A plaque in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s Court of Honor honoring 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President Peter V. Ueberroth was unveiled Monday.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and two-time Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses were among those joining Ueberroth at the event.
Following the massive deficit incurred by the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, government funding for the 1984 Games was barred. In response, Ueberroth introduced an ambitious and innovative sponsorship program for the Games, coming up with a model of product category exclusivity that ultimately inspired the creation of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Partner program.
The Los Angeles Games generated a $223 million profit, which was used to launch the LA84 Foundation, which has supported thousands of youth-serving sports organizations in Southern California through grant making, funding facilities and fields, training coaches and commissioning research.
Ueberroth was commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984-89 and chairman of the United States Olympic Committee from 2004-2008.
“Everybody that I can see, and everybody that can be behind us or in front of us, we can make a difference,” he told the crowd gathered for the ceremony. “We can all make a difference.”
The plaque honoring Ueberroth is the 66th in the Court of Honor, which honors individuals and events that have had a impact upon the history, glory and growth of the Coliseum and the since-demolished Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
Others honored with plaques include John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson, Tom Bradley, Vin Scully, John McKay and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
