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Posts Tagged ‘Mike Eruzione Appearance’

I know the Winter Olympics aren’t far off when I start receiving inquiries about Olympic speakers. They seem to be especially popular this year because the Olympics will take place in nearby Vancouver, British Columbia. So who are the most popular Winter Olympians? Over the next couple blogs I’ll profile a couple of them – Mike Eruzione, Picabo Street and Dorothy Hamill. First up is Eruzione.

Mike Eruzione, Olympic hero & sports motivational speaker

A graduate of Boston University, Eruzione captained the hockey team his senior year and is among the school’s all-time leading scorers.  Little did he know that what lied ahead would change his life forever.

Entering the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid, NY, the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team werent’ considered medal favorites. They were a bunch of college players competing against stronger and faster teams from Europe, including the mighty Russians who had NHL-caliber players on their team and had won every gold medal but one since 1956. How good were the Russians? In exhibitions that year, Soviet club teams had gone 5–3–1 against NHL teams and a year earlier, the Soviet national team had routed the NHL All-Stars 6–0 to win the Challenge Cup.

In what became forever known as the “Miracle On Ice”, the U.S. stunned the Russians, 4-3, in the semifinals and went onto to win the gold medal after defeating Finland, 4-2. The win against the Russians is considered one of the greatest upsets in Olympics history and was named the Greatest Sports Moment of the Century” by Sports Illustrated.

Eruzione was (and still is) the face of that team. Not only did he serve as captain but he also scored the winning goal against the Russians. Ask anyone about their recollection of that historic event  and you’ll likely either get a rendition of Al Michaels’ memorable call “Do You Believe In Miracles” or a mention of Eruzione.

Eruzione and his team have become American icons. In 2002, Eruzione and his teammates had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were also inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Today, Eruzione resides in Massachusetts and serves as Director of Development for Athletics at Boston University. He also stays busy making speaking engagements and personal appearances around the country. His inspirational story of what it takes to be a champion make him one of the sought-after sports speakers in the country.

If you would like to find out how to hire Mike Eruzione for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Mike Eruzione booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top celebrity booking agent for sports stars and celebrities. Call 800.966.1380.

Olympic Decathlon 1500M

“Olympic great Bruce Jenner is one of our top motivational speakers”, says sports and celebrity booking agent Jonathan Wexler.

If you were asked to name Olympians who’ve been able to parlay their medals into a successful career, who would come to mind? Mike Eruzione? Jennie Finch? Dara Torres? Apolo Anton Ohno?

My top choice would be Bruce Jenner, who won a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics after setting a world record of 8,634 points. At the time, he was called the greatest athlete in the world. He was the 1976 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States and also the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. He was later inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

It’s not uncommon for the top athletes from each Olympics to cash-in on their success by becoming sports motivational speakers and product spokespersons. However, for all but a few Olympians, the success is short-lived. Jenner’s popularity has lasted 30+ years and one could argue he’s more popular today than ever.

Following his Olympic success, Jenner appeared on the front of a Wheaties box as a “Wheaties champion”.

In 1980, Jenner made his acting debut in the film Can’t Stop the Music He also appeared in a handful of episodes of the 1980s hit tv show CHiPs as Officer Steve McLeish (he substituted for star Erik Estrada during a contract dispute). He also appeared in an episode of The American Sportsman and, in the early 1990s,  was the host of an infomercial for the Stair Climber Plus.

Since 2002, Jenner has appeared as himself on a variety of game shows and reality tv programs. In January 2002, he participated in an episode of The Weakest Link featuring Olympic athletes. In 2003, he was in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, and made a cameo in 2005 on The Apprentice. He also appeared on Skating with Celebrities, was a guest judge on Pet Star and appeared with his family on NBC’s Celebrity Family Feud.

Jenner’s popularity received a big boost in 2007 when he, wife Kris Jenner, stepdaughters Kim, Kourtney, Khloe stepson Robert and daughters Kylie and Kendall, starred in the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, one of the top rated reality shows. The show was renewed for a third season.

In addition to his tv appearances, Jenner is a popular spokesperson and has endorsed such companies as Coca-Cola, Ford and Minolta. He’s also a much sought-after motivational speaker. He travels around the country delivering his message, “Finding the Champion Within”, to organizations and corporations. He wrote a book by the same title that was published in 1999.

PFP is a top celebrity booking agent for athletes, entertainers, sports stars and celebrities. If you would like to find out how to hire Bruce Jenner for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Bruce Jenner booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency.