USOPE honors Dale Neuburger, Mary Lou Retton, Bruce Baumgartner for contributions to Olympic and Paralympic movements

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Endowment today announced the recipients of its three awards that will be presented during the annual awards ceremony at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. Dale Neuburger, with a lifetime of service to aquatic sports and Olympic ideals, will be the recipient of the George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award; Mary Lou Retton, 1984 Olympic gold gymnast and fitness ambassador, will be recognized with the William E. Simon Award; multi-world and Olympic medals wrestler, Bruce Baumgartner, will be the honoree of the General Douglas MacArthur Award. Each of these individuals will be honored for their commitment and contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

Dale Neuburger has held a variety of domestic leadership roles within aquatics, including president of United States Aquatic Sports; president of USA Swimming; and chairman of the board of directors of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Internationally, he has held leadership roles in World Aquatics and has served as technical delegate within the International Olympic Committee for five Olympic Games. He served for eight years as a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and a member of its executive committee for four years. The Steinbrenner award is presented annually to honor outstanding members of the Olympic and Paralympic family who have contributed to sport through management, sport organization endeavors or the enhancement of competitive opportunities; and who have displayed qualities of leadership, ethical conduct, and dedicated responsibility during a longstanding commitment to sport.

Mary Lou Retton catapulted to international fame, igniting a new era of American dominance in gymnastics during the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984 when she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics, scoring two perfect 10s along the way. With five medals, the most of any athlete during the 1984 Olympic Games, she went on to win numerous national and international competitions and became the first woman to appear on the iconic Wheaties box. She retired from competition in 1986 but remains deeply involved in the gymnastics community and is a renowned motivational speaker traveling the world as a fitness ambassador, promoting the benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise. The Simon award is given to an individual or group who has made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

Bruce Baumgartner is one of just eight athletes in American history to medal in four different Olympiads. With five international titles, nine world championship medals and four Olympic medals (2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze), he has won the most world and Olympic medals among American wrestlers. It was at the 1984 Olympic Games that he became Olympic champion and America’s first gold medalist in 60 years of super heavyweight wrestling and went on to compete in three more Olympic Games, earning three additional Olympic medals. Bruce served as head wrestling coach and director of athletics at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, establishing numerous student-athlete endowed scholarships and he currently serves as president of USA Wrestling. The Douglas MacArthur award is given to an individual who has exhibited exemplary service to the USOPC and athletes.

The USOPE was established by the USOPC in 1984 to administer and invest the corpus of endowed funds that resulted from the surplus of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. A nonprofit organization, its objective is to support the USOPC and its member organizations, with the overall aim of enhancing Olympic and Paralympic sports in the United States. A separate entity from the USOPC, the USOPE’s net assets have grown to approximately $235 million, while awarding grants to the USOPC and its member organizations totaling $374 million over the last 39 years.

William J. Hybl, Board Chair, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment announces 2023 award winners

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