The Most Famous

SKATERS from United States

This page contains a list of the greatest American Skaters. The pantheon dataset contains 483 Skaters, 70 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the 2nd most number of Skaters.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Skaters of all time. This list of famous American Skaters is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Skaters.

1. Tonya Harding (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 60.08, Tonya Harding is the most famous American Skater. Her biography has been translated into 41 different languages on wikipedia.

Tonya Maxene Price (née Harding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skater and boxer, and reality television personality. Born in Portland, Oregon, Harding was raised by her mother, who enrolled her in ice skating lessons when Tonya was 3 years old. Harding spent much of her early life training, eventually dropping out of high school to devote her time to the sport. After climbing the ranks in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships between 1986 and 1989, Harding won the 1989 Skate America competition. She was the 1991 and 1994 U.S. champion (the latter title was later vacated), and 1991 World silver medalist. In 1991, she became the first American woman and the second woman in history (after Midori Ito) to successfully land a triple Axel in an international competition. Harding is a two-time Olympian and a two-time Skate America Champion. In January 1994, Harding became embroiled in controversy when her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. On March 16, 1994, Harding accepted a plea bargain in which she pled guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. As a result of her involvement in covering up the assault, the United States Figure Skating Association banned her for life on June 30, 1994; she was stripped of her 1994 title. From 2003 to 2004, Harding competed as a professional boxer. Her life has been the subject of many books, films, documentaries, and academic studies. In 2014, two television documentaries were made about Harding's life and skating career (Nancy & Tonya and The Price of Gold), inspiring Steven Rogers to write the film I, Tonya in 2017, which Margot Robbie produced while also portraying Harding. In 2018, she was a contestant on season 26 of Dancing with the Stars, finishing in third place. In 2019, she won season 16 of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition.

2. Dick Button (1929 - 2025)

With an HPI of 59.99, Dick Button is the 2nd most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Richard Totten Button (July 18, 1929 – January 30, 2025) was an American figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive world champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-European man to have become European champion. Button is credited as having been the first skater to successfully land the double Axel jump in competition in 1948, as well as the first triple jump of any kind – a triple loop – in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel". He "brought increased athleticism" to figure skating in the years following World War II. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, Button represented the "American School" of figure skating, which was a more athletic style than skaters from Europe.

3. Charles Jewtraw (1900 - 1996)

With an HPI of 58.61, Charles Jewtraw is the 3rd most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Charles Jewtraw (May 5, 1900 – January 26, 1996) was an American speed skater, who won the first gold medal (in the 500 m) at the first Winter Olympics in 1924; he finished eighth in the 1500 m and 13th in the 5000 m events. Jewtraw won national titles in 1921 and 1923 and held the national record in 100 yards at 9.4 seconds. After the 1924 Games he retired from competitions and moved to New York, where he became a representative for the Spalding Sporting Goods Company. Jewtraw moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where he died in January 1996 at 95 years of age. He was married to Natalie, who died in November 1994. Jewtraw's gold medal is now located in the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

4. Eric Heiden (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 57.19, Eric Heiden is the 4th most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Eric Arthur Heiden (born June 14, 1958) is an American physician and a former long track speed skater, road cyclist and track cyclist. He won an unprecedented five individual gold medals, and set four Olympic records and one world record at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Heiden was the most successful athlete at those Olympic Games, single-handedly winning more gold medals than all nations except for the Soviet Union (10) and East Germany (9). He is the most successful Winter Olympian from a single edition of any Winter Olympics. He delivered the Athlete's Oath at those same 1980 Games. His coach was Dianne Holum. Heiden is an icon in the speed skating community. His victories are significant, as few speed skaters (and athletes in general) have won competitions in both sprint and long-distance events. Heiden is the only athlete in the history of speed skating to have won all five events in a single Olympic tournament and the only one to have won a gold medal in all events. He is considered by some to be the best overall speed skater (short and long distances) in the sport's history. Heiden ranked No. 46 in ESPN's SportsCentury 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century in 1999, the only speed skater to make the list. In 2000, a Dutch newspaper called him the greatest skater ever.

5. Tony Hawk (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 57.17, Tony Hawk is the 5th most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "900" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by Activision that same year. Hawk retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential skateboarders of all time. Hawk has been involved in various philanthropic activities throughout his career. He founded the Skatepark Project, which helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas around the world.

6. Ken Henry (1929 - 2009)

With an HPI of 56.75, Ken Henry is the 6th most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Kenneth "Ken" Charles Henry (January 7, 1929 – March 1, 2009) was a speed skater from the United States.

7. Irving Jaffee (1906 - 1981)

With an HPI of 55.32, Irving Jaffee is the 7th most famous American Skater. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Irving Warren Jaffee (September 15, 1906 in New York City – March 20, 1981 in San Diego, California) was an American speed skater who won two gold medals at the 1932 Winter Olympics, becoming the most successful athlete there along with his compatriot Jack Shea. It was the first time two Americans had won medals in speed skating at a Winter Olympics.

8. Nancy Kerrigan (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 54.25, Nancy Kerrigan is the 8th most famous American Skater. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American former figure skater. She won bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics, silver medals at the 1992 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics, as well as the 1993 US National Figure Skating Championship. Kerrigan was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004. On January 6, 1994, an assailant used a police baton to strike Kerrigan on her landing knee; the attacker was hired by Jeff Gillooly, then-husband of her rival Tonya Harding. The attack injured Kerrigan, but she quickly recovered. Harding and Kerrigan both participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics, but after the Games, Harding was permanently banned from competitive figure skating. At the Olympics, Kerrigan won the silver medal in a controversial showdown with gold medal winner Oksana Baiul. She then started touring and performed with several ice skating troupes that included Champions on Ice and Broadway on Ice. In 2017, she was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.

9. Carol Heiss (b. 1940)

With an HPI of 54.17, Carol Heiss is the 9th most famous American Skater. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins (born January 20, 1940) is an American former figure skater and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the 1960 Olympic champion, the 1956 Olympic silver medalist, and a five-time World champion (1956–1960).

10. Jeanne Ashworth (1938 - 2018)

With an HPI of 54.12, Jeanne Ashworth is the 10th most famous American Skater. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jeanne Chesley Ashworth (July 1, 1938 – October 4, 2018) was an American speed skater who competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics, 1964 Winter Olympics and 1968 Winter Olympics. Ashworth competed in the first Olympic speed skating event for women. She won the bronze medal, finishing behind a German and Russian. During the late 1950s and 1960s, when Ashworth was at the height of her career, she won 11 national championships. She was born in Burlington, Vermont. She lived near Lake Placid, where she ran her family toy and candy company. She died of pancreatic cancer on October 4, 2018. Ashworth won the bronze medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in speed skating. Ashworth died on October 4, 2018, in Wilmington, New York.

People

Pantheon has 70 people classified as American skaters born between 1893 and 2000. Of these 70, 60 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living American skaters include Tonya Harding, Eric Heiden, and Tony Hawk. The most famous deceased American skaters include Dick Button, Charles Jewtraw, and Ken Henry. As of April 2024, 70 new American skaters have been added to Pantheon including Tonya Harding, Dick Button, and Charles Jewtraw.