What Is Peggy Fleming's Net Worth?
Peggy Fleming is a retired American figure skater who has a net worth of $8 million. Peggy Fleming has earned her net worth through her professional skating career, appearing in television specials, and as a commentator for ABC Sports. She reached the peak of her career in the 1960s, dominating women's competition in the sport worldwide.
Early Life
Peggy Gail Fleming was born on July 27, 1948, in San Jose, California. Under her father's sway, she started skating around the age of nine years old after her family moved to Cleveland. When Peggy was 12 years old, her coach, William Kipp, was killed in the Sabena Flight 548 crash along with the rest of the U.S. figure skating team while on their way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships.
1960s Domination
Under Carlo Fassi, Fleming won three World titles (1966, 1967, 1968) and the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Thanks to Peggy's unusual skating style, the U.S. Olympic team didn't come empty-handed from the Winter Games in France that year, as it was the only gold medal they had won. This signaled a return to dominance for American women's figure skating following the tragedy of the 1961 Sabena plane crash.
Fleming was named ABC's "Wide World of Sports" Athlete of the Year in 1967. In 1993, the Associated Press released the results of a national sports study ranking Peggy as the third most popular athlete in America, just behind fellow Olympians Mary Lou Retton and Dorothy Hamill. In 2003, she was honored with the Lombardi Award of Excellence by the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation, an award created to honor Coach Lombardi and is handed out annually to a person who exemplifies the spirit of his legacy.
Post-Skating Career
After Fleming's retirement in 1968, she went on to serve as a TV commentator on figure skating for over 20 years, including several Winter Olympic Games. She also appeared on TV shows, including five of her own NBC specials, and even toured with skating shows such as Ice Capades. Peggy filmed a show during the Cold War in the USSR and skated to "Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto" in China. What's more, she had the chance to play the role of a judge on the big screen in the 2007 movie "Blades of Glory."
Personal Life
On June 13, 1970, Peggy married Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and former amateur figure skater. Fleming and Jenkins had been together since their teenage years. The couple has two sons, Andy and Todd, and three grandchildren.
Apart from her professional engagements, Fleming has been a great charity supporter and breast cancer activist. She was diagnosed with the disease in 1998. Fortunately, the cancer was detected in its early stages and was successfully removed.
Real Estate
Peggy and her husband started a small backyard winery in the late 1990s on their Silicon Valley property. What started as a hobby ended up being a 10-year venture garnering accolades, including a 93 score on a Sauvignon blend while raising money for breast cancer research. The winery was sold off in 2011, and in 2013 the couple listed the family home for sale for $4.375 million. They ultimately accepted a tad under $3 million for the 2-acre property in October 2015.