| Rich Ruohonen | |
| Birth Date: | 31 March 1971[1] |
| Birth Place: | Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Curling Club: | St. Paul CC, St. Paul, MN |
| Skip: | Joe Polo[2] |
| Third: | Rich Ruohonen |
| Second: | Matt Mellin |
| Lead: | Derek Benson |
| World Championship Appearances: | 2 |
| Pan Continental Championship Appearances: | 1 |
| Other Appearances: | World Senior Curling Championships 1 (2024) |
Richard Ruohonen (born March 31, 1971) is an American curler[3] from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. He is a two-time national champion and as such represented the United States at the 2008 and 2018 World Men's Curling Championships.
Ruohonen made his first appearance at the United States Men's Championship in 1998. He won his first national championship in 2008, playing third for skip Craig Brown. As Team United States at the 2008 World Men's Championship, they finished the round-robin with 5–6 record, missing the playoffs and ending the tournament in seventh place.
Ruohonen would lose the US Nationals final three times, in 2011, 2013, and 2017, before again earning the gold medal in 2018. His 2018 gold medal team included Greg Persinger, Colin Hufman, and Philip Tilker. At the World Championship they finished in sixth place when they lost their first playoff game to Brad Gushue's Team Canada.
In 2019 when Ruohonen returned to the national championship to attempt to defend his title, he brought along Jared Allen, retired NFL player, as an alternate.[4] Ruohonen's team lost to John Shuster in the final, with a score of 8–4.[5]
At the 2020 United States Men's Championship Ruohonen made it to the finals for the fourth year in a row, facing John Shuster for the third time out of those four years and, as happened in 2017 and 2019, Shuster prevailed to win the championship.[6]
Ruohonen is an American personal injury lawyer.[7] In 2001 he was fellow curler Jason Larway's attorney when they filed a grievance with the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Curling Association over Larway's eligibility to compete at the 2001 United States Olympic Curling Trials.[8]
He is married to Sherry, with two children. He started curling in 1981.
| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Coach | Events | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Rich Ruohonen | Jeff Laundergan | John Benton | Pete Annis | 2004 USMCC (9th) | |||
| 2004–05 | Rich Ruohonen | Nick Myers | John Benton | Pete Annis | Jim Dexter | 2005 USMCC/USOCT (5th) | ||
| 2005–06 | Rich Ruohonen | Nick Myers | John Benton | Pete Annis | 2006 US World Trials (5th) | |||
| 2006–07 | Rich Ruohonen | Troy Schroeder | John Benton | Pete Annis | 2007 USMCC (8th) | |||
| 2007–08 | Craig Brown | Rich Ruohonen | John Dunlop | Pete Annis | Kevin Kakela (WMCC) | Steve Brown | (7th) | |
| 2008–09 | Craig Brown | Rich Ruohonen | John Dunlop | Pete Annis | (4th) | |||
| 2009–10 | Craig Brown | Rich Ruohonen | Zach Jacobson | Pete Annis | (5th) | |||
| 2010–11 | Chris Plys | Rich Ruohonen | ||||||
| 2011–12 | Tyler George | Chris Plys | Rich Ruohonen | (8th) | ||||
| 2012–13 | Chris Plys (fourth) | Tyler George (skip) | Rich Ruohonen | Colin Hufman | ||||
| 2013–14 | Chris Plys (fourth) | Tyler George (skip) | Rich Ruohonen | Colin Hufman | Craig Brown | 2013 USOCT (4th) | ||
| Chris Plys | Rich Ruohonen | Colin Hufman | ||||||
| 2014–15[9] | Mike Farbelow | Rich Ruohonen | Kevin Johnson | Dan Ruehl | ||||
| 2015–16[10] | Mike Farbelow | Rich Ruohonen | Chris Bond | Dan Ruehl | ||||
| 2016–17 | Todd Birr | Rich Ruohonen | John Benton | Tom O'Connor | ||||
| 2017–18 | Heath McCormick | Chris Plys | Korey Dropkin | Tom Howell | Rich Ruohonen | 2017 USOCT (2nd) | ||
| Greg Persinger (fourth) | Rich Ruohonen (skip) | Colin Hufman | Chris Plys (WMCC) | Phill Drobnick | (6th) | |||
| 2018–19 | Greg Persinger (fourth) | Rich Ruohonen (skip) | Colin Hufman | Philip Tilker | ||||
| Greg Persinger (fourth) | Rich Ruohonen (skip) | Sean Beighton | Kroy Nernberger | Phill Drobnick | CWC/1 (6th) | |||
| 2019–20 | Rich Ruohonen | Greg Persinger | Colin Hufman | Philip Tilker | Kroy Nernberger | |||
| 2020–21 | Rich Ruohonen | Colin Hufman | Philip Tilker | Kroy Nernberger | (7th) | |||
| 2021–22 | Rich Ruohonen | Andrew Stopera | Colin Hufman | Kroy Nernberger | Philip Tilker | |||
| Korey Dropkin | Andrea Stopera | Mark Fenner | Tom Howell | Rich Ruohonen | Mark Lazar | |||
| 2023-24 | Rich Ruohenen | Jason Smith | Samuel Strouse | Jared Allen | Aidan Oldenburg | 2024 USMCC |
| Event | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Challenge | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | DNP | DNP | DNP | QF | T2 | N/A | N/A | DNP | DNP | T2 | |
| Masters | Q | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | Q | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | N/A | Q | DNP | DNP | ||
| Champions Cup | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | DNP | DNP | QF | DNP | N/A | DNP | DNP | DNP | N/A | N/A |