Here’s a look at the life of Olympic and world champion figure skater Scott Hamilton.
Personal
Birth date: August 28, 1958
Birth place: Toledo, Ohio
Full name: Scott Scovell Hamilton
Father: Ernest Hamilton, college professor
Mother: Dorothy Hamilton, college professor
Marriage: Tracie (Robinson) Hamilton (December 14, 2002-present)
Children: Maxx Thomas, Aidan McIntosh, Jean Paul (adopted), Evelyne (adopted)
Other Facts
Was adopted at six weeks of age.
Has worked for both CBS and NBC as a figure skating commentator.
Hamilton and his wife adopted a brother and sister from Haiti a few years after the 2010 earthquake.
Timeline
1960s - His growth slows dramatically at the age of 2 as his body struggles to digest food properly. His parents consult multiple doctors and try a variety of unsuccessful treatments over the course of several years. They allow him to begin ice-skating for exercise, and his condition finally begins to improve.
Early 1970s - Moves to Illinois and begins training with skating coach Pierre Brunet.
1976 - Wins the National Junior Championship.
1980 - Places third in the national competition and wins a place on the US Olympic team.
1981-1984 - Wins both the National Figure Skating Championship and the World Figure Skating Championship four consecutive years.
1984 - Wins the gold medal for men’s figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
1984-1986 - Skates in the “Ice Capades.”
1986 - Co-founds the ice-skating touring production “Stars on Ice.”
1990 - Inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame.
1997 - Is diagnosed with testicular cancer. Is treated and goes into remission with chemotherapy and surgery.
1999 - “Landing It: My Life On and Off the Ice,” Hamilton’s autobiography, is published.
1999 - Partners with the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center to form the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative, which promotes cancer education and research.
2001 - Retires from “Stars on Ice.”
2004 - Is diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Undergoes a procedure to shrink the tumor.
2009 - Hamilton’s book, “The Great Eight (How to Be Happy Even When You Have Every Reason to Be Miserable),” is published.
2009 - Appears on the NBC show “Celebrity Apprentice.”
November 2009 - After more than five years of not performing, Hamilton skates at a fundraiser for his CARES initiative.
June 2010 - Undergoes surgery to remove the benign tumor in his brain.
April 10, 2014 - With the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators, announces the formation of the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy at Ford Ice Center in Antioch, Tennessee.
2015 - The non-profit Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation is formally established.
October 21, 2016 - People Magazine reports that Hamilton has been diagnosed with another benign brain tumor, his third since 2004.
2018 - Hamilton’s book, “Finish First: Winning Changes Everything,” is published.
February 4, 2020 - The children’s book, “Fritzy Finds a Hat,” written by Hamilton and illustrated by musician Brad Paisley,” is published. The new book helps parents speak to children about cancer.
October 6, 2020 - Hamilton launches “Live Your Days,” a weekly podcast.