Scott Scovell Hamilton (born August 28, 1958) is a retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. He won four consecutive U.S. championships (1981â€"1984), four consecutive World Championships (1981â€"1984) and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. His signature move is a backflip, a feat that few other figure skaters could perform and is against USFSA and Olympic competition rules, but which he would include in his exhibition routines to please the crowd.
Childhood
Hamilton was born in Toledo, Ohio. He was adopted at the age of six weeks by Dorothy (née McIntosh), a professor, and Ernest S. Hamilton, a professor of biology, and raised in Bowling Green, Ohio. He has two siblings, older sister Susan (his parents' biological daughter) and younger brother Steven (who was also adopted). He attended Crim Elementary School. The street the school is located on is named after him. When Hamilton was two years old he contracted a mysterious illness that caused him to stop growing. After numerous tests and several wrong diagnoses (including a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis that gave him just six months to live), the disease began to correct itself. His family physician sent him to Boston Children's Hospital to see a Dr. Shwachman. He was told the doctor had no idea what was wrong and to go home and stop the diets in order to live a normal life. Years later, it was determined that a congenital brain tumor was the root cause of his childhood illness. At the peak of his amateur career Hamilton weighed 108 pounds (49 kg) and was 5 feet 2.5 inches (1.59 m) tall, but eventually grew to a height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m).
At age 13 he began training with Pierre Brunet, a former Olympic champion. In 1976 however, he was almost forced to quit skating because the cost of training was too high and he enrolled in college. However, Helen and Frank McLoraine stepped in to provide financial support for Hamilton to continue his training. Hamilton would later work with the McLoraines in continuing philanthropic support for figure skating. Hamilton attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
Skating career
In 1980, Hamilton finished third in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, earning him a place on the U.S. Olympic team. He finished in fifth place at the 1980 Winter Olympics, where he also had the honor of carrying the American flag in the opening ceremony. His breakthrough performance was in the 1981 U.S. Championships. He performed flawlessly and the audience began a standing ovation several seconds before the end of the performance. He never lost an amateur competition again. In 1981 he won gold in the World Figure Skating Championships. He won gold again in 1982 and 1983 at the U.S. and World Championships, and won the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics. He won that year's World Championships and then turned professional in April 1984.
After turning professional, Hamilton toured with the Ice Capades for two years, and then created "Scott Hamilton's American Tour," which later was renamed Stars on Ice. He co-founded, co-produced and performed in Stars on Ice for 15 years before retiring from the tour in 2001 (though he still returns for occasional guest performances).
He has been awarded numerous skating honors, including being the first solo male figure skater to be awarded the Jacques Favart Award (in 1988). In 1990 he was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
Hamilton was a skating commentator for CBS television for many years, beginning in 1985. He has also worked for NBC television. In 2006 he was the host of the FOX television program "Skating with Celebrities." He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics International.
Television appearances
Hamilton voiced the dog dancing commentator on the King of the Hill episode "Dances with Dogs". He was also seen in The Fairly OddParents episode "The Fairy Oddlympics" as Timmy Turner's co-host.
He appeared on the August 26, 2008 episode of Wanna Bet?, where he finished 2nd, losing to Bill Engvall. In 2009, he appeared in the second season of Celebrity Apprentice.
He made a small appearance on Roseanne as himself, participating in a mock linoleum skating competition credit sequence.
He also made a brief appearance in the film Blades of Glory.
On March 8, 2010, Scott Hamilton: Return to the Ice premiered on the Bio Channel. The two-hour television special chronicled Hamilton's return to skating after battling cancer.
Programs
Results
Awards
- 1985 â€" Hamilton was presented the 1984 Most Courageous Athlete Award by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
- 1996 - Hamilton was presented the United States Sports Academy's Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Courage Award in recognition of his courageous action in overcoming adversity to excel in sport.
- 1996 - Hamilton received the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
Personal life
In 1990, as the Make-A-Wish Foundation honored its 10th birthday, Hamilton was recognized as the Foundation's first ever "Celebrity Wish Granter of the Year."
In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a national sports study in which Hamilton ranked as one of the top eight most popular athletes in America, ranking far ahead of big-name sports stars such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Troy Aikman, Dan Marino, Wayne Gretzky, Joe Montana, and Nolan Ryan.
In 1997, Hamilton had a much-publicized battle with testicular cancer. He made a return to skating after his treatment and his story was featured in magazines and on television.
On November 14, 2002, he married Tracie Robinson, a nutritionist. The couple have three sons, Aidan McIntosh Hamilton (born September 13, 2003), Maxx Thomas Hamilton (born January 21, 2008),, Jean Paul, and one daughter Evelyne, and they own a dog, Boogie. The family resides in Franklin, Tennessee.
It was announced on November 12, 2004, that Hamilton had a benign brain tumor, which was treated at the Cleveland Clinic. He has also helped benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation where he is an honorary board member.
On August 1, 2008, he played himself in "The Fairly Oddlympics", on an episode of "The Fairly OddParents".
He has been a longtime volunteer with the Special Olympics and currently serves as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador.
In 2009, Hamilton wrote the book, The Great Eight, which shared the secrets to his happiness and how he overcame numerous challenges and disappointments throughout his life.
On June 23, 2010, Hamilton went into brain surgery to prevent the recurrence of the benign tumor discovered in 2004. Called craniopharyngioma, the tumor could have caused blindness if left untreated. The surgery went well.
In November 2010, Hamilton was in the hospital again, reported "People Magazine". Apparently in the removal of the benign tumor in June, an artery in the brain was "nicked". They stopped the bleeding but an aneurysm formed days later. Hamilton came through the surgery well, reported the article.
Hamilton is a Christian and has spoken about his faith saying, "I understand that through a strong relationship with Jesus you can endure anything. ... God is there to guide you through the tough spots. God was there every single time, every single time."
He founded the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation to assist with cancer patient support.
In 2016, Hamilton announced that he had received his third brain tumor diagnosis. In late March 2017, Hamilton opened up about the miraculous shrinking of the tumor without chemo.
Political views
In 2012, Hamilton made public appearances in support of the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney. He has also spoken in support of Donald Trump, and appeared in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice.
Further reading
- Hamilton, Scott; Ken Baker (2008). The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to Be Miserable). Thomas Nelson. ISBNÂ 978-0-7852-2894-3.Â
- Hamilton, Scott; Lorenzo Benet (1999). Landing It: My Life On and Off the Ice. Kensington Books. ISBNÂ 1-57566-466-6.Â
References
External links
- Official website
- Scott Hamilton on IMDb
- NBCOlympics.com Bio