It can get pretty cold here in Michigan, and not surprisingly that means we’ve had our fair share of exceptional athletes who have competed in winter sports. Among our many celebrated athletes, Michigan can proudly claim nine who have taken home the gold at the Olympic games.

Name: Weldon Olson
Hometown: Marquette, Mich.
Event: Ice Hockey
Olympics: 1960 Winter Games
The Scoop: “Weldy” is a legend in Michigan sports. The man is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as well as the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame, and the MSU Hall of Fame. How did he rack up all of these accolades? As an Olympian, he was a key component of both the 1956 silver medal winning team as well as the 1960 gold medal-winning team. In 1960, the U.S.A. team knocked off the four top teams in the tournament – Canada, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Sweden, including a 5-0 record in the medal round. In 14 career Olympic games “Weldy” notched seven goals.

“The Essexville Rocket”

Name: Terry McDermott
Hometown: Essexville, Mich.
Event: Men’s 500m Speed Skating
Olympics: 1964 Winter Games
The Scoop: “The Essexville Rocket” was the upset winner of the 500m at the Innsbruck Olympics in 1964, and nearly won another medal in 1968 when he lost by 0.2 seconds. McDermott was later inducted into the National Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1977. He was a guest on the Ed Sullivan show the same episode where the Beatles made their first appearance in the United States.

Name: Sheila Young
Hometown: Birmingham, Mich.
Event: Women’s 500m Speed Skating
Olympics: 1976 Winter Games
The Scoop: Michigan’s second gold medalist in speed skating, Sheila Young was also an accomplished track cyclist, winning three world championships in each sport. Young was also the first American to win three medals in a single Winter Olympics as she took home the bronze in the 1,000m and silver in the 1,500m events. In 1973 she won the world sprint speed skating championship and sprint track cycling championship to become the first female athlete to win two world championships in the same year. In 1976 and 1981 she was named Sportswoman of the Year. In 1981 she was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, and she was also later inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame and the National Speedskating Hall of Fame.

Name: Ken Morrow
Hometown: Flint, Mich.
Event: Ice Hockey
Olympics: 1980 Winter Games
The Scoop: After starring at Bowling Green State University as a defenseman, Morrow was chosen to play on the now legendary 1980 gold medal winning U.S.A. hockey team responsible for the “Miracle on Ice” victory over Russia and eventual gold medal-winning victory over Finland. Morrow immediately joined the New York Islanders after the Olympics and helped them to their first Stanley Cup that same year, becoming the first player to win Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup. Morrow was a key player in the Islanders’ dynasty that went on to win four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-1983.

Name: Mark Wells
Hometown: St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Event: Ice Hockey
Olympics: 1980 Winter Games
The Scoop: Unlike Ken Morrow, Mark Wells’ career in professional hockey never really materialized after the 1980 Olympics. Despite being drafted and bounced between several organizations, Wells retired in 1982 without ever playing a game in the NHL.

Name: Lisa Brown-Miller
Hometown: Union Lake, Mich.
Event: Women’s Ice Hockey
Olympics: 1998 Winter Games
The Scoop: Brown-Miller was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since it began. After starring for four years with the Providence Friar’s in college, she would become one of the most prolific players in U.S. hockey history. In 30 games with the team over six appearances from 1990-1997, she scored 13 goals and recorded 25 assists. In 1992 she was recognized as the team’s Most Valuable Player. Brown-Miller also had a successful, but brief, coaching stint with Princeton where she earned coach of the year honors and led the team to the conference championship in her first season in 1991-1992.

Name: Shelley Looney
Hometown: Trenton, Mich.
Event: Women’s Ice Hockey
Olympics: 1998 Winter Games
The Scoop: Looney was a two-time gold medalist winner at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics after finishing a distinguished career at Northeastern University from 1991-1994 where she won player of the year honors in 1993-1994. Looney is most famous for her game-winning goal in the 1998 gold medal game to beat Canada. She finished her USA Hockey career with 61 goals and 136 points in 151 games.

Names: Charlie White & Meryl Davis
Hometown: Royal Oak, Mich.
Event: Ice Dancing
Olympics: 2014 Winter Games
The Scoop: Michigan’s most recent gold medalists at the Winter Games, the duo will not be defending their title during the 2018 games as they explore other career opportunities. As both are just 30 years old, they have not yet ruled out a return to the ice, but further Olympic glory will have to wait until at least 2022.

The list below details all of Michigan’s Winter Olympic medal winners.

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