Chasing Olympic dreams
Orediggers often excel in their athletic activities in addition to their academic pursuits. After watching the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer and looking forward to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in a few months, it made us wonder: How many Orediggers have competed in the legendary games over the years? Turns out, five Mines graduates have become Olympians, cementing themselves as some of the best athletes in history.
Leroy T. Brown ’26
Brown competed for the United States in the men’s high jump at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. He won a silver medal in the event, jumping 1.95m.
Nils Adolph Isabello Christiansen ’38, ’41
Christiansen (pictured left, front row) represented the Philippines as part of the swim team at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, swimming in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay and the men’s 100m backstroke.
John W. “Jack” Liddle ’39
Liddle (pictured second from right) represented the Canadian track and field team at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, competing in the men’s 800m run and the men’s 1,500m run.
Michael H. Flater ’74
Flater played both football and soccer at Mines but competed in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich as a forward for the U.S. men’s soccer team. The team tied once and lost twice, eliminating it from the Olympic tournament.
Michelle Roark ’15
A freestyle skier, Roark competed for the Unites States in moguls at two separate Olympic Games—the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.