The torch has been passed to others, but for Jim Scherr, the Olympic flame will never be extinguished.
For 10 years, he sat in the chair at the top of the United States Olympic Committee as chief executive officer. The responsibilities were staggering. The country marvels at the success of Missy Franklin and many others who bring home Olympic medals — and in enough quantity to make the United States a proud entry among the leading sports nations in the world.
While the public doesn’t know much about is the huge effort it takes to get the American team to the Games. Scherr has a unusual history with the Olympics that should get the attention of even the most casual of Olympic fans. Scherr’s story begins with an opening ceremony, an event that brought the London Olympics into focus just a few days ago. In 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, Scherr was a member of the U.S. team as a wrestler and took part in the Parade of Nations that highlights every opening ceremony.
“I had watched footage of the opening ceremony when I was younger, and there was a great sense of anticipation to march into a stadium and represent your country,” Scherr said. “It’s part of an incredible tradition. There’s a great sense of pride and a welling-up of emotion when you walk in and are greeted by 80,000 or 90,000 people.”
The opening ceremony became a major focal point for Scherr again for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the 2006 Winter Games in Turin and the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. But on those three occasions, Scherr didn’t march in with the team. He was an administrator. In his mind, the parade is for the athletes, coaches and managers directly involved in the competition. But what he did was in some ways even more fulfilling than his experience in Seoul. He addressed the U.S. team of about 600 members before they entered the stadium.
“As an athlete, the opening ceremony is a great experience, but there was a greater sense of pride for me to help prepare our teams for their part in the opening ceremony,” Scherr said. “I talked to them about what to expect and how we hoped they would conduct themselves in front of the people in the stadium and fans all over the world watching on television.”
In Seoul, Scherr finished fifth in his weight class in freestyle wrestling. While he was the USOC CEO, his teams won 236 total medals: 110 in Beijing, 101 in Athens and 25 in Turin, winning the medal count in Athens and Beijing and finishing among the leaders in Turin.
Scherr was the first Olympic athlete to climb through the ranks and become a CEO. With the team performances in Athens, Turin and Beijing, it seemed a good connection.
But shortly after the Beijing Olympics, Scherr resigned amid internal turmoil at the top of the organization.
“When I started, I knew it wouldn’t be a job that lasted forever,” Scherr said. “I was surprised I didn’t have a longer tenure. But it was a deep honor for me to be in the position.”
“He came up through the ranks and was very popular with a lot of groups,” said Bob Condron, former director of media services for the USOC. “He was a hands-on administrator who knew every aspect of our business. It was pretty shocking to everyone the way his tenure ended.”
Scherr is back in the sports business as commissioner of the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The conference’s headquarters is in Colorado Springs. It will include the University of Denver and Colorado College when it begins play in the 2013-14 season.
As for the Olympics, Scherr is sitting out for the first time since 1984. While he says the “torch has been passed,” his still is lit.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment to make an Olympic team,” Scherr said. “It’s an honor to be an Olympian. I went back to the birthplace of the Olympics when the Games were in Athens. I went to the first Games held in China. Sydney (2000) was the most fun. I wasn’t the CEO, but I was there.”
Scherr has turned his attention to winning trophies in college hockey.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com
Scherr bio
Born: July 27, 1961, in Eureka, S.D.
High school: Mobridge (S.D.)
College: Nebraska
Family: Wife Haley, sons Evan and Brycen, daughters Grace and Kylie
Hobbies: Golf, staying in shape
Still to do: Play the famous British Isles golf courses
