About LA84

Mission: Life Ready Through Sport

The LA84 Foundation is endowed with surplus funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Our mission is to serve youth through sport and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people’s lives. The LA84 Foundation supports a wide array of youth sports programming. We award grants to youth sports organizations within the eight southernmost counties of California. We also conduct our own. youth sports and coaching education programs, a number of which have become models for similar programs nationwide

Star in Motion

The LA84 Foundation operates the largest sports research library in North America, the Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center. It is a state-of-the-art research facility and learning center dedicated to the advancement of sports knowledge and scholarship. The Foundation also maintains a sizable collection of historic sport art and artifacts much of which was inherited from the former Helms sports halls of fame.

The LA84 Foundation is a private nonprofit institution. The Foundation has committed more than $177 million to accomplish its mission since 1985. To date, two million boys and girls, and more than 1,000 youth sports organizations throughout Southern California have benefited from the endowment. They will be joined by many more in the years ahead.

Board Member Biographies

Thomas E. Larkin, Jr.--Vice Chairman, The TCW Group, Inc.; Board of Directors, Automobile Club of Southern California; Heart and Lung Surgery Foundation, Loyola Marymount University, Mount Saint Mary's College, University of Notre Dame and Orange County Performing Arts Center. He also serves the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as a member of its Finance Council, chairman of its investment committee and a trustee of its education foundation.

John E. Bryson--Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, SCEcorp and its subsidiary, Southern California Edison Company; Board of Directors, The Boeing Company and W. M. Keck Foundation.

Yvonne B. Burke--Former Los Angeles County Supervisor (Second District); President, Southern California Association of Governments for 2006-2007; Former U.S. Congresswoman; Former California State Assemblywoman; Former Regent, University of California; Former Member, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee Board of Directors.

Jae Min Chang--Chairman and Publisher, The Korea Times-Hankook Ilbo, the leading Korean language daily newspaper in the U.S.; Member, Board of Korean American Museum and Harvard-Westlake School; Member, Board of Councilors UCLA School of Dentistry.

Anita L. DeFrantz--President and Member, LA84 Foundation Board of Directors; President and Member, Kids In Sports Board of Directors; Member, International Olympic Committee; Chair, IOC's Women and Sport Working Group; Member, U.S. Olympic Committee Board of Directors; Member, The Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics; Member, the NCAA Leadership Advisory Board; Member, Board of Directors, Western Asset Trust, Inc., the Juvenile Law Center, Institute for International Sport, Santa Monica College Foundation and Los Angeles Sports Council; Vice President, FISA, the International Rowing Federation.

Janet Evans--Swimming coach, sports commentator and motivational speaker; Four-time Olympic gold medallist in swimming; winner of 45 U.S. National Titles; multiple World and American record holder; World Swimmer of the Year 1987, 1989, 1990; Member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Priscilla Florence--President and Owner, Boston's Cards Stores Inc.; Former Vice President, Human Resources, World Cup USA 1994 Inc.; Former Group Vice President, Human Resources, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee; Board of Directors, The Downtown Women's Center.

Robert V. Graziano--Managing Partner, Western Region Northern Trust; Former President and COO, Los Angeles Dodgers; Board of Directors, LA's BEST, Town Hall Los Angeles, Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, University of Southern California Associates, the Japan America Society, Ernst & Young Alumni Association and the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.

Rafer Johnson--Chairman, Kids In Sports Los Angeles; Chairman, Board of Governors of Special Olympics in Southern California; Olympic silver medallist in the decathlon in 1956 and gold medallist in 1960; Member, Board of Directors, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, Exceptional Children's Foundation; Member, President's Commission on Olympic Sports; Former Member, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee Board of Directors.

Maureen Kindel--President, Rose & Kindel Public Affairs Consultants; Chairperson, 1987 Los Angeles Arts Festival Board of Directors; Board of Directors, Performing Arts Council and Los Angeles Music Center; Former Member, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee Board of Directors.

Peter O'Malley--President, Los Angeles Dodgers 1970-1998; Director, Jackie Robinson Foundation; Trustee, Little League Baseball Foundation; Director, Los Angeles World Affairs Council; Past Member, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Past Member, Bank of America Board of Directors; Past Member, Union Oil Board of Directors.

Joan A. Payden--President and CEO, Payden & Rygel; Board of Directors, Automobile Club of Southern California, John Tracy Clinic and California Chamber of Commerce; Trustee, University of Southern California and LA Natural History Museum; Member, Board of Visitors, UCLA Anderson School.

Frank M. Sanchez--McDonald's Restaurant Operator; Board of Directors, Los Angeles Sports Council, United Way, East L.A. Chapter of Boys Clubs of America and Oralingual School for the Deaf; Chair, Education Committee of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Peter V. Ueberroth--Managing Director, The Contrarian Group, Inc.; Honorary President, U.S. Olympic Committee; Board of Directors, Aircastle Ltd., Ambassadors International, Coca-Cola Company, Hilton Hotels Corporation and the Irvine Company; Former Commissioner, Major League Baseball; Former President, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.

Gilbert R. Vasquez--Managing Partner, Vasquez & Company LLP; Former Member, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee Board of Directors; Board of Directors, Entravision Communications Corporation, Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, the Cal State LA Foundation, Manufacturers Bank, Promerica Bank and Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting.

David L. Wolper --Chairman Emeritus, LA84 Foundation Board of Directors; award-winning television and movie producer; Producer of Opening & Closing Ceremonies, 1984 Olympic Games; ROOTS; National Geographic and Jacques Cousteau specials and the movies, L.A. Confidential and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; Member, Board of Trustees, USC Cinema Television.

John Ziffren--Award-winning television producer; Former Vice President of Production for Z.com; Served as member of the Board of Governors and Chairman of the National Awards Committee of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; Member of the board of trustees of The Oakwood School.