Doug Russell (swimmer)

Last updated
Doug Russell
Personal information
Full nameDouglas Albert Russell
Nickname"Doug"
National teamUnited States
Born (1946-02-20) February 20, 1946 (age 78)
New York, New York
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight150 lb (68 kg)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Butterfly, backstroke, individual medley
ClubDick Smith Swim Gym
College team University of Texas at Arlington
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1968 Mexico City 100 m butterfly
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1968 Mexico City 4x100 m medley
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1967 Winnipeg 200 m medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1967 Winnipeg 4x100 m medley
Universiade
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1967 Tokyo 100 m butterfly
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1967 Tokyo 4x100 m medley
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1967 Tokyo 100 m backstroke
Doug Russell Pool in Midland, Texas Doug Russell Pool Midland Texas.jpg
Doug Russell Pool in Midland, Texas

Douglas Albert Russell (born February 20, 1946) is an American former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in three different events.

Contents

Career

Russell was born in New York City, [1] but raised in Midland, Texas. He began swimming in high school for Midland High School, in the new 50-meter "Alamo" pool built by the city in 1962. It was later renamed in his honor: the "Douglas Russell Swimming Pool." [2] He was an all-around swimmer in high school—swimming competitively in butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley events. Other school swimmers of the era remember him as a tough competitor who was hard to beat but who brought out the best in swimmers around him. [3]

He attended The University of Texas at Arlington, where he swam for coach Don Easterling's UT Arlington Mavericks swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition. During his swimming career, one of his coaches, was SMU Hall of Fame coach Red Barr, who also coached the Pepsi Swim Club in Dallas and was an alternate coach for the 1968 Summer Olympics which Russell attended. [4] [5] Doug Russell Park, part of the southern edge of the UT Arlington campus, is named in his honor. At the 1967 Pan American Games, he won a gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley. He also won an NCAA national championship in the 100-yard butterfly in 1968, and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national outdoor title in the 100-meter butterfly. [5]

At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Russell won the first-ever gold medal awarded in the men's 100-meter butterfly—an event which made its debut at the 1968 Olympics–in an upset over teammate and favorite Mark Spitz. He won another gold medal swimming the butterfly leg for the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay. Russell, together with relay teammates Charlie Hickcox (backstroke), Don McKenzie (breaststroke), and Ken Walsh (freestyle), set a new world record of 3:54.9 in the event final.

Russell was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1985. [5] He was the head coach of the Austin Trinity Aquatic Club up until it was disbanded in 2020. Currently, he is coaching at Trinity Aquatics in Spring Valley, California.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Lohn, John (2010). Historical Dictionary of Competitive Swimming. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. p. 128. ISBN   9780810867758.
  2. ↑ Midland City Dept of Parks Swimming Pools Archived May 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  3. ↑ T Paton About the Author. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Red Barr Dies Coached SMU to 17 Titles," The Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio, 14 June 1971, pg. 8
  5. 1 2 3 "Douglas Russell (USA)". ISHOF.org. International Swimming Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
Records
Preceded by Men's 100-meter backstroke
world record-holder (long course)
August 28, 1967 – August 28, 1967		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 100-meter butterfly
world record-holder (long course)
August 29, 1967 – October 7, 1967		Succeeded by
Mark Spitz
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