Auroraadvocate.com - Story of success; CEO of Olympics Committee lived in city for a while

by Holly Schoenstein

Reporter

Aurora -- A former resident is in the national spotlight after he accepted a job as chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado.

Scott Blackmun, 52, was scheduled to start the job Jan. 26, replacing Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter, who didn't wish to take the job permanently, according to a press release from the Olympic Committee.

The Blackmun family lived in the Highlands neighborhood, and Scott went to Harmon School from sixth to eighth grades. He now lives in Colorado Springs.

"I am thrilled to be returning to the USOC and to be a part of an organization and movement I am so passionate about," Blackmun said. "This is an exciting time for the USOC, with the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter games a few weeks away and a move to the new headquarters building this spring.

"I am looking forward to getting to know and work alongside a talented staff," he said. "And I'm ready to make a long-term commitment to the success of this organization and America's athletes and to supporting the growth of the Olympic movement worldwide."

Scott's father -- Dallas resident Fred Blackmun -- worked for Inland Steel in Cleveland and was one of several founders of the Western Reserve Racquet Club in Streetsboro in 1969.

"It was an excellent business opportunity," said Julie Blackmun, Scott's mother and Fred's former wife, about the racquet club. "Before the club, you had to drive to Chagrin Falls or Hudson to play.

"There were a lot of tennis players in that community, and it seemed like an excellent investment. There was a lot of support and a lot of enthusiasm. It was a fun adventure."

SCOTT Blackmun learned to play tennis at the club and later played for Dartmouth College.

"He was an excellent tennis player," said Nancy Schultz Deobald, an Aurora resident and former wife of late club partner Dick Schultz.

After Fred Blackmun's job moved the family to the Chicago area, Schultz bought him out of the company.

When Schultz died in 2000, Deobald was left with the club, which is now owned by Hudson resident Robin Gordon Polumbo and Aurora resident Terri Treblas, Deobald's daughters.

Scott Blackmun graduated from Dartmouth in 1979 with a degree in philosophy and from Stanford Law School in 1982.

He first joined the Olympic Committee in 1998 as general counsel and director of legal affairs before taking a role as senior managing director. He served as CEO from November 2000 to October 2001.

Scott was a partner and member of the executive committee at the Colorado law firm of Holme Roberts & Owen LLP.

From 2002-06, he was the chief operating officer of the sports and events company Anschutz Entertainment Group in Los Angeles.

"We're pleased to introduce Scott as our new CEO and to welcome him back to the USOC," Chairman Larry Probst said.

"When we were looking for our new CEO, we wanted to ensure that we selected a new leader who would be part of the USOC for years to come, and in Scott we believe we have found that person."

Scott and his wife, Ann, have three children.

E-mail:

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