BEAR HOLLOW — He may have a silver Olympic medal from the 2002 Winter Games around his neck, but there's something else that Salt Lake City bobsledder Bill Schuffenhauer has always wanted.
A college degree.
Schuffenhauer attended Weber State University in 1991 on a track and field scholarship but never finished his marketing degree. Now, thanks to a new U.S. Olympic Committee program, he'll be able to go back to school while continuing to compete.
Wednesday, the 30-year-old new father was named the first recipient of the AT&T/USOC 2002 Olympic Winter Games Legacy Scholarship. The USOC and AT&T, a sponsor of the Salt Lake Games, each contributed $500,000 to endow the scholarship fund.
Student athletes who train at one of Utah's Olympic facilities will be awarded up to $5,000 annually to help cover school-related costs. Mary R. Klever, USOC director of athlete programs, said up to $40,000 will be handed out each year.
With his money, Schuffenhauer hopes next June to become the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college, with a degree in technical sales that will enable him to launch a career selling medical equipment.
"It's a great feeling," Schuffenhauer said. "I'll have the opportunity not only to be a role model for my family but to be a role model for other kids out there. . . . They'll be able to look at me and say, 'Not only does this guy have a silver medal, but he also has his degree.' "
Schuffenhauer would like to add "best bobsledder in the world" to his resume, too.
After finishing second in the four-man bobsled at the Salt Lake Games, Schuffenhauer is gunning for gold at the next Winter Games in Torino, Italy, in 2006. He and his teammates are ranked second in the world.
Schuffenhauer got a little practice in during Wednesday's announcement when he and other participants headed down the bobsled track at Utah Olympic Park. Because it's still too early for ice, the group rolled down concrete in a wheeled sled.
Also at the announcement was Nikki Stone, one of several athletes serving on the scholarship fund's selection committee. Stone, a 1998 Olympic gold medalist and Park City resident, earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1997 from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
Much of her course work, however, was completed at the University of Utah while she trained at park. Besides the bobsled, luge and skeleton track, the park is also home to ski jumps and a training pool for freestyle aerialists like Stone.
"I know how valuable it is," Stone said of earning a college degree. "As athletes we sometimes forget there is another part of your life after sports."
Applications for scholarships will be reviewed twice a year. The next award is expected to be at the end of the year and the deadline for applications is Nov. 1. Details are available from Brian Dougherty at the USOC, who can be reached at the organization's Colorado Springs headquarters by calling 1-719-866-2237 or by e-mail at Brian.Dougherty@usoc.org.
E-mail: lisa@desnews.com