RIP Jimmie Heuga

[legalskier]

Former Olympic skier Heuga dies
By Sports Network
Posted on Mon, Feb. 08, 2010
Former Olympic skier Jimmie Heuga, who earned a bronze medal at the 1964 Winter Games, died on Monday. He was 66. Heuga's death came 46 years to the day after his medal. Heuga won the bronze behind Billy Kidd's silver in the 1964 Olympic slalom.
"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.
"We always talk about toughness - you heard about it in the Super Bowl this weekend," added Marolt. "When I look back at all the athletes I've known, pound for pound, Jimmie Heuga was the toughest I've ever met. He was a five- foot-six, 140 pound guy who didn't back down from anybody. That's the kind of toughness you need to be a champion."
Heuga was later diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and dedicated his life to research and innovative treatment of the disease.
http://www.kansascity.com/495/story/1735845.html