SAM Magazine-Louisville, Colo., Feb. 8, 2010-Olympic bronze medalist Jimmie Heuga, a star of the 1964 Olympic Winter Games and one of the U.S. Ski Team's greatest ski racers, died today, on the eve of the Olympics in Vancouver and 46 years to the day after he won his medal. Heuga was 66.

"Jimmie Heuga was a champion in every sense of the word," said U.S. Ski Team president and CEO Bill Marolt, who skied with Heuga on the 1964 Olympic Team. "He was a champion as an athlete, as a person and any way you want to measure him."

Heuga's biggest mark on society came after he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and dedicated his life to research and innovative treatment of the disease. "He was the personification of determination and never giving up-he inspired so many people," said Olympic teammate and longtime friend Billy Kidd. "Jimmie's accomplishments on the race course will forever be remembered. But it's his accomplishments and drive in the fight against MS that will continue to help so many people live their lives. His life is an inspiration."


Heuga was part of a powerhouse 1964 Olympic team that included Kidd, Marolt, Chuck Ferries, Buddy Werner and more with hopes of the first U.S. men's alpine skiing medal in history.
Heuga and Kidd combined to make history, with Heuga taking bronze in slalom and Kidd silver.

After a pair of top-six finishes at the 1966 World Championships in Portillo, Chile, Heuga went on to become the first American to win the prestigious Arlberg-Kandahar in 1967 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. That same year he began to notice symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as MS.

At only 26, at the peak of his ski racing career, Heuga's MS diagnosis was confirmed. While the conventional medical wisdom of the time was for MS victims to avoid physical or emotional stress, Heuga went about his life differently. He found that his physical health greatly improved with his own program of exercise, nutrition and mental motivation.

In 1984, the Olympic medalist took what he had learned personally to the world, founding The Heuga Center in Edwards, Colo. For more than a quarter century, Heuga shared his "can do" philosophy with others. Today the center, renamed Can Do Multiple Sclerosis, continues the legacy he established as a passionate advocate for other MS patients and for new treatment therapies which are now the medical standard for MS care.

Among numerous honors, Heuga has been on the President's Council on Physical Fitness, and was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame two years ago. He is an honored member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Jimmie Heuga Endowment Fund, 27 Main Street East, Suite 303, Edwards, CO 81632. Details on services are pending. \