1996: Atlanta
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KEHINDE ALADE’FA CASEY BARRETT BYRON BLACK WAYNE BLACK BRAD BRIDGEWATER JEAN-PAUL BRUWIER SAU YING CHAN NATALYA (NATASHA) CHIKINA SHEILA CORNELL-DOUTY MARK CREAR JESSICA DAVIS UDEME EKPENYONG WILLIAM ERESE JANET EVANS PAUL GREENE BRYAN IVIE JACQUE JONES TAMAS KEREKJARTO BALAZS KISS DESMOND KOH MARK KWOK LISA LESLIE ARTHUR LI MYRA MAYBERRY JESUS OLIVAN DULYARIT “GOH” PHUANGTHONG KRISTINE QUANCE DOROTHY “DOT” RICHARDSON MARIA ELENA ROMERO ASA SANDLUND JASON SHELTON JOHN STEEL BELA SZABADOS CITO VASCONCELLOS BJORN ZIKARSKY KEHINDE ALADE’FA USC AT THE 1996 OLYMPICS • 7 GOLD 1 SILVER 2 BRONZE CASEY BARRETT BYRON BLACK WAYNE BLACK BRAD BRIDGEWATER JEAN-PAUL BRUWIER SAU YING CHAN NATALYA (NATASHA) CHIKINA SHEILA CORNELL-DOUTY MARK CREAR JESSICA DAVIS UDEME EKPENYONG WILLIAM ERESE In the waning years of the 19th century, Pierre de Coubertin organized a congress that spawned the first modern Olympic Games, held in Greece — so it might seem that Athens would be the obvious choice for 1996’s centennial Olympics. Instead, the International Olympic Committee picked Atlanta, which had more robust facilities and offered a greater chance of financial success. While taxpayer money paid for infrastructure improvements supporting the Games, private companies and revenue from tickets funded new sports venues and the actual Games. That meant solvency, but it also opened the door to more commercialism. Politically, the XXVI Olympiad was a triumph, drawing unprecedented international representation. For the first time, athletes from all 197 national Olympic committees participated — more than 10,000 athletes in all. Two dozen nations made their Olympic or Summer Games debut. The Games also marked the return of boxing legend Muhammad Ali to the public eye. Ali, who was struggling with Parkinson’s disease, was chosen to ignite the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony and received a replacement medal for his 1960 Olympic gold, which he had hurled into the Ohio River to protest racism in America. He received the flame from then-USC assistant swim coach and former Trojan swimmer Janet Evans, who had carried the Olympic torch around the stadium track. With an auspicious beginning, the Games seemed to be proceeding peacefully, at least until the morning of July 27. During a rock concert in Centennial Olympic Park, a pipe bomb exploded, sending nails into the crowd. Two people died and more than 100 were injured. The bomber later said his goal was to “confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world.” But the Olympic spirit was not to be broken. In memorable moments, Kerri Strug vaulted with an injured ankle and landed on one foot to lead the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to its first gold medal, and American sprinter Michael Johnson became the first man to win both the 200 meters and 400 meters at the same Games. USC sent 38 competitors, and Trojan athletes came home with 10 medals, seven of them gold, placing them above nations such as Greece and Switzerland in the medal haul. 164 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA KEHINDE ALADE’FA CASEY BARRETT BYRON BLACK WAYNE BLACK BRAD BRIDGEWATER JEAN-PAUL BRUWIER SAU YING CHAN NATALYA (NATASHA) CHIKINA SHEILA CORNELL-DOUTY MARK CREAR JESSICA DAVIS UDEME EKPENYONG WILLIAM ERESE JANET EVANS PAUL GREENE BRYAN IVIE JACQUE JONES TAMAS KEREKJARTO BALAZS KISS DESMOND KOH MARK KWOK LISA LESLIE ARTHUR LI MYRA MAYBERRY JESUS OLIVAN DULYARIT “GOH” PHUANGTHONG KRISTINE QUANCE DOROTHY “DOT” RICHARDSON MARIA ELENA ROMERO ASA SANDLUND JASON SHELTON JOHN STEEL BELA SZABADOS CITO VASCONCELLOS BJORN ZIKARSKY KEHINDE ALADE’FA USC AT THE 1996 OLYMPICS • 7 GOLD 1 SILVER 2 BRONZE CASEY BARRETT BYRON BLACK WAYNE BLACK BRAD BRIDGEWATER JEAN-PAUL BRUWIER SAU YING CHAN NATALYA (NATASHA) CHIKINA SHEILA CORNELL-DOUTY MARK CREAR JESSICA DAVIS UDEME EKPENYONG WILLIAM ERESE ATLANTA Trojan Kristine Quance ’99 picked up a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics after swimming the breaststroke leg of the 4x100-meter medley relay during the heats for the U.S. team. 1996AN OLYMPIC HERITAGE 165 INGER MILLER If ever someone seemed born to run, it was recovery from surgery, Inger struggled to reach Inger Miller ’95. top form and finished last in the 100 meters at the 1995 National Championships. In 1965, Inger Miller’s father, Lennox, moved to Los Angeles from Kingston, Jamaica, to attend When Inger returned to full health, she asked USC. As a college student, he competed at the her father to be her coach. Lennox’s guidance 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where he won helped reinvigorate her track career, and she silver in the 100-meter dash. qualified for the 1996 Summer Games. In Atlanta, she finished fourth in the 200 meters, After the Games, Lennox focused more heavily but won an Olympic gold medal on the 4x100- on preparing for his future career in dentistry. meter relay team. The U.S. team had trailed the Yet he qualified for the 1972 Jamaican Olympic Bahamian runners until Inger gained the lead in team while attending dental school at USC the third leg. and went on to earn a bronze medal in the 100 meters at the Munich Games. Inger had been The Millers became the first father-daughter born just weeks prior. tandem to win Olympic track and field medals. According to Inger and her sister, Heather, Inger followed up her Olympic gold with their father was quiet about his athletic another gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay at accomplishments and never pressured them the 1997 World Championships. Two years later, to follow in his speedy footsteps. Inger she achieved perhaps actually competed in several sports growing her greatest individual success as an athlete, up and did especially well in soccer. She didn’t winning the gold in the 200 meters at the 1999 settle on her father’s specialty until her school’s World Championships. After her victory, she ran track coach, who had seen her impressive into the stands to embrace her father and her performances on the soccer field, convinced mother, Avril. her to try sprinting. As he hugged his daughter, Lennox told her, “I The coach’s instincts proved to be right. Miller always knew you could do it.” had tremendous success as a sprinter and was eventually ranked No. 2 among U.S. prep athletes by Track and Field News. She earned a full scholarship to USC, where she won two Pacific-10 Conference titles at USC but was hampered by various injuries. After a long AN OLYMPIC HERITAGE 167 BJÖRN ZIKARSKY ’91 Swimmer Björn Zikarsky, a USC All-American, won a bronze medal FIRST-TIMERS in Atlanta as a member of Germany’s SEVERAL SPORTS MADE THEIR FIRST OLYMPIC APPEARANCE 4x100-meter freestyle relay team. He IN ATLANTA, FROM MOUNTAIN BIKING, LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING, also swam in Seoul in 1988. BEACH VOLLEYBALL, SOFTBALL AND WOMEN’S SOCCER. AS OF 1996, DEMONSTRATION SPORTS WERE NO LONGER PART OF THE OLYMPIC SCHEDULE. TROJAN VICTORIES AND HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1996 ATLANTA GAMES usc olympians: 38 gold: 7 silver: 1 bronze: 2 SHEILA CORNELL DOUTY MPT ’87 Hall of Famer Sheila Cornell Douty played on the U.S. softball team that won the gold medal in the sport’s debut in Atlanta and again in Sydney in 2000. ON A MUSICAL NOTE COMPOSER JOHN WILLIAMS OF E.T. AND JURASSIC PARK FAME AGAIN CREATED THE BALÁZS KISS ’97 OFFICIAL MUSICAL THEME FOR THE DOT RICHARDSON Hammer thrower Balázs Kiss GAMES.“SUMMON won four straight national collegiate Dorothy “Dot” Richardson, who completed her orthopedic surgery residency at THE HEROES” track and field titles as a Trojan. In USC, starred at shortstop for the gold-medal-winning U.S. softball team. She Atlanta, he took home a gold medal WAS HIS THIRD hit the first home run in Olympic softball history, leading the U.S. to victory for Hungary. OLYMPIC SCORE. over China in the final. 168 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JACQUE JONES Jacque Jones, an All-American outfielder at USC, won a bronze with the U.S. baseball team in Atlanta. He blasted five home runs and hit .395. He went on to play for the Minnesota Twins, among other Major League Baseball teams. NAKED TRUTH IN WOMEN’S SOCCER, TEAM USA’S GOALKEEPER VOWED TO RUN DOWN THE STREET NAKED IF HER TEAM WON GOLD IN ATLANTA. SHE KEPT TRUE TO HER PROMISE, DONNING ONLY HER GOLD MEDAL. MARK CREAR ’92 A 1992 national championship-winning hurdler at USC, Mark Crear earned his first Olympic medal, a silver, in the 110-meter hurdles in Atlanta, despite a broken arm. He captured a bronze in Sydney four years later — with a double hernia. BRAD BRIDGEWATER ’97 USC’s Brad Bridgewater, an All-American in 1995 and 1996, won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter backstroke by less than half a second. KRISTINE QUANCE ’99 Kristine Quance, who led the swim team at USC, DISTANT EVENTS made the Olympic team in WITH ATLANTA BEING A LANDLOCKED CITY, the 200-meter individual SOME EVENTS HAD TO BE STAGED MANY MILES AWAY. medley and 100-meter YACHTING RACES WERE HELD IN SAVANNAH, GA. FOR LACK breaststroke. She won a OF WHITE WATER, THE CANOE AND KAYAKING EVENTS gold in the 4x100-meter WERE OUTSOURCED TO THE OCOEE RIVER medley relay. IN SOUTHEASTERN TENNESSEE. AN OLYMPIC HERITAGE 169.