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 in March, alienated much of the U.S. Olympic family during her 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.”
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 gave former Maytag exec Lloyd Ward 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 takes the reins of the USOC on 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.”
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. On the international level, Chicago finished last among four cities when the IOC 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,” Blackmun said, “and we haven’t been good stewards of the brand.”
Blackmun and Probst vowed to begin repairing the USOC’s relationship with the IOC next month in Vancouver.
“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.”
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.
Bill Hybl, a former USOC chairman and ex-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.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
