Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
There really wasn’t reason for Bill Hybl to worry.
But still, when you’re leading the U.S. Olympic team into the opening ceremony at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and with the first Dream Team walking a few steps behind, it wasn’t a time to stumble.
Hybl, 63, said the thought of tripping or something similarly horrendous went through his mind as he approached one of the proudest moments of his life. Hybl came through with the same sure-footed performance that has marked everything he has done for the Olympic movement. No one expected him to trip, and down deep he didn’t think he would, either.
“It’s a great feeling when you enter the stadium,” Hybl said. “There’s really nothing like it.”
As president of the USOC, Hybl led the U.S. team into competition at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville; Barcelona that summer; the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano; and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
During his terms as president of the USOC, his time on the International Olympic Committee, his current position of CEO of the U.S. Olympic Foundation and his work on a number of IOC and USOC committees, Hybl built a legacy that places him among the most influential leaders in the Olympic movement. At the same time as CEO of the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs, he has made a difference in many projects, including the building of the World Arena in Colorado Springs to replace the old landmark of the same name at The Broadmoor hotel.
The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame is honoring Hybl with induction April 18 at the City Center Marriott in Denver.
Hybl’s sure-footed, stand-up style of management wasn’t just important in coping with opening-ceremony parades. His style also answered the challenge of keeping a 125-member board of directors, all with egos and various agendas, working together to put the best U.S. team on the field.
“I made it a habit to talk to every member of the board,” Hybl said. “No one likes to be kept in the dark, or being unfairly treated. We always tried to work toward a consensus, but never losing the central theme of what was best for the athletes.”
Hybl also could lead by suggestion, as noted by his conversation with members of the U.S. swimming team at the beginning of the 2000 Games in Sydney.
“I remember that we got off to a slow start in Sydney,” Hybl said. “I went to the swimming team and said I needed a number that starts with three. They won 33 medals. That team always will be a favorite of mine.”
Bringing people together
Hybl had a knack for lending his leadership and integrity to the USOC at crucial times. He first got involved as an appointee of President Reagan’s administration to a committee that was to guide the USOC through the aftermath of the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.
“The USOC was bankrupted because of the boycott, and we needed to find some financial help,” Hybl said.
The experience whetted Hybl’s appetite for the Olympics. He was up to the task, whether it was completing a term as president for Bob Helmick, who resigned the USOC post before the 1992 Games, or chairing a panel that investigated the Tonya Harding- Nancy Kerrigan saga before the 1994 Games.
Hybl’s talent to bring people together was important once again when he won a close election in 1996 to become USOC president for a four-year term. He defined the titles and duties of the staff CEO, a post held today by Jim Scherr, and the president, filled today by Peter Ueberroth.
“The Olympic movement has benefited greatly from Bill Hybl,” said Dave Ogrean, who has held two USOC positions and is director of USA Hockey. “There aren’t many folks who can lead an organization as complicated as the USOC and do it so effectively and with the passion and enthusiasm as he has.”
After the term ended in 2000, Hybl was appointed to the IOC and later he succeeded New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as CEO of the Olympic Foundation.
Hybl’s experience on the IOC is his only regret. As a show of solidarity with the USOC leadership, Hybl resigned his position so Sandy Baldwin, the new USOC president, could sit on the IOC. Baldwin resigned from both positions shortly thereafter.
“Some of the best times of my life have been involved with the Olympic movement,” Hybl said. “I’m still involved with five or six committees. When I walked out of the meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2000 and knew my term was over, I had an empty feeling. There’s nothing like being president of the United States Olympic Committee.”
Hybl grew up in Pueblo and was captain of the golf team at Pueblo Central High School and later graduated from Colorado College and the University of Colorado. He once interviewed to become commissioner of baseball before Bud Selig took the job permanently, but he has spent most of his adult life in Colorado Springs. His position at El Pomar has kept him involved.
“I enjoy public service,” Hybl said. “A lot of people like to be involved in public service, but the key is being good at it and making a difference.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
