Bob Beattie (skiing)

For other people with the same name, see Bob Beattie.
Bob Beattie
Born Robert P. Beattie
(1933-01-24) January 24, 1933
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
Education Middlebury College
Occupation Sportscaster, skiing coach
Spouse(s) Kiki Cutter (m. 1971–1973)

Robert P. "Bob" Beattie[1] (born January 24, 1933),[2][3] is a retired American skiing coach, skiing promoter and commentator for ABC Sports and ESPN. He was head coach of the U.S. Ski Team from 1961 to 1969[3] and co-founded the Alpine Skiing World Cup in 1966.[4] His work as a ski-racing commentator for ABC included four Winter Olympic Games, from 1976 through 1988.

Early life

Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, Beattie attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he participated in several sports, including football, tennis, cross country, and skiing.[3][5] After graduating in 1955 with a degree in education, he remained at Middlebury as an assistant coach.[3]

Coaching career

In 1956, he was named acting coach of the school's ski team after coach Bobo Sheehan left to coach the alpine skiers on the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team.[3] In 1957, Beattie became the head skiing coach for the University of Colorado in Boulder, and during his tenure the team won the NCAA national titles in 1959 and 1960. In 1961, the U.S. Ski Association named Beattie the U.S. Ski Team's head alpine coach.[6][7] He continued to work concurrently for the university until 1965.[6][8][9] During his coaching years, he was known as a demanding coach,[10] driving his athletes hard.[3][4][5] At the 1964 Winter Olympics in Austria, the Beattie-coached U.S. Team won two medals, both in the men's slalom: a silver earned by Billy Kidd and a bronze by Jimmie Heuga. They were the country's first-ever Olympic medals in men's skiing.[3][4] During the 1968 Winter Olympics in France, the U.S. Ski Team won no medals, and Beattie was criticized for his tough coaching style.[5][11][12] He stepped down as the U.S. Ski Team's coach in April 1969.[5][13][14]

Promotion and commentating

In 1966, Beattie co-founded the World Cup for alpine skiing. After stepping down as U.S. team coach in 1969, he founded the World Pro Ski Tour in 1970 and worked in promoting it.[4][15] He became a NASTAR commissioner in 1970. ABC Sports hired him as a ski-racing commentator, where he was frequently paired with Frank Gifford, a former NFL running back. Beattie's television work included alpine commentary during ABC's coverage of four Winter Olympics: the games of 1976, 1980, 1984,[3] and 1988.[16] He also covered Volleyball at the 1984 Summer Olympics.[17] Beattie later worked as ABC's winter sports correspondent, which also involved non-alpine sports,[18] and occasionally worked as an announcer for non-winter sports on ABC's Wide World of Sports program.

He continued to manage the World Pro Ski Tour until 1982.[4] He began hosting ESPN skiing programs in 1985.

Beattie has authored or co-authored three books,[6] including My Ten Secrets of Skiing, in 1968 (Viking Press, NY),[19] and Bob Beattie's Learn to Ski (Bantam Books, 1967).[20]

Honors

Beattie was given the AT&T Skiing Award in 1983.[21] He was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1984.[2] He was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 1986.[6] He was the 1997 recipient of the International Ski Federation's Journalist Award.[22]

Personal

As of February 1980,[5] Beattie had been married twice and has two children from his first marriage. His second marriage was to Olympic skier Kiki Cutter[23][24] and lasted from 1971 to 1973.[5] He married a third time in 1980, to Cheryl Britton, and that marriage lasted until 1987. He is now in his fourth marriage, to Marci Beattie.

References

  1. ↑ "Achievement Award Recipients: 1984". Middlebury College. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Robert Beattie". National Ski Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Morrill, Greg (February 28, 2013). "America's top alpine ski racing promoter". The Stowe Reporter. Stowe, Vermont. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Meyer, John (April 3, 2012). "Pioneer Bob Beattie set the stage for U.S. ski racers". The Denver Post. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Martin, Frank W. (February 18, 1980). "Coaching or Kibitzing on the Olympics, Bob Beattie Is America's Indomitable Snowman". People. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Bob Beattie - Athlete - 1986". Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame. Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bob Beattie". Aspen Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Post announces Beattie contract". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 30, 1965. p. 12.
  9. ↑ "Beattie on leave". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. July 2, 1965. p. 17.
  10. ↑ Eck, Frank H. (January 25, 1964). "Coach Beattie says U.S. skiers 2nd to Austrians". Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. p. 6.
  11. ↑ "Beattie ducks controversy; explains dropping McCoy". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 1, 1968. p. 13.
  12. ↑ Jerome, John (November 1968). "The Beattie Machine". Skiing: 77.
  13. ↑ "Beattie to quit on April 1 as U.S. ski coach". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. UPI. December 3, 1968. p. 6.
  14. ↑ "Bob Beattie quitting U.S. skiing berths". The Morning Record. Meriden, Connecticut. Associated Press. December 3, 1968. p. 10.
  15. ↑ "World Pro Skiing 1980-81". Skiing. supplement: 61. October 1980.
  16. ↑ Washington Post (February 13, 1988). "ABC has new technology for Winter Olympics". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Games of the XXIII Olympiad, The {1984 Los Angeles Olympics} {1984/08/02}, Part 1: Boxing (Men), Volleyball (Women) (TV)". Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  18. ↑ Nidetz, Steve (December 8, 1989). "The Soviets Help Fuel A Most Chilling Adventure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  19. ↑ "My Ten Secrets of Skiing". WorldCat. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Bob Beattie's Learn to Ski". WorldCat. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  21. ↑ Lochner, Bob (March 12, 1992). "Skiing: Dave McCoy Fits Well With This Elite Group". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Ski Writer John Meyer Honored at Beaver Creek". United States Ski and Snowboard Association. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Beattie-Cutter". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Weddings and engagements. September 4, 1971. p. 3.
  24. ↑ Anstine, Dennis (June 28, 1972). "Beatties keep skiing alive in June". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 10.
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