Enshrined: 2012
Milwaukee born, Elizabeth ‘Beezie’ Madden has made history before. Now she does so again, as the first equestrian inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.
Beezie made her Grand Prix debut in 1985. Just four years later, she was selected as the United States Olympic Committee’s Female Equestrian Athlete of the Year, having been the first woman and American in the top three in Show Jumping’s World Ranking.
That same year, Beezie was the first female to top the $1 million mark in earnings.
In the 2004 Athens Olympics, her double-clean rounds helped the United States win Team Gold. Riding Authentic, Beezie won Individual and Team Silver in the 2006 World Equestrian Games.
She’s the first two-time winner of USET Foundation’s Stone Cup for her international record and as an equestrian ambassador.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Beezie captured Gold (Team) and Bronze (Individual) medals…and represented the US in equine sports at the 2012 Olympics in London. In 2011 Beezie was a member of the US Gold Medal winning team at the Pan American Games.
She partnered with husband John on the Syracuse International Sport Horse Show that took place at the War Memorial. The Maddens live in Cazenovia.