete to the weekend

 
Au revoir, Jim Scherr –But Hopefully Not For Long: The jolting, unexpected departure of Jim Scherr as CEO of the United States Olympic Committee has left scores of questions to be answered about the reasons, the cold, soulless manner in which it was handled, and, once again, a dedicated staff left wondering about its future………that’s a subject for another time, but let me tell you about Jim Scherr from my experience with the man……..he was the right man for the job at the worst time………he was handed the position on an interim basis in 2003 in the wake of a mess that had left the USOC rudderless, humiliated in Congressional Hearings, mocked by pundits, athletes and sport leaders, and the butt of jokes…….Jim had endured, as I had, the resignations of the organization’s President (s), CEO, COO, Ethics Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Auditor and others during 2002 and 2003 as it imploded with blinding speed……….it was in the vortex of this tempest that Jim and University of Michigan athletic director Bill Martin were handed the tiller of the USOC as acting CEO and acting President……….Scheer had cut his teeth with the USOC as Chief of Sport Performance beginning in 2000, after a brilliant term as Executive Director of USA Wrestling from 1990-2000…..during his stint at the National Governing Body in Colorado Springs, America’s wrestlers won eight medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, won the 1993 and 1995 Freestyle World Championships…..and USA Wrestling’s membership ballooned to 135,000 athletes, coaches, officials and clubs………he was named USA Wrestling’s Man of the year in 1994……….during his time at the USOC in the sport performance field, he was a brilliant leader, increasing funding to athletes, creating training opportunities and athlete voice and involvement, and simply doing the kind of job that the National Governing Bodies expected on their behalf………now, we’re told that some sort of “new skills” are in order, and that a new approach to the challenges of the times are required by the USOC in its leader……Jim Scherr had the most compelling resume of any man or woman ever named to the top professional staff executive spot in USOC history…….he was, first and foremost, an Olympian, the first ever named to the top spot at the USOC, which is amazing to begin with……….he was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team in Seoul, a three-time U.S. National Champion, two-time World Cup Champion, two-time silver medalist at the World Championships, and an NCAA Champion at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska……..the Mobridge, South Dakota, native found time to gain an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management along the way, one of the most respected and prestigious programs in the nation……..his term as CEO, begun in the turmoil of 2003, may be the most productive period in the complicated history of the USOC……..the USA leading the medal count in Athens and Beijing, winning 25 medals in Torino, doubling the amount of direct financial support for American athletes, watching proudly as those U.S.  Olympic teams came home with zero positive drug tests, bolstering the new Paralympic program, and rolling up his sleeves as Chairman Peter Ueberroth came aboard in 2004 to mold a dramatically-changed Board of Directors and International outreach effort…….but most of all, he became the guy that the National Governing Bodies could connect with, one of their own……a guy they could count on to understand their needs and dreams, because he had been one of them, not some empty suit rolling in the perks and spotlight of the job……..when Jim got the job on a full-time basis on April 29, 2005,  Ueberroth praised his leadership in reorganizing the U.S. Olympic Committee staff to better serve America’s athletes. “The United States Olympic Committee has a responsibility to mirror the same level of excellence we see in our Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Jim has worked diligently to ensure that USOC resources are being used efficiently and effectively.”…………..Scherr brought the USOC integrity when it needed it the most, dependability where there had been none, character when it was lacking, energy when much had died, a sense of humor where there had been none,  a low profile when it counted, and kindness to those he managed……….I watched him grow, gain confidence and make his mark on the organization in the harshest circumstances……..he had to make tough choices, endure micro-management by volunteer leadership that would try the strongest soul, and balance it all with his own principles and passion for America’s athletes……..now, he’s gone, and we are expected to move right along as yet another “New Order” moves in to direct the world’s most important National Olympic Committee, just weeks before IOC Members visit Chicago to review and score its critical bid to land the 2016 Olympic Games and just months ahead of the vote in October among Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro for the honor…….but most of all, just less than a year before more than 200 athletes that Scherr helped along the way leave for Vancouver and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games…..and a professional support staff at Olympic House worrying about a 15% cut in their ranks, and who will they report to………….I love these people who work for the athletes every day of the year, and the National Governing Body leaders, coaches and officials who give America the young men and women who make us proud on the podiums…….I spent 25 years of my life being part of those dreams, and now, like everybody else, I can just hope for the best………especially for Jim Scherr. Below is a list of those in Jim’s spot that I served, and those since…it is a very tough spotlight, trust me.  Godspeed, Jim!
 
USOC Executive Directors/CEOs
F. Don Miller (1969-85)
Gen. George Miller (1985-87)
Baaron Pittenger (1987-89)
Harvey Schiller (briefly in late 1987)
Baaron Pittenger (1987-88)
Harvey Schiller (1989-94)
John Krimsky (1994-1995)
Dick Schultz (1995-2000)
Norm Blake (2000 for 10 months)
Scott Blackmun (2000-2001)
Lloyd Ward (2001-2003)
Jim Scherr (2003-2009)

Stephanie Streeter (2009-)

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Keywords · Mike Moran · Sports Corp · USOC

Name: Mike Moran
Organization: Colorado Springs Sports Corporation
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