COLORADO SPRINGS — The pervasive sense of gloom that hung over U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters in recent months lifted noticeably Wednesday with Scott Blackmun’s return as USOC chief executive.
A popular choice with members of the Olympic family who remember his service to the organization from 1998 to 2001 as general counsel, senior managing director and acting CEO, Blackmun replaces acting CEO Stephanie Streeter. Streeter, who took over when Jim Scherr was unexpectedly ousted by the USOC board last March, alienated much of the U.S. Olympic family in her short tenure.
“This is a very happy and exciting day for the USOC to announce Scott as our new CEO,” chairman Larry Probst said at a news conference announcing Blackmun’s appointment. “We’re thrilled to have him back. We think he’s going to do an outstanding job in the CEO position for many, many years to come.”
Blackmun, who agreed to a four-year contract with a base salary of $450,000, served as acting CEO from November 2000 to October 2001, when the board selected former Maytag executive Lloyd Ward for the job. From 2002 to 2006 Blackmun was chief operating officer of the Anschutz Entertainment Group in Los Angeles. Since then he has been a law partner in Colorado Springs for Holme Roberts & Owen.
Blackmun will take the reins of the USOC Jan. 26 after squeezing in a quick vacation in Hawaii, thereby sparing the USOC from going into February’s Vancouver Olympics with a lame duck CEO.
“I guarantee you, I’m more thrilled than Larry is,” said Blackmun, 52. “This is a dream come true for me. I believe in the Olympic movement, I believe in both pieces of the mission — competitive excellence and inspiration. I think the Olympic movement is a fantastic tool for our youth, it’s a wonderful message, and I’m very proud to be part of it.”
The USOC’s image has taken a beating in recent months. Last fall a survey of the people who run the national governing bodies of individual Olympic sports overwhelmingly voiced its lack of confidence in Streeter, who then announced she was removing her name from consideration for the position.
On the international level, Chicago finished last among four cities when the International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Summer Games, which was considered a slap at USOC leadership.
“In my opinion it’s the world’s greatest brand, and we haven’t been good stewards of the brand,” Blackmun said.
Blackmun and Probst vowed to begin repairing the USOC’s relationship with the IOC next month in Vancouver.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for us,” Probst said, “to begin the engagement process with the IOC, international leaders, those constituencies where we have a lot of work to do and where we want to build long-term, positive relationships.”
Blackmun said that means showing the IOC respect and listening to the concerns of its members. The IOC and USOC also have to work out disagreements over distribution of Olympic revenues and the USOC’s unilateral attempt to create its own television network.
“Internationally it’s just a lot of blocking and tackling,” Blackmun said. “At the end of the day, relationships are a function of time and commitment. We need to start spending that time and making that commitment and becoming engaged in the movement.”
NGBs who lost faith in Streeter reacted enthusiastically to Blackmun’s selection.
“Scott will be a fantastic CEO for the USOC,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “The broad range of his experience, combined with his intimate knowledge of the USOC, makes him perfectly suited to meet the challenges that lie ahead.”
Indeed, there seemed to be a sense of relief that the USOC had turned an important corner. Bill Hybl, a highly respected former USOC chairman and former member of the IOC, called it a “watershed moment,” but Probst said it was just the first step in rebuilding USOC credibility.
“There are a lot of other things we need to address, we need to fix and we need to solve,” Probst said. “My goal is to see the USOC be recognized as the best national Olympic Committee in the world. You don’t get that by proclamation, you get that by acclamation.”
Constant turnover at the USOC
Chief executives since 2000:
Norm Blake (February 2000-November 2000)
Scott Blackmun, acting (November 2000-October 2001)
Lloyd Ward (October 2001-March 2003)
Jim Scherr (March 2003-March 2009)
Stephanie Streeter, acting (March 2009-January 2010)
Scott Blackmun (January 2010)
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
