The USA's greatest ever winter Olympian

Sure Apolo Ohno has the most winter Olympic medals but in my book he's not the greatest American winter Olympian. And no, it's not Bonnie Blair either.

The greatest winter Olympian the USA has ever produced is speed skater Jack Shea.
Yep. He's the greatest ever and most of you have never heard of him. What makes him so great you wonder, well hang on and I'll tell you.

Young Jack Shea was a member of the 1932 American speed skating team and the winter games that year were held in his home town of Lake Placid, NY. Jack trained hard year round and was roundly mocked for it. But his training paid off in spades when the speed skating races began. Shea smoked his competitors in both the races he was allowed to skate in. If he had been allowed to skate in the other speed skating races, American Olympians were only allowed to compete in two individual events back in the '20's and '30's, most assuredly Shea would have won those as well. His training regimen was legendary and his skating was flawless. And not only was he a fast skater, he was a nice guy as well.

But winning two gold medals back in the 1932 games alone doesn't qualify him for greatness. It's what he did after those games that make him the greatest American winter Olympian ever.

In 1932, as you'll remember if you know the slightest thing about American history, our country was mired in what was known as the Great Depression. And back then there were no endorsement deals for Olympic athletes, in fact if Olympians had any sort of job at all it was frowned upon. So after the games Shea had to go to work. And work he did, while raising a family that loved it's winter sports.

In 1960 the winter games came back to the USA, they were held at Squaw Valley in California. And in those games on the USA ski team was the son of Jack Shea. Sadly he didn't win a medal but he did have the honor of competing for the USA just like his father had.

So he won two gold medals and his son was an Olympian as well. No bad. But we're not done yet.

In 1980 the winter games came back to Lake Placid and Jack Shea was instrumental in bringing the games back to his home town. Unfortunately they weren't as a big a success that time around but that's not Shea's fault.

So he wins two gold medals, his son skis in the 1960 games, and he helps bring the games to Lake Placid once more. All great achievements but there one more jewel in Shea's crown.

In 2002 the games came to America once more, this time to Salt Lake City. And in those games Shea's grandson Jim rode his sled in the skeleton races. And he rode that sled with a picture of his late grandfather, Jack Shea died just before the Salt Lake games began, in his uniform. So not only were his genes in the last Olympics held in the USA, his image was as well.
And those genes did well in Salt Lake because Jim Shea slid to gold in the skeleton event and he dedicated his medal to his late grandfather, the greatest winter Olympian the USA has ever produced.

When Apolo Ohno's kid is in the Olympics, when he helps bring the games back to the USA, and if his grandkid wins a gold medal in those games then he'll tie Jack Shea for the title of 'Greatest USA winter Olympian' of all time. But until those days arrive, he can't touch Jack Shea's Olympic legacy.