Hall of Fame
Chris Waddell, a member of the Class of 1991, was one of the top monoskiers in the world during his career. He is also a world-renowned motivational speaker, author, and an NBC Sports television host for the Paralympic games.
Waddell began his time at Middlebury in February 1988 and was paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident later that year. He competed in numerous carnivals throughout his career and served as a team captain during his senior winter. He was also a manager for the Panther men’s soccer program. He represented Middlebury at the United States Disabled Nationals and won the championship race, earning a spot on the U.S. Ski Team. Waddell was honored with the Bubba Kenney Memorial Award, given annually to the Middlebury male skier who best exemplifies leadership and dedication. He also served as the College’s 2011 Commencement speaker and received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Following graduation, Waddell continued to ski and compete in other events. He is a four-time Paralympic monoskier, earning gold medals in the 1994 games in downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and Super-G. Waddell has also participated in three summer Paralympic games, winning a silver medal in 2000.
He is the most decorated monoskier in Paralympic history, securing 12 medals. He won a pair of silvers in 1992 and swept four gold medals in four events (slalom, giant slalom, Super G, downhill) in 1994. In the downhill, he had the fastest time of all classes of monoskiers, becoming the quickest in the world. Waddell was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2009 and the U.S. Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019. He was the inaugural ambassador of the International Paralympic Committee and was the first “nearly unassisted” paraplegic person to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009. Waddell was tabbed as one of Ski Magazine’s 25 Greatest Skiers in North America.
