Raymond “Bud” Somerville, who skipped the first U.S. curling team to win a world title and the first U.S. team to compete in the modern Olympics, died Saturday at age 86, according to USA Curling.
Somerville, who was born in Superior, Wisconsin, can be considered the father of modern American curling.
In 1965, he led the first U.S. team to win a world title in the sport at the Scotch Cup. Canadian teams have won all previous championships since the first in 1959.
“What is curling?” was the first question Somerville heard as he walked into a press conference in New York after flying back from Scotland. according to Sports Illustrated.
Then, in 1974, Somerville overtook the United States to win the country’s second world title.
In 1984, he became the first person to be inducted into the US Curling Hall of Fame (while also serving as a clerk in Douglas County on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border).
Somerville was also the U.S. men’s show jumper when curling returned to the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1988 for the first time in 56 years. The Americans came fourth.
At the 1992 Albertville Games, Somerville was selected to the U.S. men’s team by son Tim, brother-in-law Bill Strum and Strum’s son Mike. The United States placed third in curling as a demonstration sport at the last Olympics.
Curling became a full-fledged medal sport since the 1998 Nagano Games. Somerville coached the U.S. men at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
John Shuster, who captained the first U.S. curling team to win an Olympic title in 2018, has called Somerville a mentor.
“An American curling icon,” was posted on social media by two-time U.S. Olympian Chris Plys. “They don’t make them much better than Bud. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything about the man that they wouldn’t be proud of.”
“Gamer. Introvert. Problem solver. Creator. Thinker. Lifelong food evangelist. Alcohol advocate.”