Francis Joseph "Frank" Masley (June 30, 1960 – September 10, 2016) was an American

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...

r. He competed in the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, and

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

. He was the first Olympic flag-bearer in USA Luge history in the 1984 Olympic opening ceremonies. Born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, Masley attended

Christiana High School Christiana High School (CHS) is a public high school in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware and has a Newark postal address. It is a part of the Christiana School District. CHS serves a portion of Wilmington including the Shipley Run and ...

and later earned a degree in mechanical engineering from

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

.Alt URL
/ref> He died of melanoma on September 10, 2016, aged 56, at home in Wilmington, Delaware.

Business career

Frank founded Masley Enterprises INC in the basement of his own home in July 2000.

Company Awards

* Small Business Administration Delaware Small Business 2010 Person of the Year * White House and the Small Business Administration Champion for Change award in 2014 * Delaware State Chamber of Commerce 2016 Gilman award

Athletic career

Frank Masley started his Luge career in the 1970s. During his career, he would compete in 3 winter Olympics, and collect 10 US titles in both singles and double luge events. Frank was the 1980, 1983, and 1984 doubles luge champion with his sliding partner,

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of ...

. He was the first Olympic flag-bearer in USA Luge history in the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Winter Olympic games. Frank Masley was an incredible competitor and teammate. His contributions and athleticism would make him the first inductee to the Luge Hall of Fame.

Awards Named After

Two Awards were created in memory of Frank.

Frank Masley Champion Award from the Small Business Administration

* 2017 Winner: Bob O’Brien, SCORE. Wilmington * 2018 Winner: Michelle Morin, Delaware Office of Supplier Diversity, Dover * 2019 Winner: Michael Bowman, Delaware Small Business Development Center Newark

USA Luge Frank Masley Trophy

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Masley, Frank 1960 births 2016 deaths American male lugers Lugers at the 1980 Winter Olympics Lugers at the 1984 Winter Olympics Lugers at the 1988 Winter Olympics Olympic lugers for the United States Deaths from cancer in Delaware Sportspeople from Wilmington, Delaware Drexel University alumni Deaths from melanoma