"The Bald Eagles of Barcelona"
In 2012 when the Olympics take place in London, it will be the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona. I still shake my head as I type this, finding it hard to fathom that I’m really this old. In 1992, I was a teenager, having just graduated from high school, and was visiting one of my brothers during the first week of the Olympics. Of course, knowing his little sister was a fanatic, my brother and his wife realized I would be planted in front of their television most days. (Thankfully, there was a sleeper sofa in their den!)
It was a wonderful Olympic Games, and for this Olympic Fanatic, much more enjoyable than the Games in Seoul four years earlier. I have many fond memories from those Games which I still look back on with the mind of an 18 year-old. Barcelona pulled off a spectacular opening ceremony which included an unforgettable lighting of the Olympic Cauldron by Paralympics archer Antonio Rebollo. Heroes such as Devers, Scherbo, Redmond, and Popov were born during these Games, and veterans like Evans, Biondi, and Ashford did not disappoint. Yet none of this came to mind this morning when pondering a new idea for a blog post; rather, it was the story of “The Bald Eagles of Barcelona.”
In 1992, the USA men’s volleyball team arrived in Barcelona as defending gold medalists, having won gold in both 1984 and 1988. (This would mark the last time that the men would medal in an Olympics until 2008.) Led by veteran Steve Timmons, it was a somewhat younger team than those from ’84 and ’88. Included in this new roster was Bryan Ivie, who just prior to the first game, suffered a knee injury which sent him to the sidelines.
Enter Bob Samuelson.
A young, brash player, Samuelson’s height and muscular build, along with his natural athletic ability, made him
The rebel with a cause: Bob Samuelson during 1992 Olympics.
suitable for many sports. Yet it was volleyball and basketball which he enjoyed and at which he excelled. Following one year of volleyball in high school, Samuelson made the switch to basketball. Then, following two years of basketball in college, in 1989 Samuelson went to the tryout for the USA Men’s Volleyball team where he earned a spot.
Perhaps his aggressiveness and no-holds-barred attitude stemmed from the skin condition which left him bald at just 18 years of age–requiring mental tenacity and an air of confidence. Or, maybe it was the influence from his karate-instructor father to never back down. At any rate, the young American’s brazen, fiery temperament often served as a motivational instrument for Team USA, but it could also be detrimental. It was the danger of his temper which cost Team USA its first game in Barcelona, but also served as a catalyst for one of the most memorable examples of team solidarity ever witnessed at the Olympics.
In its opening game Team USA defeated Japan–or at least that’s what the original score indicated. As in soccer and many other sports, penalty cards—yellow and red– are issued for various reasons depending upon the sport. In Samuelson’s case, during the opening game he received his first yellow card following a verbal disagreement over a referee’s call. Then, in the fourth set of the game, with Japan leading 14-13, Samuelson again committed an outburst (and possible other gesture) over a referee’s call. Yet this time, no yellow card was issued. Why? With penalty cards, a second yellow card equals a red card, which means immediate disqualification and a penalty point, which would have given Japan the set and the match. The referee chose to not issue the second yellow card (and thus the automatic red card) because he did not wish for the outcome of an Olympic Game to be determined by a penalty point.
Following the win, the Japanese team filed a formal complaint and upon immediate review, the international volleyball federation jury voted unanimously to reverse the game’s result, giving the game to Japan. Team USA was outraged, yet used the disappointment to their advantage. To show their support for their teammate Samuelson and avoid any further discouragement, Timmons gathered the team together and proposed a radical idea: Let’s shave our heads.
So on July 28, when the team emerged on to the court for the second game of the Olympics against Canada, Samuelson was no longer the lone bald eagle, but was instead one of twelve men with a shiny head off of which the stadium’s lights reflected. The gesture not only made everyone do a double-take, but was inspiration to Olympic and volleyball fans worldwide.
When I went looking for information on this Olympic memory, I was shocked to find that none of the major magazines
Photo from a July 1992 issue of USA Today. Thanks, Mom!
reported this event. Neither Time, Newsweek, or Sports Illustrated devoted any decent amount of space to this. So, I picked up the phone and called my mom. I knew that back at the home place where I grew up is a closet full of magazines and newspapers which (in my younger days) I collected during each Olympic Games After much digging, she struck gold. I’ve added a scanned image of the USA Today article and photo for anyone interested in viewing it. Thanks, Mom, for finding this and thanks to my dad for scanning and e-mailing this to me!
Certainly, if the behavior of Samuelson during the game violated the rules of conduct, then he should have been issued his second yellow card. Whether or not the jury’s post-match decision to reverse the score was a correct one is quite debatable, however. There is a fine line which judges, officials, and governing bodies must walk when making decisions which affect scores and most importantly, final standings. This decision was not catastrophic in that it hindered USA’s chance at gold. The team still came away with a bronze; and perhaps this third place finish was a signal of the oncoming drought in the sport which lasted for USA until 2008 when it finally won another gold medal.
Bob Samuelson
Was Samuelson’s behavior (reminiscent of players such as John McEnroe and Bill Laimbeer) appropriate—especially for that of an Olympian? I’ll leave that up to each individual. What was ideal and appropriate for behavior by Olympians was the true sign of team unity exhibited by those young men. Their actions, giving up the locks of hair many of them probably adored, was a truly selfless act and acknowledgment of the “all for one and one for all” attitude that many teams these days fail to possess. Now, when so many players are focused on their own individual aspirations and accomplishments, The Bald Eagles of Barcelona serve as a reminder to what team spirit is all about, fully embodying the ‘stronger’ in the Olympic motto.
Coach Samuelson on far right
Today, Samuelson looks much the same. The married father of triplet sons splits his time between VeriSign, Inc., where he is employed and another job as an assistant coach for Manhattan Beach Surf Volleyball Club alongside other notable volleyball players. He also assists with coaching the Youth National Boys’ team. No doubt his memories of Barcelona will help remind the future volleyball Olympians he is mentoring that “there is no I in team.”
Swifter, Higher, Stronger.
I feel so important–mentioned with the big league!
Nothing debatable about the result on appeal.
The Russian referee (Saminov) deliberately held back on administering the correct (red) card for Samuelson’s repeated misconduct as he knew the penalty point would give the match to Japan.
The FIVB committee were unanimous – that says it all.
Debatable indeed! Samirov deliberately did not administer the red card as requested by the down referee because it would give the game to Japan, and the infraction did not warrant that. Secondly, the FIVB violated it’s own rules, which state that a protest must be filed immediately, not the next day.
Thank you very, very much for this tribute to the 1992 USA men’s volleyball team. Before NBC Universal showing coverage on its cable channels, before the “Triplecast”, I fondly remember NBC’s late night coverage of the Olympics with Jim Lampley and Hannah Storm, which they took to calling “Club Barcelona”. It felt like a secret society for the sports in the Olympics that I loved but always got short coverage – boxing, water polo, and volleyball.
I had always been a fan of the sport, but the act of unity that team showed on behalf of Samuelson is one of my favorite sports moments of all time. They were a terrific band of brothers, and for me their bronze winning effort is as cherished as any gold, and seems to me a particularly American story.
Thanks for all your efforts on compiling this story, it deserves to be revisited and remembered.
First time I’ve seen this. Go to 47 minutes, the 2nd referee reports Samuelson’s second infringement at match point to Japan. The referee knowingly chooses not to administer the red card and its match ending penalty point.
The Japanese coach and at least one substitute can be clearly seen indicating a second card is appropriate.
Eventually the correct decision was determined by the FIVB commission.
There are other controversial officiating decisions later in the game, favouring each side.
Thank you so much for posting the Youtube link! Gosh, I miss Timmons! This was such an awesome game. You’re right–you can see the coach requesting the card.
Although our paths have not crossed in many years, I happen to know the senior FIVB person that had to advise the US team of the result being determined in Japan’s favour.
I was told he had to go into the American team dressing room to break the news – which conflicts with reports that the appeal was not submitted until the following day. Japan made formal representations directly after the match as far as I’m aware – that would be consistent with their officials and players reactions seen in the footage.
Having trawled through various contemporay reports – here’s what I’ve come up with.
The head of FIVB Press/Media confirmed that Japan submitted the appeal correctly within the prescribed timeframe.
The protest initially went to a 2 man appeal panel that same evening – who referred it to a 24 man FIVB Control Commission who met the next morning and spent 5 & 1/2 hours in closed session.
Referee Ramis Samedov (not Saminov – apolgies,my initial mispelling) gave his initial version of events that night but changed it for the morning hearing – and this must have been a crucial aspect of the deliberations.
The bottom line is that he admitted knowingly not administering the red card penalty, rather than any genuine human error on his part.
The Control Panel voted 20-0 to uphold the Japanese appeal, the 3 delegates from Japan abstained, as did the FIVB Technical Director.
If there are any factual errors in this outline, or additional information to be added, I would be interested to hear it.
Incidentally, I read that Samedov’s refereeing career was effectively over after this match. The 2nd referee, Laert Francisco de Souza, continued at this level and he officiated at subsequent Olympics etc.
Oh, this is GREAT stuff, MAC! Love it! this kind of stuff would make a great documentary: “Bald Eagles of Barcelona, 20 Years Later.”
Apparently I was wrong about the FIVB official advising the US team of the final decision that evening – it would have to have been the next day.
Otherwise my information was accurate, and the outcome was correct.