USA Field Hockey News

1980 Olympians Receive Belated Recognition

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 1980 U.S. Olympic Team - including the 16-member USA Field Hockey women's team - received belated recognition as recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal.

The official recognition comes 27 years after Congress authorized President Jimmy Carter to present a congressional medal to the U.S. athletes following Carter's boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. The Congressional Gold Medals were confirmed on Dec. 17 to the 461 athletes of the 1980 Olympic team and represent the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed by Congress.

Prior to Monday's designation, the medals awarded to the 1980 Olympic Team have been denied full recognition due to a technicality in production. Although the Congressional Record indicated Congress intended to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Olympians, financial restraints resulted in the athletes receiving gold-plated bronze medals instead of gold medals. As a result, the Olympians were never officially documented as having received Congressional Gold Medals.

Members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Field Hockey Team included Beth Anders, Beth Beglin, Gwen Cheeseman, Denise Desautels, Jill Grant, Sheryl Johnson, Christine Larson, Susan Marcellus, Anita Miller, Leslie Milne, Charlene Morett, Diane Moyer, Karen Shelton, Julie Staver, Judy Strong and Nancy White. The team was coached by Vonnie Gros with assistant coaches Will van Beaumont and Marge Watson. The staff also included manager Marge Garinger and trainer Pam Chlad.

The 1980 Games marked the debut of women's field hockey at the Olympic Games and the USA earned a spot in the tournament following a third place finish at the 1979 International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations (IFWHA) World Championship. Five of the six nations originally scheduled to compete in the inaugural women's tournament withdrew from the Games as part of the boycott as Zimbabwe went on to capture the first Olympic women's hockey gold medal.

Thirteen members of the 1980 U.S. Field Hockey team returned for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles where the USA earned the bronze medal.
 

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