INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 17, 2005 – Shannon Miller, who has won more Olympic and world medals than any other U.S. gymnast, and the 1984 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team are among the nominees for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame for 2006. The general public may vote online at http://www.usolympicteam.com to help determine the next class of inductees. The individual Olympian and Olympic team winners, as well as one Paralympian, one coach, a veteran and a special contributor, will be honored during the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Presented by Allstate induction ceremony December 8 in Chicago, Ill., at the Harris Theatre. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) released this information, along with a complete list of nominees, earlier today.

Public voting concludes on Sept. 21. A nationally televised special on the Class of 2006 inductees to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and their accomplishments will air early in 2006. Broadcast details will be announced at a later date.


Shannon Miller, individual athlete nominee
Miller earned seven Olympic and nine World Championship medals since she debuted on the elite level in 1990. At the 1992 Olympic Games, her five medals (two silver and three bronze) represented the most medals won by a U.S. athlete. Four years later, she won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In addition to the team gold medal as part of the “Magnificent Seven,” Miller became the first American gymnast to ever win the balance beam gold medal. She also is the only U.S. gymnast to win back-to-back world all-around titles (1993-94). During her competitive gymnastics career, she won an astounding 58 international and 49 national competition medals, more than half of which were gold. Her accolades include the 1994 Dial Award, America’s most coveted award for high school seniors; USA Gymnastics’ 1994 Athlete of the Year; inaugural recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award in 1994; and the 1993 Master of Sport Award, one of gymnastics’ highest honors.
Miller is currently a second year law student at the Boston College School of Law. She earned her BBA in marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Houston in 2003. In addition to her studies, Miller is currently a motivational speaker and contributes her time to numerous charities, including Special Olympics, Children’s Miracle Network, Muscular Dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, March of Dimes, Drug Free Youth, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Pediatric Aids Foundation.

1984 U.S. Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Team, team nominee
At the 1984 Olympic Games, the men’s gymnastics team became the first U.S. squad to win the Olympic team gold medal. The team members were Bart Conner, Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord, Jim Hartung, Scott Johnson and Peter Vidmar. The team gold medal was not the only time these gymnasts stepped up on the podium. Other medals earned were: Vidmar, gold in the pommel horse and silver in the individual all-around; Daggett, bronze in pommel horse; Conner, gold on parallel bars; and Gaylord, silver in the long horse vault and bronze in both the parallel bars and still rings.
The Class of 2006 finalists in the individual sport/event, team, Paralympic and coaching categories were selected by a nominating committee consisting of athletes, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives. The committee also selected the individuals to be honored in the veteran and special contributor categories. Their names will be announced in October along with those of the other inductees.
For more information on the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, check the USOC’s Web site, www.usolympicteam.com or the USOC.