James "Jimmy" Disbrow was a restaurateur and later president of the United States Figure Skating Association

United States Figure Skating Association

U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating on ice in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic Committee "USOC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and is the United States member of the International Skating...

 from 1998 to 2000.

Disbrow contracted polio as a child and started skating to strengthen his legs. He won the silver medal in the junior men's division at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1966 and also competed in pairs at the national level with partner Katie Walker. He was coached by David and Rita Lowery; they became his adopted family. Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton (figure skater)

Scott Scovell Hamilton is an American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. He won four consecutive U.S. championships , four consecutive World Championships and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics....

, who also trained with the Lowerys at the time, later cited Disbrow as one of his childhood role models.

Following his competitive skating career, Disbrow spent two years touring with Holiday on Ice

Holiday on Ice

Holiday on Ice is an ice show currently produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment Group with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands...

. Later, he became a skating judge. He was chairman of the USFSA's International Committee during the Tonya Harding

Tonya Harding

Tonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition...

 scandal at the time of the 1994 Winter Olympics

1994 Winter Olympics

The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...

 and served as the US figure skating team leader at the 1998 Winter Olympics

1998 Winter Olympics

The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...

 and the chairman of the organizing committee for the 1998 World Figure Skating Championships

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

 in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 before his election to the USFSA presidency.

In 1982, Disbrow founded the Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar is a casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States that is known for its Buffalo wings.-History:...

 restaurant chain and served as its president and CEO until 1997.

Disbrow died of brain cancer at age 54. He had been diagnosed with the disease shortly after his election to the USFSA presidency in 1998.