Eric Heiden never asked for his moment of fame. It was more than the customary 15 minutes, too. More like nine days. The muscular speed skater never sought the glory, although he skated for the gold.

This past May 17, Eric Heiden stood behind a lectern, shuffled some papers and addressed the U.S. speed skating community at an awards banquet. "Well, were there any doubters last year that we ...