Four-time Olympic Ice Hockey Player Angela Ruggiero grew up in Los Angeles, California and Harper Woods, Michigan. She graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University, where she was an NCAA First Team Academic All-American as well as one of the top eight student athletes in the entire NCAA in 2004.
A star player on the U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey Team, Angela won a Gold medal in 1998, a Silver medal in 2002, a Bronze medal in 2006, and another Silver medal at the 2010 Olympics. She was the first woman non-goalie to play professional men’s hockey in North America, playing for the Tulsa Oilers alongside her brother, Bill, and also earning a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as the first brother-sister duo to play pro hockey together.
Angela helped the U.S. capture gold by scoring the tournament-winning goal at the 2005 World Championships, was voted the USA’s Women’s Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and was ranked the #1 female hockey player in the world by “The Hockey News” in 2003. In addition to her extraordinary athletic accomplishments, Angela is the founder and president of a girl’s hockey school; the author of “Breaking the Ice”, her inspirational autobiography; and the former director of the New York Islanders’ Project Hope – an organization that provides young Chinese athletes with access to educational opportunities.
When Angela appeared on season six of NBC’s hit show, The Apprentice, Angela impressed the real estate mogul. Though she did not become the official “Apprentice,” Donald Trump did offer Angela a job. Tempted to take a highly coveted position, Angela politely declined the position, for now, and returned to her passion of making her fourth Olympic team… and she did.
In 2010 Angela was elected to a highly regarded position as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. The commission serves as a consultative body and is the link between active athletes and the International Olympic Committee. She was also later appointed to the IOC Evaluation Commission to evaluate potential host cities for the 2018 Olympic Games. In addition, Angela serves as a board member on the United States Olympic Committee.
Categories: Olympics
