Dick Mize
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Richard Norman "Dick" Mize | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 17, 1935 Gilman, Colorado, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch |  United States Army | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1957–c. 1961 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Specialist | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Biathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Richard Norman "Dick" Mize (born December 17, 1935) is an American biathlete and cross-country skier. He is credited as being Eagle County's first Olympian after he competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics and placed 21st. During his college years, he earned multiple medals being part of the Western Colorado Mountaineers when they had won two titles on 1956 and 1957 in cross-country skiing. He had learned the biathlon when he enlisted in the army, competing for the United States in multiple competitions such as the 1959 North American Championships and two Biathlon World Championships.
After he was discharged from the army, he moved to Anchorage to become a teacher and a coach in cross-country skiing and running. There, he held administrative positions in the school and the district. Over a forty-year period, he designed multiple cross-country skiing trails in Anchorage. He was inducted to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and remained active in sport, winning six Masters World Championship titles.
Early life, education, and NCAA
[edit]Richard Norman "Dick" Mize was born on December 17, 1935, in Gilman, Colorado,[1] to Harry and Pearl Mize. Richard's parents worked for the New Jersey Zinc Company at the time. He grew up in Red Cliff and frequently skied with family and friends on a track near his home in Turkey Creek and Copperhill, Tennessee. The family had to move to Gilman during Mize's junior year of high school. He studied at Red Cliff Union High School, where he played for the school's basketball team and practiced the saxophone. He graduated from high school in 1953.[2]
For his college education, he studied at the Western State College[3] and was part of the marching band. During a rehearsal on the school's football field, he approached coach Sven Wiik and asked to join the soccer team. Wiik had explained that it was the school's cross-country skiing team, though invited Mize to train with the team. He made his NCAA skiing championships debut with the team in 1954.[2] The team had won the 1956 and 1957 edition of the Nordic races.[4] Individually, Mize placed fourth, second, and third, at the NCAA championships from 1955 to 1957.[2]
Career
[edit]After graduating, he had enlisted for the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Richardson. There he learned the biathlon and joined the Army's team.[3] He was selected to compete at the first biathlon world championships in 1958, which were held at Saalfelden, Austria.[2] In a competition in Italy after the World Championships, he had placed 30th as part of the Army's team.[5] He then participated at the 1959 North American Championships which was also a test event for the then-upcoming Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley and placed second with a time of 1:54:21.9.[6] He competed in his second world championships at the Biathlon World Championships 1959 in Courmayeur, Italy.[2]
Mize was selected to be part of the United States' team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Squaw Valley after the trials at Tennessee Pass. The biathlon team trained at Camp Hale, with Mize stating: "It was just like being home."[2] He competed on February 21 in the men's 20 kilometer individual biathlon and placed 21st with a time of 1:55:56.2.[7] He is credited as being Eagle County's first Olympian.[2] He also competed at the 1961 National Championships and placed fourth with a time of 1:10:33.[8]
Later years
[edit]He held the rank of specialist in the army.[9] After he was discharged from the military, he moved to Anchorage and taught physical education and biology at East High School. He also coached skiing and cross-country running,[3] eventually becoming the principal and even an administrator for the Anchorage School District. He had also designed multiple cross-country skiing trails over a forty-year period, some hosting national events such as the 1969 Junior National Championships in Anchorage.[10] Due to his contributions in the sport, he was inducted to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He remained active as a skier, becoming a six-time Masters World Champion in the sport.[10] Mize married Ann MacInnis Mize (née MacInnis) on July 1, 2000.[11] In 2023, Mize was diagnosed with atrial flutter but recovered after a procedure.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dick Mize Biographical Information". Olympedia. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Heicher, Kathy (February 8, 2018). "Dick Mize: Eagle County's first Olympian". Vail Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Richard Mize". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Dick Mize Skiing Pioneer". Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Larry Damon to Race in Oslo Holmenkollen During March". The Burlington Free Press. March 11, 1958. p. 14. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Damon Scores Squaw Valley Biathlon Win". The Idaho Statesman. Associated Press. March 4, 1959. p. 19. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "47,000 Watch Russians Pad Lead in Olympics". The Morning Call. United Press International. February 22, 1960. p. 14. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "CU Skier Wins US Cross Country Title". The Sacramento Bee. Associated Press. February 26, 1961. p. 28. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Another Slope Olympian?". The Daily Sentinel. January 21, 1960. p. 12. Retrieved June 17, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Mize's Folly". Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Ann MacInnis Mize Obituary". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ Bresnahan, Keira (May 31, 2023). "Olympian didn't miss a beat thanks to St. Mary's heart care". The Daily Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2025.