Deaflympian Families - Part Two
NOTE: When A paid article reaches the third month, it becomes accessible for you. The below was dated on August 17, 2023
Fourth-generation Deaf Father-Fifth-generation Deaf Son Stern Deaflympians
Shoshannah Stern (right) is a fifth-generation deaf woman who did not participate in any Deaflympics but became a successful deaf actress. Besides being the first recurring Deaf doctor role in "Grey's Anatomy," Shoshannah had played in five films, including playing Hamill's girlfriend in "The Hammer" (a true story about Matt Hamill, a two-time wrestling Deaflympian (3 Golds and a Silver) and mixed martial artist.)
She has played in at least 16 television shows, including Jericho (18 episodes), Weeds (14 episodes), and This Close (14 episodes))
Shoshannah's proud father, RONALD, took a Gold medal after playing men's basketball in the 1977 Games. In 2015, Ronald retired as Superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Deaf after 14 years.
Shoshannah's brother, BRENDAN, followed his father's steps and brought home Gold from the 2005 Games. After being the Women’s Basketball (2011-12) and Men’s Basketball (2012-15) Head Coach at Gallaudet University, he is currently the executive director of the Center for Democracy in Deaf America.
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Siblings-Son/Nephew Skedsmo Deaflympians
CAROLINE competed in the 80-meter hurdle and the shot put in the 1961 Games.
Caroline's brother, BOBBY, is a five-time Deaflympian: four Summer Deaflympics - a long-distance runner in 1965 and a cyclist in 1969, 1973, and 1977, and one Winter Deaflympics - a speed skater in 1975 (Silver). Then, he served as the Cycling Technical Director of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf for 20 years.
Caroline's son and Bobby's nephew, JON Schmitz, rode on his cycling bike in two Games: 1989 (two Golds and a Silver) and 1993 (Silver.)
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Big Sister-Little Sister Lange Deaflympians
WENDY showed two Silver medals to her deaf parents and three deaf siblings after playing volleyball in the 1973 and 1977 Games.
Wendy's sister, Camilla "CAMY," competed in three different sports in three Deaflympics: High Jumper in 1969 (Bronze), Volleyball player in 1973 (Silver), and Team Handball player in 2001 (Silver.)
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Big Brother-Little Brother Cabbage Deaflympians (Plus an Olympian)
JONAS (born in 1964) and RODERICK “Roddy” (born in 1967) teamed up to play Team Handball in the 1989 Games in New Zealand and grabbed two Bronze medals.
Roddy’s non-deaf daughter, Sabrina Lozada, played basketball for Puerto Rico in the Tokyo Olympics. (Her grandparents were born and raised in Puerto Rico.) Yes, she is a perfect CODA (Child Of Deaf Adult.)
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Big Brother-Little Sister Kuehn Deaflympians
PATRICK was a high jumper in the 1985 Games (Bronze) and a basketball player in the 1989 Games (Gold).
ANGELA collected a bright Gold medal after playing women’s basketball in the 1985 Games in Los Angeles.
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Identical Twin Brothers Saalfeld Deaflympians
MICHAEL captured a Gold medal in the men’s 800-meter event and teamed with his identical brother, Craig, in the 4X4-meter relay in the 2009 Games, which they brought home with two Silvers.
CRAIG took a Silver medal in the most challenging event, the decathlon, in 2009. Four years later, in 2013, he finally grabbed Gold in that event.
Oddly, Michael chose Concordia University in Nebraska, while Craig picked Emporia State University in Kansas. The former was inducted into the Concordia Hall of Fame, while the latter made a name for himself as a multi-event athlete at an NCAA Division II institution.
The brothers are in charge of Saalfeld Construction, a family-owned business serving Southeast Nebraska for three generations.
Athletic judges and officials had difficulty identifying which brother was at these Games, so they looked at their bib numbers. According to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) database, Michael is shown to the left in the collage photo below, and Craig is at the right.
Three of 4 Deaf Brothers Nutt Deaflympians
In the 1957 International Silent Games (renamed Deaflympics in 2001) in Milan, Italy, HOUSTON Sr. was joined by his two deaf brothers, CLYDE and FAY, to capture a Gold Medal in men's basketball.
Houston, Sr. was the only person to play for basketball, coaching legends Adolph Rupp at Kentucky and Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M. Before he died in 2005, Houston served as coach, athletic director, and director of student life at Arkansas School for the Deaf for 32 years. He fathered four non-deaf coaching sons: Houston, Jr. (formerly University of Mississippi head football coach), Dickey (an assistant coach for the University of Missouri men's basketball team), Dennis (a head basketball coach at Ouachita Baptist University), and Danny (a former college football assistant coach at Ole Miss.) In 2001, Houston, Sr. was inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame. Additionally, he coached Bennie Fuller, who still holds three state scoring records: Season, Career, and Season Average.
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Brother-Sister Bridges Deaflympians
BOBBIE Beth (Bridges) Scoggins followed Olympian Donna de Varona's steps - rising from being a 14-year-old swimming Deaflympian in the 1973 Games to President of the National Association of the Deaf in 2006. In the 1977 Games, she brought the only medal - Silver - home after playing women's volleyball. Bobbie is the only deaf individual to head the USA Deaf Sports Federation (1998-2005) and the National Association of the Deaf (2006-12).
In 2003, the frustrated USADSF president told ESPN, "I have been to USOC and disabled sports meetings, countless meetings where the Deaflympics was literally ignored, accorded only a nod as might be afforded to a stepchild. We were often isolated from the decision-making and funding process." [Note: Bobbie and Donna already got acquainted in the early 2000s]
Her brother, BYRON, took a three-week break from the ASL world to play chess for the USA in the 2019 Winter Deaflympics in Italy.
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Tennis Family Deaflympians
DIANE Spalding Osborne is a four-time Tennis Deaflympian: 1977 Games (Gold in Women's Doubles and Bronze in Women's Singles), 1981 Games (Gold in Mixed Doubles and Silver in Women's Doubles), 1985 Games (Silver in Mixed Doubles and Bronze in Women's Doubles), and 1989 Games (Fourth in Mixed Doubles.) So she hung 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 2 Bronzes on the wall.
Diane's brother, Christopher "CHRIS" SPALDING, played tennis in the 1981 and 1989 Games.
Diane's husband, Jeffrey "JEFF" Osbourne, shook the Deaf Tennis world by winning all three events (Singles, Doubles, and Mixed) in his first Deaflympics in 1981. Then, in the 1985 Games in Los Angeles, he teamed with Newcomer Brad Minn in Men's Double, which they won. Jeff lost to Minns in the men's singles final and took Silver in Mixed Doubles. Four years later, in 1989, Jeff grabbed a Silver in Men's Doubles with Minns. He hung 3 Golds and three silvers on the wall.
As mentioned, Diane and Jeff teamed together in the Mixed Doubles in 1981, 1985, and 1989. Their relationship became serious after playing in the 1984 edition of the Dresse Cup for Deaf Men and the Maere Cup for Deaf Women in Belgium, and they got married in 1990.
After September 1st, the name of Jeff Osborne will be familiar to devoted movie fans since Jeff (played by actor Harrison Stone, a former University of Alabama-Huntsville tennis player) will be featured in the coming movie "Never Give Up." It is the true story of how Minns somehow comes back from match point in the third set against Osborne to win the Gold medal in the fifth set. Ironically, I was the ICSD Tennis Technical Director and witnessed the impossible match.
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FACT: In his memoir, “Memoir Upon the Formation of a Deaf Variety of the Human Race (1883),” Alexandria Graham Bell suggested enacting legislation to prevent the intermarriage of deaf people or forbidding marriage between families that have more than one deaf member. Oddly, he had a deaf mother and a deaf wife!! Google it?
Look at these deaf athletes mentioned above who enjoyed their successful accomplishments in the Deaflympics.