Howard Siler facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh | ||
Representing the  United States |
||
| World Championships | ||
| Bronze | 1969 Lake Placid | Four-man |
Howard Banford Siler Jr. (born June 18, 1945 – died July 8, 2014) was a well-known American bobsledder. He competed in the sport from the late 1960s until the early 1980s.
A Champion Bobsledder
Howard Siler Jr. was a very successful bobsledder. He won a bronze medal in the four-man bobsled event. This happened at the 1969 FIBT World Championships. The competition took place in Lake Placid, New York.
Siler also competed in two Winter Olympics. His best Olympic finish was fifth place. This was in the two-man bobsled event. It happened at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Overall, he was a five-time US champion. He was also a member of the US World team nine times.
Coaching the Jamaican Bobsled Team
After his racing career, Howard Siler became a coach. In 1985, he coached the United States bobsled team. He also helped lead the US Bobsled Federation.
Later, Siler coached the Jamaican bobsleigh team. This team became famous for competing at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Their story inspired the popular American movie Cool Runnings (1993). In the film, the character Irving "Irv" Blitzer, played by John Candy, was based on Howard Siler.
The Cool Runnings Story
The movie Cool Runnings showed the Jamaican bobsledders as fun and a bit silly. However, Howard Siler's wife, Debra Shea Siler, said he was disappointed by this. He felt the movie made the athletes seem "cutesy, silly."
Siler had agreed to coach the Jamaican team because he saw them as serious athletes. They were very committed to their sport. He believed they were dedicated and hard-working.
Howard Siler Jr. passed away on July 8, 2014. He was 69 years old.
