Robert Bruce "Bob" Cochran, M.D. (born December 11, 1951) is a former
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
alpine ski racer from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Born in
Claremont, New Hampshire
Claremont is the only city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 12,949 at the 2020 census.
History Pre-colonial native populations
Before colonial settlement, the Upper Connecticut River Valley was home to the Pe ...
, Cochran was a member of the
Skiing Cochrans
The Skiing Cochrans are a family of American alpine ski racers from Richmond, Vermont, a dominant force on the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and again in 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
In 1961, parents Mickey and Ginny Cochran bu ...
family of
Richmond, Vermont
Richmond is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,167. The main settlement of Richmond, in the north-central part of town, is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 853 at t ...
.
He had one World Cup victory, four podiums, and 21 top ten finishes. His best finish in the World Cup season standings was in
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
: eighth overall and ninth in slalom. Cochran also won the
combined event at
Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, the first win in that event by an American,
although not an official World Cup race at the time. His sole World Cup win was in
giant slalom
Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G.
Giant slalom and slalom make up t ...
, which he considered his weakest event.
That win was the first by an American male in a World Cup giant slalom.
It was Cochran's only top ten result in giant slalom, his other twenty were evenly split between
downhill
Downhill may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock
* ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse
* ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...
and
slalom
To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles. It may refer to:
Sports
;Alpine skiing and/or snowboarding
* Slalom skiing, an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline
* Giant slalom, an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline
* Super-G ...
.
At the
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...
in Japan, Cochran finished eighth in the downhill and 17th in the giant slalom, but fell in the slalom.
At the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, he placed 14th in the downhill in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
in Switzerland, but fell in both the giant slalom and slalom.
He was 26th in the downhill in
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
in Italy.
Cochran last competed in World Cup in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, raced the pro tour
in North America for several years, then studied medicine at the University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
in Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
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* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
. He graduated in 1981 and became a family practice
Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primar ...
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
in New Hampshire. His son Jimmy (b. 1981) was also a World Cup racer.
Cochran was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a t ...
in 2010, joining older sisters Marilyn (1978) and Barbara (1976). He is also a member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame with his siblings Marilyn, a fellow 2014 inductee, and Barbara, inducted in 2013.
World Cup results
Season standings
Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).
Race podiums
* 1 win – (1 GS)
* 4 podiums – (1 DH, 1 GS, 2 SL), and 21 top tens - (10 DH, 1 GS, 10 SL)
Cochran's win in the combined at Kitzbühel in 1973 is omitted because it was not
an official World Cup race until two years later. He finished 23rd in the slalom portion to win.[
]
See also
*Skiing Cochrans
The Skiing Cochrans are a family of American alpine ski racers from Richmond, Vermont, a dominant force on the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and again in 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
In 1961, parents Mickey and Ginny Cochran bu ...
References
External links
*
Bob Cochran
World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation
*
*
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame
– Bobby Cochran – inducted 2010
University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame
– Dr. Robert B. Cochran – skiing – inducted 1986
Cheshire Medical Center
– Robert B. Cochran, MD
- Bobby Cochran - skiing - inducted in 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Bob
Olympic alpine skiers of the United States
Alpine skiers at the 1972 Winter Olympics
American male alpine skiers
University of Vermont alumni
Sportspeople from Vermont
Vermont Catamounts skiers
1951 births
Living people