Mike Lafferty (alpine skier)

Last updated
Mike Lafferty
Alpine skier
Disciplines Downhill
Club Bend Skyliners
University of Colorado
Born (1948-05-20) May 20, 1948 (age 74)
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
World Cup debutJanuary 1969 (age 20)
RetiredMarch 1974 (age 25)
Olympics
Teams1 – (1972)
Medals0
World Championships
Teams2 – (1970, 1972)
  includes Olympics
Medals0
World Cup
Seasons6 – (1969–74)
Wins0
Podiums2 – (2 DH)
Overall titles0 – (9th in 1972)
Discipline titles0 – (3rd in DH, 1972)

Michael McCormack Lafferty (born May 20, 1948) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. He specialized in downhill and had two World Cup podiums and eleven top ten finishes, all in downhill. His best finish in the World Cup season standings was in 1972: third in downhill and ninth overall.

Contents

Early years

Born in Eugene, Oregon, Lafferty was the third and youngest son of Paul and Jean Lafferty. [1] [2] [3] [4] His father Paul (1910–92) was a college ski team coach in the 1930s [5] and an officer in the famed 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army in World War II. [1] [6]

Lafferty learned to ski at Willamette Pass and raced as a junior for the Bend Skyliners at Mt. Bachelor. [7] Following graduation from South Eugene High School in 1966, he followed his brother Peter to the University of Colorado in Boulder. [8] [6] He raced for the Buffaloes for two years [9] until named to the "B team" of the U.S. Ski Team in December 1968, then promoted to the "A team" later that month. [10] [11] [12]

Racing career

Lafferty's first top ten result in a World Cup race was in December 1969, with a fifth place in a downhill at Val-d'Isère, France. [13] At the Winter Olympics in 1972 in Japan, Lafferty finished 14th in the downhill. [14] Two years earlier, he was 31st at the World Championships in 1970 in Italy. [15]

Lafferty's best World Cup result was his first podium, a runner-up finish at Crystal Mountain, Washington, in February 1972, the first event after the Olympics. [16] [17] [7] The next day he had a fourth-place finish in another downhill [18] and ascended another podium in Italy a few weeks later. [19] Before the Olympics, he finished just off the podium in mid-January with a fourth place at storied Kitzbühel. [20]

His third-place finish in the World Cup downhill season standings in 1972 was the best by an American male until 2003, when Daron Rahlves finished second. (Other third-place finishers were Bill Johnson in 1984 and A.J. Kitt in 1992.) Rahlves finished second again in 2004 and Bode Miller was also second in 2005 and 2008. Through 2014, a U.S. male has yet to win the season title in the downhill discipline.

After racing

Following his final season in 1974, [21] [22] [23] Lafferty returned to Oregon to help manage the family's successful cold storage business in Eugene and Albany. [2] [4] [6] [24] He briefly raced on the pro circuit in North America. [25]

World Cup results

Season standings

SeasonAgeOverallSlalomGiant
Slalom		Super GDownhillCombined
1969 20(57)——not
run		—not
run
1970 2141——12
1971 2250——23
1972 239——3
1973 2441——17
1974 25(63)———

Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).

Top ten finishes

SeasonDateLocationDisciplinePlace
1970 14 Dec 1969 Flag of France.svg Val-d'Isère, France Downhill 5th
1971 29 Jan 1971 Flag of France.svg Megève, FranceDownhill9th
1972 12 Dec 1971 Flag of France.svg Val-d'Isère, FranceDownhill6th
14 Jan 1972 Flag of Austria.svg Kitzbühel, Austria Downhill4th
25 Feb 1972 Flag of the United States.svg Crystal Mountain, USA Downhill2nd
26 Feb 1972Downhill4th
15 Mar 1972 Flag of Italy.svg Val Gardena, Italy Downhill3rd
1973 15 Dec 1972 Flag of Italy.svg Val Gardena, ItalyDownhill9th
6 Jan 1973 Flag of Germany.svg Garmisch, West Germany Downhill9th
7 Jan 1973Downhill9th
27 Jan 1973 Flag of Austria.svg Kitzbühel, AustriaDownhill8th

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Werner</span> American alpine skier

Wallace Jerold "Buddy" Werner was an American alpine ski racer in the 1950s and early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Dénériaz</span> French alpine skier

Antoine Dénériaz is a retired French World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialized in the speed events of downhill and super-G and is an Olympic gold medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritz Strobl</span> Austrian alpine skier

Fritz Strobl is a former World Cup alpine ski racer.

The men's downhill of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held at Sestriere, Italy, on Sunday, 12 February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Moe</span> American alpine skier

Thomas Sven Moe is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. An Olympic gold and silver medalist in 1994, he specialized in the speed events of downhill and super G.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cindy Nelson</span> American alpine skier

Cynthia Lee Nelson is former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States.

Susan Corrock Luby is a former World Cup alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team in the early 1970s. Talented in all three disciplines, she had 16 top ten finishes in World Cup competition: 8 in downhill, 2 in giant slalom, and 6 in slalom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Collombin</span> Swiss alpine skier

Roland Collombin is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland, a two-time World Cup downhill champion and Olympic silver medalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeno Colò</span> Italian alpine skier

Zeno Colò was a champion alpine ski racer from Italy. Born in Cutigliano, Tuscany, he was among the top ski racers of the late 1940s and early 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Luc Crétier</span> French alpine skier

Jean-Luc Crétier is a retired French World Cup alpine ski racer. He was one of the four members of the "Top Guns" team, created and trained by Serge Guillaume outwith the mainstream of the French Alpine Ski Federation, along with Luc Alphand, Franck Piccard, and Denis Rey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernhard Russi</span> Swiss alpine skier

Bernhard Russi is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. Born in Andermatt in the canton of Uri, he is an Olympic, World Cup, and World champion in the downhill event.

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1987 were held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, from 27 January to 8 February 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Walcher</span> Austrian alpine skier

Josef "Sepp" Walcher was an Austrian World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialized in the downhill event and won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1978 at Garmisch, West Germany.

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1970 were held 8–15 February in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Sullivan</span> American alpine skier

Marco Sullivan is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Born in Truckee, California, he competed primarily in the speed events of Downhill and Super G.

Christina "Kiki" Cutter is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. She was the first American to win a World Cup event, a slalom race in Oslo, Norway, on February 25, 1968. Although Cutter competed on the World Cup circuit for less than three years, her five career victories led the U.S. alpine team for eleven years, surpassed by Phil Mahre in 1979.

The marquee event of alpine skiing was held on Sunday, February 10, at the Snowbasin ski area, east of Ogden under clear skies.

Pam Ann Fletcher is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States.

Erica Adams "Rickey" Skinger is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States.

The Men's Downhill competition of the Albertville 1992 Olympics was held at Val d'Isère on Sunday, 9 February.

References

  1. 1 2 Kidd, Joe (February 2, 1992). "Local businessman Paul Lafferty dies". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 3B.
  2. 1 2 Mosley, Joe (October 23, 2005). "Family keeps a warm spot for freezing". Eugene Register Guard. p. H11.
  3. ↑ "Funeral arrangements: David Lafferty". Eugene Register-Guard. April 25, 1965. p. 3A.
  4. 1 2 "Obituary: Jean Stevenson Lafferty". Eugene Register-Guard. October 21, 2005. p. D5.
  5. ↑ "Oregon ski team to compete in Mt. Hood collegiate meet". Eugene Register-Guard. April 7, 1938. p. 9.
  6. 1 2 3 "About us". SnoTemp. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Anstine, Dennis (March 8, 1972). "Lafferty enjoying some 'home' skiing". Bend (OR) Bulletin. p. 10.
  8. ↑ Cawood, Neil (June 27, 1968). "Lafferty's progress all 'downhill'". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1D.
  9. ↑ "Peet, Buffs win opening NCAA titles". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 22, 1968. p. 25.
  10. ↑ "Oregon's Lafferty first in downhill". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 24, 1968. p. 9.
  11. ↑ "Lafferty wins holiday downhill". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. December 24, 1968. p. 2B.
  12. ↑ Uhrhammer, Jerry (July 29, 1971). "It's off to the snowy Andes for Mike Lafferty". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1B.
  13. ↑ "Eugene skier takes fifth spot". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. December 15, 1969. p. 2B.
  14. ↑ "Swiss yodeling at Sapporo". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 8, 1972. p. 15.
  15. ↑ Redmont, Dennis (February 16, 1970). "Kidd surprises even himself". Evening News. Newburgh, NY. Associated Press. p. 10B.
  16. ↑ "Skiers aim at repeats". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. February 26, 1972. p. 12.
  17. ↑ "Eugenean takes second as Russi takes World Cup event". Eugene Register-Guard. February 26, 1972. p. 1B.
  18. ↑ "Swiss star is winner in ski cup". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. February 27, 1972. p. 3-sports.
  19. ↑ "Russi nabs ski victory, world mark". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 16, 1972. p. 23.
  20. ↑ "Yanks finish in top ranks". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. January 15, 1972. p. 9.
  21. ↑ "Skiers renew old rivalry; Lafferty set". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. December 7, 1973. p. 3D.
  22. ↑ "Collombin takes win in downhill". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 13, 1974. p. 8.
  23. ↑ "Skiers eye new year". Bangor Daily News. UPI. November 15, 1974. p. 11.
  24. ↑ Wyant, Don (November 3, 1975). "City major cranberry shipper". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 7B.
  25. ↑ "Lathrop tops pro ski trials". Milwaukee Sentinel. February 8, 1975. p. 3-part 2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.