1964 Innsbruck Winter Games
933 Athletes, 36 Countries, 34 Events
The 1964 Innsbruck Games were plagued by a lack of snow and a lack
of Ivy Leaguers. The Austrian army was at one point mending the ski
slopes on their hands and knees. Only four Ivy Leaguers made the
trip to Austria, matching an all-time low set in the first Winter
Olympics (1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland). 1964 also marked the
first year that the Ivy League did not contribute to the U.S. Men's
Ice Hockey team since the first Winter Olympics.
Dartmouth skiers James W. Page (1963) and
Richard W. Taylor (1959) did the duty of being the
almost compulsory representatives from Hanover. Page competed in
the Nordic combined race, and Taylor took part in the 15-, 30-, and
50-kilometer races. Neither won a medal, but Page would stay in the
sport for years to come. He was a coach at a New Hampshire prep
school, Dartmouth, and for the national team. Page has also held
various positions in the USOC.
Fellow Dartmouth grad, bobsledder Peter M.
Kirby (1954), was also at the 1964 Games representing his
native Canada. Kirby was part of the gold medal-winning fourman
bobsled team and placed fourth in the two-man competition. Both are
notable achievements by themselves, but when considering that 1964
was the first year that Canada entered an Olympic bobsledding
competition, Kirby's performance is even more special.
Finally, Scott E. Allen (Harvard, 1971)
continued the Crimson figure skating tradition, at 14 years old,
well before matriculating at Harvard. Allen was two days shy of his
15th birthday when he won the bronze medal in the men's individual
figure skating competition. In the process, he became the youngest
person to win a Winter Olympic medal. He still is the youngest male
medalist and the youngest medallist from an individual event.
| Name |
School |
Sport |
| Peter M. Kirby |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Bobsled |
| James W. Page |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Alpine Skiing |
| Richard W. Taylor |
Dartmouth College |
Men's Nordic Skiing |
| Scott E. Allen |
Harvard University |
Men's Figure Skating |