Frank Carroll, coach of some of the most prominent American figure skaters in his long career, died Sunday at age 85.
U.S. Figure Skating confirmed Carroll’s death in a statement posted to social media but did not release a cause.
“U.S. Figure Skating mourns the loss of coaching legend Frank Carroll,” the organization posted to social media. “A member of the World and U.S. Figure Skating Halls of Fame, Frank was instrumental in the careers of numerous Olympic and World champions and many future Hall of Famers.”
A Massachusetts native, Carroll was a figure skater before he began coaching. He retired in 2018 after 58 years as a coach. He also was inducted into the
Professional Skaters Association and International Skating Institute halls of fame.
His numerous students included three world champions — Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek.
Fratianne (Lake Placid, 1980) and Kwan (Nagano, 1998) also won Olympic silver medals, while Lysacek took home to gold from Vancouver in 2010. He also coached bronze medalists Timothy Goebel (Salt Lake City, 2002) and Denis Ten of Kazakhstan (Sochi, 2014).
“This is just frosting on the cake for me,” Carroll said after Lysacek’s victory, per NBC Sports. “It’s not something I coveted after a while. It was something I thought maybe would never happen.”
While Tara Lipinski won the gold medal in 1998, Kwan achieved plenty of success under Carroll — four world championships and five of her nine U.S. titles.
“For over 10 years, Frank was by my side — coaching and mentoring me to be the best skater and person that I can be,” Kwan said in a text message to USA Today. “He bestowed upon me a wealth of knowledge and history of the sport he loved so much. Off the ice and over the years, he became much more than just a coach. I know he’s changed the lives of thousands of skaters for the better, and I’m grateful that I’m one of them and I wouldn’t be here without his guidance.”
–Field Level Media